Using Instagram Highlights to Show Your Services

Instagram Highlights are simple folders that sit under your bio. They save your best Stories so people can view them any time. For a real estate business, Highlights can act like a mini website on your profile. They help buyers, sellers and landlords see what you do in seconds. In this guide you will learn how to plan, build and keep Highlights that show your services clearly and win more listing appointments.

What Instagram Highlights Are

• Highlights are collections of your past Stories

• They stay on your profile until you remove them

• Each Highlight has a name and a cover image

• You can create many Highlights and reorder them any time

Think of each Highlight like a shelf in a shop. Each shelf holds a set of items that fit together. When people tap a Highlight, they see all the Stories inside it.

Why Highlights Matter for a Real Estate Business

• They show your services at a glance without scrolling

• They guide people to what they need such as selling, buying, or property management

• They build trust with social proof like reviews and case studies

• They give a home to evergreen content such as fees, timelines and checklists

• They shorten time to enquiry because answers are easy to find

Choose Your Core Highlight Menu

Start with a simple set that covers the main services. Use short names and clear covers. Below is a proven menu with purpose and content ideas.

• Sell

  • Who you help

  • How you prepare homes

  • Marketing inclusions

  • Recent sold results

• Buy

  • How to book inspections

  • How to make an offer

  • Finance friendly tips

  • Settlement steps

• Rent

  • Property management services

  • Landlord FAQs

  • Routine inspection steps

  • How you choose tenants

• Appraisals

  • What an appraisal includes

  • How to book

  • What to prepare

  • Links to book a time

• Results

  • Just sold Stories

  • Days on market

  • Auction outcomes

  • Before and after presentation wins

• Reviews

  • Short video testimonials

  • Screenshot reviews with permission

  • Thank you notes

• Suburbs

  • One Story per suburb

  • Median price snapshot

  • Local schools and parks

  • Why people move there

• Team

  • Meet the team

  • Roles and contact details

  • What each person handles

• Process

  • Step by step for selling

  • Step by step for leasing

  • Timelines and checklists

• FAQs

  • Fees explained in plain words

  • Marketing budgets

  • Auction versus private treaty

  • Common rental questions

You do not need all of these on day one. Start with four or five. Add more as you build your Story library.

Plan Your Content Before You Post

Use this simple plan so your Highlights stay useful and clear.

• Define each audience

  • Sellers

  • Buyers

  • Landlords

  • Tenants

• Map their top questions

  • What do you charge

  • How long does it take

  • How do I start

  • Who do I contact

• Match each question to a Highlight

  • Put fees inside FAQs or Process

  • Put timelines inside Process

  • Put starting steps inside Appraisals or Rent

• Decide your proof

  • Three strong reviews

  • Two recent case studies

  • One short explainer video for each service

• Write simple captions

  • One idea per Story

  • One clear call to action

Create and Organise Your Highlights

Follow this easy workflow.

1. Turn on Story Highlights by posting Stories that you want to save

2. Tap the plus icon under your bio to create a new Highlight

3. Select the Stories that belong in that Highlight

4. Name the Highlight with a clear label

5. Add a clean cover so your menu looks neat

6. Repeat for each service area

7. Press and hold a Highlight to reorder it so the most important sit first

What to Put Inside Each Highlight

Here is a ready to use structure for three core service Highlights.

Sell

• Video welcome from the lead agent explaining how you sell homes

• Three slides of your selling process

  • Prepare

  • Promote

  • Negotiate

• Two case studies with address hidden if needed and results

• One slide about marketing inclusions such as copywriting, floor plans and social ads

• One slide with a link sticker to book a free appraisal

Rent

• Intro video from the property manager on your service promise

• Landlord onboarding steps from authority to first rent payment

• How you screen tenants and what you check

• Routine inspection schedule and sample report images with private details covered

• Maintenance system overview and how to request repairs

• Link sticker to a landlord information pack

Buy

• Welcome slide with contact details for buyer support

• How to register for open homes and get alerts

• Explainer on making an offer or bidding at auction

• Tips for pre purchase checks with a simple checklist

• Settlement timeline from offer to keys

• Link sticker to join your buyer list

Design Tips for Professional Covers

• Use the same background colour and font for all covers

• Use one clear icon or a single word such as Sell, Buy, Rent, Reviews

• Keep text large so it reads well on small screens

• Create covers in a design tool like Canva using 1080 by 1080 pixels

• Save your cover images in a shared folder so your team can reuse them

Naming Tips That Improve Clicks

• Keep names short such as Sell, Buy, Rent, Reviews, Suburbs

• Use title case for neatness

• Avoid long phrases that get cut off

• Place your top two Highlights first such as Sell and Appraisals

Make Strong Stories That Belong in Highlights

Each Story should do one job. Use this formula.

• Hook

  • Ask a simple question such as Thinking of selling this spring

• Value

  • Share one helpful tip such as The first open home should be held within five days of launch

• Proof

  • Show a quick result or review

• Action

  • Add a link sticker to book a call or download a guide

Keep sound and text clear. Add captions to videos so people can watch on mute.

Compliance and Good Practice

• Get written consent before sharing reviews, faces, or private details

• Remove street numbers if owners request it

• Avoid sharing personal contact information in Stories

• Keep records of approvals in your listing file

• Use only music you have the right to use

• Follow advertising laws for price guides and statements

Measure What Works

Open Instagram Insights on your profile and review these numbers each month.

• Taps on each Highlight

• Story completion rate across the sequence

• Link sticker taps to your booking page

• Profile visits after Highlight views

• Direct messages that mention a Highlight

Keep a simple spreadsheet. Note which Stories lead to enquiries. Keep those. Replace weak ones.

Keep It Fresh With A Simple Maintenance Rhythm

• Monthly

  • Add your best new review to the Reviews Highlight

  • Add new sold results to the Results Highlight

  • Remove any Story that is out of date

• Quarterly

  • Update suburb snapshots with new facts

  • Refresh fees or process slides if something changed

  • Review covers and names for clarity

• Seasonally

  • Create a seasonal Highlight such as Spring Selling Tips

  • Archive it when the season ends to keep the menu tidy

Ten Story Prompts You Can Record Today

• Three things we do before your home hits the market

• How we help you choose the right method of sale

• What happens at your first open home

• How we qualify buyers before private inspections

• Our photo and video checklist for your property

• How our tenant selection works step by step

• What to expect at your routine rental inspection

• How to make a strong offer that stands out

• Settlement week checklist for buyers and sellers

• Meet the team member who handles your weekly updates

Record each prompt as a separate short video Story. Save the best takes to the right Highlight.

Example Scripts You Can Copy

Script for Appraisals Highlight

Hello, I am your local agent. If you are curious about your home price, here is what you get in a free appraisal. A quick walk through, a short chat about your goals, and a written price guide based on current sales. Tap the link to book a time that suits you.

Script for Reviews Highlight

Here is what our clients say. We helped Sarah and Tom sell in three weeks after a simple styling plan. They loved our weekly updates and clear process. Tap next to see their full review and the result.

Script for Process Highlight

Selling can feel big. We make it simple in three steps. Prepare the home, promote to the right buyers, and negotiate for the best outcome. Tap through to see each step in sixty seconds.

A Fast Thirty Minute Setup Sprint

If you need a quick win today, follow this plan.

1. Choose four Highlights

   • Sell

   • Rent

   • Reviews

   • Appraisals

2. Create four clean covers

   • One colour

   • One word

   • One icon

3. Record four short videos

   • One per service

   • Fifteen to thirty seconds each

   • Add captions and a link sticker

4. Add two proof slides to each

   • A recent sold or leased

   • One review screenshot with permission

5. Order your Highlights

   • Sell first

   • Appraisals second

   • Rent third

   • Reviews fourth

You now have a clear service menu on your profile.

Advanced Ideas To Lift Results

• Add a Lead Magnet

  • Place a link sticker in Sell for a free Pre Sale Checklist

  • Place a link sticker in Rent for a Landlord Guide

• Create a Suburb Library

  • One Highlight called Suburbs

  • One Story per suburb with a voiceover and key facts

• Build a Case Study Series

  • Address hidden if needed

  • Problem, plan, outcome in three slides

  • Save inside Results

• Add a Start Here Highlight

  • A short welcome sequence

  • Who you help and how to contact you

Team Playbook So Everyone Stays Consistent

Share this simple rule set with your team.

• One owner for each Highlight

• One update per month per Highlight

• Use the same cover style and naming

• Keep Stories short and clear

• Always include a call to action

• Record approvals for any client images or reviews

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• Names that are long or unclear

• Covers that all look different

• Highlights filled with random Stories that do not belong

• No link stickers or next step

• Old information that confuses people

Final Checklist

• Clear service menu visible under your bio

• Short names and matching covers

• Strong Stories that answer real questions

• Proof inside every service Highlight

• Fresh updates each month

• Simple calls to action on key slides

When your Highlights are neat and helpful, your profile works like a smart shopfront. People can see what you do, trust your process and contact you with confidence. Build your Highlights once, keep them fresh and let them guide more owners, buyers and landlords to you every day.

Author Ken Hobson
ken@agentslibrary.com.au