The Instagram algorithm. That ever-changing, highly sophisticated, and secret code that we’re all trying to crack in order to get our content seen. And with Stories being one of the platform’s most popular features, that’s the algorithm everyone is trying to figure out.

So is there a secret hack to getting more people to view your Stories? We have the details.

How the Instagram Algorithm Works on Stories

The Instagram algorithm for Stories is, in some ways, similar to a chronological feed in that it ensures you see the most recent content first. But you don’t see every recently posted Story from every account you follow. Instead, you see recent Stories with which you are most likely to interact (source).

So how does Instagram determine how likely you are to interact with a story, post, etc.? Hootsuite lists these factors as the 2022 Instagram algorithm for the Feed and Stories:

• Information about the post. How many likes did a post get? When was it posted? Has it been tagged with a location? If it’s a video, how long is it? These signals help the Instagram algorithm determine the relevance and popularity of a post.
• Information about the person who posted, and your history of interaction with them. Instagram tracks how many times you’ve interacted with any given person (with comments, likes, profile views, and so on) to try to get a sense of how interesting a person might be to you.
• Your activity across the platform. The quantity and content of posts you’ve interacted with gives Instagram a clue as to what kind of other posts you might be interested in seeing.

This means that to get more eyeballs on your Stories, you need to enhance your reach, improve your engagement metrics, and ultimately tell the algorithm that your Stories deserve to be seen by more people. Easier said than done, right? Well, we have some tips for accomplishing this.

How to Get Your Stories to Show up on Instagram

Unfortunately there is no magic way to make this happen. But, according to Sked Social, the key is to create high-quality content for your Stories that results in high engagement. This engagement is a very strong signal to the algorithm that your users are interested in seeing and interacting with your Stories.

Here are some tips for improving your engagement on Stories:

• Share consistently
• Use stickers to make them interactive (polls, questions, sliders, etc.)
• Add hashtags to your Stories
• Partner with influencers

Another source suggests maintaining a cohesive brand aesthetic. When a follower watches your Story, they should know it’s yours without having to see your name in the corner of the screen.

There are many different ways to brand your Stories within Instagram, including different fonts, backgrounds, and brush options. Using these features in a consistent way will add familiarity to your Stories and help build a uniform brand aesthetic. Your followers are much more likely to become regular viewers and engagers when they know they can expect consistent, high-quality Stories from your account.

Bottom Line

As we stated, you cannot just wave a magic wand to get more views on your Stories. But there are steps you can take and practices you can put in place to help Instagram prioritize your Stories to your followers. Sharing consistently, adding hashtags and interactive features, maintaining a cohesive aesthetic, and partnering with influencers are all ways you can increase your views and engagement and make the Instagram algorithm work in your favor.

If you have other questions about social media or digital marketing, reach out to us at AEK Solutions for a free, no-obligation Q&A session. AEK Solutions is dedicated to creating new sources of repeatable growth online by embracing a rapid-experimentation, funnel-based approach. We also utilize creative and technology, such as geotargeting, customer experience management, and moments of influence testing to develop solutions to specific digital marketing issues.

The Instagram algorithm. That ever-changing, highly sophisticated, and secret code that we’re all trying to crack in order to get our content seen. And with Stories being one of the platform’s most popular features, that’s the algorithm everyone is trying to figure out.

So is there a secret hack to getting more people to view your Stories? We have the details.

How the Instagram Algorithm Works on Stories

The Instagram algorithm for Stories is, in some ways, similar to a chronological feed in that it ensures you see the most recent content first. But you don’t see every recently posted Story from every account you follow. Instead, you see recent Stories with which you are most likely to interact (source).

So how does Instagram determine how likely you are to interact with a story, post, etc.? Hootsuite lists these factors as the 2022 Instagram algorithm for the Feed and Stories:

• Information about the post. How many likes did a post get? When was it posted? Has it been tagged with a location? If it’s a video, how long is it? These signals help the Instagram algorithm determine the relevance and popularity of a post.
• Information about the person who posted, and your history of interaction with them. Instagram tracks how many times you’ve interacted with any given person (with comments, likes, profile views, and so on) to try to get a sense of how interesting a person might be to you.
• Your activity across the platform. The quantity and content of posts you’ve interacted with gives Instagram a clue as to what kind of other posts you might be interested in seeing.

This means that to get more eyeballs on your Stories, you need to enhance your reach, improve your engagement metrics, and ultimately tell the algorithm that your Stories deserve to be seen by more people. Easier said than done, right? Well, we have some tips for accomplishing this.

How to Get Your Stories to Show up on Instagram

Unfortunately there is no magic way to make this happen. But, according to Sked Social, the key is to create high-quality content for your Stories that results in high engagement. This engagement is a very strong signal to the algorithm that your users are interested in seeing and interacting with your Stories.

Here are some tips for improving your engagement on Stories:

• Share consistently
• Use stickers to make them interactive (polls, questions, sliders, etc.)
• Add hashtags to your Stories
• Partner with influencers

Another source suggests maintaining a cohesive brand aesthetic. When a follower watches your Story, they should know it’s yours without having to see your name in the corner of the screen.

There are many different ways to brand your Stories within Instagram, including different fonts, backgrounds, and brush options. Using these features in a consistent way will add familiarity to your Stories and help build a uniform brand aesthetic. Your followers are much more likely to become regular viewers and engagers when they know they can expect consistent, high-quality Stories from your account.

Bottom Line

As we stated, you cannot just wave a magic wand to get more views on your Stories. But there are steps you can take and practices you can put in place to help Instagram prioritize your Stories to your followers. Sharing consistently, adding hashtags and interactive features, maintaining a cohesive aesthetic, and partnering with influencers are all ways you can increase your views and engagement and make the Instagram algorithm work in your favor.

If you have other questions about social media or digital marketing, reach out to us at AEK Solutions for a free, no-obligation Q&A session. AEK Solutions is dedicated to creating new sources of repeatable growth online by embracing a rapid-experimentation, funnel-based approach. We also utilize creative and technology, such as geotargeting, customer experience management, and moments of influence testing to develop solutions to specific digital marketing issues.