While the expression “don’t judge a book by its cover” offers valuable wisdom, the reality is that we often judge book covers, movie posters, food labels, and just about everything else, at first glance.
A book cover might not give you a deep understanding of its contents, but covers do important work. They can hook your interest and hint at a book’s subject matter. Likewise, Instagram highlight covers can engage users and communicate what type of content they’ll find in your Instagram stories.
If you’ve ever wondered how to create effective, engaging Instagram highlight covers, everything you need to know is right here.
What is an Instagram highlight cover?
An Instagram Story highlight cover is exactly what it sounds like—it’s a cover image for your Instagram highlights. Instagram highlights are Instagram Stories you save to your profile page, where they’re accessible indefinitely (or until you delete them).
Instagram highlights show up just underneath your bio on your Instagram profile. This makes an excellent opportunity for business accounts to showcase their services, products, sales, holiday specials, promotions, partnerships, and even their brand personality. While posts to your Instagram grid shuffle down the page whenever you post something new, highlights remain exactly where they are, near the top of your profile.
Highlight covers are a great opportunity to communicate what type of content Instagram users will find when they tap on your Story highlights. You can view them as chances to brand yourself and your business, create an Instagram aesthetic, and encourage people to engage with your content. Think of them as the front line of branding for your Instagram page.
How to create a custom Instagram highlight cover
Creating a custom Instagram highlight cover for your business’s Instagram account requires some technical skill and creativity. Here’s how to create one using Canva:
1. Create a Canva account
Many people use Canva to create their Instagram Storyhighlight covers. Canva is a free graphic design platform, and all you need to get started is a Canva account.
2. Find a template
Search “Instagram highlight covers” in Canva’s library of existing designs to find numerous highlight covers you could use as a starting place. Select the one you like best and want to customize.
Keep in mind, highlight covers are small, so it’s best to choose an Instagram Story highlight cover that’s simple. Small details won’t be visible—opt for bold but clear design choices.
3. Design your highlight cover
Because your highlights will appear at the top of your business’s Instagram profile, users should be able to easily identify your highlights with your brand. In Canva, you can upload custom images and brand colors to use in addition to the platform’s free icons and paid icons. This can help you ensure your Instagram Story highlight cover matches your brand guidelines.
If you plan to make more than one Instagram Story highlight cover, it’s important they’re visually consistent, whether you use text-based highlight covers, photo-based covers, or simple icons. In Canva, you can see all the covers you create next to each other, which can help with this.
In this example, eyelash brand Silly George uses consistent icons on their highlight covers, grouping together Q&As, customer reviews, rewards program info, and product information.
Although Canva allows you to customize their templates, it’s best not to stray too far from what Canva provides due to Instagram’s circular cropping for highlight covers. You can choose icons, different themes, and different illustrations, but it’s not a good idea to alter the perfect sizing Canva has already provided.
4. Finalize your highlight cover
When finalizing Instagram Story highlight covers for business pages, everything should look professional. Ensure the background is clear, the icons are pristine, and the text (if you’re using it) is legible—nothing should appear blurry.
When you’re ready to download your Instagram Story highlight cover, Canva provides a few options. Choose the most high-definition option for a highlight cover with the best resolution.
How to add or change your Instagram highlight cover
Adding custom Instagram highlights covers to your profile page is even simpler than creating them. Follow these simple steps:
1. Open the Instagram app and navigate to your profile page.
2. Select the highlight you want to edit.If you don’t have any highlights yet, tap “Add highlight.” If you have a highlight in mind, tap on the highlight.
3. Tap on the highlight, and in the bottom right corner, tap “More.” From there, add past Instagram Stories to your highlight category.
4. While still in edit mode, tap “Edit cover” and upload your new Instagram highlight cover image from your photos.
Best practices for using Instagram highlight covers
Now that you know how to create custom Instagram highlights covers and how to add them to your page, there are a few things to keep in mind to get the most out of what you’ve created.
Update highlight covers periodically
Instagram highlight covers live on in perpetuity. This is both a blessing and a curse. A good cover can equal a good return on investment for you as long as your Instagram page is up. However, your brand will likely evolve over time, and your Instagram highlight covers should change too. When making brand updates, ensure you don’t forget to update them.
For example, accessories brand Campbell Cole uses highlights to feature its products. Adding new highlights when new products are launched keeps its Instagram page looking fresh and makes its offerings clear.
Ensure highlight covers fit your brand
If you’re new to Instagram highlights in general or are refreshing your highlight covers, it can be easy to get carried away with all the possibilities. That being said, this isn’t a time to reinvent the wheel. Because your highlights are among the first things people encounter on your Instagram profile page, your highlight covers should match your brand’s tone and aesthetic.
Stay consistent
When you upload new covers or additional covers, ensure they are in line with the wording and look of your current covers (unless you’re doing a whole refresh). This will probably mean creating a full set of new highlight covers every now and then.
Instagram highlight covers FAQ
How do you see highlight covers on Instagram?
Highlight covers on Instagram show up right underneath the bio on every Instagram profile page. They are only visible if there are highlights. If there are no highlights, no Instagram highlight covers will appear. Once there are highlights, covers appear as circular icons above the grid.
How can businesses use Instagram highlight covers?
A business’s Instagram highlight covers can showcase special products, features, promotions, sales, or brand partnerships. Additionally, you can use them for launches or company milestones—anything your business might want to use to attract a potential new customer or client.
What is the best way to personalize your Instagram highlight cover?
The best way to personalize an Instagram highlight cover is with Canva. Using Canva, you can select brand colors, fonts, and custom paid or free icons. You can also use templates to keep your Instagram highlight covers consistent. Save your work in Canva to easily edit old covers or createnew covers at any time.
