Facebook Stories allow users to share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. It’s a fun way to give your friends and followers a glimpse into your daily life. But once a Story expires, can you still view it? And is there a way to see who has watched your Stories? Here’s everything you need to know.
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Viewing Your Own Expired Stories
Once one of your Stories reaches the 24 hour mark, it disappears from the app for all of your friends and followers. However, that doesn’t mean it’s gone forever.
Facebook archives all of your expired Stories so that you can look back on them anytime you want. Here’s how to find your archived Stories:
On Mobile:
- Open the Facebook app on your phone
- Tap on the three line “hamburger” menu icon in the top right
- Select “Archive”
- Choose “Story Archive”
- Toggle the switch next to “Story Archive” on
- You can now view any of your expired Stories by tapping on them
Pro Tip: You can save any current Stories to your Archive before they expire by tapping the “Save” icon.
On Desktop:
- Go to facebook.com and log into your account
- Click on your profile picture
- Select “View Profile”
- Click on the three dot menu icon next to your cover photo
- Choose “Story Archive”
- Toggle “Story Archive” on
- You can now view any expired Stories by clicking on them
So even though your Stories disappear from your friends’ feeds, you’ll always be able to look back on them yourself if you enable Story Archive.
Checking Who Has Viewed Your Stories
Facebook also gives you the ability to see exactly who has watched your Stories. Here’s how:
On Mobile:
- Upload or view one of your current Stories
- Look for the eye icon in the bottom left corner of the screen
- Tap on the icon to pull up a list of everyone who has viewed that particular Story
The list will show your most recent viewers at the top. You can scroll down to see the full list of viewers.
On Desktop:
- Click on one of your current Stories
- Select “Viewers” in the bottom left corner of the screen
- You’ll see the full list of everyone who has watched your Story
So if you’ve ever wondered which of your friends and followers are keeping tabs on you via Stories, now you know!
Changing Your Story Viewer Settings
By default, your Stories are visible to all of your friends on Facebook. But you can customize exactly who gets to watch them.
Here’s how to update your Story privacy settings:
On Mobile:
- Tap on your profile picture
- Select “Settings & Privacy”
- Choose “Settings”
- Tap on “Privacy”
- Select “Story Privacy”
- Choose from the available options:
- Friends: Your stories will only be visible to confirmed friends
- Friends Except: Block specific friends from seeing your stories
- Hide Story From: Prevent certain people from seeing your stories
- Tap “Done” to save your changes
On Desktop:
- Click the arrow on the top right
- Choose “Settings & Privacy”
- Select “Settings”
- Click on “Privacy” in the left sidebar
- Go to “Story Privacy”
- Pick from the available options to customize who can view your stories
- Click “Review All Settings” when finished
So you have full control over who gets access to your Facebook Stories. Set your privacy to friends-only or block certain people for complete peace of mind.
Using Facebook Stories for Business
Facebook Stories isn’t just for personal use – it can be a valuable marketing tool for brands and businesses.
Here are some tips for creating effective Facebook Stories as a business:
- Post at least once daily: Just like with regular Facebook posts, consistency is key. Post a new Story every day to build momentum.
- Show behind-the-scenes footage: Give your followers a peek at what goes on in your business every day. Capture short videos of your office, employees at work, company events, etc.
- Spotlight new products: Tease upcoming product launches, sales, limited-edition items, etc. with short video clips and photos.
- Highlight customer wins: With permission, feature happy customer photos and testimonials about how your product or service has helped them.
- Run polls and contests: Ask followers questions and let them vote in polls. Also, consider giving away coupons, free products, or other perks via contest entries.
- Use links: Drive traffic to your website or online store by adding links to your Stories. Add buttons like “Shop Now” or “Learn More.”
- Analyze performance: Check Story Insights to see total views, exits, replies, shares, and more so that you can fine-tune your approach.
Implementing even a few of these tactics can lead to more website traffic, brand awareness, customer engagement, and sales over time.
More Tips for Facebook Stories
Here are a few final tips to help you get the most mileage from Facebook Stories:
- Add text, stickers, drawings: Use the creative tools to make your Stories stand out. Handwrite text, doodle on photos, use animated stickers, etc.
- Mention friends: Bring your friends into the fun by mentioning them with @. This also shares your Story to their inbox.
- Cross-post: Share your Story simultaneously to Instagram Stories as well for extra visibility.
- Reuse content: Repurpose Stories into Facebook ads or embed them into website posts to continue driving value.
- Create highlights: Group certain Stories into categorized Highlights pinned to your profile, like “Vacation” or “Recipes.”
So have fun exploring all that Facebook Stories can do! Change viewer settings, track analytics, get creative with content – the possibilities are endless.
