This Instagram feature is GOALS for your account! Let me show you 30 Insta Story Highlight ideas for your business.
These Highlights (the Insta Stories under your Instagram bio) are another great way to connect with your audience. And they’re a great way to promote your products / services / account.
Fun facts to get you motivated:
- 80% of people follow brands on Instagram
- 60% of users find new products on Instagram
- 75% of Instagram users take action after visiting a post
- Instagram users are 70% more likely to make mobile purchases
- Over a third of Instagram users purchased a product online via their mobile
Ready? Let’s go! Here are 30 fun, creative Insta Story Highlight ideas:
1. Welcome message
The first idea is to prepare a welcome message. People generally find your account and will ask themselves:
- Who are you?
- What are you offering?
- What’s special about you / your products?
- What can I expect from your account?
Think about fun ways to introduce your account. What would you want people to know about you?
Example:
- @theshineproject: “Our Story ❤️”
- @annalenaillustrations: “Me”
2. Categories
There are so many different categories you can create.
- Topics of conversation: like @nathalie.barreto
- Room in the house: like @linenchest
- Fashion items: like @urbanoutfitters pants, tops, accessories, shoes…
3. Wishlists
People are always looking for ideas and inspiration. Do you have some top items you would like to share with everyone?
4. Sales
Create a new Insta Story Highlight for products that are on sales. Everyone loves a good bargain.
Examples:
- @marshalls (Clearance)
- @shoptrendyandtipsy (SALEONSALE)
5. Editor’s Pick
Once a month you can share your Top Picks – the Editor’s Pick. What caught your attention this month? What are your favorite items?
Example:
- @hm: “Editor’s Pick”
6. Reviews
7. New Arrivals
People love to see what’s fresh and trendy. Create an Insta Story Highlight dedicated to your new arrivals.
Examples:
8. Your Hashtag
Do you have a hashtag for your brand? A hashtag for a collection or campaign?
Repost the Insta Stories or posts of your customers under one Highlight.
People connect with people. Instagram is a social media. Have fun creating memories and content with your customers and share it with the world. More people might be inspired and join your movement.
Examples:
- #womenwithaplan by @thecontentplanner
- #SRexclusive and #StyleSquad by @stylerunner
9. One Highlight = One customer story
One Highlight can be about one of your customers / clients / influencer.
Some ideas:
- How do they use your product?
- What do they like about it?
Example:
10. Takeovers
A takeover is when one of your customer / client / partner / friend is taking over your Insta Story. They will post on your account’s Insta Story for you. Usually they will tell their followers that they will be taking over your Instagram. This means that more eyes will be on your account on that day.
Here are great examples of Insta Story Takeovers:
- @ashybines tookover the Insta Story of @grettyrose_thelabel
- @thebucketlistfamily tookover the Insta Stories of @travelandleisure, a famous travel magazine and Instagram account. Travel + Leisure then transformed the Insta Stories into Highlights.
11. Meet the team
Imagine this: each Highlight is the face of a member of your business or team. It’s like an “About us” page but under your Instagram bio. How cool?
Examples:
- @annalauraloves: One Highlight introduces one team member
- @ohhappyday: Team Photo
12. Best sellers
Show people your best selling products or services.
13. Collections
Each Highlight can be a Collection.
A great example is Maisons du Monde @maisonsdumonde. They showcase different collections: “Green Market”, “Golden Oasis”, “Shades”, “Beach Party”.
14. What’s next
Build anticipation. You have launched products. People love them. What’s next? What do you have planned? Can you give a sneak peek?
Example:
- @freepeople: “Spring Preview”
15. Freebies
Do you have some freebies for your people? Let them know and show them in your Highlight. Who doesn’t want to snag extra goodies for free?
Example:
- @juniperoats: “Freebies”
16. Resources
Do you provides resources to people? Such as eBooks, PDF, tutorials, guides, etc… Put them all under one Insta Story Highlight called “Resources”. This way people know where to look when they need help.
Example:
- @thecontentplanner: “Resources”
17. Tips, guides & tutorials
Do you share a lot of tips, tricks, guides and tutorials? You can put them all under one Insta Story Highlight. Or you can create multiple Highlights for different kinds of tips.
For example, if you are a hairstylist:
- One Highlight can be dedicated to how to care for hair
- Another Highlight can be dedicated to how to style your hair
Example:
- @jenatkinhair: “HOW TOS”
- @sephora: “Hydration”
18. Gift guide
On the topic of guides, you can also share gift guides. Gifts are hard to pick! You can make it simple for people. Give them a selection of your favorite gift ideas from your shop.
Ideas:
- Valentines Day (his and hers)
- Mother’s Day
- Father’s Day
- Christmas
- Birthday (his and hers)
Examples:
- @tiffanyandco: Valentines
- @peteralexanderofficial: Valentines
- @grettyrose_thelabel: “VALENTINES”
- @jenatkinhair: “Gift Guide”
19. Before and after
These are very addictive Insta Stories. We all want to see how the “after” will look like. So if you can show transformations with your audience, try it out!
Example:
20. Quotes
Share quotes that relate to your business.
Some ideas:
- Business quotes
- Motivational quotes (for fitness trainers)
- Funny quotes
- Yoga quotes (for yoga studios)
Example:
21. Seasons
Do you offer different products depending on the season?
Some ideas:
- Recipes for summer, winter, autumn, spring
- Outfits
- Candle scents for different seasons
- Skincare products
Example:
- @seafollyaustralia (Summer 18 BTS)
22. Countries
This is another good Highlight ideas if your business involves travelling. Or it can also involve your customers being in different parts of the world.
Examples:
- Travel bloggers: countries you visited liked @travel_inhershoes and @meryldenis
- Wedding photographer: countries you travelled to as a wedding photographer
23. Unboxing
Another fun Insta Story Highlight idea is to do an unboxing.
An unboxing is when you unbox / open the packaging of your product. It’s an experience in itself. Think about it as a big reveal!
Example:
- @freepeople: “RMS Unboxing”
24. Color coordinated highlights
Can you categorise your Insta Stories based on colors? For example, shops usually organize their clothes by color. Why not do the same for your Insta Stories?
I couldn’t find an example for you. But I did find @treeoflife_love who has a Highlight called “Palette“. It features clothes based on colors (blue, blush, etc…).
25. Best of…
You can create a few “Best of’s”.
Some ideas:
- Best of January
- Best of 2017
- Best of Sunday
- Best of… your dog? Cat? Recipes?
Examples:
- @iquitsugar: “Best of IQS”
- @theouai: “BUZZ”
26. Behind the Scenes (BTS)
These Insta Stories are great to let people see your process.
Some ideas:
- Process of making a handmade product
- Process of designing a website
- Process of cooking
Example:
- @hellomissmay: “My Studio”
- @jenatkinhair: WORK BTS”
27. One Highlight = One product
You can also dedicate one Insta Story Highlight for one product. This is what @monarchtokyo does. One Highlight is about one specific pair of sunglasses.
28. In Store
Your product might not be available online (cafe shops, markets). If you have a store, feel free to share what’s new in store. What can people find when they walk through your doors? Your Instagram page could be their first look into your shop. Make a good first impression.
Example:
29. Blog
Your Instagram is a great way for people to keep in touch with you. It can also drive traffic to your blog. You can dedicate one Highlight for your blog. Every time you have a new blog post, you can add it under your “Blog” Highlight.
Example:
30. Share your other social media channels
Because why not? Feel free to share your other social media channels: youtube, twitter, podcast
Example:
31. Giveaway
Giveaways are a great way to grow your account and connect with your audience. To make sure nobody misses the giveaway, create a Highlight for it.
Example:
32. Events
Do you attend events? Can you use these events to promote your business?
Some ideas:
- Highlight of a wedding (if you are a wedding photographer)
- Highlight of an excursion (if you are a tour operator)
- Highlight of the launch of a project
Example:
33. Pricing
Instagram is a social media. People are on Instagram to be social. So only use this idea if it makes sense for your business.
Example:
34. Q&A
This is another great idea. If you receive many DMs (direct messages) of people asking you the same thing, why not create a Q&A Highlight? Answer the most frequently asked questions.
Example:
35. Emojis only
When you create an Insta Story Highlight, you can give it a name. It can be a word (like “Blog”) or an emoji. Your choice!
Example:
- @theskinnerconfidential uses emojis only
That’s it! I hope this list gave you some ideas. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions, or if you have other ideas.
