It’s no secret that Instagram is constantly shifting and changing. It can sometimes be frustrating as a blogger or business owner to work hard on content to see it flop. One of the areas that I see bloggers and business owners struggling with the most is Instagram story views.
The Instagram stories feed is one of the first places users go to get caught up with their favorite accounts. It can also be the place where a potential follower gets their first impression of your page. With Instagram putting a large emphasis on video content, stories is a huge priority.
Stories are also the prime place to form relationships with your followers. Instagram stories can be more personal than the feed, and you can speak directly to your story viewers. It’s a great tool to increase your overall engagement.
How to Increase Instagram Story Views and Engagement
If you’re opening your Instagram account to see your Instagram story views down, don’t panic! I’ve got tips for you on how to increase instagram story views, increase your reach, and increase story engagement.
Wait At least 24 Hours to Share Your Next Story
If your views are low, TAKE A BREAK. Yep. Step away from the screen and give your stories a reboot. Wait at least 24 hours (25 is my recommendation) before posting your next story. This will reset your content in your followers’ feeds. When you return, follow these next recommendations to increase your instagram stories views!
Increase Story Views by Showing Your Face
After you’ve waited 25 hours to reboot your stories views – come back and show your face! My very top tip for increasing story views and engagement is by SHOWING YOUR FACE every single day. Your followers are on your page for you. Showing your face on stories helps them to get to know and trust you more! This goes for businesses too. Followers of your brand/business want to know who is running the show. They’re more likely to buy from and book with you when they know who they’re buying from.
Not only will they get to know you better, they will also be more likely to engage with you! If increased engagement is one of your goals (it should be one of everyone’s goals), then showing your face on stories is of utmost importance.
Include Interactive Stickers
When you return, include an interactive sticker right away. I like to start with a question box, and then share the answers with polls underneath so followers can vote on the answer submissions. This instantly boosts engagement and views on stories. Your followers have now seen your face and have been prompted to interact in multiple ways – and Instagram rewards this!
Don’t stop using interactive stickers now, though. Utilize them every single day. If you’re not getting a lot of responses, don’t take that as a sign you should stop. You have to “train” your followers to engage with your stories. Sometimes that takes several practice rounds. Don’t get discouraged – keep encouraging that interaction!
Polls and emoji sliders in stories are always a good place to start because they are easy for people to answer! The more your followers interact with your stories, the more likely Instagram is to push your stories to the front of their story feeds.
The more your followers interact with your stories, the more likely Instagram is to push your stories to the front of their story feeds.
Add Trending GIF’s to your Instagram Story
If you go to the tools icon and tap on GIFs, that first page of GIFs are all of the ones that are currently trending! This is a great place to go and find holiday and current event GIFs. Add these to your stories content to create interest. If you don’t find any trending GIFs you like, don’t stop there. Go ahead and search for some that fit the bill for your stories.
Here’s what the trending GIFs for Instagram Stories were on August 10, 2021!
Share a Variety of Content
Share a variety of content to your Instagram stories if you want to increase viewership! This means you don’t just post videos of you talking all the time, or only boomerangs, or still images. Incorporate all types of content. Share new content that you’ve just posted. Share someone else’s content to your stories (be sure to credit them). Entertain, educate, and relate to your followers in your Instagram stories.
We also recommend sharing funny REELS since video content is so popular with users. When you tag the creator, there’s also a possibility they might share your story.
When you’re sharing a variety of content, your followers are less likely to get bored and more likely to come back for more! If you’re new to planning content, use our post on how to plan your instagram content in google sheets to help!
Use the Available Instagram Story Features
So many bloggers and brands who post to stories tend to get into a rhythm of business and forget about all of the available features Instagram provides to create fresh, entertaining content. There are effects like “superzoom”, Layout, and more! Use music, stickers, and get creative with your typography. Making your stories eye-catching is a great way to get viewers to stop scrolling and watch your stories.
Post to Stories Multiple Times Throughout the Day
If you’re wondering how to stay at the front of your followers’ story feed, this is the key. Well this along with all of the other tips I’ve already shared. You don’t need a million stories bubbles in 24 hours. But you DO need to show up throughout the day.
The Instagram algorithm isn’t completely chronological, but timing does have a lot to do with who sees your stories. If you post to stories first thing in the morning, but your follower doesn’t check her stories feed until that evening, it’s going to take her getting through several other pages’ stories to get to yours. Posting throughout the day ensures that chronologically you stay near the top of the stories feed for your followers.
Engage, Engage, Engage!
Engagement is a two-way street! You can’t expect followers and new accounts to magically find you on Instagram these days. The point of social media is to be, ahem, SOCIAL.
Start meaningful conversations – this means avoid generic responses like “love it!” or just commenting with emojis. The point of engagement isn’t to get a comment back or to just gain story views, but it can definitely help with those things. The end goal of engagement is to form relationships! Relationships will convert to better engagement on your page in the long run!
If you’re looking for stories ideas, be sure to follow us on Instagram to get more tips and tricks on how to increase your engagement and your Instagram stories views!