What are Stories?
Stories are full-screen photos or short videos that disappear after 24 hours, shown in a row at the top of Instagram and Facebook. They suit casual, timely updates and interactive stickers such as polls and questions.
Updated · 3 min read
Why Stories matter
Stories sit at the top of the app, so followers who check in see them first. They suit content that doesn't need a permanent place on your profile: behind-the-scenes clips, quick updates, polls, countdowns and reminders. Because Stories are mostly watched by existing followers, they build relationships more than they drive discovery, and interactive stickers make it easy to reply, vote or tap through to a link.
Where Stories exist today
- Instagram: Stories with stickers (polls, questions, quizzes, links, countdowns), plus Highlights that keep chosen Stories on your profile.
- Facebook: Stories on profiles and Pages, often shared from Instagram.
- WhatsApp: Status updates work the same way and disappear after 24 hours.
- Snapchat: where the format started.
LinkedIn, X and YouTube have all retired their Stories features, so the format now lives mainly in Meta's apps and Snapchat.
How to measure Stories
- Reach and views for each frame.
- Taps forward and back, exits and swipes to the next account, which show where people lose interest.
- Replies and sticker taps: votes, answers to questions and link clicks.
Specs
Stories are vertical 9:16 (1080 × 1920 px). Keep text and stickers in the middle of the frame, away from the top and bottom where the profile name and reply bar sit. Longer videos are split into Story segments of up to 60 seconds.
A worked example
A restaurant posts a five-frame Story every Friday: the weekend special, a clip from the kitchen, a poll (“Spicy or mild?”), a link sticker to book and a thank-you. The first frame gets 1,200 views and the last 780, a 65% completion rate. The poll collects 340 votes and the link sticker drives 45 taps to the booking page.
Common mistakes
- Ten or more frames of low-value content, so people swipe away and start skipping your Stories.
- No interactive element, so there's nothing to respond to.
- Letting good Stories disappear instead of saving them to Highlights.
Stories FAQ
How long do Stories last?
Stories disappear from the Stories row after 24 hours. On Instagram you can keep them on your profile by adding them to Highlights, and your archive keeps a private copy.
Can I see who viewed my Story?
Yes. On Instagram and Facebook you can see the list of accounts that viewed your Story. Viewers aren't told that you looked at the list.
Are Stories good for reaching new people?
Mostly not: Stories are seen mainly by existing followers. Use Reels and posts for discovery, and Stories to build the relationship with people who already follow you.