It has become public knowledge that Instagram Stories are a powerful tool for building community and brand relationships. This tool is equipped with many fun engagement-driving features, can offer a quick route to DMs, and is very personable. This means that Instagram Stories can be a great way to humanise your brand. One would almost think that it’s an easy win for massive success in the social media marketing world. 

Well, not so fast. 

Just like Instagram Reels, Stories as a tool is a viral tool, which means it is much harder to cut through the noise and have more people view your content. However, there is a way to **** the system! Here are four ways you can try to increase your Instagram Stories views without spending a penny on Instagram Advertising:

Tactic #1: Use an engaging sticker for your first story

For your very first story that you share, it is strongly advisable to use an engaging sticker such as a poll or an emoji slider. This is known as one of the quickest ways to boost your stories’ views on Instagram. This will encourage engagement on your stories right off the bat, which is a significant 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.

Suppose you’re a brand in the tourism industry. In that case, you can start the day with a simple poll on your stories with a beautiful beach in the background and the caption: “Would you rather be here instead?”. Your audience can then choose between yes and no to engage with your story!

Tactic #2: Add one extra story at the end of the day

Did you know: If you add a new story at 10 or 11 PM, right before the rest of our stories expire, it gives all of them an extra boost in views. Give this tactic a try. If you’re a brand in the fitness industry, you can post a fun fact on sleep and its impact on one’s health. 

Tactic #3: Use Instagram close friends feature

If you check your Instagram right now, you may notice that if someone added something to their close friends and you’re part of that list, it’ll appear in front of your feed. This is because Instagram is prioritizing close connections.

Admittedly, adding your thousands of followers to a close friends list isn’t a viable tactic. However, it can be a great way to ensure important information and product updates get to the most important members of your community.

For example, you can put your brand ambassadors, influencers, and loyal customers on the list if you’re a brand. And then you can directly share your stories with your close friends list on Instagram.

Tactic #4: Share exclusive content on your stories

This tactic is tried and tested, but it’s no secret that sharing exclusive content is a fantastic way to increase your views, and engagement and organically promote your products on Instagram Shopping. This is especially true if the shared content is useful or interesting for your audience. 

For example, brands can share an exclusive 24-hour discount code or sale.

Since stories are short-lived, it is an excellent tool for creating buzz and utilizing the FOMO culture. If you decide to do this, don’t forget to pair the story with a feed post caption that encourages your audience to head to your stories to find out more.

For instance, you can post a photo of your best-selling product with a caption: “This best-selling item has finally been restocked! As a token of our gratitude, you can check our stories for an exclusive offer👀”

As mentioned at the beginning of the article, stories are a great tool to create more engagement among your followers. These tactics can be used if you want to boost your content organically, but there is an option to boost your stories with Instagram paid ads. The algorithm will promote it to your potential target audience that has yet to follow your account. Whatever tactic you choose, don’t forget to analyze the result at the end of the month. This way, you would know what works the best for your account and plan accordingly so that the next month you will have an even better result!

Vashti is a rockstar social media manager at Digital Squad. With more than five years’ experience managing a variety of social media accounts, Vashti has helped a lot of clients reach their social media goals. Not only that, she’s active on her own page with more than 20K followers on Instagram. Social media is her life and passion.