Instagram Stories have become an essential tool for businesses to engage with their audience. However, it can be frustrating when your Stories don’t get the views and engagement you were hoping for. In this article, we will explore the common reasons for low Instagram Story views and provide solutions to help you increase your reach and engagement.
What Determines Story Views?
Before we dive into the reasons for low Story views, it’s essential to understand how Instagram’s algorithm works. Instagram’s algorithm determines the order in which Stories appear on users’ feeds based on relevance and engagement. The more relevant and engaging your content is, the higher the chances of it appearing at the top of your followers’ feeds.
Common Reasons for Low Story Views
Algorithm Changes
Instagram occasionally updates its algorithm, which can affect your Story views. For example, Instagram may prioritize certain types of content, such as Reels or IGTV, over Stories. To combat this, it’s essential to stay up-to-date with Instagram’s algorithm changes and adjust your content strategy accordingly.
Content Quality and Relevance
The quality and relevance of your content are crucial factors in determining the success of your Instagram Stories. To increase your Story views and engagement, it’s essential to create high-quality content that resonates with your audience. Use Instagram’s interactive features, such as stickers, polls, and questions, to keep your followers engaged. Repurposing content and promoting your Stories on other social media platforms can also increase your Story’s visibility. Use Instagram Analytics to track your Story’s performance and adjust your content strategy accordingly.
Infrequent Posting
Infrequent posting is one of the common reasons for low Instagram Story views. If you’re not posting Stories frequently or consistently, your followers may not be aware of your content, leading to decreased engagement and Story views.
When you post infrequently, your followers may not know when to expect new content from you, and they may not check your Stories regularly. This can lead to your Stories being buried in favor of other accounts that post more frequently.
To combat this, it’s essential to maintain consistent activity on your Stories. The average brand posted an Instagram Story 11 times per month in 2022, with the top 25% of most active brands publishing a Story 17 times a month, or roughly every other day.
Repurposing content is an effective way to maintain consistent activity on your Stories. You can repost your Feed posts or Reels as Stories or use scheduling tools to plan your Stories ahead of time.
Posting Time
Posting at the right time is crucial to increasing your Instagram Story views and engagement. In 2023, it’s more important than ever to understand when your followers are most active and adjust your posting schedule accordingly. In this guide, we’ll provide tips and strategies for finding the best posting times for your Instagram Stories in 2023.
Tips for Creating the Best Video Ads for Instagram
1. Use Instagram Analytics
Instagram Analytics provides valuable insights into your followers’ behavior, including when they’re most active on the platform. To access this information, go to your profile and tap Insights, then Total followers, and scroll down to Most Active Times. Use this data to determine the best times to post your Stories and adjust your posting schedule accordingly.
2. Consider Your Time Zone
If you have followers in different time zones, it’s essential to consider their time zone when posting your Stories. For example, if you’re based in New York but have followers in Los Angeles, you may want to adjust your posting schedule to accommodate the time difference.
3. Experiment with Posting Times
While Instagram Analytics can provide valuable insights, it’s essential to experiment with different posting times to determine what works best for your audience. Try posting at different times of the day and track your Story’s performance to identify the best times to post.
4. Consider Your Audience’s Schedule
Consider your audience’s schedule when determining the best posting times for your Stories. For example, if your audience is primarily made up of working professionals, you may want to post your Stories during their lunch break or after work hours.
5. Stay Up-to-Date with Instagram’s Algorithm
Instagram’s algorithm is constantly changing, and it’s essential to stay up-to-date with these changes to ensure that your Stories are being seen by your followers. For example, Instagram may prioritize new content, so it’s essential to post your Stories when your followers are most active to increase their visibility.
Lack of Promotion
One of the common reasons for low Instagram Story views is lack of promotion. To combat this, it’s essential to promote your Stories on other platforms, use hashtags and location tags, collaborate with other accounts, use Instagram Ads, and repurpose your content. By doing so, you can increase your Story views and engagement and maintain a strong presence on Instagram.
Increased Competition
Unfortunately, increased competition is a common reason for low Instagram Story views. With so many users and brands vying for attention, it can be challenging to stand out. To combat this, it’s essential to create high-quality, engaging content that resonates with your audience. You can also research your competition for insights and inspiration from their top-performing content. Additionally, using interactive elements like Questions, Polls, Quizzes, and more can encourage interest and engagement and keep viewers’ attention.
Engage with Followers
Not engaging with your followers is another reason for low Instagram Story views. To combat this, it’s essential to create content that resonates with your audience and encourages interaction. You can use interactive elements like Questions, Polls, Quizzes, and more to prompt viewers to interact with your Story. Additionally, you can respond to comments and direct messages, repost user-generated content, and collaborate with other accounts to increase engagement and build a community. By doing so, you can increase your Story views and maintain a strong presence on Instagram.
Utilize All Story Features
One of the common reasons for low Instagram Story views is not utilizing all Story features. To combat this, it’s essential to use all the available features like location tags, mentions, hashtags, stickers, and more to make your Stories more discoverable and shareable. You can also use Instagram’s built-in analytics to track your Story’s performance and adjust your strategy accordingly. Additionally, you can use third-party tools to schedule your Stories ahead of time and maintain consistent activity. By doing so, you can increase your Story views and engagement and maintain a strong presence on Instagram.
Analyze Insights
You should start learning about the ‘analyzing insights’ feature to gain more story views. It’s essential to use Instagram’s built-in analytics to track your Story’s performance and adjust your strategy accordingly. You can track metrics like reach rate, impressions, exits, and more to understand how your audience is engaging with your content. Additionally, you can use third-party tools to gain more in-depth insights and track your competitors’ performance. By analyzing insights, you can identify what’s working and what’s not and make data-driven decisions to improve your Story views and engagement.
Collaborate with Other Accounts
One of the solutions to increase your Instagram Story views is to collaborate with other accounts. Collaborating with other accounts can help you reach a new audience and increase your visibility on the platform. You can collaborate with other accounts by reposting their content, tagging them in your Stories, or even creating joint content. For example, you can host a Q&A session with an influencer or create a takeover where another account takes over your Story for a day. By collaborating with other accounts, you can tap into their audience and gain new followers and views. Additionally, you can build relationships with other accounts and create a sense of community on the platform.
Promote Your Stories
One of the solutions to increase your Instagram Story views is to promote your Stories. Promoting your Stories can help you reach a wider audience and increase your visibility on the platform. You can promote your Stories by using Instagram’s built-in promotion feature, which allows you to target specific audiences and increase your reach. Additionally, you can promote your Stories on other social media platforms, such as Facebook or Twitter, to drive traffic to your Instagram account. You can also use hashtags and geotags to make your Stories more discoverable and increase your chances of being featured on the Explore page. By promoting your Stories, you can increase your views and engagement and reach a wider audience on the platform.
Is there a specific time that’s best to post stories?
Yes, there is a specific time that’s best to post Stories. Posting at the wrong times can be one of the reasons for low Instagram Story views. If you’re posting to your Story at a time when your followers aren’t active, then it makes sense that you’re not getting many views. This is because Instagram prioritizes new content, and if other accounts post right when your audience is online, those Stories will be placed front and center by the algorithm and push yours to the back of the line.
How often should I be posting to my Instagram story?
The average brand posted an Instagram Story 11 times per month in 2022, with the top 25% of most active brands publishing a Story 17 times a month, or roughly every other day. However, the frequency of your Instagram Story posts ultimately depends on your goals and the type of content you’re creating. If you have a lot of content to share, you can post more frequently, but if you’re struggling to come up with ideas, it’s better to post less often but with higher-quality content. It’s also important to be consistent with your posting schedule to keep your followers engaged and interested in your content.
Do Instagram story ads help in increasing organic views?
Instagram Story ads can indirectly help in increasing organic views. When you run an Instagram Story ad, it can help increase your visibility and reach on the platform, which can lead to more people discovering your account and following you. As a result, when you post organic content, it’s more likely to be seen by a larger audience, including your new followers. Additionally, running Instagram Story ads can help you gather data on your target audience, which you can use to create more effective organic content that resonates with your followers . However, it’s important to note that Instagram Story ads are not a direct solution to increasing organic views, and you should still focus on creating high-quality, engaging content to keep your followers interested and coming back for more.
