A Story is a full-screen, vertical photo or short video posted to a social platform that disappears after 24 hours. On Instagram and Facebook, Stories appear in a row of circles at the top of the app, and viewers tap through them one frame at a time. Stories you want to keep can be saved to Highlights, which sit on your profile permanently.
How Stories work
Stories are shown mainly to people who already follow you. When you post one, your profile picture gains a coloured ring in followers’ Story bar, and the order of that bar is decided by how much each person interacts with your account. So Stories rarely bring in new audiences; they keep existing ones in touch.
The format has its own tools. Stickers let viewers answer a poll, ask a question, rate something with a slider, count down to a launch or tap a link. Link stickers are the main way to send followers to a web page from an Instagram Story, since links in normal captions are not clickable. Replies to a Story arrive as a direct message, which makes Stories a natural start to private conversations.
At the time of writing (October 2026), Stories are a core format on Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat, and WhatsApp has a similar feature called Status. LinkedIn and X both tried and dropped their versions. Stories differ from a Reel, which stays on your profile and is recommended to people who do not follow you, while a Story is temporary and seen mainly by followers.
Why it matters for a UK business
Stories are where your most interested followers see you most often. A florist in Bath can show today’s stock, a restaurant can post tonight’s specials and a training provider can remind people that booking closes on Friday, all without crowding the main grid. Because frames vanish, they suit everyday, low-polish updates that would look out of place as permanent posts.
They also generate measurable signals. Poll answers, question replies and link taps show who is paying attention, and replies open conversations that can turn into bookings.
Common mistakes
- Posting fifteen frames in a row, so viewers tap away halfway and miss the important one.
- Putting text where the profile name or reply bar covers it. Keep key words away from the top and bottom of the screen.
- Adding a link sticker with no reason to tap it. Say what the person gets on the other side.
- Leaving Highlights unorganised or years out of date, even though they are among the first things a new visitor sees.
- Forgetting that sponsored or gifted content in Stories needs a clear #ad label under the CAP Code, just like a feed post.
How to act on it
Post Stories little and often, with a clear point to each set: three to six frames that open with the main message. Use one interactive sticker per set, such as a poll or question box, and read the answers, since they tell you what followers care about.
Build three to five Highlights that answer a newcomer’s questions, such as services, prices, reviews and how to book, and refresh them each quarter. Watch completion rate, the share of people who view the last frame compared with the first, to see where viewers drop off.
Stories also work as paid placements. If you want to reach people beyond your followers in this format, that falls under my Facebook video, Reels and Stories ads service, and it pairs well with the reach you already earn through short-form video.