Instagram has rolled out the Stories Highlights feature and it's definitely a good thing for photographers. The lack of hyperlinking ability within the platform by way of only being allowed one profile link is very limiting for specific marketing. If you have less than 10,000 followers then you do not have access to the swipe up feature on stories which can be a tremendous aid in marketing a certain promo. Instagram Stories Highlights is a step in the right direction for us.
What Are Instagram Stories Highlights?
These special Instagram stories are just like regular stories, with the exception that they stay on your profile page until you delete them as opposed to the standard 24-hour life cycle for the stories feature.
Where Instagram Stories Highlights Show Up
Right on your profile page just above the photos and below your bio will be the location for the stories you highlight.
The no swipe up link rule still applies for those with less than the 10,000 followers, but it does allow us to call out different services we offer, or highlight a specific promo such as a seasonal Valentine's boudoir promo. When you do have over 10,000 followers, this becomes extra valuable as you now have several more permanent type links on your profile, leading users to specific landing pages on your site, such as different galleries or services.
Example of Instagram Story Highlight on Profile.
Great Place for Video Content
These new highlights are an magnificent place to add video content, a sort of "commercial" for your business. I use the story highlights for my custom videos as opposed to a mobile-captured video or pictures and I feel it impresses some legitimacy about my business upon the viewer.
How to Use Instagram Stories Highlights
First make sure your app is up to date and then turn the "save to archive" feature on. It is always recommended to keep your app updated so you have access to these new features when they are released.
Save to Archive Setting
Example of "Create Highlight" function while viewing your archived stories. Which is another way to create a story highlight.
After this feature is on, you can upload a story as you normally would, and then after it's live you can select "create highlight" in the lower right corner when viewing your own story.
After you already have a highlighted story, then there is a "New" button next to it on your profile to make adding future highlights easier.
This is an awesome feature to have available to us, but like anything else, don't overuse it. Less is often more and I recommend using this to highlight whatever current promotion you are running or to highlight different services you offer. If you overdo highlight stories with meaningless posts it's likely your viewers will stop watching them and your engagement will drop, effectively defeating the entire purpose.
Have you already utilized this new feature? Do you use it in a different way? Share your uses in the comments.
came across this video that also talks on highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9MgjMkMFnA&t=4s