What's the difference in audience reach between Instagram reels and stories?

Reels and stories reach different audiences and serve different purposes. Reels are pushed to new audiences beyond your followers—most reels will not be seen by the same people, which makes them excellent for discovery and growth. Stories, on the other hand, primarily reach your existing followers who regularly check stories, so you’ll see recurring audience members. This makes stories valuable for engaging people who already follow you, while reels are better for reaching new potential followers. When you have a larger following, stories become more valuable because you have more existing followers to communicate with directly.

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Asked by artists discussing promotion strategies · Answered by Mili · art-marketing-101 · 2026-06-29