How to Make an Instagram Story Public

Want your Instagram Story to reach beyond your current followers? The key isn't a hidden button on the Story screen, it's a setting for your entire account. To make your Story public, your Instagram profile must also be public. This article will show you exactly how to switch your account to public, explain what that means for your content, and teach you how to control your audience even after you've opened the gates.

What "Public" Really Means for Your Instagram Stories

Before we jump into the steps, it’s important to understand the simple rule that governs Instagram Story privacy: your Story's visibility is tied directly to your account's privacy setting.

• If your account is set to Private, only your approved followers can see your Story. No one else.
• If your account is set to Public, anyone on or off Instagram can view your Story.

This is a fundamental design choice by Instagram. There is no setting to have a private account but make a single story public. So, if your goal is to get your Story in front of new people, attract a wider audience, or build a brand, making your account public is the necessary first step.

Going public means your Stories can be discovered in several ways:

• Location Pages: When you add a location sticker or tag to your Story, it can appear on that location’s public page for anyone to see.
• Hashtag Pages: Similarly, using a hashtag sticker can land your Story on the corresponding hashtag page, exposing it to users interested in that topic.
• Profile Visitation: Anyone who navigates to your profile can tap on your profile picture to watch your current Story.
• Shares: Other users can share your public Story with their friends via Direct Message.

Making your account public unlocks the full potential for discoverability and growth on the platform. It tells the Instagram algorithm that your content is free to be shared with a broader audience.

How to Make Your Instagram Account Public (Step-by-Step)

Ready to make the switch? Toggling your account from Private to Public is straightforward and only takes a few taps. Here’s how to do it on the mobile app.

Step 1: Go to Your Profile

Open the Instagram app and tap on your profile picture in the bottom-right corner of the screen. This will take you to your main profile grid.

Step 2: Open the Settings Menu

Tap the three horizontal lines (often called the "hamburger menu") in the top-right corner of your profile screen. This will open up a pop-up menu with various options.

Step 3: Navigate to 'Settings and privacy'

From the menu, select Settings and privacy. This is the central hub for all of your account controls.

Step 4: Find 'Account privacy'

Scroll down through the settings options until you find the 'Who can see your content' sub-section. Tap on Account privacy.

Step 5: Toggle 'Private account' OFF

You'll see a single option on this screen: a toggle switch labeled Private account. If your account is currently private, this switch will be turned on (usually colored blue). Tap the switch to turn it off.

Step 6: Confirm Your Choice

Instagram will show a confirmation pop-up that says, "Switch to public account?" It will briefly explain what this means: anyone will be able to see your posts, a public account is a requirement if you want a professional account, and people can remix your Reels. Read this over and then tap Switch to public to finalize the change.

That’s it! Your account is now public, and any Story you post from this point forward will be public as well, visible to anyone who stumbles upon your profile or discovers it through location and hashtag pages.

Common Myth: Can You Make One Story Public on a Private Account?

It's a question creative professionals, small business owners, and freelancers often ask: "Can I keep my personal photos private but make just one Story public to promote a project or a product?"

The answer is a simple and firm no. Instagram’s privacy model is all-or-nothing in this regard. Your account is either entirely private or entirely public. You cannot pick and choose which individual pieces of content go public while the rest of your profile remains locked down.

The system is designed this way to create clear expectations for users. If you follow a private account, you have an expectation of privacy. Allowing that account to broadcast a single piece of content to the entire world would break that trust model. The only way to achieve selective visibility is by using a public account and then leveraging the tools Instagram provides to restrict certain viewers.

How to Control Your Audience with a Public Account

Making your account public doesn't mean you give up all control. Instagram knows that even public figures and brands need to manage who sees specific content. There are two primary tools at your disposal for fine-tuning your Story's audience.

1. Use the 'Close Friends' Feature

This is your go-to for sharing Stories with a smaller, more trusted circle. Even with a public account, you can create a curated "Close Friends" list. When you post a Story and select "Close Friends," only the people on that list will be able to see it.

It shows up on their Story feed with a green circle around your profile picture instead of the usual pink/purple, signaling that it’s more personal and exclusive content.

This is great for:

• Individuals on a public account: Share behind-the-scenes or personal life updates with family and close friends without broadcasting them to your entire public following.
• Brands and Creators: Create an "inner circle" or VIP group. You can offer exclusive content, early access to sales, or Q&As for your most engaged followers, making them feel special and fostering community.

How to set up and use a Close Friends list:

1. Go to your profile and tap the hamburger menu (three lines).
2. Select Close Friends.
3. You'll see a list of your followers. Tap Add next to the people you want on your list. No one is notified when you add or remove them.
4. Once your list is set, create a Story as you normally would. Before posting, you'll see two options at the bottom: 'Your story' and 'Close Friends.' Tap Close Friends to publish it only to that list.

2. Hide Your Story from Specific People

Let’s say you have an acquaintance, a new coworker, or a nosy relative following you. Your account is public, but you’d rather they didn’t see your day-to-day Stories. Instagram lets you block specific users from viewing your Stories without them knowing.

These people will still be able to see posts on your feed and Reels, but your Story will be invisible to them. This is a permanent setting until you manually un-hide your Story from them.

How to hide your Story from specific accounts:

1. Go to your profile -> menu -> Settings and privacy.
2. Scroll down and tap on Hide story and live.
3. Tap on Hide story from.
4. You can now search for and select any followers from whom you wish to hide your Stories and live videos. Tap their names to add them to the list.
5. When you finish, tap ‘Done’ or the back arrow to save your changes.

This feature offers a fantastic middle ground. You get the benefits of a public profile while maintaining some boundaries for personal comfort.

Best Practices for Public Instagram Stories

Once your Story is public, your goal should be to maximize its reach and impact. Simply posting isn't enough, you need to leverage Instagram's features to get your content seen.

• Always Use Location Tags: Whenever relevant, add a location sticker. Sharing a great meal at a local cafe? Tag the cafe's location. This makes your Story discoverable to anyone looking at that location's page on Instagram, attracting a local audience.
• Incorporate Relevant Hashtags: Use the hashtag sticker to add 1-3 relevant hashtags related to your story's content rather than placing 10 in a text box. For example, if you're a designer posting a work-in-progress, you might use #graphicdesign, #uidesign, or #logodesign.
• Foster Interaction with Stickers: Use polls, quizzes, sliders, and question stickers. Interactive content is far more engaging than passive content. Each time someone interacts with your Story, it sends a positive signal to the Instagram algorithm, which may show your Story to more of your followers and potentially boost its discoverability on explore pages.
• Mention Other Accounts: Tag other users or brands when they’re featured in your Story. They’ll get a notification and have the option to re-share your Story to their own audience, which can be amazing for your exposure.
• Keep an Eye on Aesthetics: A public Story is part of your brand. Use consistent fonts, colors, and creative layouts to make your content recognizable and professional. A polished Story is more likely to be watched to completion and engaged with.

Final Thoughts

Making your Instagram Story public comes down to a single, important action: switching your entire account to a public profile. This move unlocks the full discovery potential of the platform, allowing your content to reach far beyond your current followers. For brands, creators, or anyone looking to grow, it's an essential step. Remember, you still wield powerful tools like the Close Friends list and the ability to hide stories from specific people, giving you the best of both worlds: reach and control.

Once you start thinking about your public Stories as a key part of your content plan, the next challenge is staying consistent. We created Postbase because we were tired of tools that made simple tasks difficult, especially with video content like Stories and Reels. With our visual calendar, you can plan out and schedule your content across all your platforms in one place. You can see right away where the gaps are in your schedule and spend your time creating impactful content instead of battling clunky software.