How to View Story Reshares on Instagram

Seeing that little paper airplane icon light up after you've posted an Instagram Story is a great feeling, but figuring out exactly who thought your content was good enough to pass along can be tricky. Knowing who reshared your Story is more than just a vanity metric, it's a direct signal of what resonates with your audience. This guide provides a clear walkthrough on how to see those reshares and what you can do with that valuable information.

Why Tracking Story Reshares is a Game-Changer

Before jumping into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." Story reshares are a powerful form of user-generated content (UGC) and a direct indicator of your content's impact. Unlike a simple "like" or "view," a reshare means someone actively chose to broadcast your message to their own followers. It's an endorsement, a virtual high-five that tells you what's truly hitting home with your community.

Tracking this metric helps you understand:

• What content connects: Are people sharing your inspirational quotes, your behind-the-scenes videos, or your funny memes? This data is pure gold for refining your content strategy.
• Who your biggest fans are: Identifying your most vocal supporters allows you to build stronger relationships with them. A simple thank you can turn a casual follower into a loyal brand advocate.
• The power of social proof: When others share your content, it adds a layer of authenticity and trust that you can't buy. It shows potential new followers that your content is valuable and worth paying attention to.

The Definitive Guide to Viewing Your Own Story Reshares

Instagram makes it fairly straightforward to see a list of who reshared your Story, but you have to know where to look. The analytics live within each individual Story's settings, which means you'll need to navigate to the specific Story you're curious about.

Method 1: Checking a Live Story (Within 24 Hours)

If your Story is still active (less than 24 hours old), the process is simple.

1. Open the Instagram app and tap on your profile picture in the top left corner to view your current Story.
2. While viewing your Story, swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
3. This will open the "Viewers" screen. You'll see an icon that looks like a paper airplane, sometimes next to an eye icon. The number next to the airplane icon indicates how many people have reshared your Story to their own. Tap it to see the usernames of the accounts who reshared it. Note: Previously this was a dedicated "Reshares" tab but an icon is more common now.

That's it! You now have a complete list of everyone who publicly reshared your live Story.

Method 2: Checking an Archived Story (After 24 Hours)

What if the Story has already expired? Don't worry, that information isn't lost. As long as you have the Story Archive feature enabled (it's on by default for most accounts), you can find a record of every Story you've ever posted.

1. Go to your Instagram profile page.
2. Tap the three horizontal lines (the "hamburger menu") in the top right corner.
3. From the menu, select "Archive." This will take you to your content archive.
4. At the top of the screen, you'll see a dropdown menu that might say "Posts Archive" or "Live Archive." Tap it and select "Stories Archive."
5. Your Stories will appear in a calendar or grid view. Tap on the specific Story you want to check.
6. Once the Story is open, swipe up from the bottom - just like you would for a live Story.
7. You'll see the same viewers and insights screen, a reshare count, and the list of users who shared your content.

This method is fantastic for going back and analyzing the performance of past campaigns or identifying patterns in what content got the most traction over time.

Can You See Who Reshared Someone *Else's* Instagram Story?

This is one of the most common questions out there, and the answer is refreshingly simple: No, you generally cannot.

Instagram prioritizes user privacy. Just as you wouldn't be able to see a list of who sent a post to their friends via DM, you can't access a list of who reshared another person's Story. This viewership data is private to the original creator of the Story.

There are only a couple of exceptions:

• If You Are Tagged: If someone reshares a Story and tags your account (@mention) in it, you will receive a notification and a message in your DMs. This is Instagram's way of letting you know you've been included in the conversation.
• If They Make it a Highlight: If the person who reshared the Story saves it to one of their public profile Highlights, you (and anyone else) will be able to view it there until they remove it. However, you won't get a notification about this.

So, unless you're directly tagged, assume that viewing the reshare list of another account's Story is off-limits.

Troubleshooting: Why Can't I See My Story Reshares?

Sometimes you might hit a snag trying to find your reshare analytics. Here are a few common reasons why the data might not be appearing.

The Person Who Reshared Has a Private Account

If someone with a private account reshares your Story, their reshare will only be visible to their approved followers. You won't receive a notification or see them in your reshare list unless you also happen to follow their private account. It effectively keeps their share within their private circle as intended.

Nobody Has Reshared It Yet

It sounds obvious, but sometimes the simplest answer is the right one. If you swipe up and don't see a reshare count or tab, it likely means no one has publicly reshared that particular Story. Don't get discouraged! Not every piece of content is built to be shared. Focus on creating value, and the shares will come.

You're Looking at an Old Version of the App

Instagram's interface is constantly evolving. A few years ago, the reshares feature was presented differently. If you are having trouble finding things where they should be, the first line of defense is always to make sure your Instagram app is updated to the latest version from the App Store or Google Play Store.

Turn Reshares into Your Best Marketing Asset

Once you know who is sharing your content, you can move beyond just tracking numbers and start building a stronger brand. Reshares are conversation starters, and you should treat them as such.

1. Acknowledge and Engage

Never let a good reshare go unnoticed. When someone takes the time to share your content, respond! You can 'like' their Story, reply with a quick emoji, or send them a thankful DM. This simple act of acknowledgment reinforces their behavior and makes them feel seen and appreciated. It's one of the easiest ways to build powerful community bonds.

2. Curate Your Social Proof with Highlights

When you get tagged in reshares, you now have a collection of amazing user-generated content. A brilliant strategy is to reshare these mentions back to your own Story and then save them to a permanent profile Highlight. Create Highlights titled "Community," "Love," "Results," or "Seen In" to permanently display social proof on your profile page. This shows any new visitor that you have an engaged audience that finds your content valuable.

3. Analyze What Works and Double Down

Your reshare data is a roadmap to creating better content. Look for patterns in your archived Stories.

• Are memes and humor getting the most shares?
• Do educational tips or infographics perform best?
• Is it the behind-the-scenes glimpses that people love to pass on?

Identify your most shareable content formats and make more of them. Stop guessing what your audience wants to see and start using data to give them content so good they feel compelled to share it.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, checking your story reshares boils down to two key places: swiping up on a live story or digging into your Stories Archive for expired content. Once you have this info, you can engage with your core supporters, gather powerful social proof, and refine your content strategy. It's a simple process that unlocks a lot of valuable information about your community.

Keeping track of reshares, mentions, DMs, and comments across all platforms can feel like a full-time job. At Postbase, we built our platform to solve this exact problem. We created a modern social media management tool that consolidates your scheduling, analytics, and community engagement into one clean dashboard. With a unified inbox and straightforward analytics, we give you the ability to see what's really working and interact with your community without having to juggle a dozen different apps.

```