If someone lands on your Instagram profile today, would they see your best content or just your latest Story?
Instagram Highlights give you a way to put your strongest Stories right at the top of your profile, even before pinned posts.
They help visitors quickly understand who you are, what you offer, and why they should stick around, if your strategy hits the mark.
In this guide, we show you how to use Highlights strategically so your profile gets to work the second a potential follower arrives.
What are Instagram Highlights?
Instagram highlights are curated collections of Instagram Stories that appear right below your bio and above your feed.
Source: Sendible Instagram
Unlike regular Instagram Stories, which disappear after 24 hours, Highlights stay pinned to your profile until you remove them.
This makes them one of your most valuable tools for showcasing evergreen or strategic content directly to visitors who land on your page.
How Instagram Highlights differ from regular Instagram Stories
- Longevity: Stories disappear after 24 hours. Highlights stay pinned until you delete them.
- Placement: Highlights are featured prominently on your profile, giving them ongoing visibility.
- Purpose: Stories are typically reactive or moment-based. Highlights let you group and present content more deliberately.
Think of Stories as your temporary content and Highlights as your permanent, curated shelf.
Why Instagram Highlights matter for brands and creators
Instagram Highlights act like a visual menu for your brand. New visitors can scroll through to understand more of what you offer, what your brand stands for, and why they should hit the follow button.
Highlights are especially powerful because:
- They guide first impressions: Visitors often view Highlights before scrolling your feed.
- They improve conversions: Many brands use Highlights to feature product demos, FAQs, testimonials, and sales.
- They create structure: Instead of burying content in a Story archive, Highlights let you group key topics in an easy-to-browse format.
In short, Instagram Highlights give your profile structure, clarity, and strategy, which is something a lot of brand pages sorely lack.
The best ways to use Instagram Highlights for engagement
Instagram Highlights give brands a way to turn temporary Stories into permanent, browseable content, so it makes sense to use them intentionally.
The key is to think like a visitor: What would someone want to know about your brand within the first 10 seconds of landing on your profile?
Here are some of the most effective (and engaging) ways to use Highlights, with real-world inspiration and ideas you can apply.
#1 Product showcases
Use Highlights to walk people through your products or services, like a visual brochure.
- Example: Glossier uses Highlights to demonstrate their skincare products, show application tips, and share before-and-afters.
- Try this: Create a separate Highlight for each product category. Include tutorials, customer results, or user-generated content (UGC) for social proof.
#2 FAQs
Answer your most common customer questions upfront, so you reduce DM queries and build trust at the same time.
- Example: Many service-based businesses (like Joe Wicks, the body coach) use FAQ Highlights to explain pricing, processes, or policies.
- Try this: Record quick Stories answering top questions. Save them to “FAQs” Highlights so followers always have easy access.
#3 Testimonials and reviews
Social proof is essential in social media marketing, with 92% of customers saying they trust recommendations from friends and family, and 70% claiming they trust reviews and opinions shared online by other customers. Highlights are the perfect way to gain this belief.
- Example: Direct-to-consumer toothbrush startup, Quip, uses a Highlight called “Quipsters” to showcase customer reviews and reactions. It’s a fun, branded way to display social proof while keeping the tone casual and community-focused.
- Try this: Reshare tagged Stories from happy customers or post screenshots of messages and feedback (with permission). Use a uniform visual frame to keep things cohesive.
#4 Behind-the-scenes
Humanizing your brand helps build a connection to the audience. Stories show your authentic self while Highlights make sure they’re available for all to see.
- Example: Fragrance brand, Handsome Scent, frequently films behind-the-scenes packing videos, with a special Black Friday Highlight feature that shows them upgrading orders with extra products during fulfillment.
- Try this: Film a “day in the life” at your business. Capture packaging orders, prepping a new product drop, or casual team moments.
How to create Instagram Highlights (Step-by-step guide)
Creating Instagram Highlights is a strategic way to showcase your best content directly on your profile. If you’re ready to start using them to your advantage, here’s a step-by-step guide to help you create and organise your Highlights effectively.
Step #1: Creating and saving Instagram Stories
Before you can add content to your Highlights, you need to create and save Instagram Stories. Here’s how:
- Open Instagram:
- Launch the Instagram app.
- Access the Story Camera:
- Tap the “+” icon at the top of your screen.
- Select “Story” from the options at the bottom.
- Capture or select content:
- To take a photo, tap the white circle at the bottom.
- To record a video, press and hold the white circle.
- To choose existing media, swipe up or tap the gallery icon to select a photo or video from your device.
- Edit your story (optional):
- Add text, stickers, or drawings by using the tools at the top of the screen.
- Share your story:
- Tap “Your Story” at the bottom of the screen to publish.
- Ensure Stories are archived:
- Instagram automatically archives your Stories after 24 hours. To verify this feature is enabled:
- Go to your profile and tap the three horizontal lines (hamburger menu) in the top right corner.
- Select “Settings” > “Privacy” > “Story”.
- Under “Saving”, make sure “Save story to archive” is toggled on
Step #2: Organising Highlights into categories
Organising your Highlights into specific categories helps visitors navigate your content quickly. Here’s how to create a categorised Highlights:
- Add a new Highlight:
- Go to your profile by tapping your profile picture at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap the “+” (New) button below your bio and above your posts (it’s marked as “Highlights”).
- Select Stories for the Highlight:
- From the “Stories Archive”, choose the Stories you want to include by tapping them. A checkmark will appear on selected items.
- Once you’ve selected all desired Stories, tap “Next”.
- Name your Highlight:
- Enter a concise, descriptive name for your Highlight (e.g. “Product Demos” or “Customer Reviews”).
- Choose a cover image:
- Instagram automatically selects a cover image, but you can customise it:
- Tap “Edit Cover.”
- Select a different image from the Stories in the Highlight or upload a custom cover from your gallery.
- Finalise the Highlight:
- Tap “Add” (on iOS) or “Done” (on Android) to create the highlight.
- Rearrange Highlights (optional):
- To change the order of your Highlights:
- Press and hold the Highlight you wish to move.
- Drag it to a new position.
- Edit or remove Highlights:
- To add or remove Stories from an existing Highlight:
- Tap and hold the Highlight on your profile.
- Select “Edit Highlight”.
- Modify the content as needed.
- To delete a Highlight:
- Tap and hold the Highlight.
- Choose “Delete Highlight” and confirm.
The process is quick and easy, but taking these steps can add a lot to your Instagram profile page.
Tips for optimising Instagram Highlights
Once your Highlights are live, the goal is to keep them purposeful, polished, and up to date. Think of this section of your profile as a mini homepage. Visitors can scan it to decide if your content is worth exploring.
Here’s how to make every Highlight count.
#1 Design custom covers
Your Highlight covers are one of the first things people see when they visit your profile, so don’t leave them on default:
- Create a branded look: Use your brand colors, icons, or minimalist text to make covers feel cohesive.
- Use Canva or similar tools: Design simple icons (like a camera for BTS or a shopping bag for products) to visually signal what each Highlight includes.
- Upload manually: to change a cover, go to the Highlight, tap “More” > “Edit Highlight” > “Edit Cover”, and select a custom image from your gallery.
A clean, consistent look gives your profile a more professional and curated feel, which is especially important if you’re using Instagram to build brand trust.
#2 Update and repurpose regularly
Highlights aren’t set-it-and-forget-it type content, but many brands treat them that way. Outdated Highlights can make your page feel stale, especially if promos, pricing, or policies change.
- Rotate content: Remove Stories that are no longer relevant, and add fresh ones from more recent campaigns or product drops.
- Repurpose seasonal content: Have a holiday sale Highlight? Save it and reuse it next season with updated graphics or offers.
- Use Story performance to guide updates: Review analytics to see which Stories had the most views or taps, and build your Highlights around the best performers.
FAQs
1. How long do Instagram Highlights last?
They stay on your profile permanently until you delete them.
2. Can you add to Instagram Highlights without posting a story first?
No. All Highlight content must first be posted as a Story before it can be added to a Highlight.
3. Is there a limit to how many Instagram Highlights you can have?
There’s no official limit, but only the first few Highlights are visible before you have to swipe to see the rest. Keeping five to eight categories is a good rule of thumb.
4. Can you see who viewed your Instagram Highlights?
You can only see viewers while the original store is live (within 24 hours). After that, Instagram only shows view counts, not usernames.
5. How do you find Stories to add to Instagram Highlights?
Tap the “+” button on your profile under Highlights to access your Story archive. From there, select any past Stories you’d like to include.