Instagram Highlight covers make a great first impression.
Located right below the bio section of your Instagram profile, they provide a polished look for your Instagram Highlights and draw attention to your best Instagram Story content.
And you don’t have to be a hip influencer to use them. Orgs of all stripes from government institutions to Fortune 500 companies use them to great effect.
Covers are an easy win for any brand that banks on aesthetics. (And on Instagram, that’s everyone.)
The good news is that even if you don’t have access to a graphic design team, they’re easy to make.
We’ll walk you through all the steps to create your own Instagram highlight covers. As a bonus, we have a free pack of icons to help you get started.
How to create an Instagram highlight
How to create a new Instagram highlight from your profile
How to create your own Instagram Highlight covers
5 tips for using Instagram highlight covers and icons
Download your free pack of 40 customizable Instagram Stories Highlights Icons now. Optimize your profile and set your brand apart from the competition.
Create highlights to keep your best Story content at the top of your Instagram profile permanently.
1. In your Story, tap Highlight in the bottom right corner.
2. Choose the Highlight you want to add your Story to.
3. Or, tap New to create a new Highlight, and type out a name for it. Then click Add.
And that’s it! You just created an Instagram highlight.
Have an idea for a new highlight? Or maybe you want to add a few different Stories at once?
Follow these steps to create a new Highlight from your Instagram profile:
1. Go to your profile and tap the +New button (the big plus sign).
2. Pick the Stories you want to add to your new Highlight. Pro tip: Instagram gives you an archive of your stories going back years. So don’t be afraid to do a little digging for those Story gems.
3. Tap Next and name your new Highlight.
4. Choose your Highlight cover, and tap Done.
Don’t have a highlight cover yet? Read on.
Instagram will allow you to use any image you like for your highlight covers.
BUT your brand deserves better than just “any image.”
This space is prime real estate for converting lurkers to followers. You want to leave an impression.
If you’re crunched for time, Adobe Spark has pre-made covers that you can customize and use.
But if you want more control over your Instagram brand, these steps will show you how to easily build a great Instagram highlight cover from scratch (or almost-scratch).
Log into your account on Visme or create a free account on visme.co.
From the main Visme dashboard, click Custom Size in the top right corner, then type in the Instagram Story image dimensions (1080 x 1920 pixels). Click Create!
Download your free pack of 40 customizable Instagram Stories Highlights Icons now.
Optimize your profile and set your brand apart from the competition.
Once you’re done downloading, unzip the file and choose your favorites. (You can use them with or without our professionally designed backgrounds.)
Go to My files in the left-hand menu, click Upload, and select the icons you would like to add.
Once you upload the icon image, click on it. If you can’t see your icon on your canvas after you’ve uploaded it, don’t worry. It’s most likely because the icon is white lines on a transparent background. We’ll fix this in the next step.
Right-click anywhere on your image and click Background. A quick-access background bad will appear in the top left corner of your workspace. Here, you can select a background color, or add a brand color in the HEX code field.
When you change the background color (to anything other than white, your icon will appear).
Name your project. Then click Download in the top right corner. Choose your file type (PNG or JPG are both fine). Then click the Download button.
Download your free pack of 40 customizable Instagram Stories Highlights Icons now. Optimize your profile and set your brand apart from the competition.
Get the free icons right now!
Your cover will be downloaded to your hard drive.
Repeat this process with other cover designs.
Pro tip: Now is a great time to make sure your Instagram account has your Story archive enabled. This is important if you want to go back and see your old Stories without downloading them to your phone.
You no longer have to add an image to your Story (where all your followers will have to swipe past it) in order to make it a highlight cover.
Instead, you can just edit the highlight directly:
Do this for each of the stories you want to add covers to.
Voila! Your on-brand Instagram highlight covers are now gracing your profile and unifying your look. Magnifique.
Now that you know how easy it is to make your own unique highlight covers, we’ve got some time-saving tips to make them as effective as possible.
Your brand has its favourite colours, font, capitalization—and possibly even some favorite emojis. Your highlight covers are definitely the place to show these off.
That said, keep in mind that less is more. Those little portholes are pretty small, after all. Clarity is key.
Your Instagram highlights don’t have to do it all. They can do one thing very well.
For instance, Red Bull’s highlights used to be fairly conventional (e.g., Events, Projects, Video, etc.) But now they give each of their athletes their own highlight. All we get is a face, a name, and an emoji. Intriguing.
Meanwhile, the New York Times takes Stories literally. They populate their highlights with exhaustive yet readable primers on complicated political subjects. They also create fun, snackable Stories about appealing subjects.
Either way, their cover style is perfectly consistent, which helps make the wide reach of their topics more manageable.
There are absolutely no rules when it comes to organizing your Instagram highlights. (Brb, my inner librarian needs to go rail antacids.
)
But, some brands organize their highlights like they would their website (e.g., About, Team, FAQ). Some brands organize by collection or product (e.g., Winter ‘20, New Arrivals, Makeup Line).
I’m here to tell you that however you choose to organize, remember to approach it from your audience’s perspective.
In other words: if they know what they’re going to see, they’re more likely to tap.
Ask yourself what’s most important to your audience. What are they here to see? This season’s collection? Today’s schedule? Or something that is useful for the longer-term, like, for instance, how to pair your flagship earbuds?
The Met, for instance, prioritizes potential visitors. It keeps a helpful guide to this week’s exhibitions at the top of its highlight reel.
With the right covers, you can introduce new eyes to your best shoppable Stories and swipe-up content (if you have an Instagram for business profile with more than 10,000 followers).
Try using our shopping bag icon, for instance.
For more tips on selling products using your Instagram Stories, check out our complete guide to Instagram shopping.
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If you’re eager to get going with Instagram Highlights, as well as to start rocking tasteful iconography like this, then good news — we at Plann are here to help!
Who says your Instagram stories can’t live on your profile forever? Thanks to Instagram highlights, they can be eternalized on your feed for your audience to enjoy over and over again.
Not only can Instagram highlights extend the ‘life’ of your stories content and get more eyeballs on your work, but they’re also a great way to show what your account is all about. Many brands and influencers used Instagram highlight covers (the graphics that sit along your highlights bar) to showcase the different themes their account covers For example: a mommy blogger might have ‘motherhood,’ ‘home’ and ‘style’ as some of her highlight cover icons,
You can also customize your Instagram highlight covers with colors, patterns and graphic to add to the overall aesthetic of your account. In this article, we’re going to walk you through step by step how to create custom Instagram highlights covers for your feed — plus, some examples of beautiful Instagram highlight covers to inspire your creations.
If you’re a visual learner, you can check out the video above! Otherwise, keep reading for our step-by-step guide.
First, let’s walk through how you can start to create a new Instagram highlight.
Step 1:Tap the button in the bottom-right to go to your profile.
Step 2:
Tap the “+” button to make a new Instagram Story Highlight.
You’ll be taken to your Instagram Archive, where you can see all of your past stories.
Step 3:
Choose which Stories you want in this Highlight by tapping the circle in the bottom-right corner.
Step 4:
Tap “Next.”
Step 5:
Choose a name for your Highlight.
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Step 6:Normally here you would pick out your custom Instagram Highlights cover.
Skip over that for now and just tap “Add.”
Congratulations! You’ve made your first Instagram Highlights.
How to make custom Instagram highlights coversIn order to make custom Instagram Highlights covers, you’ll need access to any free graphic design platform. We personally like Canva, which you can actually access from within your Plann account!
Step 1:Open your Canva account and type “Instagram Story” into the search bar and scroll to the bottom.
Step 2:Click on the template for “Instagram Story” when it appears. Now you’ll have the perfect sizing for your Instagram Story highlight cover.
Step 3:Choose “ELEMENTS” from the sidebar and then click “GRAPHICS”. Now you’ll be able to search through different illustrations to choose icons for your Instagram Story highlight covers. There are plenty of options including free icons and paid icons.
Alternatively, you could create text-based highlight covers using Canva’s text options.
After you choose the icon you want as your custom Instagram Highlights cover, just choose a background color, and click “Download.” Make sure the icon isn’t so large that parts of it will be lost during Instagram’s circular cropping.
Step 5:Send it to your phone, go back to Instagram, and post it as a new Story. To do that, just go to your home feed and swipe left. When you’ve chosen the photo you want to use as your icon, be sure to pinch the screen to zoom out as much as you can. This will ensure that parts of your icon aren’t cropped off when you use it as your cover.
Step 6:
You’ll need to add this image to the Highlight so it becomes eligible as a custom Highlight cover. To do that, from your profile, just tap and hold on the Highlight you want to customize and choose “Edit.
” You’ll land on a screen like this:
You’ll see the option to choose which Stories are in or out. If you swipe right, you’ll see your Story Archive. Slide over and select your icon if it’s not selected already. You’ll want your custom Instagram Highlights cover story at the end so people don’t miss the actual Highlight.
Step 7:Swipe back to the “Highlighted” tab. You should see that the Story with your icon is included at the end. Tap “Edit Cover” and choose your icon using the slider on the bottom. You can pinch and drag to zoom and position the icon before you finalize the cover. When you’re finished, just tap “Done.”
Not keen on creating your own Instagram highlights from scratch? No worries! Canva also has dozens of pre-designed Instagram highlights cover templates, complete with cute graphics and illustrations. Just head to the template library and search ‘Instagram highlight cover’ to check out what’s on offer.
Customize them with your own brand colors and you’re good to go!
Out-of-the-box strategies guide
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Now that you know how to create custom Instagram highlights covers, you can pull on your arty-farty pants. Need some inspiration? Here are some stunning Instagram highlight covers that bring the ‘wow’ factor.
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Short answer
How to Add Photos from Camera Roll to Favorites on Instagram?
To add photos from your camera roll to Instagram highlights, open the Instagram app and tap the Profile icon in the bottom right corner of the screen. Then click on the Highlights tab at the top of the screen.
Tap the “+” icon at the bottom right corner of the screen, and then select the photos you want to add to favorites. .
How do you post photos in Instagram highlights without adding them to your story?
Open the Instagram app and go to your profile.
Press the “+” button in the upper left corner of the screen.
Select Highlights.
Press the “+” button in the upper right corner of the screen.
Select the photos and videos you want to add to your highlights list.
Click “Create”.
How do I add an image from my gallery to my favorites?
To add an image from the gallery to your favorites, open the selection you want to add an image to and tap the + sign. Then select Photo from gallery.
Is it possible to add photos to favorites without history?
Yes, you can add photos of the best moments without a story. To do this, open the selection you want to add a photo to and tap the + icon. Then select "Photo" and select the photo you want to add.
How to add Instagram highlights without posting 2021?
There are multiple ways to add highlights to Instagram without posting 2021. One way is to use an app like InShot or Splice that lets you add text and graphics to your video. Another way is to post the story and use the drawing tools to highlight it.
Is it possible to delete the history but keep the selection?
Yes, you can remove a story from the highlights collection without losing the highlights themselves.
Just go to history and click on the three dots in the top right corner. From there select “Delete” and confirm your choice.
Why can't I add favorites on Instagram?
You can highlight your Instagram posts, but only if you have an Instagram business account. With a business account, you can add a feed with the best posts to your profile..
How to add highlights on Instagram 2021?
To add highlights to Instagram in 2021, first open the app and go to the profile you want to edit. Tap the three bars in the top left corner of the screen and select Edit Profile.
Scroll down and tap "Basic" and then tap "+" to add a new selection. Enter a title for your highlight and then choose a cover photo.
How do I reorder my Instagram highlights?
To rearrange highlights on Instagram, first open the app and tap the profile icon at the bottom left of the screen.
Then tap the Highlights tab at the top of the screen.
Then touch and hold on any selection you want to move, and then drag it to a new location. When you're done, click "Done" in the top right corner of the screen.
Can I add clips to my favorites?
Yes, you can add drums to highlights. To do this, open the selection to which you want to add a drum and click on the “Drums” tab. Then click "Add Video" and select the video you want to add.
How do I change the selection to clips?
To change the highlight to Reels, open the Highlight menu and select “Reels”. You can then choose from a variety of themes and styles.
Where can I find highlights on Instagram?
There are several different places where you can find Instagram highlights. You can create your own covers, use free designs available online, or purchase covers from a third party vendor.
If you would like to create your own covers, there are a number of online tools and templates you can use. If you are looking for free designs, there are a number of websites that offer free downloads.
How do I turn a post into a video?
First, you need to create an Instagram post. It can be a photo or video, but it must be square.
Then open the message and tap the three dots in the top right corner. Select "Create Movie".
You can then choose which photos or videos you want to include in your video. You can also add music and title. When you're done, click "Create".
How to make a photo feed on Instagram?
There are several ways to make a photo on Instagram. One way is to create a selection of the best photos from the last year and add it to your profile. Another way is to create a photo album of your photos and add it to your profile.
What is the difference between Instagram stories and videos?
Reels is an Instagram feature very similar to Stories.
The only difference is that videos are permanent and can only be viewed by the people you share them with.
Instagram has become one of the leading platforms for marketing, business and brand awareness. For this reason, every serious business, influencer, and celebrity has their Instagram highlights. All your best Instagram stories combined into your best Instagram moments.
If you want to know how to create your own Instagram moments, you've come to the right place. Keep reading to learn all about the best ways to make your own Instagram covers.
Instagram highlights are easy to make. All you need is the Instagram app for Android or iOS. Follow the links even if you already have the app, because you should get the latest app updates.
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The next thing you need is Instagram stories.
If you just created an Instagram story, here's how to add your highlights to it:
Note that this has nothing to do with IG groups. In this context, a group refers to a selection of highlights (you can create many of these on your profile).
Here is an alternative method you can use to make Instagram Highlights. This is probably more efficient because it allows you to add multiple stories to the selection at the same time. Follow these steps:
If you don't have an Instagram highlight cover, you should get one. You can use a simple image as your cover image, but that won't help if you want to use Instagram professionally. If you use Instagram for any kind of advertising, be sure to use the cover for that purpose.
You don't have to be a digital designer, you can use many free apps that even have free templates. Of course, knowing Photoshop won't hurt you.
If you have a PS on your computer and know how to use it, you can easily create your own Instagram cover. Search the web for a free package for the best Instagram stories and download the icon you want in Photoshop.
Place the icon in the middle of the canvas and right click on the layer to rasterize it.
You can then change the colors, layout, play with brushes, and compose the image. it's entirely up to you and your Photoshop skills.
If you're not a Photoshop wizard, don't worry. Some great third-party apps and sites can help you create your Instagram highlights cover. Let's take a look at the instructions for some of the best apps you can use.
Nad is one of the most popular free tools that you can use to promote your Instagram profile. This app is available for free on iOS and Android devices. Download it from the link above and start using it for your Instagram highlight covers:
Your new Instagram Highlights cover will be saved to your device's gallery. Canva is a great alternative to Over. It is a free tool with the same function as Over. Follow these steps to create Instagram Highlight Covers with Canva:
