How to See Responses on Instagram Questions

You’ve posted an Instagram Story with the Questions sticker and, hopefully, the replies are flooding in - but where did they all go? For a feature designed to be simple, finding the responses can feel surprisingly hidden if you don’t know where to look. This article breaks down exactly how to find, view, and share your audience's responses, both while your Story is live and long after it has expired.

First Things First: What Exactly is the Instagram Questions Sticker?

Before we get into finding the responses, let’s quickly cover what we're talking about. The "Questions" sticker is one of Instagram’s interactive tools you can add to your Stories. When you add it, you can type a prompt like “Ask me anything,” “What’s your biggest marketing struggle?” or “Tell me your favorite pizza topping.”

When your followers see the sticker in your Story, they can tap on it and type their reply. It’s an incredibly effective tool for boosting engagement because it’s not just a passive view - it prompts your audience to interact directly with you. It transforms your Story from a broadcast into a conversation.

How to See Responses on an Active Instagram Story (Within 24 Hours)

This is the most common scenario. You’ve posted your Story, it's live, and you're getting notifications that people are sending in responses. Accessing them is simple once you know the secret swipe.

Here’s the step-by-step process:

1. Open your Instagram app.
2. Tap on your profile picture in the top-left corner to view your current Story.
3. Navigate to the specific Story slide that has your Questions sticker on it.
4. Swipe up gently from the bottom of the screen. You can also tap the "Activity" viewers list in the bottom-left corner that says something like "Seen by X."

Once you swipe up, the usual analytics screen will appear, showing you who has viewed your story. At the top of this screen, you’ll see a dedicated section for "Responses." Here, Instagram neatly lists every single submission you’ve received. You'll see the responder’s username, their profile picture, and their answer.

That’s it! You can scroll through the list to read every response in one place.

How to See Responses After Your Story Expires

What if you got busy and forgot to check your responses before the 24-hour mark? Did you lose them forever? Nope. Instagram automatically saves your Stories (and their engagement data) in your private archive. As long as you have the Story Archive feature enabled (it’s on by default), all your responses are safe and sound.

Follow these steps to find old responses:

1. Go to your Instagram profile page.
2. Tap the menu icon (☰) in the top-right corner.
3. From the menu, select "Archive."
4. On the Archive screen, make sure it says "Stories Archive" at the top. If it says "Posts Archive" or "Live Archive," just tap the dropdown menu and switch it to Stories.
5. Scroll through your archived Stories to find the one with the Questions sticker. The archive is organized by date, so this should be straightforward.
6. Tap on the Story to open it.
7. Just like with a live story, swipe up from the bottom of the screen.

The "Responses" section will be right there, just as it was when the Story was live. This is brilliant for reusing content or revisiting feedback you’ve gathered from your audience in the past.

How to Share Question Responses to Your Story

Seeing the responses is one thing, but the real magic happens when you share and answer them publicly. Sharing a response creates a new Story with the original question as context, which builds community and shows your audience you're listening.

Sharing a Response (And Protecting Privacy)

Here’s how to do it:

1. Navigate to your list of responses using one of the methods described above (either on a live or archived Story).
2. Find a response you want to share and tap on it.
3. A pop-up will appear with a few options. Tap the prominent button that says "Share Response."
4. This will immediately open up the Instagram Story creator, with the response displayed as a neat sticker.

Instagram automatically makes the response anonymous when you share it. The original person’s profile picture and username are completely hidden, so your audience won’t know who asked the question. This is great for making your followers feel safe to ask anything without being put on the spot.

Customizing Your Shared Response Story

Once the response is in a new Story draft, you have full creative control. You can:

• Type Your Answer: Use the text tool to write your reply directly on the Story.
• Change the Background: Tap the color wheel at the top to set a new background gradient, or add a new photo or video from your camera roll to use as the background.
• Move and Resize: Pinch and drag the question sticker to place it anywhere you want and make it bigger or smaller.
• Add More Stickers: You can add GIFs, emojis, polls, or any other sticker to make your response more engaging.
• Record a Video Response: Instead of a static image, you can record a video of yourself answering the question on camera. Just treat the Story draft like any other!

Creative Strategies for Using the Questions Sticker

Now that you know the mechanics, let’s talk strategy. Don't just stick to the classic "Ask Me Anything." There are so many valuable ways to use this feature to build your brand.

1. Gather Valuable Feedback

Use the sticker to ask for direct opinions on your products, services, or content. It provides genuine insight straight from the most important people: your audience and customers.

• "What's one thing you wish our product could do?"
• "What kind of content would be most helpful for you right now?"
• "If you could change one thing about our website, what would it be?"

2. Crowdsource Content Ideas

Stuck in a creative rut? Let your audience do the heavy lifting. This not only gives you ideas but also makes sure you’re creating content people actually want to see.

• "What's your biggest challenge with [your niche]?"
• "What topic should my next YouTube video be about?"
• "Tell me a common myth about [your industry] you want me to debunk."

3. Drive Informal Market Research

You can get quick, unfiltered insights into your audience's habits and preferences. This is much faster and more authentic than sending out a formal survey.

• "What do you look for when buying [your product type]?"
• "For remote workers: what's your top productivity tool?"
• "What's the #1 reason you don't [do something related to your business]?"

4. Build Your Community Vibe

Sometimes, it’s not about business. Using fun, topical, or personal questions helps your followers feel more connected to you and your brand personality on a human level.

• "What's the best thing that happened to you this week?"
• "What song are you listening to on repeat right now?"
• "Unpopular opinion: share one of yours!"

Troubleshooting: Can't See Your Responses?

If you've swiped up but don't see anything, here are a few things to check:

• Are you sure you received responses? It sounds silly, but sometimes it just takes a while for replies to come in. Give it some time!
• Update Your App: Glitches often happen because the app is outdated. Head to the App Store or Google Play Store and check for an update.
• Relaunch Instagram: The classic "turn it off and on again" method. Fully close the Instagram app and reopen it. This can often resolve minor bugs.
• Check Your Internet Connection: A weak Wi-Fi or cellular signal can sometimes prevent responses from loading properly.

Final Thoughts

Finding responses to your Instagram Questions sticker is as easy as swiping up on the Story, and you can even access them after 24 hours in your Story Archive. This feature is a simple yet powerful tool for boosting engagement, and when used strategically, it can become a direct line to your audience for feedback, ideas, and building a stronger community.

Actively using features like the Questions sticker is a fantastic way to spark these valuable conversations. But as your community and your engagement grows, managing all the other DMs and comments that come with it can feel like a full-time job. That’s why we built a unified inbox at Postbase, which brings all your conversations from every connected platform into one clean, organized place. It helps you stay on top of engagement efficiently, ensuring you never miss an opportunity to connect with your audience while saving you from the chaos of app-switching.