What Does Next Story Mean On Instagram Story, and Why Marketers Need to Know

Hey fellow marketers and content creators! Henry Duy here, jumping in after more than a decade navigating the ever-evolving digital landscape. What does next story mean on Instagram Story? This seemingly simple question holds significant strategic weight in understanding audience behavior on one of Instagram’s most powerful formats – Stories, used daily by over 500 million people.

Success on platforms like Instagram isn’t just about what you broadcast, but crucially, how your audience reacts and moves through it. Understanding user behavior within Instagram Stories is absolutely critical for making every second count. That’s where Instagram’s Story navigation metrics come in. These aren’t just random numbers; they’re a direct line to understanding what holds attention and what doesn’t. While metrics like Reach and Impressions tell you who saw your content, navigation tells you how they interacted with it.

Today, we’ll break down what next story means on Instagram Story, understand its implications, and figure out how to use this knowledge to craft Stories that keep your audience hooked, rather than swiping away.

Understanding the Fundamentals: Instagram Story Navigation Metrics

So, what does “Next Story” mean on Instagram Story? Before we dive deep into this, let’s quickly recap the four core navigation metrics you’ll find in your Instagram Insights (remember, you need a Professional account to access these):

1. Back Taps: Viewers tapped the left side of the screen to rewatch the current slide or go back to the previous one.
2. Forward Taps: Viewers tapped the right side to skip ahead to the next slide within your story.
3. Next Story Swipes: Viewers swiped left to jump from your story to the story of the next account in their queue.
4. Exit Story Taps: Viewers closed the Story environment altogether (returning to the feed, leaving the app, etc.).

You can find these insights for any individual story frame by viewing your active story, tapping the “seen by” (Eye) icon, and scrolling down to the “Navigation” section. 

Each of these actions tells you something unique about your content’s performance, but the distinction between the two of them is paramount for today’s discussion. 

For a comprehensive look at what each tap, swipe, and exit signal means for your content strategy, diving deeper into the concept of Instagram navigation meaning is incredibly beneficial.

The Crucial Distinction: Forward vs. Next Story

This is where many users get confused—and rightly so. But understanding this difference is key to decoding what the next story means on Instagram Story.

• Forward Taps: As defined in the metrics, this is a tap to see the next photo or video in your story. This means the viewer is still engaged with your content and is simply moving through it, slide by slide. It’s the default way to advance through a Story. High forward taps on a specific slide might indicate that the slide wasn’t engaging enough to pause on, but the user is still watching your Story. It’s like flipping the page in your book.
• Next Story Swipes: This is fundamentally different. It’s not a tap, but a swipe left. This action takes the viewer out of your entire Story sequence and immediately jumps them to the first slide of the next account’s story in their viewing order. It’s Instagram’s way of keeping the content flow going by moving from one user’s Story to another.

Think of it like this: a Forward tap is like turning the page in your book. A Next Story swipe is like putting your book down and picking up someone else’s.

So, What Does Next Story Mean on Instagram Story?

Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s answer the key question: what does next story mean on Instagram Story?

Simply put, a Next Story swipe usually indicates the viewer has lost interest in your content. They’re not just skipping a single slide—they’re skipping the rest of your story, at least for that session.

This is different from an Exit Tap, which means they left Stories entirely—maybe to answer a text, take a break, or return to the feed. But a Next Story swipe is more content-specific. They chose someone else’s content over yours.

High Next Story rates could mean:

• Weak Hook: If users leave on your first slide, your opening isn’t strong enough.
• Drop in Interest: If they leave mid-story, the content may have lost momentum or relevance.
• Too Long: Long stories without a clear purpose or payoff can cause fatigue.
• Lack of Relevance: Your story just didn’t resonate with that viewer.

One or two swipes? Not a big deal. But consistent high numbers? That’s your audience giving feedback you need to act on.

Turning Insights into Action: Reducing ‘Next Story’ Swipes

Knowing what next story means on Instagram is only useful if you act on it. Here’s how you can use this insight to improve your Story performance:

1. Perfect Your Opening: Since the biggest drop-off often happens from the first to the second frame (as highlighted by retention data), make your first one count. Use a strong visual, a compelling question, or tease what’s coming. Hook them in the first 3 seconds!
2. Keep it Concise: While retention doesn’t crater with more frames, there is a drop-off. Analyze if your Stories are unnecessarily long. Can you say the same thing in fewer slides? Get to the point efficiently.
3. Vary Your Format: Mix images, videos, Boomerangs, text-based slides, and GIFs. Monotony can lead to swiping.
4. Utilize Interactive Stickers: Polls, quizzes, question boxes, and sliders actively engage viewers and require them to pause or interact, reducing the likelihood of a quick swipe away.
5. Maintain Visual Consistency: Make your Stories visually appealing and consistent with your brand. Jarrring or low-quality visuals can be a trigger for viewers to bail.
6. Analyze Drop-Off Points: Pinpoint the exact slide where Next Story swipes significantly increase. What was on that slide? What came before it? Use that information to identify problematic content or pacing issues.

By focusing on creating compelling, concise, and interactive content, you increase the chances of viewers tapping “Forward” through your Story, rather than swiping to the “Next Story” from another account.

Context is Key: Relating ‘Next Story’ to Other Metrics

While knowing what the next story means on Instagram Story is critical, don’t analyze it in isolation.

• High Back Taps on a slide suggest it was highly engaging or contained important information worth re-watching.
• High Forward Taps might indicate speed-viewing, but if combined with low Exits and Next Story swipes, it means they are still consuming your content. If Forward taps are high on every slide, your Story might be too slow-paced.
• High Exit Taps alongside Next Story swipes could signal a broader issue with holding attention in the Stories environment itself, or perhaps your CTA led them to leave (like a swipe-up link, though this isn’t tracked in native navigation metrics).

Each of these gives you insight into the why behind your Story performance—and together, they create a powerful loop of silent feedback.

>>> Learn more: What Does Back Mean on Instagram Story

Wrapping up

Understanding what “Next Story” means on Instagram Story isn’t just about interpreting a number—it’s about understanding your audience’s behavior and preferences. A Next Story swipe is them telling you, “I’m done with this content,” but that’s not a bad thing. It’s an opportunity.

As someone who’s spent over a decade in marketing, I can say with confidence: small changes driven by insights like these can lead to major improvements in your content’s impact.

So check your Story analytics. Watch for those Next Story swipes, analyze when and why they happen, and optimize your content accordingly.

I’m Henry Duy, and I’m passionate about helping marketers like you thrive with data-backed strategy. For more Instagram insights and content tips, visit the Henry Duy Blog. And I’d love to hear from you—what are your biggest takeaways or struggles when it comes to Story navigation metrics? Drop a comment below!