Instagram guides are pretty new as compared to posts and videos. They were introduced in May 2020 during the pandemic, and since then, there has been no turning back.

At first, they only contained well-being advice to cope with Covid 19. But after receiving a positive response, they were open to all sorts of creators and content.

Today they have been expanded to include products and places. The guide’s format is a cross between posts and carousels, and they are straightforward to create. They help users repurpose their best content and allow brands to gain followers. While going through old content for repurposing you can run an audit on your account. Here is our straightforward guide.

If you want to make guides a part of your social media strategy, read along to find out how to create them.

Introducing Instagram Guides

Instagram Guides lets users share their favourite content, such as recommendations, posts, products, and locations. It combines text and visuals and enables you to connect with your viewers through list-style blog posts. There is a lot of potential in guides for Instagram follower growth when presented optimally.

By using guides, you can provide viewers with in-depth recommendations without overloading them with information. Instagram has given a separate tab to guides, which are presented separately from the main feed. Users can discover them on the Explore Page and share them via Stories and Insta messages.

An example from Instagram For Business displaying a guide for shopping on the holidays:

holiday shop shine instagram guide example

Types of Guides

There are 3 types of Guides that you can create on Instagram. You can either use it to group your posts together, group products together to promote them, or curate a travel guide with geolocated content.

We are elaborating on the types of Instagram Guides and the steps to create them. By following these, you can select and develop one that best suits your brand.

1. Posts

This is the most common type of guide. As the name suggests, it melds all your favourite posts into one, any posts you created or saved. Even if you are not the original creator of the posts. It is the best way to get started when working on your first guide.

Think of a post guide as a custom-created cassette that holds all your favourite songs. Except for vocals, it is an umbrella of topics you believe are most helpful.

The best part about post guides is that you don’t need to create new content. Instead, by connecting already published posts, you can utilize your old posts in a new way.

Be it how-to guides, self-care tips, or simply a random facts collection for your followers; the guides can contain any topic your audience enjoys. Once the posts that fit are selected, all you need to do is come up with catchy titles and give more context to them.

2. Products

Another popular format is product guides which are for those business accounts that sell something. They are a great way of simultaneously selling your top products. You can fuse all your hot sellers in one combined form.

Product guides can also be used to announce new collections or gift ideas. You can choose any items from your Instagram shop which you want to highlight and feature them in guides to promote them better.

Just ensure that the way you present them is fascinating. In addition, the products you choose should be dynamic yet complement each other. Overall the guide should keep the readers hooked and convert them into paying customers.

3. Places

This guide is about combining your favourite location or recommending the best places for your followers. By joining posts from particular sites and even using public photos with tags, you can supply viewers with content from different locations across the globe.

Places guide can be used to recommend tourist spots in a neighbourhood, tag popular local restaurants, share travel itineraries, etc. You can use these to show your community your love for specific locations and why you care about them.

Lastly, these guides can promote tourism as well and raise visibility for local businesses. If you feature small homely places in your guides and give them exciting descriptions, you can help the population there to earn additional income. Your followers will also be more intrigued and keep coming back to you for travel advice.

Creating Helpful Instagram Guides

Now, as you know, the 3 types of guides you can jump on the bandwagon. The methods to create them are pretty similar. Just follow these steps:

  1. Go to your Instagram profile page. (not feed page)
  2. On the top right side, you will find a plus icon. Tap on it.
  3. You will be provided with a list of options; choose “Guide.”
  4. Then you will be presented with the 3 types.
  5. Choose from Posts, products, and places option.
  6. Select the images from your account that you want to include in your guide
  7. Add titles along with descriptions to make them more compelling
  8. Once done, press “Next.”
  9. Then press “Share.”
  10. You can always edit these guides in the future by adding or removing content as desired.

Why create Instagram Guides?

There are many benefits to be gained from using guides on Instagram. We are listing a few of them below:

  1. First, they are quick and easy to make.
  2. Guides are long-form content that can engage the user for more time.
  3. They add diversity to your marketing strategies.
  4. Guides boost brand loyalty as they provide your audience with content they value
  5. You can use them to promote a cause and impact communities.
  6. Guides also help present your brand’s story convincingly
  7. They help your brand stand out and create a personal connection with the audience.
  8. You can use them to promote new products and increase sales
  9. Guides can help with SEO as keywords can be placed easily
  10. You can use guides to collaborate with influencers in an innovative manner

Make way for Guides

Creating a guide is only the first step. Once it is published, you have to make followers aware of its presence by marketing it. You can do this by sharing it on stories and announcing them via post.

You can even ask your viewers to further promote them by encouraging them to share on their stories and tell their friends about them. Remember, as Instagram keeps adding more features to Guides, it can become a popular form of content and level up your social media strategy.

So without further ado, keep these tips in mind so you can easily design custom guides and engage your target audience in new ways.