As Instagram continues to grow in popularity, its users have begun to get savvy with their use of the platform. One of the most effective methods for standing out among the crowd is taking advantage of Instagram’s Highlights feature; this allows users to select and feature specific memories from their account on their profile page. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of this feature and how to make the most of it.
1. Introduction to Instagram Highlights
If you’re an Instagram user, you may have already noticed the Instagram Highlights feature on profiles. Instagram Highlights is a great way to stay organized, relevant, and content-ready on your profile. It also allows you to quickly gather content you’d like to share to your followers when they visit your profile.
Highlights are pictures, videos, and Story posts that you organize into collections and display on your profile. This feature was released in November 2017 and has been met with great enthusiasm among users. Highlights are easy to use, look great on profiles, and provide a way to help your followers quickly access content.
With Highlight, you are able to create collections of posts from your profile, from Stories and from other sources. Some example collections could be “Travels”, “Events” or “Blog”. You can add shots and videos from Stories to personalize your Highlights. You also have the freedom to change the order and add a title to each Highlight group. To finish, you can edit the color of your Highlights. Some creative ideas to promote a company could include highlighting partnerships and customer stories.
2. Benefits of Utilizing Instagram Highlights
Visibility
Instagram highlights are visible to your followers on your profile, so they are more likely to view your posts. This visibility increases their potential reach and engagement, making it a great way to promote your posts, businesses, services, and products. Additionally, highlights stay visible on your profile forever, so you can keep them up-to-date with new content.
Categorization
Highlights are a great way of categorizing and organizing your content. For example, if you are a business, you can create a highlight for each of the products or services you offer. This makes it easier for viewers to find what specifically they are looking for. Additionally, if you add new content, you can organize it into relevant highlights instead of cluttering up your profile with multiple posts.
Branding
Instagram highlights help showcase your brand more effectively than regular posts since they are more distinctive and easily recognizable. Additionally, you have control over the order in which the highlights appear and you can add cover photos. This helps create a cohesive and professional look for your profile. You can also incorporate elements in the highlights such as your website, tagline, or logo to build brand awareness.
3. Best Practices for Leveraging Instagram Highlights
Craft Your Highlights Cover
Instagram Highlights covers are the first thing your followers will notice when they visit your profile. Make it stand out from the crowd by creating an eye-catching cover image. The cover can either be an eye-catching photo or aesthetically pleasing design that visually represents your brand. It should be memorable and help create a connection with your target audience.
Organize Your Highlight Reels
Organizing your highlights into distinct categories can help your followers quickly find the type of content they are interested in. This can help them to get to know your brand better, as it allows them to easily access relevant posts without having to sift through all of your posts. Try grouping your highlights according to topic, social media campaigns, or recent events.
Include Actionable Content
Including actionable content such as giveaways, product launches, and other calls to action can help your followers engage with your content and spur interest in your brand. It’s important to remember to keep the content of your highlights varied but cohesive. Depending on your goals, you can also include improved visuals such as behind-the-scenes tutorials, customer reviews, and other types of content that will help your followers identify with your brand.
4. Strategies for Optimizing Instagram Highlights
Focus on a Specific Type of Content
Having a consistent type of content featured in your Instagram highlights will be interesting and engaging to viewers. For example, you could choose to post customer testimonials, brand collaborations, interviews, weekend activities, latest news and updates, and more. This will give followers an idea of what to expect whenever they visit your page.
Be Creative With Titles
The text isn’t the only part of the highlight that needs to be interesting. You should consider catchy and enticing titles for each highlight. This will entice viewers to take the time to learn more about what each highlight is about. You can also use titles related to the specific type of content featured so that the viewer can anticipate the content inside each highlight.
CVirtual Stories Feature
To further draw people’s attention to your Instagram highlights, use the Virtual Stories feature. With this, you can add a sound clip, a fun sticker, or an animations to your highlights to make them even more engaging and interesting. This will bring attention to the highlight and help it stand out amongst the many other stories that viewers will likely come across.
5. Creative Ways to Use Instagram Highlights
Instagram Highlights are a fun and versatile way to engage with your audience. Here are five unique ways to make the most of them:
- 1. Showcase upcoming events: Create an Instagram Highlight dedicated to special events or occasions that your audience can be excited about! This will include anything from gig or festival announcements, new product launches, special promotions, or any promotion you plan on hosting.
- 2. Give shout outs: Show appreciation to your followers or those that have engaged with you by creating a highlight dedicated to shoutouts. Your followers will appreciate the gesture and be more likely to engage with your content.
- 3. Show off feedback: Share feedback or reviews from customers or fans that compliment your work. This is an excellent way to add social proof to your profile and show new followers what others have appreciated about your work.
- 4. Highlight featured products: Feature products or services you offer in one of your Instagram Highlights so that visitors can easily peruse the products and get quick access to the purchase process.
- 5. Promote partnerships: Collaborations and partnerships are a great way to increase your reach and awareness. By hosting a highlight section that features content or products from partners or sponsors, you can attract more attention to your page.
If you’re looking for creative ways to engage with your followers, Instagram Highlights are one of the best tools to leverage. By taking the time to brainstorm creative ways to use them, you can create more engaging content and drive more engagement.
Instagram Highlights is a powerful tool for helping you optimize your Instagram profile, build your brand presence, and engage with your followers. Understanding the features and how to use them will help you make the most of your posts, drive more visibility, and create a stronger connection with your audience. Utilizing Instagram Highlights is sure to bring success, so take advantage of this unique feature today.
