Have you ever posted an Instagram story, wondering who on your followers list would be able to see it? With each social media platform comes an ever-changing set of rules about who can view your photos, videos, and content, and with Instagram it can often be hard to know who can and cannot access your posts. This article will outline everything you need to know about who can see your Instagram story.
1. What Is an Instagram Story?
Instagram stories are a feature that allows users to post photos and videos that will not appear in their Instagram feed, but will instead appear at the top of the main Instagram timeline. Stories last only 24 hours, after which they will automatically disappear. They are not visible to anyone else who is not following the account.
Stories can be seen when clicking on a profile logo, which is located on top of the Instagram home page. Once a profile icon has been clicked, a circle shaped story will appear. Users can add other content such as GIFs, polls, hashtags, and questions.
The benefit of Instagram stories is that followers can view content that otherwise would be hard to discover – such as what one’s friends are up to. Stories can be shared with other friends too. Additionally, they can be used to reach different people and to increase business exposure. Instagram stories can also be used to boost a profile’s content by adding stories regularly.
2. Who Can See Your Instagram Story?
When you share a story on Instagram, it will always be visible at the top of your followers’ newsfeed, for 24 hours. You can decide who can see your Instagram Story by using the privacy settings. Here are three ways to change the parameters of visibility:
- Public: By switching to public, anyone who follows you can see your Instagram Story and anyone on Instagram, including those with private profiles, can view and comment.
- People You Follow: Making your Story visible to only people you follow is a great way to keep your work within a tight community rather than publicly broadcast it.
- Custom: You have the full flexibility to decide who can view your Story by using the custom settings.
To control how much information you broadcast, you can open directly to the profile, tap the “Options” tab, and establish who can see your Story. Instagram also gives you the ability to choose individual users or groups, such as your closest friends, and specify the viewers of your Story.
It is important to know that those you choose to share with can take screenshots and save your Story. To access the viewer list of your Stories, go to the story tab, click on your own Story, and on top right corner there will be an “eye” icon that shows who all have seen it.
3. How to Check Who Can See Your Instagram Story
Step 1: Select Your Story
Open your Instagram app and select your “Story” section. When you open it, you will see a list of posts you have made in the past 24 hours. Select the story that you want to check who can see it.
Step 2: Tap the 3 Dots Button
At the bottom of the post, you will see three small dots arranged in a circle. Tap on them. This will bring up a pop-up window with two options – “Viewers” and “Close Friends”.
Step 3: See Who Can See Your Story
If you tap on “Viewers”, you will get a list of the followers who can access your story. This list will include everyone who follows you or anyone who has been mentioned in your story. If you select the “Close Friends” option, you will see a list of people who have been added to your close friends list. These are the people who have been given special access to view your stories.
4. Things to Remember When Posting an Instagram Story
1. Limit your story to 15 seconds – The time limit for each story is limited to 15 seconds, so make sure you have a plan for your story before you start creating it. Use whatever creative techniques, like splitting photos and combining different clips, to make the most out of your story.
2. Grab the attention of your viewers – Your story should be eye-catching and different from the endless stories people are scrolling through everyday. Making use of humorous, vibrant and visually appealing content is sure to grab the attention of your viewers.
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- Add hashtags, stickers and location tags – Utilizing hashtags, stickers and location tags, you can boost engagements and make your story more discoverable and shareable.
- Think about angles – One great way to make outstanding stories is to experiment with different angles to capture creative shots. Don’t be afraid to stand on chairs or get down on the floor to get the best shot.
- End with a call-to-action – Don’t forget to end your story by asking your viewers to take an action. You can ask them a question, call them out to engage in a discussion, or invite them to click the link in your bio.
5. What to Do if You Don’t Want People to See Your Instagram Story
If you don’t want certain people to see your Instagram Story, there are a few options you can take.
Hide Your Story from Specific People. You can choose who you want to hide your Story from. When viewing your profile, tap the three dots on the upper right-hand corner, go to “Story Settings,” select “Hide Story From,” and type in the users you want to hide your Stories from. You can always undo this.
Restrict Accounts. Restricting follows the same format as hiding your Story from certain people; however, it will restrict posts from the users you restrict from being seen by anyone but you, even from people who may follow them. See the help section of Instagram for more details.
Turn Story Notifications Off. If you don’t want anyone to see your uploads, you can turn off notifications. It won’t hide the Story from anyone, however it will prevent followers from knowing when you post Stories.
In short, it’s important to know who can see and access your Instagram stories. Keeping an eye on who you follow and who can see your posts can help ensure that your online presence is secure and that your stories are visible only to the people you intend.
