Facebook Stories have become a fundamental aspect of Facebook marketing due to their casual, personal manner. They last just 24 hours and have far greater reach than typical Facebook posts, offering a more personal feature that allows brands to connect with audiences in a less formal and engaging way.

Yet they became popular almost by accident. Meta only started focusing on Stories after seeing the success of the format on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and other “disposable” content platforms.

These days, brands can’t operate a social media strategy without thinking about Facebook Stories.

They’re preferred over normal posts because they don’t clutter up news feeds with multiple updates. Instead, users see Stories at the top of their feeds and access them in digestible chunks. Brands therefore don’t have to work as hard to get noticed.

Stories reflect more real-time content, which is what users want. They can be used to share day-to-day snapshots of your brand, and you can make them engaging with questions and polls.

In this guide:

Understanding Facebook Stories

Stories allow individuals to post short-lived photo and video collections with friends. Brands are able to do the same and share updates with their customers or audiences. They appear at the top of the Facebook news feed and vanish after 24 hours. It’s a great way to stay connected and without cluttering up someone’s news feed.

The basics of Facebook Stories

The aspect ratio of Stories are full screen 9x16 and last for 24 hours. To make them more engaging, music, text, and effects can be added.

Viewing a Story is simple, you just tap on the one you want to see. You can also swipe through to other Stories and go back to previous ones if you wish. There is also the option to reply to Stories if you want to give a reaction via a direct message or public comment.

You can create a Story on your personal profile or a Facebook page that you own – such as a company page. This makes them useful for both personal and business use.

How Facebook Stories work

Even though Stories disappear after 24 hours, you can still go back and view your previous ones in a personal archive.

To create a Story you simply have to tap “Create Story”, which appears in the top left-hand side of your news feed.

From here you can either record a video, take a photo with Facebook’s in-app camera, or choose content from your library.

You should then try and make them more engaging either by adding music, text, fun filters, or effects.

There are also certain privacy settings that allow you to control who sees your story. Once you’re happy, just hit “Share”.

Once published, you can see who has viewed your story and if they have reacted to it. Stories should be seen as casual content so don’t be afraid to express your personality, especially if you’re a brand!

Key features of Facebook Stories

Facebook Stories have a multitude of features that help make them more engaging. Here, we look at some tools that let you connect with your friends creatively.

Tools and customization options

There are many features within Facebook Stories that can help you make videos and photos stand out. Features include text, stickers, added effects, and music that can really make your content pop.

If you want to jazz your Stories up then you can also add GIFs, emojis, and location tags. It’s the same level of customization that you get on Instagram. There are interactive options as well, such as questions and polls, that give your audience the opportunity to engage.

To make Stories more polished, consider using different layout options that allow you to add multiple photos to one Story frame. It’s this sort of customization that can help your brand stand out from others. Additionally, Facebook Messenger complements this by allowing users to reply to stories with direct messages, enhancing engagement through messaging features.

Insights and engagement metrics

It’s easy to track the performance of your Facebook Stories thanks to Facebook’s built-in analytics tool. These insights help you understand who has seen your Story and work out what is resonating with them.

It also shows you how they have interacted with your Story – whether that be an emoji reaction or an actual message. The feedback is important, especially for businesses looking to increase engagement.

Talking of businesses, there are more detailed metrics that can be obtained, tracking things like reach, impressions, and link clicks.

Why Facebook Stories are important

There are many unique benefits with Facebook Stories for both personal use and business. Let's take a look at these benefits here.

Benefits for individual users

The obvious benefit when personally using Facebook Stories is that it allows you to share quick updates with friends and family. As they disappear after 24 hours, it’s a great way to share real-time content without cluttering your main profile.

The good thing with Stories is that they are very much “in the moment”, and are more personal than regular Facebook posts. This personal feature fosters a deeper connection with your audience, allowing your friends to get a glimpse of your everyday life and hear your thoughts on current events. This is the true definition of social media.

Benefits for businesses and creators

When it comes to businesses and influencers, Facebook Stories can be a really powerful marketing tool. They are prominent in someone’s news feed, which makes them great for boosting your visibility to followers. Add another Story and suddenly your brand moves to the front of the feed again.

They can be used as a way of showcasing products, sharing behind the scenes content, and special updates. In fact, they're really good during live events that encourage curious users to keep coming back throughout the day.

Facebook Stories are a more casual way for you to connect with your audience whilst retaining your authenticity. As a result, you build stronger relationships with your followers.

What’s more, their 24-hour lifespan creates a sense of urgency for Facebook users to check out your website or online store. The best Stories can be saved as highlights on your page for longer-term viewing.

Facebook Stories vs. other platforms' stories

Stories are a feature that appear on many social media platforms these days. They all share similarities but there are some unique features to Facebook Stories. Let's see how they differ from Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok.

Differences between Facebook and Instagram Stories

There is a lot in common between Facebook and Instagram Stories, basically because both are owned by Meta. They both last 24 hours and sit at the top of respective feeds but there are a few key differences.

Firstly, Facebook Stories can be shared into groups and events, whereas Instagram cannot.

Instagram Stories have some more advanced and interactive features, such as templates and emoji reaction polls.

Demographically they differ due to Facebook’s older audience in comparison to the younger Instagram user base.

Of course, the big thing to note about Facebook and Instagram Stories is they can be cross-posted to the other site using the Meta Business Suite or a third-party tool. This is a great time saver, especially if a brand uses both platforms a lot.

How Facebook Stories compare to Snapchat and TikTok

When it comes to Snapchat and TikTok, there are a lot of differentials to Facebook Stories.

It was actually Snapchat that invented the story format that we’re now so used to seeing on social media – and the 24-hour disposable format of it. But Snapchat is far more casual and unfiltered.

TikTok is heavily focused on short-form video content and is often used as a way of promoting video content that has been posted on main profiles. What's more, TikTok videos don't disappear.

TikTok is all about entertaining video snippets whereas Facebook offers more casual updates on life.

Tips to maximize the impact of Facebook Stories

Facebook Stories are a powerful tool if you want to connect with friends and customers. It's important to utilize its interactive features to boost engagement, so let's take a look at these features here.

For individuals

Rather than posting the same kind of content on Facebook Stories each day, it's worth keeping things fresh. Mix up your Stories feed with photos, videos, and text updates – as well as asking questions. Individuals get more engagement when they're willing to use Facebook's full range of features.

You can also use location tags to update friends on where you are. If you’re with friends, be sure to tag them so they can reshare and widen your engagement.

Stories should be short and sweet – around three-to-five slides should be your maximum. Any more than that can lead people to lose interest.

For businesses

Brands tend to use Stories to boost engagement and reach. You therefore need to create Stories that show your brand's personality. Behind-the-scenes content is always impactful and it can highlight the life of your brand or business.

You can use Stories as a way of running competitions, as well as offering exclusive deals. If you ask customers to share their own content of using your products or services, repost them to build community.

Don’t forget the importance of analytics to understand what content is performing best – a tool like Brandwatch can help you here!

Frequently asked questions

Facebook Stories are a really effective way to share personable content, whether you're an individual or a brand. The aim is to connect quickly to users and keep your profile at the top of their Facebook app by posting regular updates.

Here are some common questions about how they work and how to use them effectively.

What's the difference between a post and a Story on Facebook?

A Facebook post appears on your timeline and in users’ news feeds. They have far less reach than Stories and don’t auto-delete. Stories are visible for just 24 hours and sit at the top of users’ apps, so they’re easier to find. They’re also more casual than regular posts because of their temporary nature.

Can people see who viewed their Facebook Story?

Yes, it's really easy to see who viewed your Story. Tap on your Story and swipe up to see the list of viewers. Or, you can use a third-party tool like Brandwatch or the Meta Business Suite tool to view your audience in finer detail.

What happens when you share a Story on Facebook?

All shared Stories appear at the top of your followers' Facebook feed for 24 hours. They're housed in your account's Story profile, so viewers simply need to click on the icon to see your latest updates. After 24 hours, a Story post disappears from public view but stays in your Story archive.

How do Facebook Stories differ from regular posts?

Stories are temporary and more visual, rather than being text-based. They often use full-screen photos or videos in portrait mode, as users usually access Stories via their phone app. Regular posts are permanent and show up in the main feed, but usually carry less engagement.