Instagram Highlights Ideas

Define Instagram Highlights

Instagram Highlights are a valuable feature that allows users to showcase their favorite moments and content on their Instagram profile.

They are essentially curated collections of Instagram Stories that can be organized and categorized under specific titles.

With Instagram Highlights, users can choose to keep important or popular stories on their profile for longer periods, instead of them disappearing after 24 hours.

This feature is a great way for individuals and businesses to highlight their best content, share important information, and promote their brand or products to their followers.

Additionally, Instagram Highlights allows for creative customization with cover images and icons, making it visually appealing and easy for potential customers or blog visitors to navigate and explore a user's highlighted content.

Highlight covers can be designed to match the aesthetics of the Instagram profile or represent different categories of content.

Benefits Of Using Instagram Highlights

Using Instagram highlights for your business comes with several key benefits. Firstly, they allow you to showcase important content and details about your business in a visually appealing way.

One of the main advantages of Instagram highlights is that they extend the visibility of your stories beyond the usual 24-hour timeframe.

Instead of your stories disappearing after a day, highlights stay in a prominent position on your profile, ensuring that important information doesn't get lost in the shuffle.

This is particularly useful for time-sensitive content or promotions that you want to keep available for a longer period.

Another advantage of using Instagram highlights is the ability to reuse images, videos, and information. By repurposing content that you have already created for your stories, you can engage with new users and promote your brand consistently.

This allows you to maximize the impact of your content and ensures that it reaches a wider audience.

Getting Started

If you're new to Instagram highlights, getting started is as easy as a few simple steps. First, select the story or stories that you want to add to your highlights.

These can be recent stories or even stories that you posted months ago. Next, choose a highlight name that accurately represents the content or theme of your story.

You can get creative with highlighting name ideas or keep it simple. Once you've selected a highlight name, it's time to choose a cover image for your highlight.

This cover photo will be visible on your profile, so it's important to choose an eye-catching and visually appealing image.

You can use your photos, find free stock images, or even design your cover using a graphic design tool or app.

Finally, don't forget to organize your highlights by arranging them in a specific order on your highlight bar. This will make it easier for your audience to navigate through your highlights and find the content they're interested in.

Now that you have the basics down, you're ready to start creating Instagram highlights and showcasing your best content to potential customers.

Creating An Instagram Highlight Reel

Creating an Instagram highlight reel is a great way to showcase your best content and engage with your audience. To start, select the stories that you want to include in your highlight reel.

These can be recent stories or even stories posted months ago. Once you've chosen the stories, tap on the "Highlight" button at the bottom right of the screen. From there, you can select the highlight you want to add the stories to or create a new one.

Next, it's time to customize your highlight reel. You can choose a cover photo that represents the theme or content of the stories in the highlight.

This cover photo will be visible on your profile, so make sure it's eye-catching. You can use your photos, find free stock images, or design your own using a graphic design tool or app.

When it comes to creating engaging content for your highlight reel, consider using high-quality images, customer testimonials, or sneak peeks of upcoming products.

You can also ask questions or share customer reviews to boost social proof. Remember to keep your content relevant and time-sensitive to keep your audience interested.

Once you have created your highlight reel, organize it by arranging the highlights in a specific order on your highlight bar. This will make it easier for your audience to navigate through your highlights and find the content they're interested in.

Choosing A Cover Photo

Choosing a cover photo for your Instagram highlights is an important step in creating a visually cohesive and appealing profile.

When selecting cover photos, it's crucial to consider the overall look and layout of your highlights to ensure they match and complement each other.

One aspect to consider is the color palette. Choose cover photos that align with your brand's colors or create a consistent theme throughout your highlights.

This visual consistency will make your profile more aesthetically pleasing and professional.

Another factor to think about is font consistency. If you're adding text to your highlight covers, use the same font or a similar one to maintain a cohesive visual style.

This will create a seamless and harmonious look across your highlights.

Naming conventions play a significant role in making your highlights not only visually pleasing but also memorable.

Instead of generic terms like "Food" or "Travel," get creative and craft unique names that accurately represent the content.

For example, "Foodie Adventures" or "Wanderlust Tales" can make your highlights stand out and engage your audience.

Remember, the cover photo is the first impression of your highlight, so take the time to choose images that align with your content and represent your brand.

Brainstorming Highlight Ideas

1. User-generated content showcase: Dedicate a highlight reel to feature content created by your customers.

This not only increases social proof but also engages your audience and encourages them to become brand advocates.

2. Happy customer testimonials: Share customer reviews and testimonials in a highlight reel. This highlights the positive experiences your audience can have with your products or services and builds trust among potential customers.

3. Behind-the-scenes: Offer a glimpse into your business by showcasing behind-the-scenes footage in a highlight reel.

This not only adds authenticity but also creates a connection with your audience as they get to see the people behind the brand.

4. Tutorials and tips & tricks: Provide valuable content by sharing tutorials or tips & tricks related to your products or services. This establishes you as an expert and increases engagement with your audience.

5. Product/service demos: Use highlight reels to create short video demos showcasing different aspects of your products or services. This helps potential customers understand how your offerings can solve their problems.

6. Contests and giveaways: Run contests or giveaways exclusively through your Instagram highlights. This encourages user participation, increases brand awareness, and drives engagement.

7. Q&A sessions: Engage with your audience by hosting Q&A sessions in your highlight reels. This allows you to address customer questions, provide valuable information, and foster a sense of community.

8. Storytelling: Use highlight reels to tell a story, whether it's the story behind your brand, the journey of a particular product, or the experiences of your customers. This creates a personal connection with your audience.

9. Seasonal or time-sensitive content: Create highlight reels that focus on seasonal or time-sensitive promotions, events, or campaigns. This generates excitement and urgency among your audience.

10. Fun and inspirational quotes: Share funny or motivational quotes in a highlight reel to uplift your audience's spirits and add a splash of positivity to your profile.

Utilizing diverse and engaging content in your Instagram story highlights provides several benefits. It allows you to showcase user-generated content, which enhances social proof and engages your audience.

Featuring happy customers and testimonials builds trust and credibility. Sharing behind-the-scenes work or sneak peeks creates transparency and a personal connection.

Creating tutorials, tips & tricks videos using your products or services establishes you as an expert and increases engagement.

Running contests and giveaways increases brand awareness and drives audience participation.

Deciding On A Name For Your Highlight

When it comes to creating your Instagram highlights, deciding on a name may seem like a small detail. However, it is an important step that can greatly enhance the user experience and make your brand more memorable to potential customers.

Choosing a suitable name for your highlight is crucial because it serves as a brief description of what your audience can expect to find in that section.

It should be unique to your brand and easily recognizable so that viewers can quickly identify your content at a glance.

To come up with a catchy and fitting highlight name, consider the following guidelines:

1. Reflect on your brand identity: The name should align with your brand's personality and values. Think about what sets your brand apart and try to incorporate those elements into the name.

2. Keep it simple and concise: Aim for a name that is easy to remember and understand. Avoid lengthy or complicated phrases that may confuse your audience.

3. Be specific: Use descriptive words that indicate the type of content within the highlight. This helps potential customers find what they are looking for and encourages them to explore further.

Now, let's take a look at some examples of catchy highlight names from the Estrid brand, a popular razor company:

- "Smooth Moves" for a highlight featuring shaving tips and tutorials.

- "Behind the Blades" for a glimpse into the production process and the people behind the brand.

- "Real Results" to showcase before-and-after pictures and customer testimonials.

- "Shaving SOS" for a highlight dedicated to answering customer questions and providing solutions to common shaving problems.

Selecting Icons To Represent Each Highlight

When it comes to selecting icons to represent each highlight on Instagram, there are plenty of options to choose from.

Icons serve as visual representations that effectively communicate information and enhance the overall visual appeal of your highlights.

They not only make your highlights look more visually appealing but also help in quickly conveying the theme or idea of each section.

To find suitable icons for your highlights, you can explore various editing apps like Canva. Canva offers a wide range of symbols, simple illustrations, and customizable templates that can be easily resized and edited to fit your highlight covers.

Using icons in your highlights has several benefits. Firstly, they help save space on the cover, allowing you to showcase more highlights without cluttering your profile.

Additionally, icons are a visual language that can symbolize ideas, making it easier for your audience to understand the content of a particular highlight at a glance.

For example, if you have a highlight dedicated to customer reviews, you can use a speech bubble icon to symbolize testimonials.

If you have a highlight featuring your popular products, you can use a star icon to represent top-rated items.

Content Ideas For Your Highlights

1. Customer Testimonials: Highlighting positive feedback from happy customers is a powerful way to build trust and social proof.

Share screenshots of customer reviews or use graphic designs with quotes from satisfied clients to showcase the quality and benefits of your products or services.

2. Behind-the-scenes: Give your audience a sneak peek into your business, processes, and team.

Showcasing the people behind your brand and the work that goes into creating your products or providing services creates a sense of transparency and connection with your audience.

3. New Product Launches: Use highlights to announce and promote new products or services. Create teaser images or videos with a countdown to generate excitement and anticipation among your followers.

4. Frequently Asked Questions: Create a highlight with answers to common customer questions. This not only saves you time by addressing common concerns upfront but also establishes you as an expert in your industry.

5. Seasonal or Time-Sensitive Content: Keep your highlights relevant by featuring content related to upcoming holidays, special events, or limited-time promotions.

This will encourage your audience to check your highlights regularly for exclusive offers or time-sensitive updates.

Showcase User-Generated Content

One effective way to engage your audience and build social proof on Instagram is by showcasing user-generated content.

By featuring customer stories and customer-created content in a single highlight, you can create a powerful display of happy customers and their experiences with your brand.

Asana, a project management software company, does this exceptionally well with their "Customers" highlight.

They share screenshots of testimonials and success stories from their users, highlighting the benefits and real-world results of using their platform.

Another example is Wayfair's #WayfairAtHome hashtag campaign. They encourage customers to share photos of their Wayfair purchases in their homes using the hashtag.

Wayfair then features the best posts in their "WayfairAtHome" highlight, showcasing real-life examples of their products being enjoyed by customers.

This will make it easy for you to find and feature their content in your highlight. Regularly search for posts using the hashtag and select the best ones to showcase on your Instagram stories.

This not only provides social proof but also encourages other customers to participate.

In addition to customer stories, you can also use Instagram stories and highlights to promote your blog posts, resources, and other written content.

For example, you can create a highlight dedicated to your blog posts, featuring cover images and summaries of each post. This will drive traffic to your blog and provide valuable information to your audience.

Feature Happy Customers And Testimonials

When it comes to building credibility for your brand, showcasing happy customers and their testimonials in Instagram highlights is a powerful strategy.

By featuring these testimonials, you not only highlight the positive experiences of real customers but also demonstrate the value and satisfaction that your products or services bring.

To feature happy customers and testimonials in your Instagram highlights, start by collecting customer feedback and testimonials.

This can be done through surveys, email requests, or by encouraging customers to leave reviews on social media or your website.

Once you have a collection of testimonials, create a highlight dedicated to showcasing these positive experiences. You can use highlight covers or icons that align with your brand's visual style to make it visually appealing.

Each highlight can feature a different customer testimonial or a compilation of testimonials in a slideshow format.

An example of a business that has successfully used customer testimonials as highlight content is Glossier, a popular beauty brand.

They feature real product images from happy customers and share their testimonials, providing social proof and building trust with their audience.

Share Behind-The-Scenes Work Or Sneak Peeks

To share behind-the-scenes work or sneak peeks on Instagram highlights, start by capturing and documenting moments that give your audience a glimpse into your business or creative process.

This could include anything from behind-the-scenes photoshoots, product development, or a look into your workspace.

Create a highlight dedicated to showcasing these behind-the-scenes moments. You can choose a highlight cover or icon that represents this theme.

In each highlight, share a series of images or short videos that provide insight into what happens behind closed doors.

Sharing behind-the-scenes content not only gives your audience a deeper understanding of your brand but also creates a sense of exclusivity and makes them feel like insiders.

This can help increase engagement and improve brand affinity as your audience feels more connected and invested in your journey.

Two brands that effectively utilize behind-the-scenes highlights are @maxinesheavenly and @evernote.

Maxine's Heavenly, a popular cookie brand, shares behind-the-scenes content of their baking process, showing the care and craftsmanship that goes into creating their products.

Evernote, a productivity tool, provides sneak peeks of upcoming features and shares glimpses into their team's working environment, giving their audience a sense of what goes into their app development.

Create Tutorials, Tips, and Tricks Videos Using Your Products Or Services

One great way to engage with your audience and establish your business as an expert in your field is by creating tutorials, tips & tricks videos using your products or services.

These types of videos not only provide valuable information to your followers but also showcase the unique features and capabilities of what you offer.

Sharing these videos in Instagram Highlights is a fantastic way to give your audience easy access to this content.

By creating a dedicated highlight for these tutorials, you can ensure that they are easily discoverable and can be watched again and again.

By creating tutorials, tips & tricks videos, you can add value to your followers' lives by helping them make the most of your products or services.

These videos can provide step-by-step instructions, troubleshooting tips, or creative ideas on how to use your offerings in unique ways.

Not only does this build trust and loyalty with your audience, but it also positions your business as an authority in your industry.

So, whether you're teaching cooking techniques, sharing beauty hacks, or demonstrating how to use a software program, creating tutorials, tips & tricks videos using your products or services is a fantastic way to connect with your audience and establish your brand as a go-to resource in your field.

Run Contests And Giveaways

Running contests and giveaways on Instagram is an effective way to engage with your audience and attract more followers.

Not only do these promotional tactics increase brand visibility, but they also encourage audience participation and generate buzz around your business.

There are various types of contests and giveaways that businesses can run on Instagram. For example, you can offer free products or services with a purchase.

This not only incentivizes customers to make a purchase but also provides an opportunity for them to try out your offerings at no additional cost.

Another popular option is hosting a giveaway where participants have to follow, like, and share a post to enter.

This helps increase your follower count, expand your reach, and create brand awareness as participants share your content with their followers.

Running contests and giveaways on Instagram also allows you to collect user-generated content (UGC) which can be used for marketing purposes.

Encouraging participants to share photos or videos using your product or service generates authentic content that showcases happy customers and serves as social proof to potential customers.

Additionally, contests and giveaways provide an excellent opportunity to build a loyal community and foster brand loyalty.

Showcase Product Catalogs, Lookbooks Or Collections

Instagram highlights are a great tool for businesses to showcase their product catalogs, lookbooks, or collections. By organizing their highlights, brands can effectively present their offerings to potential customers.

One brand that exemplifies this strategy is Letterfolk, a popular home decor company. They utilize their highlights to showcase the various products they offer.

For example, they have separate highlights dedicated to their different collections, such as their holiday line, nursery decor, and kitchen essentials. This allows users to easily navigate and explore their product offerings.

Creating separate highlights for seasonal collections, new releases, or product promotions helps customers find more information about specific products they're interested in.

For instance, if a customer is looking for holiday decor, they can simply tap on the "Holiday Collection" highlight to find all the relevant products in one place. This makes the shopping experience more efficient and convenient for users.

Final Thoughts

Instagram highlights provide a valuable opportunity to showcase your best content and generate value for your brand. By strategically organizing and curating your highlights, you can attract potential customers and leave a lasting impression.

Visual aesthetics play a crucial role in catching users' attention on social media platforms, and Instagram is no exception.

A visually appealing profile can leave a lasting impression on potential customers. To maintain consistency and ensure a visually stunning feed, consider using a visual calendar to plan and schedule your posts.

Instagram Highlights Ideas FAQ