Instagram guides are the perfect tool for sharing curated, scrollable content with your followers. It gives users a simple way to consume collection of Instagram posts, products, or places in an easy-to-digest format. Despite all this though, Guides are still relatively underused – which makes them a great opportunity to set your brand apart on Instagram.  

So, What Is A Guide On Instagram? 

All guides revolve around a single topic, story, or idea. For instance, you could create a gift guide, product highlights, FAQ guides, or travel recommendations.  

Once you create a guide, it will live under a public tab in your profile that users can visit anytime. You can also share it to your Instagram story for more visibility. Guides is essentially a mini blog right on Instagram, its unlike any other Instagram feature because you can curate feed posts, products, or locations across Instagram, bringing it all together with your own commentary.  

THE 3 TYPES OF GUIDES 

There are three types of guides on Instagram – Places, Products, and Posts.  

• Places is for sharing travel relate or location specific content. For example, you could share your top summer vacation spots, or favourite restaurants in a specific city. 

Example: The Best Beaches To Visit In Sydney During Summer! 

• Products is for showcasing products from Instagram shops. You could create anything from product tutorials to lists of your favourite products or brands.  

Example: The Top 5 Must Have Products For Glowing Skin! 

• Posts is for articles, commentary, or anything interesting you’ve shared or saved from others. This focuses less on visuals and more on your knowledge and storytelling abilities.  

Example: How To Build A Healthy Lifestyle! 

HOW TO GET STARTED WITH GUIDES ON INSTAGRAM? 

A great place to start would be to brainstorm what type of guide you want to create – and take note of the content you want to include. Then follow the steps below: 

1. Navigate to your Instagram profile and tap the plus (+) button. This opens a menu with options of what you can post on Instagram. 

2. Next, tap on the type of Instagram guide you want to create. You can choose from Places, Products, or Posts.  

3. Select the content you want to add to your guide. This can be content you’ve shared or saved from others. 

4. From here, you’ll need to write a few details about your guide – the title and summary. You’ll also need to upload a cover photo if you want to change the one Instagram provides. As you scroll through the guide, add titles and descriptions, commentary, or thoughts to each post. 

INSTAGRAM GUIDES FOR MARKETING! 

1.REVIVE YOUR OLD CONTENT 

Content on Instagram has a short lifecycle. With Guides you can shine spotlight on your past content. When a user clicks on an individual post in your guide, it directs them to the original post giving it more exposure. 

2. DRIVE TRAFFIC TO YOUR BLOG OR WEBSITE 

Guides are a great way to share your tips, tricks, advice, and recommendations on specific topics… but remember don’t reveal everything.  

Instead use the guide summarizing one or two points from your blog posts – then encourage users to visit your blog for more details, that way you can drive traffic to your other channels.  

3. INTRODUCE YOUR BRAND 

Instagram Guides is a good way to introduce both new and current followers to your business and its values. Use them to highlight new milestones, behind the scenes content or new initiatives.  

SOME TIPS TO KEEP IN MIND 

Tip 1: Think About What Your Audience Wants  

Using the Instagram Guide feature is a great way to curate and organize content for your followers – the creative opportunities are endless.  

Think about what Instagram content your audience has been engaging with most and use this information to influence your Guides content.  

Tip 2: Share Instagram Guides in Stories 

Since Instagram Guides aren’t shared on a user’s main profile feed, you may want to give them an extra boost on Instagram Stories.  

Tip 3: Use Guides To Build Strategic Relationships 

Guides are a great way to shine a spotlight on brands, creators, or peers in your network – which can be huge for profile building.  

If you’re a brand in a specific niche, you could create a Guide that highlights 10 accounts that create content dedicated to your subject matter! It’s a great way to get their attention and open up the conversation.  

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Instagram Guides are all about repurposing content. So, take a look at your feed and find new stories you can tell. Leverage these tips above to make your Guides an effective marketing strategy to engage users, promote your products and introduce your brand.