Quick Info:
| Why care? | Instagram Story Highlights are prime real estate for showcasing your brand’s best moments and offerings. |
| Cost: | FREE |
| Who should do this: | All businesses looking to enhance their Instagram presence |
| Platform: |
Instagram Story Highlights
In the ever-changing world of Instagram, there’s one thing that’s been around for a very long time, and yet it is frequently overlooked: Highlights.
These Highlight bubbles stand out as valuable tools for businesses to curate and showcase their best content.
They allow you to extend the lifespan of your vanishing Stories and make a lasting impression on your audience. You can even create your own branded Highlight covers to promote brand recognition & consistency.
If you’ve never created Highlights for your account, or if it’s been a while since you last updated them, it’s time to tackle that in the next 10 minutes!
What is an Instagram Story Highlight?
Instagram Story Highlights are curated collections of stories that are pinned to your profile, allowing them to remain visible beyond their 24-hour lifespan. They appear just below your bio section, making them easily accessible to anyone who visits your profile.
These Highlights serve as a visual representation of your brand’s narrative, offering a glimpse into your personality, products, and services.
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How to Edit a Highlight
Adding Stories to your Highlight is simple and can be done directly from your Instagram profile. From your profile page, tap the Highlight you wish to edit and tap the 3 dots menu at the bottom right. Choose “Edit Highlight.”
From there, you will be able to view all existing stories that are included in the Highlight. Tap the “Stories” tab to view all past stories and easily select the ones you’d like to add to this Highlight.
Stories will always display in chronological order.
From here, you can also change the cover image, and adjust the title to reflect the content within.
Recommended Story Highlights for Every Small Business
The beauty of Story Highlights lies in their versatility. You can curate Highlights to showcase various aspects of your business, from behind-the-scenes glimpses to product tutorials and customer testimonials.
While the possibilities are endless, there are a few essential Story Highlights that every small business should consider incorporating:
- About Us: Share your brand’s story, mission, and values to connect with your audience on a deeper level.
- Products/Services: Highlight your best-selling products or services to showcase what sets you apart from the competition.
- Behind the Scenes: Offer a glimpse behind the curtain to humanize your brand and build trust with your audience.
- Customer Reviews/Testimonials: Share positive feedback from satisfied customers to instill confidence in potential buyers.
- Time Sensitive Incentives: Highlight special offers, events, or promotions front and center to drive sales and engagement.
Get creative and experiment with different themes and topics that resonate with your audience.
How to Use Canva to Create Branded Story Highlight Covers
Creating branded covers for your Story Highlights is a great way to enhance your profile aesthetics and maintain consistency with your brand’s visual identity.
Canva offers a user-friendly platform for designing custom covers that reflect your unique style. Click here to view countless templates* that can be customized to fit your brand colors, fonts, and imagery. Once you’re satisfied with your design, download the cover images and upload them to your Story Highlights.
(*Not an affiliate link)
Keep them updated
By refreshing your Story Highlights every few months and adding branded covers, you are truly using your Instagram account as an extension of your website, and ensuring reliable, relevant content for your viewers.
These curated collections serve as a visual storytelling tool that allows you to showcase your brand’s personality, values, and offerings in a way that leads the visitor through the start of their journey to becoming a returning customer.
Today’s Task
✅ Take the next 10 minutes to look through your Instagram Highlights. Update the ones that are currently there and identify any that are missing that you want to add.
✅ Next, jump over to Canva and create or edit your Highlight covers.
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