We all know how important Instagram Stories are to a social media strategy, with our stories being a major tactic for building community and brand affinity. It’s widely known that users habits on Instagram now scroll sideways through stories, before they scroll down on their feed. They’re full of fun engagement-driving features, offer a quick route to DMs, and are super personable. An easy win, right? Well, not unless you know how to use them properly…
Stories are also incredibly popular, making it harder to stand out amongst your followers and get more eyes on your content. Fortunately, there are ways to hack the system. Here are 4 ways to increase your Instagram Stories views…
Add an Engagement-driving Sticker to Your First Story
One of the quickest ways to boost your stories’ views is by adding an engagement-driving sticker (such as a poll, emoji slider, or quiz) to the very first story you share.
This will encourage engagement on your stories right off the bat, which is a major indicator for the Instagram algorithm. The more clicks and engagements your stories receive, the more Instagram will bump your stories to the front of the queue.
Add an Extra Story at the End of the Day
This tried-and-tested tip is a relatively unknown one, but it seems to work really well! Adding a new story at hour 22-23, right before the rest of your stories expire, gives all of them an extra boost in views. We’re not entirely sure why this works so well — but trust us, it does. Give it a try!
Share Exclusive Content on Stories
It may be an age-old marketing tactic, but sharing exclusive content is a bonafide way to increase your views — especially if it’s something useful or interesting to your community.
For brands, this could be an exclusive 24-hour discount code. For creators or influencers, it could be a personal story, a tutorial, or a point of view you’ve never shared before. This will keep your followers wanting to keep a closer eye on what you’ll be sharing next.
The short-lived nature of stories is great for creating a buzz — especially when paired with a feed post caption that encourages viewers to head to your stories to find out more.
Tap Into Instagram’s Close Friends Feature
This little known hack can be a real game-changer for increasing Instagram Stories views.You may have noticed that when someone adds you to their Close Friends list, you’ll see their stories at the front of your feed with a bright green border.
This is because Instagram prioritises content from “close connections.” Of course, adding your thousands of followers to a Close Friends list isn’t a viable tactic — but it is great for ensuring important information and product updates get to the most important members of your community.
For brands, this could be a list of brand ambassadors, influencers, and repeat customers.
For influencers and creators, this could be your most engaged community members and industry peers.
Want to up your social media game? Whether you’re an established brand or just beginning your business journey, at South Coast Social we work with start-ups and challenger businesses about to launch through to global brands, spanning a wide variety of sectors including health and beauty, fashion, media, finance, design and technology.
