Instagram Story Highlights for business: what to keep

Instagram Story Highlights are groups of Stories that stay visible on a profile after the original Story disappears. A business can use them to keep information people may need more than once: what services it offers, how to request one or which details to check before visiting.

There is no count or order that fits every profile. Start with questions customers actually ask, and keep only answers you can maintain. If someone needs a one-line explanation of the business, put that in the Instagram business bio; a sequence that tells a story today belongs in Instagram Stories for business.

Choose what should stay on the profile

Imagine a fictional bicycle repair shop. People ask which repairs it accepts, how to drop off a bike and what determines the price. One possible set is:

• Services: show repairs the shop actually accepts, with a clear image of each kind of work.
• How to bring it in: explain the current appointment or drop-off process and show the confirmed address.
• Questions: say that the scope and price are confirmed after the bike has been inspected.

These are not required categories or a universal order. The shop might begin with only “Services” if that is the question it hears most. A promotion for an event that has ended should not remain as permanent reference information. If the address changes, review the affected Stories and update the information; changing the cover alone is not enough.

Before saving a Story, ask: does it still answer a recurring question? Is the detail current? Does the Story deliver what the Highlight name promises? If not, edit the group, replace the Story or remove it.

How to create a Highlight or add a Story

Instagram’s official Help Center instructions for adding a Story to Story Highlights, checked on October 15, 2026, describe these steps in the Android, iPhone or iPad app:

1. Go to your profile and tap New. If you do not see it, tap Story highlight.
2. Select one or more Stories and tap Next.
3. Choose a cover, enter a name and tap Add.

To add a Story to an existing Highlight, open your Story, tap More, then Highlight. You can also press and hold a Highlight and choose Edit highlight. To edit its cover or content, open the Highlight, tap More and select Edit highlight. Check the labels in the app because they may change.

Choose a cover that helps people recognize the subject and a name they can understand without decoding an icon.

How long do Highlights last, and who can see them?

Instagram explains that Stories disappear from your profile, Feed and messages after 24 hours unless you add them to your profile as Story Highlights or Lately. These are different features: Stories you manually add remain until you remove them; Stories automatically added to Lately disappear from that Highlight after seven days.

The Help Center’s instructions for adding Highlights say people you have allowed to see your Story can also see them. Keep that audience in mind before saving information to your profile.

Review the profile as a first-time visitor

Read the Highlight names before opening them. Can someone tell what each one contains? Do the Stories inside stay on the same subject? Is there an expired promotion, an old address or a condition that no longer applies?

Review the groups when hours, services, location or processes change. Removing an outdated Story protects the next visitor from relying on a detail from an old campaign. Keep prices and terms on a page you can update, and check that a saved Story still points to that information.