Are you a content creator or a business owner keen on leveraging Instagram for greater brand visibility? Whatever your role, mastering Instagram Story Highlights offers immense benefits for businesses and individuals. It allows you to save and categorize your Stories on your profile so followers, new and old, can still view and interact with past Stories.
Use this comprehensive guide to get started on your road to becoming an Instagram Story Highlights expert and discover how to attract your audience, build your profile, and utilize this feature's maximum potential.
What are Instagram Story Highlights?
Instagram story highlights are the stories that you decide to keep on your profile permanently. It is not a normal story that disappears after a certain time. You can keep them safe in your profile, till the time you want.
Users can arrange highlights according to particular themes, like events, merchandise, or behind-the-scenes photos. For easy navigation of your highlight, you can create the cover image and title of each highlight.
This function is a great resource for both individuals and companies, as it provides an opportunity to improve profile aesthetics, build a more organized and relevant story for followers, and prolong the life of exciting information.
How to Create Instagram Highlight?
Selecting and showcasing your most captivating stories is made easy with Instagram highlights. Creating highlights is an easy process, whether you want to display product highlights, behind-the-scenes images, or event updates.
Here's a how-to for making Instagram Highlights using two alternative methods:
Way 1: Create Highlights from the Active Story
Here's how you can create a Highlight directly from an active story:
- Step 1: Tap on the active story to view it
Open the story you want to include in the Highlight. This could be a current story or a previously shared one.
- Step 2: Tap the bottom option Highlight
Press the "Highlight" button at the bottom of the screen once the story has been displayed. You have two options either to make a new highlight section or add your story to the existing Highlights.
- Step 3: Tap the plus icon to create a new Highlight
Press the “+” icon to add your story to the highlight and create a new one.
- Step 4: Enter the name of the new Highlight
Give your Highlight a meaningful name that reflects the theme or content it will contain. This name will be visible on your profile.
- Step 5: Tap the blue buttons Add
Complete the process by tapping "Add." Your new Highlight is now created and can be viewed on your profile.
Way 2: Create Highlights from the Archived Stories
If you missed adding an important story to Highlights or wish to include older stories in your Highlights, do not worry! Instagram has got you covered. Instagram automatically archives all your stories for future use. Here's how you can create Highlights from your archived Stories:
- Step 1: Go to your Instagram profile and tap Story Highlights below bio
Search your profile and go to the story highlight section below where your bio is written. Tap on it to access the Highlights management screen.
- Step 2: Tap the “+” icon
Tap on the “+” icon to create a new highlight. This opens a window for selecting stories.
- Step 3: Choose the stories you want to include in the Highlight by tapping on “Next”
In the new window, tap and select the stories you want to appear in the Highlight and tap “Next” to proceed further.
- Step 4: Tap ‘Edit Cover’ to choose which story will appear as Highlight
Customize the appearance of your Highlight by selecting a cover photo. You can also choose from existing stories or upload a new image.
- Step 5: Enter a name for your Highlight
Give your Highlight a descriptive name to help viewers understand its content.
- Step 6: Tap Add on iPhone or Done on Android
On an Android device, press "Done"; on an iPhone, touch "Add" to add a new highlight.
Now, when you are able to create Highlights from your published content, make it count to enhance your Instagram journey effectively.
Benefits of Instagram Highlights
To increase the visibility of your brand and boost your profile, creating Instragram Highlights is an excellent method. It can revolutionize your social media presence. Here's why:
#1. Keep your Audience Updated
Any announcements through Instagram Highlights are a very creative and attractive method to let your followers know about new events or information about your brand or business. You can also pin your essential updates to let audiences access your information quickly.
#2. Repurpose Content
Highlights allow you to adapt and preserve your content longer than the original 24-hour Stories window. Content can be categorized and archived as Highlights to offer it a more permanent location on your profile, which encourages followers to interact with it over time.
#3. Provide Something Extra
Highlights allow you to go above and above with your postings and give your viewers something extra. You may add additional depth to your profile and attract more followers by adding Highlights to it. These can be behind-the-scenes photos, unique content, or insider tips.
#4. Share the Spotlight
You may share the focus and demonstrate the variety within your brand by showcasing various facets of your company, such as team members, accomplishments, or goods. This helps to humanize your company and gives your audience a more complete and exciting picture of you.
#5. Promote Your Business
Instagram Highlights are a useful visual tool for business promotion. You can keep all your essential information related to business under the highlight story section. It will be easy for your viewers to see them when they visit your profile.
How to Use Instagram Stories Highlights to Boost Engagement?
A well-curated story highlights ensures a smooth user journey on your profile. Here's how you can use them to boost engagement:
#1. Pin Exciting Announcements
Emphasize essential updates, product launches, or announcements to ensure your fans don't miss anything. You can easily access and see critical content by keeping it at the front of your profile with this function.
#2. Show Off Different Products Or Collections
Create Highlights dedicated to showcasing your various products or collections. This gives your viewers a visual catalog and lets you draw attention to particular attributes, advantages, or special offers accompanying each product.
#3. Provide Educational Resources
Provide insightful information to your audience by producing Highlights that double as learning tools. Whether it's industry-specific lessons, how-to guides, or advice, this material not only keeps your audience interested but establishes your company as an authority.
#4. Showcase Multiple Locations
If your company has a global reach or works in several locations, use Highlights to highlight each location separately. This can assist in making your brand more distinctive for certain audiences and foster a feeling of community among followers in particular areas.
#5. Promote Events
Highlighting events, whether they are virtual or physical, boosts visibility and attendance. Make use of this feature to publicize the event and provide a recap of the highlights afterward. It's a lighthearted way to maintain interest in your brand among potential customers.
#6. Answer FAQs
Make a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Highlight to address common inquiries from your audience. This saves followers time and provides a useful resource for information seekers, which enhances their overall experience with your brand.
#7. Showcase Positive Reviews & Testimonials
By highlighting gratifying comments and endorsements in a special Highlight, you can increase credibility and trust. This builds confidence in your brand among potential customers and serves as social proof, showcasing your happy customers and encouraging them to do business with you.
Important Instagram Story Metrics To Measure Success
Instagram offers an array of metrics to gauge the performance of your stories. To improve visibility and increase engagement, it's crucial not just to understand but also to interpret these metrics accurately.
Below are some key metrics that offer significant insights:
#1. Audience views
Track views to determine how well-liked and influential your stories are.
#2. Engagement Rate
Evaluate interactions like taps, replies, and swipe-ups to gauge audience involvement.
#3. Completion Rate
Measure how many viewers watch your story, indicating content relevance and interest.
#4. Followership Change
Assess how stories impact your follower count, helping gauge audience growth.
#5. Click-through Rate (CTR)
For linked stories, monitor the CTR to assess the effectiveness of call-to-action elements.
#6. Exits
Analyse where viewers drop off in your stories, identifying potential points of disinterest or confusion.
#7. Discovery
Explore how many users find your profile through story interactions, indicating discoverability.
#8. Conversion Metrics
For business accounts, track conversions, such as website visits or product purchases, linked to story engagement.
#9. Impressions
Measure the total number of times your story is seen, providing insights into overall visibility.
Monitoring these metrics helps tailor your Instagram Story strategy, optimizing content for maximum impact and audience connection.
Things to Know About Instagram Stories Highlights
Instagram Story Highlights serve as a digital catalog. These Highlights are evergreen and stay alive until you remove them. Here are key points that every Instagram user should know.
#1. There is no limit to the number of Highlights that you can create.
#2. A Highlight can accommodate up to 100 photos or videos.
#3. Any content added beyond the 100-clip limit in a current Highlight will replace the earliest clip, which then shifts to your Archive.
#4. Only you can view your Instagram Stories Archive.
Conclusion
Mastering Instagram Story Highlights is pivotal for creating a compelling narrative on your profile. From keeping followers engaged with permanent content to strategically organizing stories, this feature allows you to showcase your brand dynamically.
The offered guide will help you improve the storytelling, increase audience engagement, and give them a more engaging experience.
So, what are you waiting for? Create your first Instagram Highlight now!
FAQs on Instagram Story Highlights
#1. Can I see who views my Instagram Story Highlights?
No, obviously, you cannot see who has viewed your instagram story highlights. While you can view the total number of views, individual viewer details remain private.
#2. Can I highlight old Instagram stories?
Yes, you can highlight old Instagram stories. You can easily create a new highlight or put your old Instagram stories in the previously created Highlights.
#3. What is the difference between an Instagram Story and an Instagram Story highlight?
The main difference is the time. Stories disappear after 24 hours, while Highlights are curated collections that stay on your profile, offering a more permanent showcase for selected content with cover images and titles.
#4. How do Instagram Story Highlights work?
Instagram Story Highlights is easy to create and quick to reap the benefits from it. Follow the steps mentioned below.
- Step 1: Open the app and tap the "+" button
- Step 2: Choose from your archived stories
- Step 3: Customize the highlight
These curated collections remain visible on your profile, allowing you to organize and feature specific content even after the 24-hour Stories window.
#5. Do deleted Instagram stories stay on Highlights?
No, deleted Instagram stories do not stay on Highlights. A story that is deleted gets eliminated from the platform in its entirety, including any related Highlights. Remember that Highlights are only aggregates of carefully chosen content, so if the original story is removed, it will no longer appear in the Highlights.
#6. Are Instagram Story Highlights permanent?
Yes, Instagram Story Highlights are permanent. Unlike regular stories that vanish after 24 hours, Highlights stay on your profile until you remove or edit them. They provide a lasting showcase of selected stories, allowing followers to access and engage with specific content beyond the initial 24-hour window.
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