Instagram highlight covers are not usually at the top of most people’s social media content creation list. They just seem like a passing icon, something you can easily overlook while moving onto something else like Instagram Stories, IGTV, or a profile feed.
This is something your brand or business should look to change because, when it comes to branding and social media, consistency and detail matter for your aesthetics.
So let’s take a look at how you can create awesome Instagram Highlights covers because the little things do matter!
What Are Instagram Highlights?
Everybody likes a good Instagram Story and Stories can be really fantastic social media marketing tools. Unfortunately, they vanish 24 hours after you share them, which means they’re no longer visible to the public.
However, Instagram Highlights give you the power to keep the stories you love on your profile for as long as you want.
You can create a titled file or collection of your Instagram stories, curated according to a theme. They’re like Story albums that your followers can watch any time. But, don’t confuse these with Instagram Collections, which are actually archives of feed posts with a similar collection purpose.
If you don’t know what Highlights are or where to find them, well, you’ve probably seen them before. Once you’ve created a Highlight, it shows up on your profile, right beneath the bio and above the feed.
This is an awesome place to share fantastic content that you want all your followers and profile visitors to see. This means you need to have the right Instagram Highlight covers to draw them to this content.
So, What Are Instagram Highlight Covers?
Well, they’re covers for Instagram Highlights. Instagram Highlight covers are images you place on the front of your Highlight. They are the initial image that others see when they see the Highlight on your profile.
Instagram gives you the option to use one of the Stories’ thumbnails as the cover or to upload a custom image from your device.
To create a consistent brand aesthetic, the latter choice is best because then you can pick something that complements your feed and profile look. But a little more on this when we take a look at five awesome tips for creating Instagram Highlight covers.
How To Create An Instagram Highlight And, Of Course, The Cover
Step 1: Enable your Instagram Auto-archiving setting. You can do this by going to your Instagram profile. Go to your settings and select Privacy and Security. Click on ‘story controls’ and switch the ‘save to archive’ button on. This allows your expired stories to save to your archive.
Step 2: To create a new Highlight, go to your profile and click on the (+) in the circle below your bio.
Step 3: Tap on the Stories you want to add to the Highlight.
Step 4: With your stories selected, you will get a prompt to name your Highlight and to pick a Highlights cover photo. You can use a thumbnail from one of the stories you picked or upload a photo from your device.
5 Tips For Creating Amazing Instagram Highlight Covers
There’s nothing like a good title
It’s important to pick a Highlight name that encompasses exactly what kind of content you plan to share in that album. After all, the purpose of this feature is to curate cool, categorized clips and pics.
The title you choose will influence what your image should look like. In other words, the image and the title should speak to each other.
Choose A Consistent Look
There are times when tip #1 doesn’t really apply – the conversation between the cover and title, that is! Some brands choose abstract patterns or images that have nothing to do with the title. However, in that case, it’s vital to have a consistent vibe for all your Instagram Highlight covers.
Whether your image and title match or not, the look of all your Highlight covers should be the same. Use the same style of photography or illustrations, font, or typography for your icons. Having too much variety can make your covers (and your profile!) look disorganized and chaotic.
Consider Your Brand Style & Aesthetic
When deciding on the style and look you want to go for, keep your overall social media and Instagram branding at the front of your mind.
What are your brand colors and fonts? What type of photography or images do you generally use?
Highlight covers aren’t separate from your brand so you want to make sure your brand’s voice and story are well-incorporated into the cover choices. If you have a branding style guide, this is the perfect time to use it.
Use Clear Graphics Or Images
One thing about Instagram Highlight covers is that they’re small. Teeny tiny, actually. This makes it super important to choose distinct and clear covers.
You must make sure the graphics and any text on the image are easy to read or identify. For this reason, it’s best to go for symbols or icons and other simple graphics as they are quite easy to view in the tiny circle.
Keep Your Highlight Covers Organized
Depending on the amount of content you have, you could have anywhere from one to ten Highlight covers on your profile.
However, if you have too many Highlights, it can overwhelm other users and make them feel unsure of which one to watch as they probably don’t have the time or the interest to watch ten whole albums!
Keep your Highlight covers organized and relevant. Remember, they’re meant for your best Stories, not all of them!
Conclusion
Instagram is always dishing out the best features for businesses and brands to build their social media identity. This makes it a little bit easier to have more content across different forms – IGTV, your feed, Reels, and more.
It also means, though, that you can forget about your best content. In the case of Stories, your followers stand to forget about it after that 24 hours. That is until you pop them in your Highlights and create beautiful Highlight covers!
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