Instagram Highlights Guide: How to Create, Edit, & Tips

Instagram Highlights, Reels, videos, photos, carousels – there are just so many content options. And while many creators are using most of these content types properly, we can’t help but notice that Highlights are underutilized.

If you’re not using Highlights or don’t know when to add them to your strategy, we’re going to explain everything you need to know in our guide on Instagram Highlight.

You’ll learn:

If you want to get more followers without posting, Highlights may be the secret that you need to reach this goal.

What is an Instagram Highlight?

Instagram announced Stories Highlights back in 2017 – it’s been over 6 years – and they’re:

Your Highlights stay on your profile until you remove them. For example, if you are sharing recipes in your Stories, you may want to make a Highlight category called “salads,” and any time you make a Story with a salad recipe, you can add it to the corresponding Highlight category.

If you create a lot of Stories and want to capture these moments for just a little longer, you can do so with the help of Highlights.

You’ve already made the Story, so why not add the content to a Highlight?

How to Create Instagram Highlights

Don’t know how to make Instagram Highlights? It’s simple to get started. Open up your app and follow these steps:

If you want to create Highlights from Story Archives, you can do that, too. Tap the + button underneath your profile bio and it will bring up your Archives and allow you to add them.

You’ll notice that some creators will add dozens of Stories to their Instagram at once. Why? They’re adding the Story to Highlights.

How to Delete Instagram Highlights

You can easily delete your Highlights by following these steps:

If you want to remove just certain Highlights, you can do the following:

And that’s it. You’ve deleted the Highlight or Story that you no longer want to share with your followers.

How to Edit Instagram Highlight Covers

If you want to change up your Highlight cover, you can. Instagram will choose a photo for the cover, but you can edit it to make it unique.

That’s it. You’ve added a custom cover to your Highlight.

Still not sure how you would use Highlights properly for your account? We’re going to provide you with quite a few tips that creators and brands can use to leverage the Instagram Highlight feature.

11 Tips💡for Using Instagram Highlights as a Creator or Brand

Ready to make the most out of your Highlights? Let’s dive right in.

1. Categorize Your Stories and Make Collections

Every Highlight should be a category. You don’t want to have a “catch-all” Highlight because it will confuse followers. Instead, let’s assume that you post:

You can make categories for all of these Stories as a Highlight. It’s better to have a lot of collections that followers can look through on their own than adding random ones to a large collection.

Businesses will do this with a Highlight for each product type, announcements and so on.

2. Share Announcements

Major announcements deserve some love as a Highlight. For example, businesses will use this feature to alert the world about their new:

If you’re a normal creator and not an influencer, you can make an announcement Highlight that you can use to tell your followers about something important to you.

3. Explain Who You Are and Why People Should Follow You

An About Me Highlight is a good option for creators who want to tell the world who they are. When people see your content and go to your profile, they may not follow you because they don’t know:

But you can clear up all of this confusion with a well-planned About Highlight. Create Stories and add them to the Highlight that explains everything about you or your brand. Your Highlight may mean the difference between someone following you and tapping off of your account.

4. Create Resource Collections

Resource collections are great options for anyone who is trying to make a difference with educational or informative content. You can create Highlights for things such as:

Creating resource collections is a go-to option for all account types and a good option if you’re trying to teach anyone anything.

5. Answer FAQs

FAQs as Story Highlights can go along perfectly with your About Me Highlight. You can add questions from followers and add them to your Highlights. By doing this, you can:

If you’re a brand that is trying to explain your product or reduce the number of service calls you have, you can also use FAQs.

6. Showcase Your Reviews or Testimonials as a Business

Reviews and testimonials give your business the social proof and credibility customers look for when deciding whether to make a purchase. Why not show them off in your Highlights?

Showcasing testimonials and reviews in your Instagram Highlights will put them front row and center. 

Anyone who visits your profile can quickly and easily see the feedback and reviews left by your customers. Those reviews and testimonials can help you build trust and increase sales.

7. Showcase Your Team if You Have One

Whether you’re a brand or a creator, you can use Highlights to showcase your team and help your followers get to know you a little bit better.

For example, if you’re a creator, you can showcase your:

If you’re a brand, you can showcase different team members, their achievements and their roles in the company.

Showcasing your team in your Highlights can:

Your audience will be more likely to engage with your account or make a purchase if they trust you and feel like they know the people behind your brand.

8. Create Lead Magnets

Lead magnets help you transform prospects into leads. The goal is to convince them to sign up for a product trial or your list.

Why not share your lead magnet in an Instagram Highlight? Creators and brands often share links to their lead magnets in their Stories. Turning that Story into a Highlight allows you to reach more people over a longer period of time.

Make sure that you give your Highlight an attention-grabbing name, so prospects will be more likely to check it out.

9. Show off Your Recent Products or Services

The release of a new product or service is an exciting time, but it’s easy for feed posts to get lost in the mix. Sure, you can pin your post, but it’s easy for people to overlook them. 

And most brands will announce new launches in their Stories. Why? Because their followers will be more likely to view their Story content. 

But the temporary nature of Stories makes them a poor choice for long-term promotion of new products.

That’s where Highlights come in.

Highlights are one of the first things people see when they visit your profile. It’s the ideal space to promote your recent products or services. 

10. Behind the Scenes (BTS) Collections

Highlights are the perfect opportunity to take people behind the scenes and give them a candid look at how you operate. Behind-the-scenes content can help you build credibility, establish yourself as an authority and humanize your brand.

What type of behind-the-scenes content can you share?

People love those raw moments that you can’t stage or script, and that’s exactly what behind-the-scenes Highlights will give your audience.

11. Inspire Others

Instagram Highlights are a great way to inspire other creators or customers (if you’re a brand).

Let’s say that you’re a creator in the travel niche. You can create different Highlights for specific places you’ve visited or even your top tips for traveling. 

By using your Highlights to inspire others, you’ll encourage your audience to check your profile regularly and engage with your content.

Summary

Instagram Highlights are a useful tool for creators and brands. They allow you to make your Stories permanent, so your audience can view them anytime right from your profile. 

It’s easy to transform a Story into a Highlight, and you can even create branded icons to help build authority and trust. 

If you’re not using Highlights to help grow your brand and Instagram account, use our guide to get started today.