Instagram rolled out its new Guide format in May 2020. While it was initially only available to a select number of creators, Instagram expanded it in November. Now, you can use Guides to share long-form content with your followers.
If you use Guides correctly, you can grow engagement by leaps and bounds. Get some tips so you can create killer Instagram Guides for your business. Then, you will connect with your followers in a new way.
Choose the Right Type of Guide
Instagram offers three types of Guides. You can create Places, Products, or Posts Guides.
Places Guides allow you to recommend places around the world. You can turn your recommendations into an easy-to-digest Guide. For example, you can use a Places Guide to highlight the best places to visit in your local area. You can also expand the reach by creating a Guide with the best restaurants in the country and more.
You can use a Product Guide to recommend products to your followers. You will choose an Instagram Shop and select the product. You can use your own products or recommend a product from others. You’ll want to select products that your audience will likely enjoy when you create a Product Guide. For instance, if you are in the makeup niche, you could create a Guide with the best eyeshadows or lipsticks.
Finally, you can create Posts Guides. You can populate the Guide with your photos or pull posts from other accounts on Instagram. You do have to save outside content before you can upload it to Guides.
If you choose to use your own posts, this is an excellent way to organize them. You can clean up your Instagram feed by creating Guides around themed posts. For instance, if you are a foodie, you could create a Guide with desserts and another with entrees. People can still scroll through your feed, but they will also have the option of clicking a Guide for a specific topic.
After choosing the type of Guide you’re going to create, follow some tips to ensure that you get the traction you want.
Change the Cover Photo
After uploading your Guide, you should change the cover photo. Instead of using a 1:1 square for the cover image, Instagram changes it to a 3:4 image. The resized image might not look right, and you can’t reposition it. Fortunately, you can fix this problem by uploading a new cover image.
Just tap on the image to change the cover photo. Then, you can pull an image from your feed or upload something new for the cover photo. Changing the cover photo will not change the Guide itself. When people click on your Guide, they will still see the same curated list you uploaded. However, it will look more inviting when you add a new cover image.
Deliver What Your Audience Wants
Delivering what your audience wants is always a priority. It should be at the very top of your list when creating Instagram Guides. Guides are long-form Instagram posts, so you want to deliver what your audience wants to increase engagement.
Poll your audience to find out what they want out of a Guide. You can create polls about places of interest, products, and more. Once you find out what they want, it will be much easier to deliver when creating Guides. Then, you can use that information to create a killer Guide.
Go Beyond Images
Instagram is a visual platform, but Guides are a bit different. Instead of just posting images or videos, you’ll also include writing. The best Guides resemble listicles, with text and images living in the same space.
The Beats by Dre Instagram page provides the perfect example of using text and imagery to create killer Guides. From product descriptions to question and answer sessions, the page makes great use of all the space provided on Guides. Take your time to write content that is just as compelling as the images you use. The right content will help your Guide spread across Instagram.
Use Influencers for Guides
Influencer marketing is hot on Instagram and other social media networks. Consider adding influencers to your Guides, so you can let their authenticity shine through.
Gymshark provides an excellent example of this. The brand created a Guide for the best picks for Black Friday. It populated the Guide with influencers showing off the products. Gymshark described each product and then highlighted a photo of an influencer using it. Each influencer is tagged in the Guide, so people can find them on social media. It’s a cool way to use influencer marketing while also providing value to your audience.
Repurpose Content
You can repurpose long-form content when creating Instagram Guides. Hootsuite did just that with its Guide for “7 Instagram Tips for 2021.” The brand took a blog post and turned it into a visually appealing and inviting Guide. Use your own blog as a guide for coming up with information. You will be surprised by how much you can do with your existing blog posts.
Clean up Your Guide
It’s a good idea to go through your Guides every month to ensure that the products and images are still available. It’s frustrating when you click on a Guide, only to see “Post Unavailable.” Your page will look less professional if you have lots of missing images. Giving your Guides a once over every month will ensure that you are getting the most out of Guides.
Create a Strategy for Instagram Guides
Use these tips as a foundation for creating killer Guides on Instagram. Powerful Guides can boost engagement and help you grow your audience.
As your audience grows, your engagement should increase for your other posts as well. If it doesn’t, you can address the issue by purchasing real Instagram likes. As your likes increase, people will start paying more and more attention to your account. Then, others will join in and like, comment, and share your posts.
