Instagram Stories aren’t just for fleeting moments—they’re a serious part of your brand’s content strategy. With so many businesses investing heavily in Stories, it’s no longer enough to simply post content and hope for the best. You’ve got to know what’s working, what’s flopping, and what’s silently carrying your engagement on its back.

Enter the world of Instagram Stories analytics.

At Packsia, we’re all about helping you create content that performs using our ready-to-post videos, but looking pretty only gets you so far. Understanding your analytics is the secret sauce to making your Stories shine.

Here’s a breakdown of every metric you need to know to optimize your Instagram Stories strategy.

How to Access Instagram Stories Analytics

If you’re using a business or creator account, you can go to your profile and tap Insights. Then click the Content You Shared section and navigate to Stories. You’ll see all your story posts from the past 14 days, along with data like reach, impressions, taps, exits, and more.

For quick access, swipe up while your story is live to view individual performance.

If you’re looking for a deeper dive, tap into each story to see performance slide-by-slide and measure what’s actually resonating with your audience.

Reach vs. Impressions: What’s the Difference?

Let’s start with the basics:

• Reach is the number of unique accounts that viewed your story.
• Impressions are the total number of views—including replays.

If impressions are significantly higher than reach, that’s a good thing! It means your audience is rewatching. However, if both are dropping, it’s time to adjust your content style or format.

Packsia Pro tip: Try using more dynamic layouts, filters, or vertical videos with high production value (we’ve got you covered on that front). Make sure to track when you change things, so you know what made the difference.

Completion Rate: Are People Sticking Around?

Your Stories completion rate is one of the most valuable indicators of performance. It tells you how many people watched your Story from the first frame to the last.

Metrics to watch:

• Taps forward: Users skipping to the next slide. Normal, but too many? Might be boring.
• Taps backward: Users rewatching a slide. That’s gold—pay attention to what made them pause.
• Next story: Users swiping to the next account. This is almost always a red flag.
• Exits: Users leaving Stories entirely. It could be content fatigue, or they have the information they need.

Keep an eye on where the drop-offs happen—was the story too long, too text-heavy, or not visually engaging enough? (Hint: vertical video with design-forward editing goes a long way.)

Measuring Engagement: Replies, Stickers, and Shares

Engagement metrics aren’t just for feed posts—your Stories are full of juicy data, too.

• Replies: These land directly in your inbox. If people are DMing you after a Story, that’s a good sign you’re building connection and trust.
• Sticker taps: Trackable clicks on hashtags, locations, mentions, polls, etc. Great for evaluating interactivity.
• Shares: If people are sending your Story to friends, take note—this is what’s working.

Stories that spark conversation or encourage interaction (polls, sliders, Q&As) are more likely to boost engagement and algorithm visibility. Plus, they keep you top-of-mind.

Optimizing for Discovery: Hashtag + Location Analytics

Instagram now includes Stories in its Search & Explore section through location and hashtag stickers. That means your Stories are discoverable—if you use the right tags.

Analytics will show how many people found your story via a hashtag or location. If you’re trying to grow your audience, this is one of the most overlooked strategies.

Test different sticker combos (one location, one niche hashtag) and see which gets the most reach.

Driving Traffic: How to Track Clicks From Stories

If you’re using Stories to drive traffic to a site, UTM parameters are your best friend.

UTMs are bits of code you add to your URL so you can track exactly where your clicks are coming from in Google Analytics. For example:

https://yourwebsite.com?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=stories&utm_campaign=spring-launch

Use Google’s Campaign URL Builder to create links that give you clear insight into your story’s traffic performance. This is especially useful when you’re running multiple campaigns or testing different call-to-action (CTA) buttons.

Don’t just drop a link—make sure to:

• Add a visual CTA (use arrows, text, or “link” stickers).
• Keep the ask clear: shop now, sign up, learn more, etc.
• Design around the link so it stands out visually.

What About Link Clicks & Profile Visits?

While Instagram doesn’t show data for every single interaction (like sticker taps in some cases), you still get valuable insights from link clicks, profile visits, and follower changes.

If you notice a spike in followers or profile clicks after a story series, go back and examine the content. Was it a behind-the-scenes peek? A tutorial? A product teaser?

Match these behaviors to content types—and create more of what works.

Testing, Tweaking, and Tracking Over Time

Tracking data week-over-week helps you spot trends and stay proactive. Ask yourself:

• Do Reels-turned-Stories perform better?
• Does lifestyle content outperform product features?
• Are your polls receiving replies but not getting shares?
• When are your followers most active?

Create benchmarks for reach, exits, and taps—and test different content formats to improve your average over time. Packsia members get fresh video content every week, so you’ll always have new visuals to test and rotate.

Ready to Upgrade Your Stories Game?

With the right insights, you’ll stop guessing and start building. Instagram Stories are more than just behind-the-scenes—they’re a full-screen opportunity to tell your brand story, boost engagement, and drive action.

We believe your Stories should perform just as amazingly as they look. That’s why our content packs are designed to help you stand out in every frame. We also share weekly content ideas in our newsletter to keep your creativity flowing, if you’re looking for a little extra inspo.

So, what are you waiting for? Go check your Insights, and get strategizing!