Instagram is introducing a new feature to boost engagement by allowing comments on Stories, making these comments visible to everyone who views the Story.

According to the announcement:

"You can now comment on Stories. Comments are visible to anyone who views the Story."

The comments will appear at the bottom of the screen, just above the functional controls and viewer information, ensuring they remain unobtrusive. This feature aims to spark more conversations around Story updates by showcasing prominent comment highlights directly on the main display.

Instagram has been exploring various strategies to enhance user engagement, particularly as many users gravitate toward private DMs for discussions and sharing. As Instagram's chief, Adam Mosseri, noted, users are now more active in posting Stories and sending DMs than in sharing on the main feed. This shift limits overall interaction, prompting Instagram to implement tools like Notes, which allow users to leave conversation starters at the top of their inbox tab.

Notes has become quite popular, reportedly growing “at a wild pace.” Notably, Instagram shared last June that teen users create notes at a rate ten times higher than their non-teen counterparts. Retaining this demographic is crucial for Instagram, and fostering interaction while building a social network is a key advantage it has over TikTok.

To enhance user engagement, Instagram has expanded the Notes feature to profiles, Reels, and feed posts, introducing various additional functionalities. The introduction of comments on Stories aligns with this strategy, offering users another way to showcase conversation prompts based on the content shared, ultimately encouraging more discussions and engagement.

Creators do have the option to disable comments on their Stories if they prefer not to have them visible. This flexibility allows users to maintain the aesthetic of their content while also providing the opportunity for increased engagement, which could help broaden their reach.

Instagram is likely banking on this new feature to drive more interactions, as more comments lead to more engagement and deeper connections within the app. These network effects are difficult to replicate, which may help keep users more attached to Instagram.

Overall, this is an intriguing update that has the potential to stimulate more activity on the platform.

UPDATE (9/2): Meta has officially launched the Stories comments feature. By default, only followers who are followed back can leave comments, but users have the option to allow all followers to comment as well.