In brief: Instagram Stories are photos and short videos that disappear from a profile, Feed and messages after 24 hours, unless they are added to a Highlight. Highlights sit under the bio as round covers and stay on the profile until they are removed, so a business can use them as a menu: its work, reviews, how to order, offers, FAQs and how to visit. Stickers turn Stories into actions: the link sticker, opened to almost all accounts in October 2021 and usable only in unpaid Stories, sends viewers to a page, while polls and question stickers invite replies. A Story with polls, quizzes, music or link stickers cannot be boosted. Story insights, available to public accounts for up to two years, show views, viewers, interactions, accounts engaged and profile activity. Kosmonk IT Pvt Ltd, a digital marketing agency in Ahmedabad, plans and runs Instagram Stories for brands.
A customer who follows your shop on Instagram may never scroll back through your grid, the posts on your profile. Many followers are more likely to tap the round Stories at the top of the app. When they want an answer, they often open the Highlights on your profile. Instagram Stories and Highlights work as a pair for a business. Stories keep you in front of followers this week, and Highlights keep your best Stories on your profile for new visitors.
This guide covers what to post, which stickers help, how to set up Highlights and how to read the numbers.
Key Takeaways
- Stories disappear after 24 hours unless you add them to a Highlight.
- Use Stories for everyday news, behind the scenes clips, polls and questions.
- Keep five or six Highlights as a menu on your profile.
- Story insights last up to two years. Track replies, link taps and profile visits, since they show that people acted.
What Are Instagram Stories and Highlights?
Instagram Stories are photos and short videos that sit at the top of the app and vanish from your profile after 24 hours. Highlights are saved groups of Stories that sit under your bio as round covers. They stay on your profile until you remove them, so they work like a permanent menu for anyone who visits.
Instagram’s help page on how long stories remain visible explains the timing. Story photos and videos disappear “from Feed, your profile and Direct after 24 hours, unless you add it as a highlight.” Each Story is also saved to your Stories Archive, which you can switch off in your settings.
Short videos work best. Instagram’s Stories page says a video of up to 60 seconds appears as one clip. Longer videos are broken up into several clips.
Highlights follow the same privacy as your Stories. Instagram’s Story Highlights help page says “those you’ve allowed to see your story can also see your highlights.”
Why Should a Business Use Instagram Stories?
Stories let you post often without crowding your grid. A feed post stays until you delete or archive it, so it needs polish. A Story can be a quick clip of new stock arriving at 10 AM, and it is gone tomorrow. That makes it easier to show up most days for the people who follow you.
Stories also start conversations. Instagram’s Stories page says “By default, anyone who can see your story can reply to it directly with a message.” Stickers such as Polls and Questions help you “get input.” For a local business, a reply in your inbox is often the first step towards an enquiry. Answering those replies on time is part of good social media management.
Here is a made-up example. A furniture showroom on S.G. Highway posts one feed reel a week. It uses Stories for new arrivals, delivery days and quick polls on fabric colours. The feed stays tidy, while the Stories keep the showroom in its followers’ minds between bigger posts.
Our guide to building a social media content calendar covers how often to post on the feed. Stories fit into that plan as the daily layer on top.
What Should a Business Post in Instagram Stories?
Post the everyday side of the business that would feel too small for the feed. Good Stories show something real and recent. Think of stock that just arrived, a job in progress, or a reminder that an offer ends this week. Each Story should give people one reason to tap, reply or visit.
- New arrivals or today’s work: a short clip of the product, the finished job or the shelf that was just filled.
- Behind the scenes: packing an order, setting up a site, or the team getting ready before opening. These clips show the people behind the brand.
- Answers to common questions: take the question you get most often in your DMs and answer it in one Story. Save it to a Highlight later.
- Customer posts: when a customer tags you in a public feed post, you can share it to your Story. Instagram’s Stories page says this works only “if their account is public and they’ve allowed resharing of their posts.”
- Reminders: an offer that ends on Sunday, a holiday timing change, or a new branch opening.
You can also share a Story with only your Close Friends list, a list of people you pick yourself. You could use it to give regular customers a first look at new stock.
If a Story is a short video, the first second matters most. Our guide to writing a reel script that holds attention covers the opening line and the captions, and the same habits work for Stories.
Which Story Stickers Help a Business Get Replies?
Stickers turn a Story from something people watch into something they act on. The link sticker sends viewers to a web page, while polls and question stickers invite quick input. The Add Yours sticker asks followers to join in with their own Story. Pick one sticker for each Story, so the action you want is clear.
The link sticker sends people to a website when they tap it. Instagram’s help page about the link sticker says link stickers “can only be used in organic Instagram Stories”, which means unpaid ones. Its announcement on links in Stories opened them to almost all accounts in October 2021. New accounts and accounts that repeatedly break its Community Guidelines “will not have access to the Link sticker.”
Polls and questions work best when the answer helps you. Ask which of two designs people prefer, or invite questions about a product before a launch. The replies tell you what to stock and what to post next.
One limit matters if you plan ads. Boosting means paying to show a Story as an ad. Instagram’s help page on boosting a story says a boosted Story must not contain “polls, quizzes, music, link stickers, or other complex creative tools”. So keep a plain version of any Story you may want to turn into an ad.
Which Instagram Stories Belong in Your Highlights?
Treat Highlights as the menu on your shop door. A new visitor who lands on your profile should find the answers to their first questions without sending a message. Five or six clear Highlights, each with a short name and a simple cover, suit most local businesses.
When you create a Highlight, Instagram’s Story Highlights help page asks you to enter a name, select the Stories and choose a cover photo. It also says you can edit a Highlight at any time. Use one simple style for every cover, such as your brand colours with a small icon. The whole row then looks like it belongs to one brand.
Keep Highlights fresh. An offer from last Diwali still sitting in your Offers Highlight in March makes the profile look neglected. Our guide to Instagram growth for small businesses covers what grows the account itself, while Highlights help turn those new visitors into enquiries.
How Do You Measure Instagram Stories?
Look past the view count. Instagram’s Story insights show views, unique viewers, interactions, accounts engaged and profile activity, such as profile visits, follows and website clicks. We suggest reading them in three groups: reach, action in the Story and action after it. The two action groups tell you more about whether a Story did its job.
Instagram’s help page on Story insights says “You need to have a public (personal or professional) account on Instagram to view insights.” It also says “Although stories expire after 24 hours, you can still access insights for up to two years after they’re created.” Interactions include replies, shares, sticker taps and link taps, and accounts engaged is the number of accounts that interacted. Link taps are taps on the link sticker in a Story. Website clicks are taps on the link in your profile.
You can also see who viewed a Story for up to 48 hours after you post it, according to Instagram’s Stories page. After that, the insights still show the totals.
A simple habit helps here. Each Monday morning, note the two Stories with the most replies, link taps and profile visits added together last week, and make more like them. Our guide to measuring digital marketing ROI explains how to connect those taps to real sales.
Common Mistakes With Instagram Stories
Many Story problems are small and quick to fix. Text near the edges, Stories with no next step, old Highlights and long gaps all make it harder for people to act. Check your last week of Stories against this short list.
- Text too close to the edges. On boosted Stories, Instagram’s boost help page asks you to leave “approximately 14% of the top and 20% of the bottom” free. That margin keeps the ad button off your text, and we suggest using it on ordinary Stories as well.
- No next step. Every Story should end with one action: reply, tap the link, vote or visit.
- Old Highlights. Remove last season’s offers and photos of stock you no longer sell.
- Long gaps. We suggest one or two Stories a day. Ten in one evening and then none for a week is much harder to follow.
Where to Start
Remember one thing: Instagram Stories and Highlights work best as a pair. Stories keep you visible this week, and Highlights answer a new visitor’s questions for months. This week, post one Story a day with one clear sticker. Then build your first three Highlights: your work, reviews and how to order. Check your Story insights each Monday.
Across 100+ brand accounts, we have seen that a tidy row of Highlights helps new visitors find answers fast. If you would like us to plan your Stories in your monthly calendar and set up matching Highlight covers, see our Instagram promotion service.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do Instagram Stories last?
A Story stays up for 24 hours. After that it leaves your profile, Feed and messages, unless you add it to a Highlight. Stories in a Highlight stay on your profile until you remove them.
How many Highlights should a business have?
There is no right number. Five or six clear ones suit most local businesses, such as your work, reviews, how to order, offers, FAQs and how to visit you.
Can a business add a link to an Instagram Story?
Yes. Add the link sticker from the sticker tool while making your Story. It works only in unpaid Stories, and new accounts or accounts that repeatedly break Instagram’s Community Guidelines will not have access to it.
Can I boost a Story that has a poll or a link sticker?
No. Instagram’s help page says a boosted Story must not contain polls, quizzes, music or link stickers. Keep a plain version of the Story if you plan to run it as an ad.
Where do I find my Story insights?
Open your active Story, tap Options and choose View insights. For older Stories, tap View insights on your profile. Your best-performing ones appear under Top content based on engagement. You need a public personal or professional account to see insights.
