Instagram Highlights help brands keep their best Stories visible on their profile even after the usual 24-hour Story period ends. For businesses, Highlights can serve as mini landing pages, organizing reviews, FAQs, product details, offers, events, tutorials, and user-generated content for profile visitors.
Instagram Stories disappear from a profile, Feed, and messages after 24 hours unless they are added to Story Highlights. This makes Highlights useful for brands that want to turn temporary Story content into long-term profile content.
For brands, Instagram Highlights are not just a profile decoration. They can help visitors understand your business, explore products, check reviews, find answers, and take action faster.
Display Instagram Stories on Website in 5 mins
What are Instagram Highlights?
Instagram Story Highlights are curated collections of Stories that users can permanently feature on their profile. Introduced in 2017, Highlights offers a way to showcase and organize Stories beyond the default 24-hour lifespan. These Highlights appear directly below the bio section, giving visitors a glimpse into the user’s personality, interests, or brand identity. Many brands also repurpose these highlights using an instagram embed widget to display curated content on their websites.
Users can select Stories from their archive and group them into Highlights by theme, event, or topic of interest. Each Highlight can be customized with a cover image and a title, allowing for personalization and branding. With Instagram Highlights, users can share evergreen content and create a lasting impression on their profile visitors.
Why Instagram Highlights Matter for Businesses
Instagram profiles often get visitors who are not ready to buy immediately. They may want to understand your brand, check your products, compare reviews, or see real customer experiences before taking action.
Highlights help businesses answer these questions quickly.
For example, a skincare brand can create Highlights for Reviews, Routines, Ingredients, Results, FAQs, and Offers. A restaurant can create Highlights for Menu, Reviews, Events, Location, Offers, and Customer Stories.
How to Create Highlights on Instagram?
Creating a Highlight is an easy process, and here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started:
- Ensure that you have already posted the Stories you want to include in your Highlight.
- Next, go to your Instagram profile by tapping on your profile picture in the bottom left corner of the screen.
- Underneath your bio section, you’ll see a section labeled “Highlights.” Tap on the “+ New” button next to it.
- Instagram will show you a list of your archived Stories. Browse through them and tap the ones you want to include in your Highlight. You can select multiple Stories for a single Highlight.
- After selecting the Stories, you can customize your Highlight by giving it a name and selecting a cover image. Choose a name that reflects the content of your Highlight and select an eye-catching cover image that represents it well.
- Once you’re satisfied with your selections and customizations, tap on “Add” or “Done” to create your Highlight.
- Voila, now you or anyone visiting your Instagram profile can easily see the highlights you uploaded.
How To Edit or Delete an Instagram Highlight
Businesses should regularly update Highlights so they do not show expired offers, outdated products, old event information, or irrelevant content.
To edit or delete a Highlight, Instagram says users can tap and hold the Highlight below Edit Profile, then choose the option to edit or delete it.
How Can You Use Instagram Highlights to Benefit Your Business?
Instagram Stories and Highlights serve as invaluable assets for businesses seeking to elevate their online presence and user engagement. Here are several compelling benefits that they offer to businesses:
1. Extended Visibility:
By showcasing important content in Highlights, businesses can extend the lifespan of their Instagram Stories beyond the default 24-hour period. This prolonged visibility ensures that key messages, promotions, or announcements remain accessible to followers and visitors over time.
2. Organized Content Showcase:
Instagram Story Highlight provides businesses with a platform to organize and categorize their content based on themes, products, or services. This makes it easier for followers to navigate specific aspects of the business, resulting in a more engaging and user-friendly experience.
3. Enhanced Brand Storytelling:
Highlights allow businesses to tell their brand story in a compelling and visually appealing manner. By curating Stories highlighting brand values or products, businesses can communicate their narrative and connect with their audience.
Businesses can leverage Highlights to promote products, services, or upcoming events. By featuring promotional content in Highlights, businesses can create a dedicated space for followers to discover more about their offerings.
5. Link Integration:
With the ability to add links to Stories, businesses can drive traffic to their website or blog posts directly from Highlights. Knowing how to post a link in Instagram Stories opens new avenues for customer engagement and conversion. This eventually empowers businesses to drive measurable results from their Instagram presence.
6. Customer Engagement and Interaction:
Highlights provide businesses with a platform to engage with their audience in meaningful ways. Featuring testimonials or User Generated Content (UGC) in Highlights fosters a sense of community among their followers, leading to increased loyalty.
7. Showcase User-Generated Content (UGC):
Highlights offer businesses an opportunity to showcase user-generated content (UGC) and customer testimonials. By featuring UGC in Highlights, businesses can amplify their customers’ voices, encourage community engagement, and build brand authenticity.
8. Analytics and Insights:
Instagram provides businesses with analytics for their Highlights, allowing them to track engagement metrics such as views, taps, and interactions. This data enables businesses to measure the effectiveness of their Highlights and optimize their content strategy accordingly.
9. Drive Conversions:
By strategically incorporating call-to-action buttons, such as “Shop Now” or “Learn More,” businesses can drive conversions directly from their Highlights. Whether it’s promoting a new product or encouraging sign-ups, Highlights serve as powerful tools for driving measurable actions from followers.
10. Embed Instagram Highlights:
Instagram has not yet created an API to allow users to embed Instagram highlights on their website. However, this feature is widely anticipated by businesses, as it would allow them to showcase their highlights on their websites. Adding highlights to a webpage will make it visually appealing and showcase the brand’s best products/services.
Users can currently embed an Instagram Feed on their website, which also has its own set of benefits for the brands. These benefits include better social media engagement, people spending more time on the page, and dynamic website content, among others.
How to Design Covers for Your Instagram Highlights
Designing eye-catching covers for your Instagram Highlights can enhance your profile’s visual appeal and make your Highlights more enticing. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you create captivating covers:
- Choose a Theme: Select a consistent theme or aesthetic that aligns with your brand identity or the content of your Highlights.
- Select Design Software: Use design software like Canva, Adobe Spark, or Over to create your covers. These platforms offer a variety of templates and customization options.
- Create Cover Graphics: Design your cover graphics using icons, illustrations, or text overlays. Ensure the graphics are visually appealing and relevant to each Highlight’s content.
- Add Branding Elements: Incorporate your logo, brand colors, and fonts to maintain brand consistency across your Highlights.
- Customize Cover Size: Adjust the dimensions of your covers to fit the circular shape of Instagram Highlights. The recommended size for Highlight covers is 1080 pixels by 1920 pixels.
- Upload to Instagram: Once your covers are ready, upload them to Instagram by selecting “Edit Highlight” on your profile. Choose “Edit Cover” to replace the default cover image with your custom design.
How to Add Covers to Instagram Highlights?
The following steps will help you add a new cover to your Instagram highlights.
- Design or choose cover images for your Instagram Highlights that represent the content or theme of each Highlight category.
- Open the Instagram app and tap your profile picture in the bottom left corner to go to your profile.
- Tap on the “Highlights” section located below your bio.
- Choose the Highlight to which you want to add a cover by tapping and holding on it until a menu appears.
- From the menu, select “Edit Highlight.”
- Tap on “Edit Cover” and then select “Change Cover.”
- Choose Cover Image: Browse through your camera roll or gallery to select the cover image you want to use. Adjust the positioning and zoom as needed.
- Once you’re satisfied with the cover image, tap “Done” or “Save” to save your changes.
- Repeat the process for each Highlight category, selecting a unique cover image for each.
Tips to Optimize Instagram Highlights Covers According to Your Profile
To make the most of the Instagram highlights, it’s essential to optimize their covers to align with your brand identity. Here are some tips to help you do just that:
- Consistent Branding: Maintain a consistent aesthetic across all your Highlight covers to reinforce your brand identity. Use consistent colors, fonts, and design elements that reflect your brand’s personality and style.
- Highlight Categories: Identify key themes or categories that represent the content you want to showcase on your profile. Create separate Highlight covers for each category to make it easy for followers to find the content they’re interested in.
- Embed Instagram Videos: Consider embedding Instagram videos on your Highlight covers to add dynamic, engaging content. Videos can provide a sneak peek into the Highlight’s content and effectively capture viewers’ attention.
- Custom Graphics: Design graphics for your Highlight covers that are visually appealing and relevant to each category’s content. Use graphics that capture the essence of the content and entice viewers to explore further.
- Customer Engagement Examples: Showcase customer engagement and interaction in your Highlight covers to demonstrate your brand’s connection with its audience. Feature user-generated content, testimonials, and positive reviews to build trust and credibility.
- Update Regularly: Keep your Highlight covers up to date by refreshing them regularly with new content. Replace outdated covers with fresh images or videos to keep your profile looking current and relevant.
- Positive Reviews Examples: Use Highlight covers to showcase positive reviews and customer testimonials. This not only highlights your brand’s credibility but also encourages potential customers to engage with your content.
Conclusion
Instagram Highlights offer users the opportunity to showcase their best content, organize their profiles, and engage with their audience. By curating Highlight covers and optimizing them according to your profile’s theme, you can create a visually appealing experience.
Incorporating elements such as custom graphics and customer engagement examples can further enhance the appeal and effectiveness of your Highlights. Regularly updating and analyzing the performance of your Highlight covers keeps your profile fresh, relevant, and engaging. By leveraging Instagram Highlights, you can elevate your profile, strengthen your brand presence, and foster meaningful connections.