Instagram Is Moving Story Highlights to a Dedicated Tab: What It Means for Your Profile

Instagram is making a tidy little change that will please a lot of social media managers: Story Highlights are moving off the main profile grid and into their own dedicated tab.

We saw hints of this back in January when Instagram launched the taller grid layout. Now, early sightings (including from creator @kimlovesollie) show Highlights appearing as a separate tab, placed second from the left on profiles, just before Reels. If you’ve ever felt that Highlights were extra admin to keep neat and up to date, this update should make your profile feel cleaner and more focused on your bio + grid at first glance.

What’s changing?

• Highlights relocate from the row under your bio to a dedicated “Highlights” tab.

• The tab appears before Reels, making navigation more logical: Posts → Highlights → Reels.

• Your main profile above-the-fold becomes more streamlined: bio, link, action buttons, then grid.

Why this matters for brands

1) Cleaner first impression – Visitors will land on a more focused profile. Your bio and grid get prime attention, which helps with clarity of positioning and visual impact.

2) Intent-driven consumption – People who tap the Highlights tab are actively choosing to explore your evergreen content (FAQs, services, testimonials). This can lift quality of engagement.

3) Less pressure to “perfect” Highlights daily – With Highlights out of the way visually, there’s reduced pressure to keep them looking pristine at all times—yet they’re still available for those who want to dig in.

How to prepare your Highlights (and make them work harder)

Use this quick checklist to get link-ready and future-proofed:

• Audit your existing Highlights – Remove out-of-date content (old offers, expired events). Merge overlapping categories.

• Rationalise your set – 5–7 purposeful collections is plenty, for example: About, Services, FAQs, Case Studies, Testimonials, Events, Press.

• Front-load value – Put the most useful slides first (pricing overview, booking steps, “How we work”). Assume people won’t tap deeply.

• Update covers + naming – Use clear, branded covers and short titles (max 12–14 chars) so labels don’t truncate in the tab.

• Add calls to action – End each Highlight with a simple CTA: “Book a call”, “Download guide”, “Email us”. Keep it consistent.

• Caption for accessibility – Any video slides should have captions; add alt-friendly text to static slides.

• Track FAQs – If DMs repeat the same questions, turn those into a dedicated FAQ Highlight.

What content belongs in Highlights now?

Think evergreen, reference-worthy, and conversion-supporting:

• Start here (brand story, who we help)

• Services (packages, outcomes, timelines)

• Work (before/after, case studies, client logos)

• Testimonials (screenshots, video quotes)

• FAQs (pricing ranges, process, availability)

• Events/Webinars (upcoming + recent highlights)

• Press/Podcasts (credibility builders)

Will this change your content mix?

Likely yes, grid posts and Reels become the discovery engine, while Highlights act as your evergreen resource hub. Plan to:

• Keep Highlights concise and useful (think mini-landing pages).

• Drive from grid captions to the Highlights tab for deeper info.

• Refresh key Highlights quarterly.

Quick action plan

1. Export your current Highlights list (titles + covers).
2. Delete/merge any that overlap or feel dated.
3. Refresh covers + first slides for 5 core Highlights.
4. Add one clear CTA to the end of each.
5. Update your bio to reference what’s inside the Highlights tab (e.g. “Explore FAQs & case studies → Highlights”).

FAQs

Q: Will my Highlights disappear?
No—only the placement is changing. They’ll live in the Highlights tab.

Q: Do I need new covers?
Not required, but consistent, branded covers improve navigation and polish.

Q: Will this affect reach?
Highlights don’t “reach” in the feed; they support profile conversion. A clearer profile can improve follow and enquiry rates.