Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has put a widely believed engagement myth to rest. During his weekly Q&A session on Instagram Stories, Mosseri confirmed that reposting feed content to Stories does not meaningfully increase a post’s overall reach, disappointing creators who have long relied on this tactic as a growth shortcut.
Mosseri explained that Feed posts naturally command greater reach than Stories because they are permanent, publicly viewable, and eligible for recommendation through the Explore feed. Stories, by contrast, are only visible to followers and disappear after 24 hours. Since a post has already been indexed and distributed once published, resharing it to Stories adds no new eligibility for algorithmic reach.
Why Engagement Hacks Rarely Work
Mosseri went further, casting doubt on Instagram growth hacks in general. He noted that such tactics occasionally deliver short-term results but typically fail, and that Instagram’s team actively shuts them down when discovered. His advice to creators was straightforward — study your audience, identify what content is resonating, and build on those patterns while remaining authentic to your identity and goals.
Stories Scheduling Could Be on the Horizon
On a more positive note, Mosseri hinted that Instagram is internally debating whether to introduce a Stories scheduling feature. The platform has historically resisted this, viewing Stories as a spontaneous, in-the-moment format. However, growing user demand has pushed the team to reconsider, making it a live discussion within the company.
For creators chasing reach, the takeaway is clear — skip the shortcuts and invest in genuine, audience-focused content strategy instead.