The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Guides

What are Instagram guides?

Haven't you seen the newspaper icon on your Instagram page yet? Then you probably haven't made an Instagram Guide yet.

Too bad, because this underrated Instagram feature has a lot to offer and is still not very much used by companies, making them an excellent opportunity to differentiate your brand on Instagram. 

We got you covered, though. Keep reading to become an Instagram Guide expert in no time!

Instagram Guides allow you to bundle products, places, or posts made by yourself or other pages into one post. It actually looks a bit like a Pinterest Board; only it enriches your Instagram account.

This is very useful if you want to bundle a series of photos or videos centered around a certain theme in a sort of mini-blog that your followers can consume in an easy and scrollable way. And, of course, it makes recommendations, tips, and other information readily available to your followers without them having to leave Instagram.

Types of Instagram Guides

you can create a ton of different Instagram Guides based on your business, your content, your main campaigns for the quarter or month, etc. Instagram offers three main kinds of Guides that you can choose from when creating a new one for your profile, and you can mix and match the content you include in each of them based on the format that best suits your needs. Let's go through some types of Instagram Guides and what content you could into them:

• Instagram guide for places. Have you recently visited any interesting places? You can share those by using the Guide to Places. Ideal for, for example, photographers who want to share shoot locations, but also shops, favorite restaurants, travel destinations, and sights that are interesting to share with your followers — and thanks to this feature, also easy.
  
  To do so, you can search the locations via Instagram or choose from locations that you have already used in your posts.

• Instagram guide for products. Whether you want to promote a new product or recommend any products to your follower base, this type of Instagram Guide type is perfect for it. You can link any product from any shop on Instagram. Interesting for your birthday wishlist, perhaps?

• Instagram Guide for posts. Do you want to draw attention to a number of posts? You don't even have to limit yourself to just your posts because you can also easily place those from other creators or brands in your Instagram Guide.

How to create an Instagram Guide

To create your first Instagram Guide, go to your profile page and click the plus icon at the top right. There you choose 'Guide.'

Here you can choose from three different types of Guides: Places, Products, and Messages. Select the type you want to create and follow the directions in the app to build your Guide.

Once you have chosen your content, you can put together your mini-blog from scratch. You can rearrange content blocks, change titles and cover photos, and add extra explanations wherever you want. When you are completely satisfied with your Instagram Guide, select 'next' and then 'share.' 

So, now your Instagram Guide is done, and it will appear in your followers' news feed.  

Tips for Instagram Guides

Share your Instagram Guides in your stories

Instagram Guides will not appear on your profile grid but will appear in a separate tab on your Instagram profile. As a result, they are sometimes more difficult to find for your followers. A great way to get some more exposure is to share them on your Instagram Stories. This way, your followers can start reading your Guide with one click.

Use user-generated content to enhance your Instagram Guide

People believe other people, not brands. That's why anything will look and feel a lot more believable when it's a post from a person. That's why it can be interesting for a brand to make smart use of UGC in its Instagram Guides and thus recommend your products in a very natural setting.

Choose content that is relevant to your target groups

Pick content that your target audience shows a lot of interest in. This way, you ensure that the content you share in your Instagram Guide appeals to your followers and elicits engagement.

That was it! Our ultimate Guide to Instagram Guides is complete, and as you can see, the possibilities are endless. Now it's up to you to get started and discover why you should absolutely use this Instagram feature. And if you have any questions, we'll help you on your way!

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