Facebook Stories allow you to share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. However, there may be times when you want your Stories to stick around a bit longer than that. Fortunately, Facebook provides a way to extend the lifespan of your Stories past the normal 24-hour expiration date.
Why Extend Your Facebook Stories?
Here are some common reasons why you might want to keep your Stories available for longer than 24 hours:
- You worked hard creating content for your Story and want more people to see it.
- You are posting Stories related to an event, trip, etc. and want them accessible afterwards.
- You want to be able to refer back to the Stories later on.
- You are using Stories for announcements or promotions and need them to stay up.
- You shared something really funny or memorable and don’t want it to vanish so quickly.
Extending your Stories allows you time to get more views, engagement, and shares. It also lets you hold onto your Stories for future reference or enjoyment.
How to Extend Your Facebook Stories
Extending Facebook Stories is easy to do right from the Facebook app. Here is how:
- Open the Facebook app and tap on your profile picture or the “+” symbol in the top navigation bar.
- This will open the Stories camera. Tap on “Create Story” at the bottom.
- Take or select photos and videos for your Story as usual.
- Once you have added all the content you want, tap the three dots “…” icon at the top of the screen.
- Select “Story Settings” from the menu.
- Toggle the switch for “Story Expires” from 24 hours to “Set Expiry Date.”
- Select the date you want the Story to expire.
- Tap “Save” and then “Share” to post your extended Story.
That’s all there is to it! Now your Story will remain available until the custom expiration date you set.
Tips for Extending Stories
Here are some tips to make the most of the extended Story feature:
- Set a future expiration date. This could be a few days, weeks, or even months from the original post date.
- Consider important dates like birthdays, holidays or events. Time your Story to those dates.
- Let followers know your Story will be available for longer. This encourages more views.
- Add relevant hashtags and location tags to help more people discover your extended Story.
- Rotate old Stories out by changing the expiration date to keep things fresh.
Limitations to Know
While you can prolong the life of your Stories, there are a few limitations:
- Stories can only remain active for a maximum of 1 year beyond the original 24-hour period.
- Archived Stories don’t appear on your profile grid or Story Highlights.
- Once a Story expires, it can’t be retrieved or reposted as-is.
- Stories won’t show up in hashtag feeds or be discoverable after expiration.
So even though Stories can be extended, they still have a finite lifespan on Facebook.
Who Can See Your Extended Stories?
The visibility settings on extended Stories work the same as normal 24-hour Stories. Your extended Stories are visible to:
- Your friends/followers.
- Friends of friends/followers of followers (if you have that setting enabled).
- Close Friends list (if you have that feature enabled).
- Anyone if your profile is public.
You can restrict Story visibility using Facebook’s audience selector when you create the Story. But anyone who could view the Story within the first 24 hours will still have access during the extended time period.
Managing Extended Story Privacy
To control who continues seeing your extended Stories, consider:
- Using Close Friends lists for more private Stories.
- Updating your overall privacy settings.
- Blocking certain people from viewing your profile.
- Deleting or expiring Stories if needed.
Viewing Old and Expired Stories
Wondering what happens once a Story finally reaches its expiration date? The Story will no longer be visible anywhere on Facebook. However, you still have some options to view expired Stories:
- Facebook Archive – You can access and download an archive of your Facebook content, including expired Stories.
- Facebook Memories – If you shared Stories on “On This Day” in previous years, they may appear in Facebook Memories.
- Phone Gallery – The photos and videos used in your Stories save to your phone’s gallery so you can view them directly.
So even though Stories disappear from Facebook, you usually have ways to rediscover them beyond the expiration date.
Does Extending Stories Affect Reach?
Will extending your Facebook Stories help them get more reach? Here is some data on how it impacts your Story’s performance:
| Metric | Impact of Extended Expiry |
|---|---|
| Reach | Extending expiry keeps your Story in circulation longer so more people can discover and view it over time. |
| Shares | Longer expiry gives viewers more opportunity to share your Story and spread it further. |
| Engagement | Greater reach and shares drive up engagement metrics like reactions, comments and reshares. |
| Followers/Traffic | Increased visibility can lead followers to your profile and drive traffic to your website/blog. |
The exact impact depends on the quality and relevance of your Stories. But overall, extending expiration is an effective tactic for improving Story performance when used strategically.
Best Practices for Extended Stories
To get the most mileage from your extended Stories, keep these best practices in mind:
- Test different expiry dates to see what duration works best.
- Analyze metrics to compare results of 24-hour vs. extended Stories.
- Plan content and timing around events, holidays, promotions, etc.
- Promote and share Stories leading up to expiration to maximize reach.
- Use captions, tags and interactive elements to encourage engagement.
- Rotate in fresh content so your extended Stories stay interesting.
Bottom Line
Facebook Stories don’t have to vanish in just 24 hours. You have the option to extend Stories to keep them alive for up to 1 year past original posting.
To prolong your Stories, use the “Set Expiry Date” option when creating or editing them. Monitor the performance to see if extended Stories are helping you meet your goals for reach, engagement and profile growth.
With smart strategy, timing and promotion, you can get the most mileage from your Facebook Stories before they finally ride off into the sunset.