You are about to learn the secret hack that I use to create the perfect covers for your Instagram story highlights! This is a hack that I have found works really to customize and personalize your covers to fit to your unique aesthetic.

In this method, I am using my laptop. However, if you’re only able to use your phone to make covers, then you can use apps like Over, Picsart and Canva, which allows you to make your very own highlight covers from scratch and it takes no time at all.  Alright, let’s dive in!

STEP #1: Know your brand colors

You want to use colors in your covers that suit your Instagram theme or your brand. If you don’t already have those colors picked out, then simply head on over to coolors.co It is completely free and will generate color suggestions that you can play with until you find the color palette you love.

Another method to find a color theme is to just go onto Pinterest and simply type in ‘color palette’. This is great as Pinterest allows you to pick almost any theme you want such as vintage (yay), modern, rustic etc. However, you will need to find color palettes that show the color codes with the colors (this will come in handy later).

STEP #2: Choose your Highlight Covers Template

To create my highlight covers, and literally everything else, I use Canva. Canva is such a brilliant website (and app too) which is completely free! Like all apps, there are updates you can pay for, but the free version is all you really need.

All you need to do is go to ‘Templates’ and simply search ‘Instagram story’. Instagram story highlight cover templates should then show up. There are so many cute ones that you can choose from, and pick your favorite

STEP #3: Personalize Your New Highlight Covers

Once you’ve picked the cover you want, make multiple pages (depending on how many covers you need) and start changing the colors to match your brand colors. This is where you’ll need to copy the color codes that you took note of and paste it into the color search bar when editing the cover. Boom! The color should show up and you can include it in your cover.

Now you can choose a cute little icon in the element section, and you can pick something that will represent what the highlights are about. For example, if you have a lot of saved stories of you going on vacation, in the element section you can search for ‘travel’ and choose a plane as your cover icon for the ’Travel’ highlight. Have fun with it and know that you can always come back and change your covers.

STEP #4: Download your covers

Once you are happy with your cover design, go to the top right-hand corner and click on download as JPG or PNG either one works. When they are downloaded on your computer, go ahead and email them to yourself, or airdrop it to yourself, so that you can now have access to them on your phone!

STEP #5: Add the cover to your highlights

Now for the easy bit! Now that the covers are saved in your photo gallery on your phone, open up Instagram, and go onto your profile. Press and hold on one of your highlights and click ‘edit highlight’. The highlight should have a circle with a photo inside at the top, and underneath it should say ‘edit cover’. Click on this, and then choose the cover you have made and simply adjust it to fit nicely in the circle.

Alternative, quick and easy ways 

Instead of using my hack method, you could go onto Pinterest and look up “Instagram highlight covers” and download images from there. However, typically when doing this you are signing yourself up to somebody’s email list.

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So, there you have an amazing hack (with some simpler alternatives) to make the perfect Instagram highlight covers. I change my theme up a couple of times a month, and this hack is what I use every single time. So, head over to Canva and use the method I have taught you and you will be the highlight cover envy of Instagram!