How to Increase Instagram Story Views

Feeling like you're creating amazing Instagram Stories that just aren’t getting the attention they deserve? You’re not alone. Figuring out how to get more people to tap through your content can feel like a moving target. This guide will give you concrete, actionable tips you can start using today to boost your Story views and build a more engaged audience.

The Foundation: Build a Binge-Worthy Story Experience

Before diving into specific tactics, let's talk about the big picture. Why should someone watch your Stories? Your goal is to become a "must-watch" account for your followers. This comes down to three core principles: consistency, value, and brand identity.

• Show Up Consistently: The Instagram algorithm tends to prioritize accounts that post Stories regularly. This doesn't mean you need to post 20 times a day, but aim for a steady rhythm. Whether it’s one story a day or a few throughout the week, find a cadence you can stick with. Consistency trains your audience to look for your content and keeps your account top-of-mind (and top-of-feed).
• Provide Real Value: Every Story you post should answer one question for the viewer: "What's in it for me?" Value can come in many forms - entertainment, education, inspiration, or a behind-the-scenes look they can’t get anywhere else. If you’re a personal trainer, share a quick workout. If you’re a chef, show a simple recipe. If you’re a small business owner, introduce your team. Make your Stories an indispensable resource for your niche.
• Develop a Signature Style: Your Stories should be instantly recognizable. This goes beyond just using the same preset filter. Think about the fonts you use, your color palette, the tone of your captions, and the type of music you add. A cohesive visual identity makes your content look more professional and strengthens your brand recall.

Engage Your Audience with Interactive Stickers

Instagram gives you an entire toolbox of interactive features designed to drive engagement. The more people who interact with your Stories, the more Instagram will show them to a wider segment of your audience. Make these stickers a regular part of your strategy.

The "Add Yours" Sticker

This is arguably the most powerful tool for reach right now. The "Add Yours" sticker creates a public thread of Stories that anyone can contribute to. When someone adds to your thread, their own followers can see your original prompt, creating a chain reaction that can expose your account to thousands of new people. Actionable Example: If you're a travel blogger, start an "Add Yours" thread with a prompt like "Show me a photo from your last vacation." If you're a food account, try "What are you making for dinner tonight?” The more relatable the prompt, the more likely people are to participate.

Polls and Quizzes

Polls are one of the lowest-friction ways to get a view to turn into an interaction. Tapping one of two options is easy for your audience, and it provides you with valuable feedback. Quizzes take this a step further by testing your audience's knowledge and creating a fun, game-like experience.

• For Polls: Don't just ask simple "Yes/No" questions. Use them to understand your audience's preferences. A clothing brand could ask, "Which new color should we launch for summer? Navy Blue or Forest Green?" A marketer could poll, "Which platform are you focusing on most? TikTok or Reels?" Follow up on the results in a later story to close the loop.
• For Quizzes: Use the quiz sticker to educate your audience about your industry, a new product, or your brand story. A skincare brand, for example, could create a "Myth Busting" quiz about common skincare ingredients. This reinforces your authority and provides genuine value in an engaging way.

Question Stickers and Q&As

The question sticker is your direct line to your community. Hosting regular Q&A or "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) sessions is a fantastic way to connect with your followers on a personal level. People are naturally curious, and this feature lets them ask whatever is on their mind.

Don’t just wait for people to ask you questions. Use the sticker to ask them questions too! Try prompts like "What’s one thing you’re struggling with right now?" or "What kind of content do you want to see more of?" When you share their answers, it shows you’re listening and makes your followers feel seen and heard.

The Emoji Slider

Simple but effective. The emoji slider lets you get a quick emotional or preferential read from your audience without requiring much effort on their part. It's an excellent way to gauge sentiment on a new product, a piece of content, or just a random thought.

Example: Post a video of a new recipe and use the slider with a heart-eyes emoji. Or, share a snippet of a new song you're listening to and ask people how much they love it. The visual feedback is instant and fun.

Amplify Your Reach Strategically

Getting more views also involves thinking beyond the simple act of posting. A few strategic moves can multiply your reach and get your content in front of entirely new audiences.

Use Location and Hashtag Stickers

This is Story discoverability 101. Adding a location sticker automatically puts your story in the public Story for that city, landmark, or business. Anyone browsing that location’s content on the Explore Page could see your Story - even if they don’t follow you. Similarly, adding a relevant hashtag sticker does the same thing for that specific topic.

Pro Tip: You don't need to ruin the aesthetic of your Story with large, ugly stickers. You can pinch to shrink them down to be nearly invisible or even hide one sticker behind another. The functionality still works, but your design remains clean.

Tag Relevant Accounts

Are you collaborating with another creator? Wearing a small brand’s clothing? Visiting a local coffee shop? Tag them! Account mentions are a crucial part of building an interconnected community on Instagram. The account you tag will get a notification, and if they love your content, they might re-share your Story to their own audience. That single re-share can introduce your profile to hundreds or thousands of potential new followers.

Cross-Promote Your Content

Your content shouldn't live in a silo. Use your other channels to drive traffic to your Stories.

• From Your Feed: When you publish a new feed post or Reel, share it to your Story with a compelling call-to-action that encourages people to go check it out. You can cover most of the post with a sticker or GIF and add text like "New Post! Tap here to see it."
• At the End of a Reel: End your next Reel with a CTA like, "For more tips, check out my Stories today!" This prompts your short-form video viewers to take the next step and engage with your more ephemeral content.
• From Other Platforms: Don't forget your audience outside of Instagram. Send out an email to your newsletter list letting them know you're doing a special Q&A on your Stories. Or post on X (formerly Twitter) about an exclusive sneak peek you're sharing only on Instagram Stories.

Optimize Your Story Content and Structure

How you sequence your Stories matters just as much as what’s in them. Aim to tell a complete mini-story or deliver a multi-part tutorial that keeps people tapping to see what's next.

Create a Narrative Arc

Instead of posting a random photo from your day, think in terms of a simple narrative: a beginning, a middle, and an end. The beginning hooks the viewer, the middle carries them through a process or idea, and the end delivers a payoff.

Example: A furniture designer could post a sequence:

1. (Beginning) A shot of raw lumber with the text, "Guess what I'm building today?" alongside a poll sticker.
2. (Middle) A few short clips of the building process - cutting, sanding, assembling - to build anticipation.
3. (End) A beautiful shot of the final designed chair with a celebratory message.

This approach transforms a simple update into a compelling story that viewers will stick around to finish.

Post at Your Best Times

Check your Instagram Insights (under Audience) to see what days and times your followers are most active. While it’s always good to post when your audience is online, also consider experimenting with slightly off-peak hours. Posting right when everyone else is can be competitive, and your Story might get lost in the noise. Test different windows to see where you get the most initial traction - that early engagement often signals to the algorithm that your content is worth pushing to more people.

Focus on Mixing Media

Don't just post static image after static image. Vary your content with a good mix of videos, Boomerangs, photos, and simple text-on-background screens. Short, dynamic video clips are especially good at holding attention. Even a simple 5-10 second video explaining a concept or showing off a product can feel far more personal and engaging than a still photo. The variety keeps the experience fresh and prevents your viewers from tapping out early.

Final Thoughts

Getting more Instagram Story views comes down to a blend of consistency, creativity, and strategic engagement. By treating your stories as valuable content and using the interactive tools at your disposal, you can turn passive viewers into an active, engaged community that looks forward to your next upload.

Consistently planning and creating varied, engaging Stories can be time-consuming. That’s where we find platforms built for modern social media, like Postbase, can make a huge difference. Using a visual calendar, you can plan your daily narratives and make sure you’re balancing video, interactive stickers, and promotional content effectively. When your followers engage through Story replies and DMs, our unified inbox helps you manage all those conversations in one stress-free place, allowing you to build community without feeling overwhelmed.