[FAQ]

I’ve been trying to figure this one out for ages and I’m a bit stumped. I post Stories every day, but my views can be all over the place, and I can’t find a pattern.

Sometimes I’ll see my Story is right at the front of the queue for my friends, and other times it feels like it’s completely buried. Is it purely based on who posted most recently, or is there more to it? I’ve noticed that if I’ve just been DM-ing with someone, I tend to see their Stories first, so it feels like interactions play a big part.

I’m just trying to understand what signals the algorithm actually prioritises so I can make sure my content is actually being seen. Any insights would be brilliant.

[Jeff Bullas]

Understanding how your content gets ranked is fundamental to a solid strategy.

Short Answer: The Story algorithm primarily ranks content based on your relationship with the viewer and the recency of your post; it prioritises showing stories from accounts people interact with the most.

You have to think of the algorithm’s goal for this video and image format: it wants to predict who the user wants to see at that very moment.

Your observation is spot on; the algorithm is all about relationships. It analyses hundreds of signals, but the most powerful ones are indicators of a close connection. It heavily weights interactions like who a user sends DMs to, whose feed posts they like and comment on, and whose profiles they visit. The more a specific follower interacts with your account as a whole, the earlier your Story will appear in their tray. This is why sparking conversations in the DMs is one of the most powerful things you can do for your visibility.

After that, the next most important factor is recency. The Story feed is designed to be a snapshot of what’s happening right now, so newer content will always be pushed ahead of older content. Finally, the algorithm also looks at engagement on the Story itself. If a particular image or video in your Story gets a lot of replies or sticker taps, it signals that the content is high-quality, which can give it a slight boost.

Cheers,
Jeff

[Author]

Posts