How to Make Instagram Highlights That Boost Your Profile

What are Instagram Highlights and why use them?

Instagram Highlights are curated collections of your past Instagram Stories that exist permanently on your profile below your bio. While regular stories disappear after 24 hours, highlights are designed to stay, showcasing your best and most representative work. For influencers, creators, and brands, highlights are invaluable. They allow you to document brand offerings, showcase personal moments, provide useful tutorials, showcase travel moments, or host great Q&As for your followers. Instagram Highlights organize your best content so that visitors can quickly access the information you consider most important, highlights can function as mini portfolios of your work or an archives of knowledge, giving new visitors direction in consuming content through your best work or most important information. They significantly enhance your profile's appeal, or how visitors view your profile on your Instagram and your brand's messaging.

How to create a Story Highlight on Instagram

Ready to create highlights on Instagram and give your best stories a permanent home? It's a straightforward process that takes just a few steps:

STEP 1
1. Go to your Instagram profile

Open the Instagram app and navigate to your profile by tapping your profile picture or the person icon in the bottom-right corner. This is where your highlights will be displayed, just below your bio.

STEP 2
1. Tap the "+" button under highlights

Below your bio, you'll see a row of existing highlights (if any). To create a new one, tap the large "+" circle labeled "New."

STEP 3
1. Select stories to add

Browse through your archived stories and tap to select the ones you want to include in your highlight. You can choose multiple stories to create a cohesive collection. A checkmark will appear on selected stories. Once you've made your selections, tap "Next" to proceed.

STEP 4
1. Name and customize your highlight

After selecting your stories, you'll be prompted to give your highlight a name. Choose something clear and descriptive. You can also customize the cover by tapping "Edit Cover" and choosing a thumbnail from the selected stories or uploading a custom cover. Tap "Done" to save your highlight to your profile.

How to add a story to existing Instagram Highlights

Want to update your Instagram Highlights with fresh content? Adding a story to an existing highlight is quick and easy with these steps:

STEP 1
1. Go to your Instagram profile

Open the Instagram app and navigate to your profile by tapping your profile picture or the person icon in the bottom-right corner. This is where your existing highlights are displayed below your bio.

STEP 2
1. Access the Highlight

Locate the highlight you want to update in the Story highlights section. Tap and hold the highlight's icon to open its options, then select "Edit Highlight" from the menu that appears.

STEP 3
1. Tap "Stories" and choose from your archive

In the edit menu, tap the "Stories" tab to view your archived stories. Browse through your archive and tap to select the stories you want to add to the highlight. Selected stories will show a checkmark. You can add multiple stories to keep your highlight fresh and relevant.

STEP 4
1. Tap "Done" to save the changes

Once you've selected the stories, tap "Done" to save your changes. Your highlight will now include the new stories, and you can further customize the cover or title if needed by using the edit options.

Now that you've updated your Instagram Highlights with fresh stories, let's elevate their look with custom covers. Here's how to create stunning Instagram Highlight covers using CapCut Web to make your profile stand out!

How to make Instagram Highlight covers using CapCut Web

Want to elevate your Instagram profile with eye-catching highlight covers? CapCut Web makes it easy to design custom covers that reflect your brand or personal style. Whether you're showcasing products, tutorials, or personal moments, professional covers enhance your profile's appeal. With CapCut Web's intuitive interface, extensive asset library, and AI-powered tools, you can create stunning designs in minutes with no design experience needed. Follow these steps to craft Instagram highlight covers that captivate your audience and keep your profile cohesive and engaging, all while leveraging CapCut Web's powerful editing features.

Steps to make custom Instagram Highlight covers

Ready to make your Instagram Highlights pop with custom covers? Follow these simple steps to design professional, eye-catching covers using CapCut Web and elevate your profile's aesthetic in minutes!

STEP 1
1. Access CapCut Web and start a new project

To begin, click the link to sign up for CapCut Web using your Google, Facebook, or TikTok account. Once logged in, select "Create new" and then choose "Custom size" located beneath the image. A pop-up will appear, prompting you to select your canvas size.

Set the canvas to 800x800px for Instagram highlight covers to ensure a perfect fit. Hit "Create" to open a blank canvas ready for your design.

STEP 2
1. Add backgrounds, icons, and text

Use CapCut Web's extensive asset library to find suitable backgrounds, icons, or shapes that represent your highlight's theme. You can also upload your own images. Add text to your design using the "Text" tool, choosing from various fonts and styles to match your brand.

STEP 3
1. Arrange and center your design elements

Drag and drop your elements onto the canvas. Use alignment tools to ensure everything is perfectly centered and balanced. You can resize, rotate, and adjust the opacity of each element to create your desired look.

STEP 4
1. Export and download your custom cover

When your design is ready, click "Download all" in the top right. Select PNG for optimal quality, choose your size, and click "Download." Transfer the file to your device or upload it directly to Instagram to set it as your highlight cover.

Key features of CapCut Web for designing Instagram Highlight covers

• Customizable canvas: CapCut Web provides flexible canvas dimensions, allowing you to perfectly tailor your designs to Instagram Highlight cover specifications. This ensures your custom covers look crisp, professional, and perfectly sized on your profile.
• Extensive asset library: Dive into CapCut Web's rich collection of backgrounds, icons, stickers, and graphic elements. This vast library sparks your creativity and helps you find the perfect visual components to match your highlight's theme and brand aesthetic.
• AI-powered editing tools: Utilize CapCut Web's smart online photo editor for quick background removal, precise color correction, and other enhancements. These features streamline your design process, helping you achieve polished, professional-looking results with minimal effort.
• Text customization: Access a wide range of fonts, styles, colors, and effects to make your highlight titles pop. You can fully customize your text to perfectly match your brand's aesthetic and ensure readability for your audience.
• Direct sharing to Instagram: CapCut Web allows you to directly share your high-quality designs to Instagram. Once your creative work is complete, you can seamlessly upload it, integrating your custom covers and other content directly into your profile.

Bonus: Create Instagram Stories for your Highlight using AI video maker

Using CapCut Web's AI video maker to create Instagram Stories for your Highlights is a streamlined process that automates many of the time-consuming steps of video editing. Follow these simple steps below to create engaging Stories:

STEP 1
1. Enter text or generate with AI

Begin by opening CapCut Web. On the main interface, navigate to the "AI video maker" tool to start your smart editing journey.

Once you land on the new page, select "Instant AI video." A panel will pop up where you'll make a few key decisions. Set your aspect ratio to vertical (9:16) to fit Instagram Stories perfectly, then choose a visual style that matches your brand's look and feel. Next, you'll provide the script for your video. You can either write it yourself and paste it in or, for a faster approach, simply enter a theme or topic under "Generate script" and let the AI generate a script for you.

Finally, you'll preview the different voiceover options to find the perfect one for your content. Once your choices are made, you'll click "Create," and the AI will take your text and turn it into a high-quality video, complete with dynamic visuals, transitions, and audio.

STEP 2
1. Generate relevant AI media

After the AI has generated the initial video, a preview window will appear where you can review and fine-tune the content. This is where you can truly make the video your own. You have the flexibility to edit the AI-generated script, adjust captions, and even add avatars for a personalized touch. The platform provides a vast library of HD video clips, animated captions, and background audio tracks to enhance your story. A powerful feature is the ability to automatically match visuals to your script using the "Match stock media" option, which intelligently aligns stock footage with your story's flow. Alternatively, you can upload your own content and use the "Match your media" feature to seamlessly integrate it. If you want a completely different look, you can select "Generate AI media" to choose a new aspect ratio and visual style for your video.

If the initial output is satisfactory, you can go on to "Export" your video right away. But if you need more fine-tuning and the use of a wider range of professional editing functions, just click on "Edit more" in the top-right corner.

STEP 3
1. Edit more and export the video

Choosing "Edit more" will take you to CapCut Web's professional editing studio, which gives you complete creative freedom. Here, you can insert effects, filters, transitions, and animations from the side panels. You can also adjust the background or playback speed, allowing you to customize every frame to fit your brand, story, or personal preferences. After you're satisfied with your finishing touches, click "Export" to download your completed video or share it directly to Instagram, where you can then add it to a Highlight.

Best practices to make your Instagram Highlights stand out

To truly make Instagram highlights that capture attention and enhance your profile, consider these best practices. Implementing these tips will ensure your highlights are not only visually appealing but also effective in engaging your audience.

• Stay consistent with visual style: Use a consistent color palette, font, and icon style across all your highlight covers and even within the stories themselves. This creates a cohesive and professional look that reinforces your brand or personal aesthetic.
• Keep titles short and descriptive: Make your highlight titles concise, clear, and easy to understand. Users should be able to quickly grasp the content within each highlight without needing to tap into it.
• Organize by theme: Categorize your highlights logically. Group similar stories together under relevant themes (e.g., "Travel Adventures," "Product Demos," "Client FAQs," "Behind the Scenes"). This makes navigation intuitive for your audience.
• Use custom highlight covers: As discussed earlier, custom covers dramatically enhance your profile's aesthetic and brand identity. They provide a polished, professional look that sets your highlights apart.
• Regularly update your highlights: Keep your highlights fresh and relevant by adding new, valuable stories as they become available. Conversely, remove outdated or irrelevant content to maintain the quality and appeal of your curated collections.

Conclusion

You now know how to make a highlight on Instagram that truly stands out and extends the life of your most engaging content. We've walked through creating new highlights, adding to existing ones, and the crucial step of designing custom covers to elevate your profile's aesthetic. Remember, highlights are your chance to turn fleeting stories into a permanent showcase of your brand, passions, or expertise. CapCut Web is an incredibly competent and user-friendly tool in this process, empowering you to design professional-looking highlight covers with ease, regardless of your design experience. Its extensive features, from customizable canvases to AI-powered tools, make achieving a polished and cohesive look straightforward. Start transforming your Instagram profile today into a dynamic and engaging visual portfolio that keeps your audience captivated.

FAQs

1
1. How do I make a highlight on Instagram without posting a story?

You can't create a highlight without first posting the story. It must be live for 24 hours or archived afterward. However, you can control who sees it by adjusting your story privacy settings before publishing. Once it is posted and archived, you can add it to a highlight. Then, use CapCut Web to design eye-catching highlight covers that give your profile a polished and professional look, even if the content itself remains private.

2
1. How to create highlights on Instagram with private stories?

You can create highlights on Instagram from private stories by setting your story audience to "Close Friends" before posting. After the story is archived, it can be added to a highlight, but only those in your close friends list will be able to view the content. To make the highlight visually appealing regardless of viewer size, CapCut Web lets you create customized covers that reflect your personal or private group vibe, giving you full control over design and presentation.

3
1. How many stories can I add to an Instagram highlight?

Instagram allows you to add up to 100 stories per highlight. Once you reach the limit, you will need to remove older stories to add new ones. Organizing your highlights efficiently becomes even more powerful with CapCut Web, where you can create visually distinct covers for each highlight. This makes navigation intuitive and your profile aesthetically compelling.