Key takeaways:
- Instagram Highlights allow you to showcase your best Stories content permanently on your profile
- Custom Highlight covers make your profile look polished and on-brand
- Organize your Highlights into categories that align with your business goals and provide value to your audience
- Regularly update your Highlights to keep content fresh and engaging
Instagram Stories have become an essential part of many businesses’ social media strategies, allowing brands to share behind-the-scenes content, promote products, and engage with their audience in a more casual and authentic way. However, the ephemeral nature of Stories means that this valuable content disappears after just 24 hours. That’s where Instagram Highlights come in.
Highlights are curated collections of your Stories that live permanently on your profile, giving your audience easy access to your best content. By creating custom Highlight albums, you can showcase your brand’s personality, products, and values in a visually appealing and organized way.
Step 1: Plan your Highlight categories
Before you start creating your Highlights, take some time to think about the categories that make sense for your business. Some common examples include:
- Products or services
- Behind-the-scenes content
- Customer reviews or testimonials
- How-to guides or tutorials
- Events or promotions
Choose categories that align with your business goals and provide value to your audience.
Step 2: Design custom Highlight covers
Custom Highlight covers give your profile a polished, on-brand look. You can create these covers using graphic design tools like Canva or Adobe Illustrator, or hire a designer to create them for you.
When designing your covers, keep these tips in mind:
- Use your brand colors and fonts for consistency
- Keep the design simple and easy to read at a small size
- Use icons or illustrations that clearly represent each category
- Maintain a cohesive aesthetic across all your covers
Once you have your cover designs ready, save them to your phone’s camera roll.
Step 3: Create your Highlights
To create a new Highlight, follow these steps:
- Go to your Instagram profile and tap the “New” button under your bio
- Select the Stories you want to include in your Highlight
- Tap “Next” and give your Highlight a name
- Tap “Edit Cover” and select the custom cover image from your camera roll
- Tap “Done” to publish your Highlight
Repeat this process for each category you want to create.
Step 4: Add Stories to your Highlights
Whenever you post a Story that fits into one of your Highlight categories, add it to the relevant Highlight. To do this:
- Open the Story you want to add
- Tap the “Highlight” button at the bottom of the screen
- Select the Highlight you want to add it to
You can also add archived Stories to your Highlights by going to your profile, tapping the “Archive” button, and selecting the Stories you want to add.
Step 5: Regularly update your Highlights
To keep your Highlights fresh and engaging, regularly review and update them. Remove outdated content and add new Stories that showcase your latest products, events, or customer reviews.
You can also use Highlights to promote timely content, like limited-time offers or seasonal promotions. Just remember to remove these Highlights once the promotion has ended.
By following these steps and regularly maintaining your Highlights, you can create a compelling and informative presence on Instagram that showcases your brand’s unique personality and value proposition.
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FAQ
How many Highlights can I have on my Instagram profile?
You can create as many Highlights as you want, but only four will be visible on your profile at a time. Users can swipe left to see additional Highlights.
Can I add Stories to a Highlight after they’ve expired?
Yes, you can add expired Stories to your Highlights by going to your profile, tapping the “Archive” button, and selecting the Stories you want to add.
How do I delete a Highlight?
To delete a Highlight, go to your profile, tap and hold the Highlight you want to delete, and select “Delete Highlight” from the pop-up menu.
Can I rearrange the order of my Highlights?
Unfortunately, Instagram does not currently allow users to manually rearrange the order of their Highlights. They are displayed in the order they were created, with the most recent Highlight appearing first.
How many Stories can I add to a single Highlight?
You can add up to 100 Stories to each Highlight. Once you reach this limit, you’ll need to remove older Stories before adding new ones.
