Know that feeling? You’ve spent however much time recording and editing your Stories, and then few people watch them? Here are some ideas on how to get more Instagram Story views so that your effort brings the desired results for your brand and business.
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Why are my Instagram Stories getting so few views?
This is the question many Instagram creators ask themselves – and they’re not always beginners who barely create an account and expect a massive-scale story viewing from the very beginning. Even seasoned creators might fall into the trap of consistently low views – and it can be hard to get out of.
And the reasons might be plenty, including:
- You post Stories infrequently and on random days, and the Instagram algorithm pushes you to the back of the Story queue, so your followers might not even see them. Plus, your followers are not used to seeing your Stories in the first place, and they might even forget they follow you.
- You post at times when your followers are not on Instagram, so your Stories don’t get that initial push that’s needed to keep them at the front of the Stories list.
- You post content on your Stories that your followers don’t find interesting or relevant. When you post a series of Stories, they might watch a Story or two, but quickly swipe to another Instagram account, because they’re, well, not interested, especially as the first Story doesn’t grab their attention.
- You don’t have an engaged audience in the first place. (I’m seriously hoping you didn’t buy any followers!) That’s a common problem with social media in general – your audience might be big, but engagement takes consistent work, and if you simply don’t have time in your day-to-day, your Stories might be falling flat (when you finally post them, that is.)
- Some people also watch Instagram Stories anonymously – e.g., from their other Instagram accounts or using an external Instagram Story viewer – which makes it even harder to get proper engagement that can, in turn, lead to lower reach (because Instagram algorithm.) (And here’s a blog post about how people view Instagram Stories anonymously, if you want to know more about the topic.
But most of these are not something you can’t fix – below are some ideas and best practices that could get you more Instagram Story views.
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How to get more Instagram Story views
Use location tags and hashtags
When you add a location tag to your Instagram Story, people searching for that location will see it – even when they’re not your followers (yet). It’s an effective way to increase Instagram Story views easily. All you do is add a location sticker when creating your Story.
It’s the same with hashtags (yes, hashtags also work on Instagram Stories.) You can add a hashtag sticker to your Story or type in the hashtag as text (of course, using the “#” in front – it’ll work the same way.)
Both are effective ways to expand your reach outside of your followers and increase your views. But using location tags and hashtags alone won’t cut it, especially if you’re not posting consistently.
Post your Stories consistently
Yes, I bet you saw that one coming 😉
Being inconsistent in posting on social media is one of the top reasons why people and brands don’t get the engagement and reach they expect. It’s just the nature of social media: algorithms like and reward consistent posting with consistent reach. I guess it’s social media math.
So, plan your Instagram presence, including your Instagram Stories, in a way that lets you keep posting without long periods of silence (when algorithms and followers lose interest in your content.)
Even if you don’t have the capacity to post every day, try going for a consistent frequency, like 3 times a week, at consistent times that people can get used to. That way, your followers will know when to expect to hear from you, and the algorithm will know to show your content to them.
Find the right timing
Consistency is one thing, but timing is also important. Yes, Stories are available for 24 hours, but if you’re posting them at a time when your followers are not on Instagram, they might get lost in all the other content later, landing you at the end of the Story queue (and you know people rarely get to the end of that queue, especially if they follow many accounts on Instagram.)
If you’re not sure when they are on Instagram (especially if you cater to an international audience), don’t just guess. Instead, check Instagram analytics to see when your Stories (and also other content) get engagement, and use that knowledge for your timing strategy.
Find out YOUR best times to post on Instagram
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Post high-quality, relevant, engaging content
I know, easy for me to say. But even great timing won’t do much for you if your Instagram Story content does not talk about what your audience is interested in.
One way to combat that is to get to know your target audience really well. What do they want to watch? What content gets them engaged? What content they’re so excited about that they send it to their friends on Instagram? What do they interact with on your competitors’ profiles?
Again, Instagram analytics is where you should be looking for the answers to your questions. Coupled with the right timing and frequency, it’ll significantly increase your chances of being seen by more people.
Add interactive elements to your Stories
The more you can engage your audience with your Instagram Stories, the more the Instagram algorithm will push your Stories to other people. Again, simple social media algorithm math.
One easy way to elicit interactions from your audience is by adding interactive stickers, e.g.:
- Ask questions using the questions sticker
- Create polls and quizzes
- Include countdowns (e.g., to the new product launch)
- Add emoji reaction stickers
- Add links (e.g., to your website or relevant content)
The more your followers interact with your content, the more likely the algorithm is to consider your content as worthy of being exposed to more people. And this equals more reach and more views for your Instagram Stories.
Post exclusive content
Another thing you could try in your Instagram content strategy is to encourage your followers to get on your Close Friends list. You can think of it as an additional community where you post exclusive content that only some people can see.
It might sound counterintuitive, I know – the close friends list, after all, limits who can view your content. But trust me, this could actually help you get people more excited about your content. A.k.a., increase views and engagement.
Here’s how to do it:
- Tell people about the exclusive content list on your regular Stories.
- Ask them to message you if they want to be added.
- Then add them and post extra content to that selected list of followers.
- You can announce posting exclusive content on your regular Stories to create more demand.
Of course, the effectiveness of this tactic will depend on several factors, including your industry, follower count, etc. But it’s worth a shot if your Instagram Story views keep you up at night.
Boost your Stories in the Instagram app
This is probably the most obvious way to increase Instagram Story views. You can use paid promotion tools Instagram offers to get your Stories in front of more eyeballs 👀outside of your followers.
Here’s how to do it:
- Go to a Story you want to boost.
- Tap the … More menu.
- Tap “Boost Story”
- Select the goal for your promotion
- Select your audience targeting
- Adjust your budget
- Then confirm and run your ad.
Plan and schedule Stories in advance
This is often an underestimated way to boost your Instagram Story views in the long run. One reason is that Instagram Stories are often posted on the go, which is not a bad thing on its own.
But when you have a plan for an upcoming week or two, you can:
- a. create a more coherent and engaging narrative that people want to follow
- and b. have more time to strategically think about ways to increase reach and engagement.
And yes, you can schedule Instagram Stories in external tools like NapoleonCat’s Instagram management tools for business. Here’s how to go about it:
- Plan your content for the upcoming week or month (whatever bandwidth and needs you have) in a content calendar.
- Assign different posts and Stories to your team members (if you’re lucky enough to have a team)
- Create the different Stories and Story series for the individual days.
- Then schedule them to get posted at selected times (based on the best times to post for your audience, identified using Instagram analytics, of course).
This way, the content gets published, you can focus on the engagement it generates, and you avoid gaps in posting (when you don’t have time to post or are simply uninspired) that might get your views back down.
We highly recommend you test NapoleonCat for free here – no credit card required during signup 😉
Schedule unlimited Instagram Stories, Reels, and Carousels
Seamlessly schedule Instagram content to multiple accounts at once. Collaborate and work in a team – with an all-in-one social media tool.
Add Stories to highlights
You can make your Stories evergreen and help them live beyond the 24-hour mark by adding them to the Stories highlights on your Instagram profile. Use highlights for Stories that you know people will want to check out, for example:
- Stories about your brand/company
- Stories about your products
- Customer stories and reviews
- Content on specific (exciting) topics related to what you do
This way, even if initially your Stories haven’t gathered enough views, they will keep on getting new views over time – for as long as they’re exposed on your profile.
Want more views for your Instagram Stories?
There are really no shortcuts to getting more views for your Instagram Stories and other content (and that’s true across social media, in general.)
More often than not, it’s all about posting consistently, getting frustrated with the low numbers because you were hoping to go viral right off the bat (who wouldn’t want that?)
But keep at it until you get to that spot where your efforts finally pay off and actually get recognized by the algorithm.
Provided, of course, that you’re posting content people want to watch and engage with. That’s really a must.
But if you already do and your content is appreciated by your audience, keep doing what you’re doing, test different tricks and hacks, and keep calm and post Stories. You’ll eventually get there. 🙂
Simplify Instagram Business
Management with One Tool
- Manage & reply to comments and DMs in one place.
- Monitor ad comments from multiple accounts.
- Automate answers to repetitive questions.
- Schedule posts to multiple accounts, on desktop.
- Analyze performance and monitor hashtags.
- Keep track of your competition.
- Create or schedule in-depth reports in seconds.
You may also like:
- Top Instagram Story Hacks – For Marketers and Creators
- How to Save Instagram Stories: Your Ultimate Guide
- How to Mute Instagram Stories (and why do it)
- 4 Quick Ways To View Instagram Stories Anonymously
- How to Repost a Story on Instagram: A Quick Guide
- All You Need to Know About Instagram Story Size
- Does Instagram Notify Screenshots of Stories, DMs, & more?
- What is the Difference Between Instagram Reels and Stories?
- How to Get Paid for Reels on Instagram
- How to Go Viral on Instagram (or at least increase your chances)
- 400+ Best Hashtags for Instagram Reels to Use
- How to Get Verified on Instagram – A Quick Guide
