How to Enable and Manage Comments on Instagram Stories
Learn how to enable and manage comments on Instagram Stories to enhance engagement and build connections with your audience.
Learn how to enable and manage comments on Instagram Stories to enhance engagement and build connections with your audience.

Ready to use Instagram's 'Broadcast Channels'? Our guide makes it easy to engage your followers. Explore the new feature now!

Instagram now lets you enable public comments on Stories, allowing mutual followers to interact directly on your Story frames. This guide covers everything you need to know about setting up, managing, and making the most of Story comments.
With these tools and strategies, you can create a positive, engaging space for your audience while growing your account.
Instagram Story comments are turned on by default, but you can adjust them to suit your preferences.
Controlling who can comment on your Stories is important for keeping interactions positive. Here’s how you can tweak your Story comment settings:
If you're using a business account, these settings can help you maintain professional communication while managing customer interactions effectively. The default settings strike a balance between engagement and privacy.
Need more specific control? You can manage comment settings for individual Stories:
These tools allow you to align your comment settings with your content goals and audience preferences.
Managing Instagram Story comments well means encouraging engagement while keeping the community atmosphere positive.
Want more comments on your Stories? Try these strategies to spark interaction:
Encouraging engagement is important, but handling negative comments is just as crucial.
Good comment management helps maintain a healthy community. Here's how to deal with problematic comments:
To further protect your community, you can also use Instagram's built-in filtering tools.
Instagram offers tools to help you manage inappropriate comments automatically:
Basic Filter Settings:
Advanced Filtering:
For the best results, combine these automated tools with manual moderation. Review filtered comments regularly to ensure genuine interactions aren't mistakenly blocked.
Story comments can significantly boost your visibility and engagement on Instagram.
Interactive Stories are key to increasing engagement. In fact, Instagram Story polls see 92% more interaction compared to regular Stories. Here’s how you can encourage more comments:
For example, Summer Fridays, a skincare brand, runs an "Ask a Derm" segment where a dermatologist answers audience questions directly. This type of interactive content not only drives comments but also builds trust and connection with followers.
Encouraging replies can help you transform casual viewers into loyal fans. Nesha Woolery, for instance, boosted her Story views from 956 to between 1,300 and 2,000 by asking followers to reply with specific keywords for exclusive content, using Manychat to automate responses.
To foster a sense of community:
Away, a luggage company, used this approach effectively during Pride Week by asking, "How are you celebrating?" via Question Stickers. This simple prompt created meaningful conversations with their audience.
Engagement doesn’t just build relationships - it can also drive revenue. With 80% of Instagram users following at least one brand, the potential to convert interactions into sales is huge.
Here’s how brands are doing it:
Ruggable nails this strategy by sharing customer testimonials in their Stories. These real-life endorsements not only build credibility but also inspire sales. With 400 million people using Instagram Stories daily, the opportunity to grow your account - and your business - is enormous through genuine interactions.
If you're having trouble with Story comments, the issue is often tied to your connection, app updates, or activity limits.
Story comments might not function properly due to a weak connection, an outdated app, or account restrictions.
Once you've resolved these technical issues, you can fine-tune your settings to better control your comment interactions.
After fixing the basics, adjusting your privacy settings can help you manage who can interact with your Stories.
To tweak these settings:
Instagram offers three main options for controlling Story replies:
| Reply Setting | Who Can Comment | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Your Subscribers | All followers | Maximum engagement |
| Subscribers You Follow | Only mutual followers | More controlled interaction |
| Disable | No one | Full privacy |
If you're using Instagram's comment filters, the platform automatically blocks certain inappropriate words or phrases. You can also add custom banned words to prevent specific types of comments from showing up.
These privacy tools, combined with troubleshooting steps, help ensure a smoother and more positive interaction experience.
Instagram Story comments can help boost engagement and build stronger connections with your audience. Here are the key points:
Comment Controls
You can adjust your Story comment settings directly in your profile to manage how your audience interacts with your content. For even more control, use the three-dot menu on individual Stories to customize settings for specific posts.
Engagement Best Practices
Story comments, along with direct messages and emoji reactions, contribute to a lively and interactive experience. This approach has led to a 110% rise in social messaging for customer support. To keep things running smoothly, use management tools that help maintain a positive and engaging environment.
Maintaining a Positive Environment
Instagram offers several tools to ensure your comment sections remain constructive and welcoming:
| Tool | Purpose | How It Helps |
|---|---|---|
| Comment Filters | Blocks inappropriate language | Automatically screens out unwanted content |
| Manual Deletion | Removes specific comments | Lets you address issues as they occur |
| User Blocking | Stops repeat offenders | Prevents ongoing negative interactions |
These tools work well alongside your broader Instagram growth strategies, helping you create a more engaging and positive space for your audience.