How to See Who Viewed Your Instagram Stories, Keep Them Private and Schedule in Advance

Essentials about the social media platform’s popular content form.

‘Who viewed my Instagram Story?’ is a question we’ve all asked ourselves at least once. Instagram Stories are a temporary but extremely popular form of content among brands and users. They show real, unedited content that helps build genuine relationships and engage audiences. Plus, there's a lot of useful data on your account’s audience in Instagram Stories analytics.

In this article, we will explore Story features, how to see who viewed your Instagram Stories, and whether it is possible to view them anonymously. Also, we will provide you with practical strategies to use this form of content and its data to improve your Instagram visitors’ engagement.

What is Instagram Story and who can view it

Before we explore how to see who viewed your Instagram story, let’s establish what an Instagram story is.

As part of Instagram's efforts to provide more creative and engaging ways for users to express themselves and connect with others, Instagram Stories were introduced in 2016. They came with additional features such as filters, stickers, music, polls, and quizzes, which have been gradually expanded to make Instagram stories more fun and interactive.

Studies show that over 500 million users engage with Instagram Stories daily with 70% of them interacting with content created by brands. For companies, Instagram Stories offer a powerful way to stay top-of-mind with their audiences. Because Stories invite quick reactions, polls, stickers, and direct messages, they naturally fuel deeper engagement and spark two-way conversations that static posts sometimes miss. The short-lived 24-hour window is also perfect for showcasing products or services in a more casual, behind-the-scenes style. The built-in analytics give marketers granular insights into who views their IG stories and how to improve future campaigns.

How to post Instagram Story

"More content, more brand. That's how you grow," is the motto of Gary Vaynerchuk, also known as the incredibly successful digital marketer Gary Vee. IG stories are a great way to add value to the account besides regular posts. Let’s see how to create an Instagram Story using the platform's mobile app.

1. Open the Instagram app. Tap the plus icon located at the bottom of the screen or in the top left corner.

2. Select "STORY" from the options that appear next to the icon.

3. Capture content:

• Tap the white circle for a quick photo.
• Hold down the circle to record a video.
• Switch to selfie mode using the camera-switch icon.
• Access your media gallery to upload photos or videos made beforehand. Swipe up or tap the square icon.

4. Use creative formats: Experiment with various formats like Boomerang, Layout, Hands-free, or Dual to enhance your brand's storytelling and engage the audience more effectively.

5. Edit your Story. Instagram Stories’ built-in editing tools allow adding text, stickers, GIFs, music, or drawings to enhance your content.

6. Select audience. Before posting, tap on the "Your Story" option at the bottom of the screen. Look for the “Send To” option. Here, you can choose who can watch your Instagram Story.
You can select:

• Your followers. If your account is public, everyone can see it; if private, only your approved followers will see it.
• Close friends. If you want to share your IG Story with a select group, tap on “Close Friends.” You can create or edit this list in your profile settings.
• Specific people. You can also directly send your Story to specific followers by selecting their names.

7. Publish it. Once you’ve selected your audience, tap “Share” next to “Your Story” or “Close Friends” based on your choice. The Story will now be live for the selected audience.

How to see who viewed your Instagram Story on Android

If you’re curious about who's been tuning into your Instagram stories, unlocking the viewer list is easy on Android and can provide valuable insights into your audience’s reach and engagement.

1. Open your story: tap your profile picture on the Instagram app to access your active story.
2. Tap on the viewer icon: look for the faint eye symbol in the bottom left corner — this icon indicates viewers since your story's publication.
3. Learn more (optional): tap any username to access their profile, send them a direct message, or engage in further interaction.

By following these simple steps, you can gain valuable insights into who's engaging with your Instagram story content. This information can help in future content creation, marketing strategies, and ultimately, in connecting with your audience on a deeper level.

How to see who viewed your Instagram Story on iPhone

Exploring who interacts with your content via the Instagram app for iPhone is not any more difficult than on the Android platform.

1. Access your Instagram app and navigate to your profile picture to access your active story.
2. In the bottom left corner, locate the eye icon, which indicates viewers since your story's publication. After tapping the icon, you will discover a list of usernames who have engaged with it.
3. Gain audience insights (optional). Analyze the data provided to understand your audience demographics and reach. By tapping any username, you can access their profile, establish direct communication via messaging, or explore potential opportunities for collaboration.

Use the ‘Story settings’ option to control who can view it. This allows you to restrict viewers, and enable or disable replies, catering to your specific communication goals.

How to see who viewed your Story on Instagram Lite

Instagram Lite app offers a lightweight experience for the users of Android smartphones. Here's how to discover the viewers of your Instagram story on Instagram Lite:

1. Open the Instagram Lite app and tap your profile picture to access your active story.
2. In the bottom left corner, look for the eye icon. Tap on it and see a detailed list of usernames who have viewed your IG story.
3. Engage with the views (optional). Analyze the audience list to measure your story’s engagement and reach. Tap any username to visit their profile, send a direct message, or start a further interaction.

Insights into Story Viewers is an essential tool for understanding your audience and refining your content strategy.

Can someone see your Instagram Story anonymously?

For better or for worse, it's not possible to know exactly who has viewed your Instagram Story. This is because there are several methods people can use to watch it anonymously. If you keep your account public, people might use third-party story viewer apps, such as IgAnony or InstaNavigation, to see posted stories without being listed in the viewers’ list. Also, a person might create a fake Instagram account, take someone else’s identity and view your story.

The silver lining here is that you can also have these options to watch others' stories anonymously. From using an Instagram account that doesn’t reveal your real name to employing third-party software, you can easily peek into others' stories anonymously, as long as they keep their profile public.

Can I see who viewed my deleted Instagram Story?

The platform’s internal data policy prevents users from accessing the list of viewers of a deleted Instagram story. Even if a user viewed your Story before its deletion, this information is not recoverable.

With this information established, here are some important aspects to bear in mind:

• Period of viewing. Instagram provides a 48-hour window post-publication for you to access a viewer list. After this period, the data is irretrievably erased.
• Archive. Archiving your Story preserves it in its original form but does not include any audience engagement data.
• Third-party apps and solutions. Because Instagram is so popular, many apps and services claim to track Instagram Story views. However, the social media platform does not officially support any of these tools, which puts their reliability and security into question.

How to see Instagram story views after 48 hours

Once the 24-hour window has passed, you lose access to the viewer list for that specific Instagram Story. However, some workarounds can help you retain valuable insights. For instance, consider saving your Stories as Highlights on your profile. By doing this, you can keep them accessible indefinitely, allowing new visitors to view them at any time. While you won't be able to track views after 48 hours directly, keeping your Stories in Highlights ensures they remain part of your brand's narrative.

How to keep Instagram Stories private

For effective future management of the audience of your Instagram stories, consider the following strategies:

Use the “Close Friends” feature

This feature enables you to share your Stories with a pre-selected group, giving you greater control over your content's visibility.

Adjust privacy settings

You can alter your account's privacy settings to restrict who can view your Stories.

You can also go to your story viewers list, tap “...” next to a name, and choose “Hide Your Story”. Keep in mind though that hiding isn't blocking; these viewers can still see your profile and posts. Your account privacy also affects story visibility.

Plan content in advance

Prior to posting, review your target audience and adjust privacy settings or select the appropriate feature (story or regular feed) based on your business goals.

Remember, Instagram Stories are designed to promote spontaneous and temporary sharing. If you need your content to be visible for a longer duration, consider posting it on your regular feed or creating a highlight.

How to schedule Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories doesn't have a built-in scheduling feature. However, it can be done with one of the third-party tools like Later or Buffer. Scheduling Instagram Stories can take your audience engagement to a whole new level. All you have to do is connect your IG account, upload images and videos, and set specific dates and times for posting. Consider your audience's peak activity hours to maximize engagement when scheduling IG stories.

Monitoring IG Stories views

It’s essential to maximize engagement with your IG Stories by regularly analyzing the performance of each post while it’s live. Use Instagram Insights to monitor how many people viewed your Stories during their active period. This data can inform future content strategies, helping you create more engaging and relevant posts that resonate with your audience. Don’t forget to leverage the Highlights feature to maintain a continuous connection with your audience even after the initial viewing period has ended.

Remember that to access viewer demographics like age or location, you must have a Business or Creator account and check Instagram Insights, not the viewer list.

Summing things up

Instagram stories are a great format of content to show users’ ‘real’ not-so-perfect everyday lives or events as they unfold in real time. Brands can use Stories to forge a stronger bond with their audience, decreasing the ‘distance’ between them and showing a company’s more humane side. Of course, they can also be used simply as an extra tool to attract followers’ attention to recent posts.

To efficiently manage customer interactions, and gain valuable insights and analytics, companies might use an Instagram CRM system. For example, Umnico is a powerful tool that allows a brand to streamline communications via Instagram and other social media platforms and gather valuable insights to enhance marketing strategies, ultimately boosting brand loyalty and business success.

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