Instagram Stories Highlights are becoming a key way to brand your profile, engage new audiences and showcase your company culture and values.
It’s important to consider how your Stories Highlights could engage a new visitor to your profile and convert them into a follower.
Your Instagram Stories Highlights appear just below your biography and provide a place for your Instagram Stories to live long after their 24-hour viewing window. Highlights are organised into folders which you name and curate. They can contain as many Stories from your Archive as you wish.
ADDING A STORY TO A HIGHLIGHT
The Highlights will contain the Stories which you select forever. Or, until you decide to remove them. Find out how to create an Instagram Stories Highlight here.
To add a story to a highlight, go to your profile and tap Story Highlights below your username and bio. Tap the add button. Tap to select the story or stories you want to add to highlights. Then tap Next.
Choose a cover photo and enter a story name for your highlight, then tap Add (iPhone) or Done (Android). You can add more photos or videos to your highlight at any time by tapping and holding on the highlight and then tapping Edit Highlight.
Many businesses have named their Highlights after relevant things their customers might want to know about. Titles such as; Menu, Schedule, Events, BTS (behind the scenes), Customer Pics etc. You can also use emojis as part of the name or as the entire name of your Highlight.
It is also increasingly important to brand your Instagram Stories Highlights by uploading a cover photo. Use a graphic which represents each folder. This is an additional way for you to further brand your Instagram page, making it appear consistent and professional.
There are many ways in which you can use Highlights for your business. Here are four ideas with some of our favourite examples:
1. ASOS
The online clothing brand has seven Instagram Stories Highlights, all using a black and white graphic. The folders are named after some of their most popular content, and they are using them as a way to showcase some of their clothing ranges and initiatives. The Sustainability folder shows their consideration towards sustainable fashion. Insiders features introductions from their brand ambassadors.
2. Hello Kitty
The team behind the cute cartoon kitty uses Highlights to showcase brand collaborations, influencer content in Spotted and even has a folder dedicated to rewarding fans of Hello Kitty with free custom wallpapers for their smartphones.
3. The Landmark Hotel
The Landmark in London uses branded Instagram Stories Highlights to showcase some of the unique features of the 5* hotel. One of our favourites is Our People, which shows fundraising initiatives and challenges taken on by the team behind the beautiful hotel.
4. Yogarise London
London yoga studio brand Yogarise uses bespoke illustrations as their Stories Highlight covers, which are so cute! The graphics are on-brand with their customer’s interests (succulents and cycling) and contain relevant information to help reinforce the brand.
If you want to find out more about how to; create an effective social media strategy, increase your Instagram audience or run successful advertising campaigns, then check out our upcoming workshops.