*Before you dive into this blog post I want to give you a FREE gift for reading today! CLICK HERE to download my brand new free e-book: The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Story Highlights!

Over the last few weeks (and months), some major changes have started happening on Instagram. Some of these changes have made it harder for our content to get seen with new algorithms. But, some of them have made Instagram an even better place to customize our platforms and be in control of the content we want our clients to see! Instagram Story Highlights were released just a few weeks ago. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I’m referring to these cute little icons that are being added to everyone’s profiles:

These Instagram story “highlights” allow you to manage and control your Instagram stories in a whole new way. You can add stories to your highlight and leave them on your profile as long as you want – where as they used to only last on Instagram stories before expiring automatically after 24 hours. You can strategically organize and categorize your stories so that your audience can choose what stories they’d like to view, and you can make the icons themselves be aligned and consistent with your brand!

If you want to add Instagram stories that you have shared in the past, Instagram has been automatically archiving your posts since November! You can just click the little arrow in the top righthand corner to see your Instagram stories from the last few weeks. From there, you can add those stories to your organized highlights by clicking the heart button that says “highlight”:

That top left photo in my archive is a GEM, clearly. But here is what the inside of your archive looks like!

Once you click on an individual post, a heart icon will appear in the bottom righthand corner. You can click that to “add to highlight” and then choose which highlight you would like to add it to.

Once something new is in your highlight, you can remove it whenever you’d like by clicking the three dots in the bottom righthand corner.

Or, you can click “edit highlight” to see everything you’ve added, rename it, change the cover, etc!

So, what in the world can you do with this new feature!? Here are 3 ways that I am using (or plan on using!) Instagram story highlights in my business:

1.To strategically CHOOSE what my followers are seeing and WHEN they are seeing it:

For example, I may be offering a flash sale for a 24 hour period. This is something I only want my followers to be able to access for 24 hours, so I am going to leave that on my Instagram story and NOT add it to my highlights. But, if I have an affiliate link for something I think my clients should test out, I will add that to my highlights so that they can access that link at all times (and I can be utilizing that passive income).

2. To collect email addresses:

As I work to grow my mailing list as a number one priority in 2018, I will be utilizing the story highlights to share FREE downloadable content for all of my followers. This way, I can share ONE time about the download that I am offering, and then they can find it permanently on my profile. This is SO much better than having to share about the same thing over and over again (and record us talking to our cameras – which I’m pretty sure NO ONE enjoys doing!!)

3. To build “hype” and “buzz” around things that I want my followers to be EXCITED about:

When I host an event or am planning for an exciting announcement, I frequently post on Instagram stories to create BUZZ surrounding that topic. But, it’s always a pain to have to do that over and over again – especially if I want to share about a one-day event (like a workshop). Now, I can add those fun behind-the-scenes stories to my highlights, and they are there for my followers to see for as long as I want! Those cute boomerangs that you worked so hard to perfect can now be seen by MORE people for a LONGER period of time!

And a major BONUS is that you can further customize your profile to match your brand and attract your ideal client! You can do this through creating easy, brand-friendly graphics to use as your Instagram story highlight covers. I created my graphics in less than 5 MINUTES using a program that I’m excited to share with you!! In my new FREE download, I’m sharing a step-by-step guide to creating the perfect Instagram story highlights! Just click below to download your copy:

DOWNLOAD NOW! 

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