What Is the Private Story vs. Main Story TikTok Trend?

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Learn all about this viral trend & how to do it yourself

Co-authored by Annabelle Reyes

Last Updated: December 11, 2025 Fact Checked

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Trend Explanation

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Examples

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How to Do the Trend

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More TikTok Trends

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Video

If you’ve been scrolling through your FYP lately, you might have come across posts of people comparing their “private story” and their “main story.” But what exactly does this trend mean? If you’re looking for an explanation, you’ve come to the right place! We’ve compiled a complete guide on this viral TikTok trend, including several examples of viral posts and advice on how to participate in the trend yourself. Keep reading for everything you need to know!

Private Story vs. Main Story: Trend Overview

This TikTok trend is a humorous comparison of the kinds of things people share on their private Instagram stories versus their public Instagram stories. The posts start with a video of the person doing something wild, silly, or chaotic, then they flash to a nice photo of the person looking polished and put-together.

Section 1 of 4:

What is the private story vs. main story trend?

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This funny TikTok trend compares how people present themselves on their public Instagram stories vs. their private Instagram stories. The posts start with a video of someone doing something silly, chaotic, or embarrassing to represent the kind of content they’d put on their Close Friends story (the private one that’s only available to select people). Next, they include a photo of themselves looking super nice and put-together, representing the kind of content they’d share on their “main story” (the public one that all followers can watch).^{[1]
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- Most of the posts also use a specific sound created by @justcallmezomb in the background.
- The point of the trend is to poke fun at the polished, curated image we share with the public on social media, versus the sillier, more chaotic things we share with our actual friends.

Section 2 of 4:

Examples of the Trend

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Looking for specific examples of this trend to reference? We’ve compiled a few viral ones for you to check out:
- This post by @dudabailao shows a woman bumping into an elevator door and collapsing to the floor, then it flashes to a photo of her from the same night posing in her outfit.
- This post by @phoebeprenticee shows a woman dressed up in a formal outfit doing a handstand in a hallway, then it flashes to a photo of her posing in front of a nice background in the same outfit, looking polished and put-together.
- This post by @beingmissriley shows a woman standing outside and singing “Thinking of You” by Katy Perry in a silly voice, then it flashes to a nice photo of her posing in a stylish outfit.
- This post by @samanthakennyx shows a woman struggling to walk up the stairs in a formal gown because it has a super tight, mermaid-like silhouette, then it flashes to a photo of her in the dress posing in front of a Christmas tree.
- This post by influencer Quen Blackwell shows her going all out and dancing in a silly way while wearing a nice white gown, then it flashes to a photo of her wearing the gown at a red carpet event.

Section 3 of 4:

How to Do the Private Story vs. Main Story Trend

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Participating in this trend is easy! All you need to do is find a video of yourself doing something totally silly or chaotic to represent the kind of thing you’d post on your Close Friends story, then find a nice photo of yourself to represent what you’d share on your public story. Extra points if the two are from the same night! Include both in your TikTok post, starting out with the silly video and then flashing to the nice picture.
- If you’d like, you can also include the sound by @justcallmezomb that most of the people participating in the trend are using. Just make sure the music starts right when your “public story” picture flashes onto the screen, not when your silly video is playing!