Instagram was launched in 2010 after a short, but intensive, period of development.

Initially the app was focused on allowing users to check in, update plans, and share photos.

As the photo-sharing aspect was unique, Instagram decided to focus on just this, creating a platform where any member could share photos with as many other members as they chose.

Similar apps were launched at the same time, but Instagram was different.

It got 25,000 users on its first day and within two months had hit one million!

Of course, the fact that the latest iPhone had been launched two months before and had a much better camera meant people were looking for an app like Instagram.

Fast-forward to today and Instagram is one of the biggest social media platforms in existence.

Over the years a variety of interesting features have been added to Instagram.

However, one of the best features is undoubtedly Instagram Stories.

As the following Instagram Stories statistics will show, it’s been a real hit for the business.

Post Contents

1 Key Statistics
2 How Instagram Stories Work
3 Top Instagram Stories Statistics in 2024
4 Summing Up
- 4.1 Sources

Key Statistics

Instagram Stories are used by 500 million users a day
86% of Instagram users view Stories daily
60% of Millennials use Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories has a tap forward rate of 68%
Marketing professionals in the US use nearly half their Instagram budget on Stories
In just one month, support small business stickers were added to 61% of Stories
As many as 25% of users swipe links in branded stories
36% of businesses use Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories reach rate averages 2%
98% of fashion brands are already using Instagram
Best time for posting is between 9 am and 11 am EST
96% of marketing professionals plan to use Instagram Stories
In 2020, 30% of Instagram Stories were only one frame!
Sport-related Stories are finished 98% of the time
Accounts with fewer than 10,000 followers reach the most people!
50% of Generation Z find products and services via Instagram Stories

How Instagram Stories Work

A picture is said to tell a thousand words.

The same can be said of a photo, with the added bonus you can share where you’ve been with your friends and loved ones.

Instagram takes the premise a step further, allowing you to create a slideshow made up of lots of photos.

If you prefer, you can make a slideshow with videos.

It’s even possible to mix the two.

Each video or photo is simply the next slide in the show.

However, the Instagram story can only last up to 15 seconds.

It will also only be visible on Instagram for 24 hours.

That said, you can post videos longer than 15 seconds.

Instagram stories automatically splits the story, effectively allowing you to post sequels, letting users see the entire story over several videos.

If you’re using Instagram stories and are curious about how many people you are reaching, simply swipe up on your own story.

You’ll see a list of names, that’s the users that have viewed your story.

You can check their profile but you can’t see how many times someone has viewed the story.

In short, it’s the perfect way to share fun events without damaging the image created by your Instagram feed.

The feature has become surprisingly popular.

Top Instagram Stories Statistics in 2024

1. In 2019 Instagram Stories Was Used By 500 Million Users A Day

From the moment Instagram stories were available it has been a popular feature.

It’s not surprising.

The feature is fun, easy to use, and the story disappears in 24 hours.

That means far less worrying about your posts appearing in future job interviews.

In 2016, Instagram stories were being used by 100 million users a day.

Just one year later it had reached 300 million users.

By the middle of 2018 the user number had increased to 400 million, followed by 500 million at the beginning of 2019.

The rate of growth has increased since those early days.

Today, this part of Instagram is used by 1.89 billion people.

Today, 500 million users are actively posting on Instagram stories daily.

Interestingly, approximately 70% of the stories are watched with the sound turned up.

That’s a stark contrast to YouTube where 85% of the videos are watched with the sound off.

(Statista)

2. 86% Of Instagram Users View Stories Daily

This highlights exactly how popular Instagram stories have become.

A survey by EarthWeb found that 86% of the existing Instagram users view a story daily.

Instagram currently has over 2 billion users.

That means over 1.8 billion users are watching Instagram stories every day.

Part of this success is the duration of each story.

As they are short, it’s possible to watch them anywhere, making them the perfect option during the morning commute.

The fact they are watched in brief periods of downtime is also likely to be the reason they have such a positive impact on sales.

(EarthWeb)

3. 60% Of Millennials Use Instagram Stories

The latest study shows that 60% of Millennials will either publish or watch an Instagram story every day.

Watching takes a few seconds, creating a story generally takes a little longer.

Currently, 31.5% of Instagram users are aged between 25-34.

However, what really highlights how orientated this social media channel is on the younger generation is the fact two-thirds of Instagram followers are under 35 years old.

The survey also found that 39% of Generation Z Instagram users will create content daily, that includes but is not exclusively Instagram stories.

In short, Instagram stories have become a popular form of sharing for the younger generations and this trend doesn’t appear to be disappearing any time soon.

(Better Marketing)

4. Instagram Stories has A Tap Forward Rate Of 68%

In 2020 Marketing Charts looked at Instagram stories to see how useful they were as a marketing tool.

Astonishingly, the survey found that Instagram stories have an excellent tap forward rate.

That’s the percentage of people who will share a story with someone else.

Naturally, the higher the tap forward rate the more likely it is that the story will effectively be recommended to someone else.

The result is more exposure for the brand or individual posting the story.

The survey found that any story with 25 frames or more had a tap forward rate of 80%.

Tap forward rates are lower at the beginning of the story. In the first frame they are as low as 68%.

The more of the story a user watches the higher the probability that they will tap forward.

It’s interesting to note that any story with over 26 frames generally has a 2% exit rate.

That means, longer stories are almost always watched to the end.

Single frame stories have an exit rate of 8%.

What makes this particularly interesting is that the average number of frames per story has been steadily decreasing. In 2019 it was 7.7 frames.

By 2020 it was down to 7.4 frames.

(Marketing Charts)

5. Marketing Professionals In The US Use Nearly Half Their Instagram Budget On Stories

Because Instagram stories are generally watched with sound, marketing professionals have found they are an excellent way to create a short immersive advertisement that really speaks to people.

This approach has been shown to improve customer engagement and attract new customers.

The latest statistics show that at least half of global brands are posting new stories daily.

The stats also show that 58% of people will have an increased interest in a brand after watching an Instagram story.

That’s a small window when potential customers can be converted into new customers.

Marketing professionals have already realized the power of Instagram stories.

According to research completed by eMarketer, marketing professionals are using at least 31% of their Instagram budgets creating stories.

The approach works.

Hootsuite recently completed a survey that showed that 50% of people who watch a brand story will visit the website intending to purchase the product!

(eMarketer)

6. In Just One Month, Support Small Business Stickers Were Added To 61% Of Stories

Stickers have been an option on Instagram stories for a while and they can be a novelty extra or a great way to garner extra interest in a post.

This was perfectly illustrated when Instagram released a new support small business sticker.

Within just one month it had been added to 61% of new Instagram stories.

The sticker was released during the global pandemic when small businesses were struggling.

It was intended to help increase awareness of small businesses.

While it did this, it also highlighted the power of a simple sticker, if the message is right.

At 61%, the sticker would have been added to over 300 million posts and viewed by billions of people.

That’s impressive marketing.

(Earthweb)

7. As Many As 25% Of Users Swipe Links In Branded Stories

A neat feature available in Instagram stories is the ability to go straight to a website.

All the creator has to do is add the link.

Then, when viewers are watching the story unfold they can swipe upward.

They will instantly be taken to the linked website.

It’s the perfect way for businesses to introduce themselves or a product and provide a link for the customer, straight to the indicated product.

What’s interesting is how successful this approach is.

According to the latest research, an impressive 25% of users swipe upward to visit the site.

In short, it’s popular which has helped make Instagram stories popular with businesses.

After all, the only other place a link can be added on Instagram is in your bio.

That’s not a practical option when showing users how great your brand is, a simple swipe is.

(Earthweb)

8. 36% Of Businesses Use Instagram Stories

A recent survey by Elf Sight found that 36% of businesses are already using Instagram stories to help boost brand awareness, reputation, and attract more customers.

With such a large user number it makes sense for businesses to try Instagram stories.

What the 36% of businesses currently using Instagram stories are benefitting from is that 66% of Instagram story viewers aren’t already attached to specific brands.

However, they are interested in learning more about which products and services brands offer.

In other words, brands that are releasing stories are reaching a large potential audience.

Figures suggest that 66% of those watching are interested in brands.

That’s a large number of potential new customers!

It’s worth noting businesses aren’t alone in seeing the opportunities presented by stories.

An estimated 94% of marketers and influencers are already using stories to improve brand awareness.

It’s instrumental to successful marketing campaigns.

(Elf Sight)

9. Instagram Stories Reach Rate Averages 2%

Instagram is an excellent way to reach millions of people.

However, it is important to use all the tools available on Instagram and not solely rely on Instagram stories.

According to the latest research by Hootsuite, Instagram stories reach rate is just 2%.

That’s considerably lower than posts which have a reach rate of 12%.

In short, if you want to reach as large an audience as possible, you need to be using stories and standard posts.

To assess how effective your stories are, use the analytics provided by Instagram.

You can see the shares, views, likes, and even the profile of those subscribing to your posts.

It’s worth noting this reach rate is an average based on accounts with larger followings.

Smaller accounts may have lower reach rates.

Instagram has shown that accounts with less than 10,000 followers have an engagement rate of just 4.8%.

(Hootsuite)

10. 98% Of Fashion Brands Are Already Using Instagram

Instagram has a huge number of users because it’s one of the best ways to share photos and videos.

Every business should be aware of how effective the reach is and be using Instagram stories and posts to reach their target audience.

This is particularly relevant for any industry which targets younger people.

As we’ve established, the majority of Instagram users are under 35.

Fashion Brands have already caught onto this.

The latest study shows 98% of fashion brands are represented on Instagram.

It’s not just a way to reach consumers.

Fashion brands have realized it’s the perfect venue for more creative and specialized posts.

(Social Pilot)

11. Best Time For Posting Is Between 9 am And 11 am EST

The time at which you post your story makes a big difference to how many people see it.

Naturally, if you’re a big brand you’ll have a good-sized following.

That gives you a head start.

However, if you want to reach new consumers, you need to get your stories and posts in front of them.

With so many being uploaded every minute, and Instagram deciding which posts are promoted, you need to upload at the right time.

According to Social Pilot, that’s between 9 am and 11 am Eastern Standard Time.

The reason is simple.

People have the most time for browsing Instagram during lunch break, that’s between 12 pm and 2 pm.

Early evening is also popular, specifically between 5 pm to 7 pm.

By posting between 9 am and 11 am your story will be available when people are looking.

Try posting the same story at different times of the day, you’ll see it gets far more views when it’s posted in the morning.

(Social Pilot)

12. 96% Of Marketing Professionals Plan To Use Instagram Stories

Current studies show that 50% of major brands across the globe are using Instagram stories.

That’s an impressive take-up and a testimony to the power of Instagram stories.

However, what is more impressive is the number of people intending to use Instagram stories.

According to the latest survey, 96% of marketing professionals intend to create Instagram stories within the next 12 months.

The aim for most professionals is to release at least one high-quality story a month.

It’s worth noting that Instagram stories is currently considered the third most important social media marketing tool.

(Earthweb)

13. In 2020, 30% Of Instagram Stories Were Only One Frame!

Instagram stories have come a long way since they were first launched.

Initially, viewer ratings were low.

However, people have quickly seen the potential in stories and now welcome multiple frames, creating real stories.

In 2020, 30% of all Instagram stories consisted of just a single frame.

Enough to grab someone’s attention and quickly tell them who you are.

Today, it’s common for stories to have 25 or more frames.

Better still, higher frames tend to equate to lower exit rates.

In other words, people have become accustomed to the way Instagram stories work and enjoy seeing a story come together through multiple frames.

That’s something all marketers should consider when creating stories.

(Earthweb)

14. Sport-Related Stories Are Finished 98% Of The Time

One of the hardest things to do with any type of video or picture story is to retain people’s interest to the very end of the video.

You need a video that hooks them at the beginning, and keeps them guessing throughout.

That increases the likelihood of a viewer reaching the end.

Earthweb has found that sports videos are particularly effective at attracting interest and holding it.

According to the latest research, a sports-related video will be watched to nearly the end.

In other words, every frame of your Instagram story will be viewed, increasing the amount of publicity and likelihood of a conversion.

Of course, you don’t need to be in sports to use a sport-related video.

There are many options which can be incorporated into any business.

It’s clearly worth doing.

(Earthweb)

15. Accounts With Fewer Than 10,000 Followers Reach The Most People!

This is an unusual fact- and one that should challenge bigger brands to do more.

Big brands tend to have a huge amount of followers.

However, this is generally because people already support the brand.

They follow to keep an eye open for the latest products and any discount offers.

But, they don’t generally watch all the content that is posted or share it with others.

This is because the majority of posts and stories are generic.

That’s why research has found accounts with less than 10,000 followers generally do better for reach.

The average reach rate for this sized account is 5.4%

Accounts with over 200,000 followers have a reach rate of 1.2%

The truth is smaller accounts are easier to relate to, especially as the poster is more likely to still be passionate about the subject.

(Earthweb)

16. 50% Of Generation Z Find Products And Services Via Instagram Stories

Instagram stories are very popular with younger people.

These are the people born between the mid-1990s and 2010.

They are the first generation to be brought up with the internet and are generally good with technology.

As a sign of how true this is, a recent survey by Hubspot found that 50% of Generation Z would turn to Instagram stories to find a needed product or service.

The reason for this is because the stories will show a product being used and Generation Z trusts the reviews and recommendations posted by others on social media.

Of course, the fact that the majority of Generation Z is online and 90% of people globally follow a business, makes using Instagram stories to find products a logical next step.

(Hubspot)