How to make sure someone sees your instagram story


How To Get More Views on Your Instagram Story in 2023

Instagram Tips & Resources


By Jillian Warren

Updated on November 23, 2022

4 minute read

Ready to jump to the front of the queue?

Published August 29, 2018

Instagram Stories are a major tactic for community-building and brand affinity. 

They’re full of fun engagement-driving features, offer a quick route to DMs, and are super personable in nature. 

An easy win, right? Well, not so fast. 

Stories are also incredibly popular, making it tough to cut through the noise and get more eyes on your content. 

Fortunately, you can "hack" the system. And we're sharing how to do it.

How to Get More Instagram Story Views

Here are four ways to cut through the noise and increase your Instagram Stories views:

  1. Add an Engagement-driving Sticker to your First Story

  2. Add an Extra Story at the End of the Day

  3. Share Exclusive Content on Stories

  4. Tap Into Instagram's Close Friends Feature

Tactic #1: Add an Engagement-driving Sticker to Your First Story

One of the quickest ways to boost your stories' views is by adding an engagement-driving sticker (such as a poll, emoji slider, or quiz) to the very first story you share.  

This will encourage engagement on your stories right off the bat, which is a major nudge to the Instagram algorithm.

The more clicks and engagements your stories receive, the more Instagram will bump your stories to the front of the queue.

Hello, more views! 👋

PSA: Later is a social media management tool trusted by over 4M businesses, creators, and social media managers. Schedule your posts for Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter, and TikTok today — it’s free!

This tried-and-tested tip comes straight from Later’s Social Content Lead, Lindsay Ashcraft.  

“Adding a new story at hour 22-23, right before the rest of our stories expire, gives all of them an extra boost in views.” 

We’re not entirely sure why this works so well — but trust us, it does. Using Later makes it easy to schedule Instagram stories at the times that drive engagement.

Later’s social team has also experimented with taking a short hiatus to see if this had any impact on story views.  

The result? Not much. 

“We didn't see anything that was out of the ordinary for us,” shares Lindsay. “Lots of people recommend this, but I just haven't been able to replicate results consistently.”

TIP: Use Later to schedule your Instagram stories ahead of time.

Tactic #3: Share Exclusive Content on Stories 

It may be an age-old marketing tactic, but sharing exclusive content is a bonafide way to increase your views — especially if it’s something useful or interesting to your community.

For brands, this could be an exclusive 24-hour discount code. For creators or influencers, it could be a personal story, a tutorial, or a point of view you’ve never shared before. 

The short-lived nature of stories is great for creating buzz — especially when paired with a feed post caption that encourages viewers to head to your stories to find out more.

On the lookout for more Instagram Stories inspiration? Check out this blog post: 25 Instagram Stories Ideas for Your Social Strategy

Tactic #4: Tap Into Instagram’s Close Friends Feature

This little known hack can be a real game-changer for increasing Instagram Stories views.

You may have noticed that when someone adds you to their Close Friends list, you’ll see their stories at the front of your feed with a bright green border. 

This is because Instagram prioritizes content from “close connections.”

Admittedly, adding your thousands of followers to a Close Friends list isn’t a viable tactic — but it is great for ensuring important information and product updates get to the most important members of your community. 

For brands, this could be a list of brand ambassadors, influencers, and repeat customers. 

For influencers and creators, this could be your most engaged community members and industry peers. 

BONUS TIP: Plan your Instagram Stories in advance with Later to make sure you’re telling a strong visual story and tapping into every opportunity for engagement.

When it's time to post, you'll receive everything you need delivered straight to your mobile (so you can still add story stickers and tags directly within Instagram).  

It’s the best way to improve your Instagram Stories strategy!

And that's that.

Whether you're looking to improve your Instagram engagement or get more eyeballs on your content, these four tactics are a no-brainer — end of story.

Ready to level-up your social strategy? Create an account with Later and join over 4M users who plan and schedule their social media posts in advance.

About the Author

Jillian Warren

Jillian is Later's Editor. A go-to expert in social media strategy and content marketing, she has worked in both London and New York. Next up? Lisbon and Paris! You can reach out to her on Instagram here: @jillwrren.

Plan, schedule, and automatically publish your social media posts with Later.

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This is how to get your Instagram story seen first by someone

Whether you have a motive or not, on Instagram the aim is fundamentally to get noticed. But is there a way to guarantee you will get noticed by that certain person? How can you get someone to see your Instagram story first so they never skip past it again?

It's literally impossible to let your story expire without checking religiously to see if the person you hate, or the guy you're texting, or the girl you fancied at school has viewed your story. I don't know about you, but I WANT them to see my posts, I WANT them to take notice of my life – and I want them to see what I'm doing straight away when they open the app.

Instagram holds many mysteries, like how to get a blue tick, how it ranks story viewers, how it ranks likes on posts, how to view someone's story without them seeing, how to save posts, and how to actually get followers, but the way to get your story seen is the most mysterious hack yet.

So we tried out an Instagram hack to see whether you can get your story boosted to the front of the list – and it works. Here it is using two phones to illustrate how you'd do it, and what they'd see.

First, post your story

A pretty obvious first step, but to get your story noticed there needs to be one uploaded. Whether this is a thirst trap, a picture of you living your best life or anything – if you want it to be seen, you want it to be good.

At first it'll probably get lost in the list of stories they have to view, like this:

This is how the stories appear all listed at the top of *said someone's* feed, without your story even there

Then, hide the story from whoever you want to see it first

Then you need to get your story and hide it from the person or people you want to see it first. You can do this on story settings – by either clicking the icon in the top left corner BEFORE the story is published or by clicking the three dots and "more" button on a published story.

From this list select "story settings" and you can pick who you want to hide it from – select the people you want.

Unhide the story from them again

In exactly the same way as before, deselect them from the list of people you have hidden your story from.

You are instantly sent to the front of the list

And as if by magic, your story leapfrogs everyone else and is at the front of their list.

And that's how to get someone to see your Instagram story first

You will never go unnoticed again.

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1) What does it mean if my ex is watching my Instagram story?

2) Forget Barbie Feet, the ‘Baby Giraffe’ is the new pose you need to do on Instagram

3) Please stop asking your followers for feedback on Instagram, no one cares!!!

4) This is how Instagram ranks the viewer order on your Insta story

Is there a way to find out how many times someone has viewed your Instagram story?

Have you ever wondered who actually views the stories you add to your Instagram account? And can you tell if someone has watched it more than once? Well, there is no need to be surprised, because we will answer all these questions and many more.

What is an Instagram Story?

Instagram allows you to add content that disappears after 24 hours. This is separate from your posts, which are visible on your profile. You can set privacy on your account to control who can view these disappearing stories. Instagram has also added a feature (Private Stories) that allows you to create custom audiences for your stories.

You can also repost content to your story so others can easily find it. Clicking on the repost will take you to the original content. If you want your story to last longer than the 24-hour limit, you can save it to Highlights. Your saved history will be available on your profile.

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How to find out who viewed your story on Instagram

Instagram lets you know who viewed your story in the app. It also lets you know the order in which your history was viewed. This way, you can probably guess who has notifications for your stories.

To find out who viewed your Instagram story, launch the app and click on your story in the top left corner.

At the bottom of the story, you should see a "Who Sees" button with images above it. This means that your story has been viewed. Next to the "Who's watching" box is a number that represents the number of people who viewed your story, i.e. 100 people saw them.

Click the Seen button to open a list of people who have viewed your story.

Alternatively, you can simply scroll through the history.

Do you see how many times someone views your Instagram story?

Although you can see who has viewed your story, it is not possible to tell if a person has viewed your story more than once. The generated list is based on who viewed your story and when. It is not restored if the user views your history again at a later stage.

Every time a new user views your story, they are added to the top of the list. However, if a person who has already viewed your story before reviewing it again, their name will not rise to the top of the list. This means you can't tell if a person has viewed your story once or a hundred times.

Can you tell if someone is taking screenshots of your story?

No, Instagram doesn't notify you if a user takes a screenshot of your story. While some apps, such as Snapchat, immediately notify the user when someone captures their story, there is no way for Instagram to tell the same.

In fact, even if a user shares your story with someone, you won't get a notification.

How to know if someone is taking a screenshot of your DM photo

A new app update now notifies you when a user takes a screenshot of your profile photo. To be clear, you will only get a notification when you send a live photo (taken from your camera) to a person and they take a screenshot. The same does not apply to messages, direct messages, or sent stories.

When a person takes a screenshot of your photo in their account, it will bring this conversation to the top of the list. Your DM list will also say "Screenshot".

In addition, you can check if a person has a screenshot of your photo in their account by opening a chat. A screenshot symbol will appear next to the photo you sent.

What about Snapchat?

So Snapchat tells you how many times your Snapchat story is viewed?

In this aspect, Snapchat follows the same rule as Instagram. The app doesn't let you know if a user has viewed your story more than once. Until a recent update, there was a trick to detect if someone was viewing your story again (because their name jumped to the top of the viewer list). However, a recent update got rid of this feature.

The list of viewers is now simply populated based on the order in which the story is viewed. This way, even if the person views your story again, their name won't move to the top of the list.

What about other social media apps?

Do any social media apps tell you how many times a user views your story?

Currently, none of the popular social media applications allow this. They all seem to follow the same ideology - they don't want users to know that someone has viewed their story multiple times.

Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Snapchat allow you to see who has viewed your story, but do not tell you if someone has viewed it again. In fact, their viewership lists fill out the same way. Once a person has viewed your story, their name will not move to the top if they view it again.

So currently you have no way of knowing who has viewed your Instagram story more than once. Do you think Instagram should add this feature? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Related:

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their photos on Instagram?

Content:

Have you recently accidentally seen someone's bright picture or photo on Instagram? Or maybe you intentionally skimmed through their highlights. In any case, you might be wondering if this person knows that you have looked at his photo.

In this article, you will find out if anyone can see that you have viewed their Instagram favorites and other frequently asked questions.

By the end of this article, you should have a solid understanding of how Instagram works.

Can anyone see that I've viewed their Instagram photos?

Can anyone see that I've viewed their Instagram photos?

No, someone can't see that you've viewed their Instagram favorites if they've been viewed for more than 24 hours. However, they will be able to see that you've viewed their highlights if they've posted them to their story before 24 hours.

No, a person won't be able to know that you've viewed their Instagram favorites if they're longer than 24 hours.

For example, if someone recently posted a photo to their Instagram story and added it to their highlights, they will be able to see everyone who has viewed their story.

They will be able to see everyone who has viewed their story if it is published before 24 hours.

However, most people add old stories to their highlights, so there's a good chance they won't know you've viewed their highlights.

Most people add old stories to their Instagram highlights so they won't know you've viewed them.

If someone added an old story to their main thread, they won't be able to recognize the people who watched it because Instagram will stop updating viewers.

When they click on their highlights, the "eye" icon will disappear.

Can I find out who viewed my Instagram story after 24 hours?

Can I find out who viewed my Instagram story after 24 hours?

No, you can't see who viewed your Instagram story after 24 hours. This means that if you add a story to your Instagram Highlights after 24 hours, you won't be able to track new viewers.

Your story will disappear after 24 hours and you won't be able to see who viewed it, even if you've added it to your Instagram Highlights.

Your story will disappear after 24 hours and you won't be able to see it on your profile photo or private messages.

However, you can still view your old Instagram stories in the "Archive" section of settings or by clicking the "+" icon below your bio to add them to your highlight.

If you publish a story and immediately favorite it, you can see who has viewed it up to 24 hours.

As soon as your story disappears, the list of viewers will also disappear.

Who can see the best Instagram moments?

Who can see the best Instagram moments?

Everyone can see your highlights on Instagram as long as your profile is public and you haven't hidden your story from anyone.

If your account is public, everyone can see your highlights on Instagram.

You can prevent anyone from seeing your highlights by hiding your history from them.

However, if your profile is set to private, only your followers will be able to see your Instagram Highlights. Also, if you hide your story from someone, that person won't be able to see your highlights.

Here's how you can hide your story from someone if you don't want them to see it:

  • Go to the profile of the person you want to hide your story from.
  • Click the triple dots icon in the top right corner of your profile.
  • Click "hide your history".

When you hide your story from someone, they won't be able to see your highlights either.

If the person you've hidden your story from visits your profile, the highlights section under your profile won't be visible to them.

How long do the best Instagram moments last?

How long do the best Instagram moments last?

The best of Instagram will forever remain on your profile until you delete it.

Unlike Instagram stories, Instagram highlights won't disappear after 24 hours.

Unlike Instagram Stories, where they only last 24 hours, Instagram Highlights will stay on your profile forever.

This means that if you have an old Instagram story that you want to showcase, you can add it to your highlights.

Instagram Highlights is a great way to “extend” your story indefinitely.

Here's how you can add a story to your highlight:

  • Go to your profile.
  • Click the plus sign below your biography.
  • Select the story or stories you want to add to your punchline.
  • Click "Next", edit the cover and name the selection.
  • Finally, click Add to add a story or stories to your selection.

If you don't see the Story Highlights section on your profile, pull down to refresh it and it should reappear.

Once you've added a highlight, it will appear below your biography.

Your highlights will be visible to your followers and everyone if your profile is public.

The privacy settings for your Instagram stories are the same as your highlights.

FAQ

I haven't watched someone's Instagram story, but I've watched the highlights, do they see that I've viewed them?

If you didn't watch someone's Instagram story but instead watched highlights, they will only be able to see that you've viewed it if the story is posted before 24 hours.

They won't be able to see that you've viewed their story if they add an old story to their main topic.

However, if it's a new story (that was published before 24 hours), the person will be able to know that you were viewing that particular story at the time it was highlighted.

How to find out who viewed your highlights on Instagram after 24 hours

Sorry, you can't see who's watched your highlights on Instagram after 24 hours.

If you have added an old story (which has already disappeared) to highlights, who will not be able to see who viewed it.

Why can't I see who's been watching my highlights on Instagram?

If you can't see who watched your highlights on Instagram, it's because the story has been posted for more than 24 hours.

You can only see who watched your highlights on Instagram if you added a new story to it.

Instagram will stop updating new viewers after a story has been posted for more than 24 hours.


Learn more