Nothing is worse than posting an Instagram Story, only to get low views. This can be especially disheartening if you’ve received quite a few views in the past. What can be going wrong?
Don’t despair! There could be a simple reason that you’re getting low views on Instagram Stories, with an equally simple fix. In this article, we’ll explore a few different potential culprits behind your dismal view count, as well as guide you on how to overcome these obstacles.
5 Reasons and Solutions for Decrease in Instagram Stories Views
When you’re not getting high views on your Instagram Stories, there are five common reasons for the lack of engagement. Let’s dive in!
1. Your Stories Aren’t Engaging Enough
This may be hard to hear, but one reason for low views could be that your Stories simply aren’t engaging enough. Furthermore, if you don’t have a history of posting cool or interesting Stories, then your followers have probably gotten used to just skipping over them by now.
Solution: Craft Better Stories
Analyze your most recent Stories with a critical eye. If they look empty or lackluster, bring them to life by posting eye-grabbing photos, videos, or GIFs. Then finish them off with stickers, relevant hyperlinks, hashtags, and/or text. Experiment with different styles of Stories to see what your audience reacts to the most, and then repeat what works.
2. You’re Not Posting Often Enough
Another common reason for poor views on Instagram Stories is a lack of Stories for your followers to view.
Solution: Post More Stories, More Often
Remember that you can post as many Stories as you want throughout the day! And the more often you post, the more often your Stories will appear at the top of the Instagram app in your followers’ feeds.
3. You’re Not Posting at the Right Time
If you keep posting your Instagram Stories at a time when most of your active followers aren’t logged into the app, then it doesn’t matter how many you post or how engaging they are. You need your followers to be present to get views.
Solution: Post Stories at Peak Instagram Posting Times
Try posting the bulk of your Stories at peak times throughout the week. According to Sprout Social, those times include Mondays from 10 AM to 12 PM, Tuesdays from 9 AM to 1 PM, Wednesdays from 10 AM to 1 PM, and Fridays from 9 AM to 11 AM.
4. You’re Not Using Hashtags
Hashtags make your Stories easier for other users to discover. But they can be tricky to use correctly. Most people overthink them and try to include as many as possible. But in reality, you only need one or two in each individual Story.
Solution: Incorporate 1-2 Relevant Hashtags in Each Story
Start incorporating hashtags that are relevant to your Story or brand in each of your Story posts. We recommend you use only 1-2 at a time. Certainly, don’t use more than five, or they will overwhelm the rest of your post.
5. Your Account has been Shadowbanned
If you’ve tried all the above the solutions and none of them are working, there is one more possibility: your account may have been shadowbanned.
Shadowbanning is when Instagram restricts the visibility of a user’s posts by other users. The reason for this is that they most likely violated Instagram’s Community Guidelines with one of their recent posts or their recent behavior on the platform.
When you’re shadowbanned, the people who follow you will still be able to see your Stories. But your Stories won’t be ranked for those users who aren’t among your followers. For that reason, you could lose views.
Look at your most recent posts carefully to see if they somehow violate Instagram’s Community Guidelines. You may, for example, have included a banned hashtag without realizing it or made an insensitive joke. Once you delete the offending posts, the shadowban may get lifted right away.
Solution #2: Cease Purchasing Bot Engagement
In an effort to grow their Instagram accounts, some users will resort to purchasing engagement from bot accounts. While you can significantly benefit from buying real Instagram Story views, fake ones aren’t allowed on the platform.
If you’ve been buying fake engagements, knowingly or not, cease your purchase of them immediately and remove the current ones from your account. These actions may induce Instagram to get rid of the shadowban.
Solution #3: Wait for Instagram To Lift the Shadowban
Another option is to wait for Instagram to lift the shadowban. This typically takes around two to three weeks. We know it’s frustrating, but there’s really nothing else to be done at this point.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Can I Increase My Story Views on Instagram?
Increase Story views creating better Stories, including relevant hashtags, posting more often, and posting at peak times.
Why Am I Experiencing a Sudden Drop in Story Views?
A sudden drop in Story views could indicate that you’ve been shadowbanned. This could also happen if you consistently bought views for your Stories and then stopped.
Conclusion
When you notice that your Instagram Stories views have taken a dive, you’re not powerless to act. The five reasons for low views in this article can help you get to the heart of the problem. More importantly, they’ll help you find an effective solution that will increase your views over time.
