Instagram Story Highlights are more than just a pretty face for your profile. When used strategically, these curated collections of your ephemeral story content can be a powerful tool for showcasing your brand, interests, and personality to the world. But there‘s more to highlights than meets the eye. Let‘s take a deep dive into the technical workings and social impact of this deceptively simple feature.
Understanding the Instagram Algorithm
To truly grasp the power of highlights, we need to start with the engine that runs the Instagram machine – the algorithm. Instagram‘s algorithm is designed to show users content that they‘re most likely to engage with, based on factors like their past interactions, the timeliness of posts, and the relationship between the user and the account posting the content.
When it comes to stories and highlights, the algorithm takes into account factors like:
- How often a user views and engages with an account‘s stories
- How quickly a user taps through an account‘s stories (faster tapping = less interested)
- How often a user DMs or mentions an account
- How many mutual connections a user has with an account
In 2021, Instagram released an update to its algorithm that prioritized original content in an effort to combat recycled TikTok videos and other repurposed content. This means that accounts posting unique, original stories are more likely to show up at the front of their followers‘ story feeds.
Instagram is also continuously updating the way it tracks and displays story views. In 2021, they changed the view tracking window for stories in highlights from 24 hours to 48 hours. As of 2024, there are rumors that Instagram may start showing "view counts" for highlights instead of a list of specific viewers, similar to how IGTV and Reels display views. This change could impact how people use and interact with highlights, as it would no longer be possible to "stalk" a specific user‘s highlight viewing activity.
Highlight Stats and Facts
Just how prevalent are stories and highlights on Instagram? Let‘s look at some key statistics:
- Over 500 million accounts use Instagram Stories every day (Source: Instagram)
- 58% of users say they have become more interested in a brand/product after seeing it in Stories (Source: Instagram)
- Brand story completion rates (watching to the end) are around 73% (Source: Conviva)
- The average Instagram user posts 2.3 stories per day (Source: Mention)
- Accounts with over 100K followers post an average of 5.3 stories per day (Source: Mention)
- The average number of story highlights on a profile is 5 (Source: Social Insider)
- Highlight covers with branded designs or templates have a 25-40% higher tap rate than generic highlight covers (Source: Planoly)
| Stat | Data |
|---|---|
| Daily Instagram Story Users | 500M+ |
| Increased Interest from Stories | 58% |
| Brand Story Completion Rate | 73% |
| Average Stories Posted Per Day | 2.3 |
| Average Stories Posted by 100K+ Accounts | 5.3 |
| Average Highlights Per Profile | 5 |
| Tap Rate Increase with Branded Highlight Covers | 25-40% |
These numbers show that stories and highlights are an incredibly popular and engaging part of the Instagram ecosystem that brands cannot afford to ignore.
The Psychology of Highlight Watching
So why are people so curious about who is viewing their highlights? It all comes down to basic human psychology and our innate desire for social connection and validation.
In a world where social media has become a primary form of communication and self-expression, the content we post acts as a kind of social currency. We use it to showcase our lifestyles, beliefs, and unique personalities in hopes of attracting like-minded connections or impressing our crush.
Highlights take this concept a step further by allowing us to curate a sort of "greatest hits" reel of our Instagram presence. They sit right below our bio, inviting profile visitors to tap in and get an instant download of what we‘re all about. And when we see that someone has viewed our highlight, it‘s a little ego boost – a sign that our curated self is attracting attention and interest.
There‘s also an element of FOMO (fear of missing out) at play. When we post a story, it‘s only up for 24 hours before it disappears into the abyss of the archive. But when we add that story to a highlight, it gets a second life and a chance to be seen by a wider audience beyond our most dedicated daily story viewers. Knowing who is tapping into those highlights can give us a sense of how far our content is spreading.
On the flip side, some people may use highlights as a way to discretely learn more about someone they‘re interested in without overtly engaging. Think of it as the Instagram equivalent of driving by your crush‘s house real slow. You‘re not ready to make direct contact, but you want to gather some intel. Viewing a highlight feels less forward than liking a post or sending a DM.
Highlight Hacks and Pro Tips
Now that we‘ve covered the technical and psychological aspects of highlights, let‘s dive into some practical strategies for making your highlights shine.
Crafting Creative Highlight Covers
Your highlight covers are like mini billboards for the content inside. A visually engaging, on-brand cover is more likely to stop a scroller in their tracks and entice them to tap.
Some tips for leveling up your highlight covers:
- Use a consistent color palette and illustration style across all your covers for a cohesive look
- Include text overlay that clearly labels what the highlight contains (e.g. "Recipes", "BTS", "Tips")
- Hire a professional designer on a platform like Fiverr to create custom illustrated covers
- Use apps like Canva, Adobe Spark, or Unfold to DIY your own on-brand covers with pre-made templates
Skincare influencer @dermangelo has a great example of creative highlight covers in action:
Her covers use a consistent muted pink and nude color scheme with gold text that matches her overall Instagram aesthetic. The illustrations cleverly represent the content themes, like a microscope for her "Ingredients" highlight and a sunburst for "SPF". With covers like these, a new visitor to her profile can instantly get a sense of what value they‘ll find inside each highlight.
Organizing Your Highlights like a Pro
Thoughtful curation and organization of your highlight content can make a big impact on how easy it is for viewers to navigate and engage with your best stories. Some tips:
- Choose clear, descriptive names for each highlight that accurately represent what‘s inside
- Organize highlights in order of importance, with your most compelling or valuable content in the first few highlights
- Be selective and only highlight your best, most evergreen content – not every story deserves a permanent spot
- Consider creating "sub-highlights" for more niche topics within a larger category (e.g. a highlight for "Recipes" with sub-highlights for "Entrees", "Desserts", "Snacks")
- Periodically audit your highlights and remove any outdated or lower performing content
Travel YouTuber @hey_ciara has a great example of tidy, well-organized highlights on her profile:
She uses clear labels and emoji that represent the highlight topics, like a camera for her "Photo Tips 📸" highlight and a mic for her "Podcast 🎙" highlight. The highlights are ordered by relevance and value to her niche, with her most useful and sales-related content in the first few highlights. A curious new visitor can easily discover her expertise and offers without having to dig around.
Using Highlights with Other Instagram Features
Highlights can be used in tandem with other Instagram features for an even more powerful content strategy.
- Highlights + IGTV: Post a short teaser clip from your IGTV video to your story, then save that story to a highlight. This can help drive traffic to your IGTV content and make it more discoverable.
- Highlights + Guides: Create an Instagram Guide that curates your best highlight content around a specific theme or topic. This can give your highlights a "table of contents" that makes it easy for viewers to find what they‘re looking for.
- Highlights + Reels: Use your highlights to cross-promote your Reels content. Post a frame from your Reel to your story with a "Tap here to watch" CTA, then save that story to a highlight for evergreen discovery.
- Highlights + Shoppable Posts: Drive sales by highlighting your shoppable posts and product tags. When a viewer taps on a story with a product sticker, they‘ll be able to purchase without leaving the app.
Wellness influencer @shopbeautybio frequently uses highlights with shoppable stories and reels to showcase her favorite clean beauty products:
Her "Shop 🛍" highlight contains stories with product tags and "Swipe up to shop" CTAs that make it easy for her followers to discover and purchase her recommended items. By using highlights as an extension of her shoppable content strategy, she‘s able to maximize sales and keep her best product recs front and center.
Measure Highlight Performance
Finally, don‘t forget to track your highlight metrics to see what‘s resonating with your audience. Some key stats to monitor:
- Highlight views: How many total views is each highlight getting? Which highlights are most popular?
- Average view duration: How long are viewers watching your highlight stories before tapping away? Longer view times indicate more engaging content.
- Tap forwards/backwards: Are viewers tapping backwards to rewatch certain stories in your highlight? This could indicate confusion or high interest in that specific story.
- Exit rate: At what point in your highlight are most viewers dropping off? This could signal a need to reorder your highlight content for better flow.
You can track these metrics using Instagram‘s native Insights or a third-party analytics platform like Sprout Social or Iconosquare. Use your findings to continuously optimize and improve your highlight strategy over time.
Viewing Highlights Discretely
Now, let‘s address the elephant in the room – what if you want to view someone‘s highlight without them knowing? While there‘s no surefire way to be completely invisible (besides not viewing the highlight at all), there are a few tricks that can help you be a bit more stealthy in your highlight viewing.
- Use a burner account: Create a separate Instagram account that isn‘t associated with your main identity and use it to view highlights anonymously. Just be aware that the highlight owner will still be able to see that an account viewed their highlight – they just won‘t know it‘s you.
- View on desktop: Instagram‘s view tracking for stories and highlights is less reliable on desktop browsers vs. the mobile app. So if you view a highlight on your computer, there‘s a chance your view may not register to the highlight owner.
- Airplane mode trick: This one is a bit of a gamble, but some users report that turning on airplane mode, viewing the highlight, then force closing the app before turning airplane mode off can prevent your view from being tracked. No guarantees though!
At the end of the day, if you‘re that concerned about your highlight views being traced back to you, it‘s probably best to resist the temptation and just not view the highlight. No tea is worth the potential awkwardness of getting caught peeking!
Highlights for Brand Building
For businesses and creators, Instagram Story Highlights can be an incredibly valuable tool for brand building and driving conversions. By showcasing your best content, offers, and user generated content in a highlight, you can give new profile visitors a persuasive introduction to your brand.
Some creative ways to use highlights for brand building:
- Product Demos: Highlight your best product demo videos and tutorials to show potential customers how your product works and what problems it solves.
- Customer Testimonials: Collect and highlight user generated content like glowing reviews, unboxing videos, and testimonials. This social proof can boost trust in your brand.
- Behind the Scenes: Give followers a peek behind the curtain of your brand with BTS content highlighting your team, your process, and your company culture.
- Limited Time Offers: Highlight any limited time sales, discount codes, or special promotions to create urgency and encourage conversions.
- FAQs: Save yourself time by highlighting answers to your most frequently asked customer questions. This can improve customer service and help followers self-serve.
- Influencer Collabs: If you partner with influencers, highlight their content and endorsements of your brand for maximum impact and reach.
Sports drink brand @drinkbodyarmor has a good example of brand building highlights in action:
They use highlights to showcase their athlete partners, share product info and nutrition facts, and highlight their limited edition flavors. The "Athlete Approved ✅" highlight in particular is a great use of influencer content and social proof. A thirsty Instagram scroller discovering the brand for the first time can get a quick downloadable overview of what makes Body Armor unique.
Key Takeaways
Instagram Story Highlights may seem like just another fleeting feature in the ever-changing social media landscape. But when leveraged thoughtfully and strategically, they can be a powerful asset for individuals and brands looking to make a lasting impression and drive meaningful actions from their audience.
By understanding the technical intricacies of how highlights work, the psychological motivations behind highlight use, and the creative strategies for maximizing their impact, you can level up your Instagram game and turn your highlight reel into a growth machine.
Some key insights to keep in mind:
The Instagram algorithm prioritizes original, engaging story content – so focus on posting unique stories that your audience will want to watch and interact with.
Highlights give your best stories a second life and a chance to reach a wider audience beyond just your daily story viewers. Use them strategically to showcase your most valuable, evergreen content.
Authentic highlight covers, clear organization, and integration with other Instagram features can drastically improve the highlight viewing experience for your audience.
Creators and brands should use highlights as an extension of their content strategy, using them to build trust, showcase products, and drive conversions.
While there‘s no foolproof way to view a highlight completely anonymously, there are some sneaky tactics you can try if you want to be a bit more discrete in your highlight viewing habits.
Above all, remember that highlights are a reflection of your unique voice and value on Instagram. Don‘t be afraid to get creative, experiment with different highlight strategies, and let your authentic self shine through.
Your highlight reel is waiting to be filled with your most dazzling, thumb-stopping content. So get out there and start highlighting your Insta magic!
