Instagram Highlights are the circles under your bio that keep expired stories visible permanently. To add one: post a story (or use an old one from your archive), go to your profile, tap New (the + under your bio), select the stories, name the highlight, choose a cover, and tap Add. It appears on your profile instantly.
Highlights are prime profile real estate — for businesses, they’re a mini-website. Here’s how to set them up properly.
Method 1: Create a Highlight From a Live Story
- 1. Open your currently-live story.
- 2. Tap the Highlight button (heart icon) at the bottom.
- 3. Tap New, give it a name (14 characters max — keep it short: “Reviews,” “Pricing,” “FAQ”).
- 4. Tap Add. Done — it’s on your profile now.
Method 2: Create a Highlight From Archived Stories
Don’t need a live story. This is how most people build highlights:
- 1. Go to your profile and tap New (the + circle under your bio).
- 2. Your story archive opens. Select any stories — from today or months ago.
- 3. Tap Next, name the highlight, pick a cover (more below).
- 4. Tap Add (or Done).
To add more stories to an existing highlight: open the highlight, tap More (•••) → Edit Highlight → Stories tab → check additional stories → Done.
Naming and Organizing: The Strategy Part
Random highlights (“stuff,” “lol,” “day 3”) waste the space. Organize by what a new visitor needs:
For businesses:
- Reviews / Results — screenshots of testimonials and outcomes (highest-converting highlight there is)
- Products / Services — what you sell, with prices if possible
- FAQ — answers to the 5 questions you get in DMs daily
- How to Order / Book — the exact steps, removing all friction
- Behind the Scenes — humanizes the brand
For creators:
- About Me — who you are in 5 stories
- Best Of — your top-performing content, pinned permanently
- Tutorials / Tips — evergreen value that keeps working
- Collabs — social proof from partnerships
Naming rules: under 14 characters (longer names truncate), no emojis-as-names (screen readers and search can’t parse them — one emoji max as decoration), and front-load the keyword (“Reviews” beats “What people say”).
Order matters too: drag highlights to reorder (long-press). Put your highest-converting one first — for most businesses, that’s Reviews.
Designing Highlight Covers That Look Professional
Default covers (random story thumbnails) look messy. Two approaches:
The branded set (recommended): Create matching covers in Canva — 1080×1920, your brand colors, one simple icon or word per cover (“★ Reviews,” “🛒 Shop,” “❓ FAQ”). Consistent covers instantly make a profile look established. This takes 20 minutes and pays off for years.
The minimal approach: solid color backgrounds with a single emoji or letter. Clean, fast, works for personal accounts.
To set a cover: Edit Highlight → Edit Cover → pick any image from the highlight’s stories, or upload a custom one from your camera roll (tap the image icon).
Pro tip: design covers at 1080×1920 but keep the key element centered in the middle ~500px — Instagram crops covers to a circle, and edges get cut.
Highlights for Business: The Conversion Angle
Think of highlights as your profile’s sales page. A visitor’s journey: bio → highlights → DM/purchase. Optimize accordingly:
- 1. Answer objections in highlights. Price questions? “Pricing” highlight. Trust questions? “Reviews.” How-it-works? “Process.” Every common DM question should have a highlight answer — it filters tire-kickers automatically.
- 2. Update quarterly. Stale highlights (2023 pricing, discontinued products) actively lose sales. Audit every 3 months.
- 3. Use the “link” sticker era. Stories can include link stickers — a highlight full of stories with “Shop here” links is a functioning storefront.
Pair this with a strong bio — our Instagram bio ideas for small business guide covers the other half of profile conversion.
Common Highlight Problems
“I don’t see the New button.” You need at least one archived story. Post any story, wait for it to archive (check Settings → Privacy → Story → “Save to Archive” is on), then the button appears.
“My highlight cover looks blurry.” You uploaded a low-res image. Use 1080×1920 minimum.
“Stories I add don’t appear.” Check you’re editing the right highlight, and that the stories actually saved to your archive (the archive toggle mentioned above).
“Can I reorder stories inside a highlight?” Not manually — they display newest-first. To “reorder,” remove and re-add in reverse.
Want more story tactics? Our Instagram story ideas list keeps the content flowing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Instagram highlights expire?
No — highlights stay on your profile indefinitely until you delete them. Only the original 24-hour story expires; the highlight copy is permanent.
Can people see who viewed my highlights?
No. Highlights show only a total view count, never viewer names. (Viewers lists exist only on live stories, for 48 hours.)
How many highlights can I have?
Up to 100 highlights per account, with 100 stories each. In practice, 4-8 well-organized highlights outperform 30 random ones.
Can I add a story to highlights without posting it publicly first?
Not directly — stories must be posted (even to Close Friends only) to enter your archive. Post to Close Friends with just yourself, then add to highlights, then delete the Close Friends story. Workaround, but it works.
Do highlights help growth?
Indirectly — they convert profile visitors to followers/customers, which compounds. They don’t directly boost reach, but a profile with good highlights follows back better.