How to Turn Instagram Highlights into Reels

Your Instagram Highlights are a goldmine of proven content just waiting for a second chance to shine. Instead of letting your best Stories fade into the background, you can transform them into high-reach Reels that capture new audiences. This guide will walk you through exactly how to turn those curated collections into engaging short-form videos, step by step.

Why Turn Instagram Highlights into Reels?

Before we get into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." It comes down to one simple concept: reach. Highlights are primarily for people who are already on your profile - your loyal followers or curious newcomers digging into who you are. Reels, on the other hand, are designed for discovery. The algorithm actively pushes them to people who don't follow you yet, making them one of the most powerful tools for organic growth on the platform today.

Repurposing your Highlights accomplishes three smart goals at once:

• It saves you time. You don't have to start from scratch. You’re simply repackaging content that you already know resonates with your audience.
• It extends the life of your best work. Those tutorials, Q&A sessions, or behind-the-scenes moments deserve more than 24 hours of fame. Turning them into a Reel gives them a permanent and prominent place in your feed.
• It drives new followers to your profile. A successful Reel can bring in hundreds or thousands of new viewers. When they land on your profile, your well-organized Highlights are right there to help convert them into followers.

You're essentially taking evergreen content stuck in a library and putting it on the bestseller shelf for everyone to see.

Choosing the Right Highlights to Repurpose

Not every Highlight is a great candidate for a Reel. The best choices are those that can be re-edited into a cohesive, fast-paced, and valuable piece of short-form video. Go through yours and look for collections that fit these criteria:

1. They Tell a Cohesive Story

A jumble of random story clips won't make a compelling Reel. Look for Highlights that follow a clear narrative or theme. Good examples include:

• Behind-the-Scenes (BTS): A walkthrough of your workspace, the process of creating a product, or a "day in the life" sequence.
• Event Recaps: Clips from a conference, a workshop you hosted, or a community meetup.
• Tutorials or How-Tos: A step-by-step guide showing how to do something, use a product, or achieve a result.
• Before & Afters: A satisfying transformation, whether it's a room renovation, a client's results, or your product in action.

2. They Answer Common Questions

A "Q&A" or "FAQ" Highlight is content-recycling perfection. You can pull the best questions and your video answers into a rapid-fire Reel that serves your audience with quick, valuable information. Viewers love content that solves a problem or satisfies their curiosity instantly.

3. They Showcase Social Proof

Do you have a Highlight dedicated to customer testimonials, reviews, or user-generated content (UGC)? This is pure gold. Compiling short video clips of happy customers or your product in the wild is one of the most authentic and effective forms of marketing. An uplifting Reel filled with positive user experiences can build incredible trust with new audiences.

4. They Performed Well the First Time

While you can't see the exact view counts on old stories in your Highlights, you probably have a general sense of which ones got the most replies, DMs, and reactions. Trust your gut. If a specific tutorial or BTS series sparked a lot of conversation, it's likely a great candidate to be re-introduced to a wider audience.

Step-by-Step: How to Turn Your Highlights into Reels

Once you’ve picked your Highlight, it’s time to move into producer mode. Here’s the technical process, broken down into simple steps.

Step 1: Download Your Stories from the Archive

You can't download the Highlight directly from your profile page without getting the circle UI and text around it. Instead, you need to go into your story archive to save the individual, clean clips.

1. Go to your Instagram profile.
2. Tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner.
3. Select "Your activity."
4. Tap on "Archived."
5. At the top, make sure the dropdown menu is set to "Stories archive" (not Posts archive). You'll see a calendar and a map of all your past stories.
6. Find the stories from the Highlight you chose. Tap on a story, then tap the "More" button (three dots) in the bottom-right corner and select "Save video" or "Save photo."
7. Repeat this for every clip you want to use in your Reel. They will all be saved to your phone's camera roll.

Step 2: Start a New Reel and Import Your Clips

Now that you have your source material, it’s time to build the Reel.

1. Go back to the Instagram home screen and tap the "+" icon at the bottom. Select "Reel."
2. In the bottom-left corner of the Reel editor, tap the blue plus icon to open your camera roll.
3. Select all the videos and photos you just saved. You can tap and hold on a clip to adjust its length right away or wait to do more detailed editing in the next step.
4. Tap "Next" to move to the main editor.

Step 3: Edit and Enhance Your Reel

This is where you transform your collection of clips into a polished, engaging Reel. Don't just string them together - add value and style.

Trim for Pacing

Your original story clips are likely 15 seconds long. That's an eternity in the world of Reels. Tap "Edit video" at the bottom left. Here, you can drag the edges of each clip to shorten it. Cut out any pauses, unnecessary footage, or moments where nothing interesting is happening. Keep the energy high and the pace quick.

Add Trending Audio

Music is the soul of Reels. Tap the audio icon at the top of the editor. You can search for a specific song or browse Instagram's recommendations and trending audio charts. A popular sound can dramatically increase your Reel's visibility. Make sure the music's vibe matches the content. Find a section of the song with a good beat drop or rhythm and sync your video cuts to it for a more professional feel.

Use Text Overlays for Context

Since your story clips are now out of their original context, text is your best friend. Use the text tool to guide the viewer:

• Add a title in the first 3 seconds: "3 Skincare Tips You Need to Know" or "How We Pack an Order."
• Label each step or clip: Use short, clear text to explain what’s happening in each scene (e.g., "Step 1: Cleanse," "Step 2: Moisturize").
• Use the timing feature: You can make text appear and disappear at specific points in the video by tapping the text bubble at the bottom of the editor and adjusting its duration on the timeline.

Add a Voiceover

For tutorials or storyteller-style Reels, a voiceover adds a warm, personal touch and can provide much-needed clarity. After arranging your clips, tap the music icon and then the "Voiceover" tab. You can record audio directly over your video, explaining what's happening just like you did in the original stories but now in one smooth flow.

Use Effects and Transitions (Sparingly)

Tap the "Edit video" button again and look for the "Transitions" option between clips. Simple cuts often work best, but a smooth transition like "Blur" or "Spin" can tie clips together nicely. You can also explore the effects library for filters that enhance your video's aesthetic.

Step 4: Finalize and Publish

You’re almost there! Once your video is edited, tap "Next." In this final screen, focus on three key areas:

1. Write a compelling caption: Briefly describe the video and add a call-to-action or a question to encourage comments (e.g., "Which of these tips was most helpful? Let me know!").
2. Select a cover: Don't let Instagram choose a random blurry frame. Tap "Edit cover" and either slide through the video to find a clear, compelling image or upload a custom one from your camera roll.
3. Add relevant hashtags: Use a mix of 5-10 hashtags that are relevant to your niche, the content of the Reel, and your target audience.

Tap "Share," and you've successfully breathed new life into your old content!

Final Thoughts

Turning Instagram Highlights into Reels is one of the most efficient strategies for content creation. It gets more value out of your best work, boosts your visibility, and saves you the pressure of constantly coming up with brand new ideas from scratch.

Once you get into a rhythm of repurposing content like this, organizing your whole schedule becomes the next step. As we started adding more Shorts, TikToks, and Reels into our own content mix, we realized we needed a tool designed for video first. We built Postbase to make that process effortless. Our visual calendar lets you plan and schedule all your content across platforms in one place, so you can easily see what’s going live and where without juggling a dozen different apps or spreadsheets.