How Interacting with Stories Can Help You Grow on Instagram

Liking an Instagram Story is now one of the most common and effortless ways to interact on the platform. While once reserved for reacting with emojis or replies, Instagram now allows users to express appreciation simply by tapping the heart icon on a Story — a subtle but powerful form of engagement.

Today, liking a Story isn’t just a nice gesture — it’s a strategic move. For creators, brands, or even everyday users, it's a way to show support, stay visible in someone’s inbox, and build meaningful connections without cluttering DMs. Whether you’re trying to get noticed by your favorite influencer, subtly reconnect with someone, or boost your daily interactions, story likes are a great tool.

In this article, we’ll show you exactly how to like an Instagram Story, where to find the likes you receive, and why this feature matters more than ever in 2025. Let’s dive in.

How to like an account's Instagram Story

Isn't it true that when something new comes along, we have no idea how to use it properly? Because sometimes you just can't get your head around it.

But don't worry, we've put together some instructions to help you make the most of this new feature.

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Here's how to like an Instagram story:

1. Open the Instagram app and go to the story you want to like.
2. You'll notice a heart-shaped button next to the message icon at the bottom right of the screen.
3. Click on it, it should turn red. That's it, you've liked your friend's Instagram story.

How do you find out who has "liked" your Instagram Stories?

Only you can see who has liked your Insta stories. There are 2 ways to see your Insta stories likes:

1- From your notification center:

When you're on the app and click on the heart icon in the top right, you'll access your notification center.

Here you'll be able to find all the likes you've received on your stories in a timeless way.

2- From the story itself:

When you've published your story less than 24 hours ago, you can see the list of people who have seen and liked your content.

To do this, simply swipe up when you're on your story. Followers who have liked your story will then be marked with a little red heart next to their username.

Tada! Now you know how to check who liked your Instagram story.

Can anyone see if I like their Instagram story?

Yes, people can see if you like their Instagram story.

But only the manager of the account that published the Insta story can see the likes they've gotten. The likes of stories are private and cannot be seen by other users of the social network.

How Interacting with Stories Can Help You Grow on Instagram

Liking and engaging with Instagram Stories isn’t just a way to show appreciation — it’s also a smart growth strategy.

When you consistently interact with other users’ Stories (especially those in your niche), your name appears more often in their notifications. This repeated exposure increases the chances they’ll check out your profile, follow you back, or interact with your own content. It’s one of the most natural ways to get discovered without using hashtags or running ads.

More importantly, engagement through Stories signals to Instagram’s algorithm that you're an active user — someone worth boosting in others' feeds. And the more you interact, the more Instagram will show your Stories and posts to other users in return.

Boostfluence: Automate Your Story Engagement and Grow Faster

If manually liking and replying to Stories feels time-consuming, Boostfluence makes it effortless.

Boostfluence is an Instagram automation tool that helps you interact with relevant accounts automatically — including Story viewers. The platform can target users based on interests, hashtags, locations, or accounts similar to yours, and interact with their content (like stories, visit profiles, follow, or like posts), all while simulating human behavior.

By doing this consistently, Boostfluence helps you:

• Stay visible in your niche
• Attract real, interested followers
• Increase your reach without spending hours on your phone

Combine Story interaction with Boostfluence’s scheduling, analytics, and content planning tools, and you have everything you need to grow — without the burnout.

Try Boostfluence for free and start growing your account today through smart, automated interactions.