Have you ever wondered why you see the same faces at the top of your Instagram story view order? Do these frequent voyeurs always get the timing of your story right, or is there something algorithmic brewing behind the scenes and dictating how Instagram shows you who has viewed your story?
Let’s play detective and find out.
Instagram stories are a great way to express yourself. The format allows you to give your friends and followers a sneak peek into your life, showcase your OOTDs and GRWMs, other things you get done as you spend your day.
For brands and businesses, Instagram stories help them give followers an immersive experience that holds their attention for much longer than traditional ads. You can announce giveaways, launch polls, and tease product launches.
Whatever story you decide to add, the question remains: why is your Instagram story view order the way it is?
Let’s find out.
How does Instagram story view order work?
Your Instagram story view order gives you the list of followers and friends who have viewed your story.
With Instagram’s newest updates, you can see not only the people who view your story but also their reactions and the order in which viewers have seen it.
So, who appears on your Instagram story view list—how does Instagram decide on story view order
According to Instagram, the first 50 story views are categorized chronologically—filled with users who have viewed your story most recently. After the first 50 views, viewers are sorted by engagement (who you interact with most).
So, the myth is false after all, followers who show up at the front of your list aren’t stalking you, they just consist of people who you engage with most.
How does Instagram determine viewer order?
Behind the profile pictures, here’s what’s happening to determine your story view order:
- Interactions: The algorithm prioritizes users who frequently interact with your content, such as through likes, comments, and direct messages
- Profile visits: While profile visits are considered, they are not the primary factor in determining viewer order
- Chronological order: For Stories with fewer than 50 views and no interactions, the viewer list appears in reverse chronological order, meaning the most recent viewers are listed first
- Algorithmic sorting: Once a Story exceeds 50 views, the algorithm takes over, sorting viewers based on their interaction history with your account
- Non-followed accounts: Accounts you don’t follow typically appear at the bottom of the list since you interact with them less
Why should you care about your Instagram story view order?
Though your Instagram story view order may seem like a vanity metric, the order helps inform your Instagram strategy and help you get more eyeballs for your stories.
- Identify engaged followers: The view order helps you identify your most engaged followers, who frequently interact with your content through likes, comments, and profile visits. This data will help you create content that resonates with them the most and helps them continue to be your super fans.
- Content development: By analyzing the profiles of users who consistently appear at the top of your viewer list, you can understand their content preferences and tailor your future posts to better engage them
- Re-engage disengaged followers: Looking at the bottom of your viewer list can help you identify disengaged followers. Analyzing their profiles will give you insights into how to re-engage them with more relevant content
- Marketing insights: For businesses and marketers, understanding the view order can help build stronger relationships with key followers and improving conversion rates by targeting content effectively
Get more engagement with Instagram stories and reels
Instagram helps you reach your audience with the right offer at the right time and urge them to spring into action—Instagram Reels and stories are the perfect way to improve your engagement.
And if it’s conversions that you’re after, you should always connect your Instagram ads and sponsored stories to dedicated landing pages.
Sign up for an Instapage 14-day free trial and start converting more ad clicks into customers with all the intuitive experimentation, optimization, reporting, and growth tools you need—all in one place.
