Instagram has always worked to make the content on the platform more accessible and structured. Introduced in 2020, Instagram guides have become a valuable tool for content creators, businesses, and influencers alike, offering a fresh way to curate and present content on the platforms.

If you are new to Instagram guides and are considering using them to diversify your Instagram content game, you are in the right place! This article will look into everything you need to know about Instagram guides, delving into their purpose, functionality, and how they can transform the way you interact with your audience.

Instagram guides are a feature Instagram introduced in a bid to help its users present their content in a more structured and informational format.

You can think of Instagram guides as a curated mini-blog right on Instagram, where you can curate blog posts on different topics consisting of your pre-posted content, as well as saved posts and in some cases, other people’s posts. These blog posts can include various types of content, such as photos, videos, and captions, organized into a linear, scrollable format. You can add context, descriptions, and commentary on the topic at hand, making it a valuable resource for your followers, all while giving a “new life” to your older pieces of content.

You can then share your guides on your profile, in stories, and through messages, to make them accessible and noticeable.

Now that you know what Instagram guides are, let’s take a look at how you can create them. The process differs depending on the type of guide you need to create, but it is quite simple and straightforward in all cases. In the guide below, we will look at the example of creating Places guides, but the process is more or less similar for other guide types.

• To start the creation process, you need to head to your Instagram profile page (not the feed page!) There, tap on the + button on the upper-right side of the page, and from the menu, select “Guide,” as shown below.

• Here, select which type of guide you want to create.

There is 3 types of Instagram Guides:

Since we are working on creating a places guide, we should use “Places “.

• Once you select to create the Places guides, you’ll have three options to choose a location: through search, from the locations of your posts, and the locations of your own posts. The search function will showcase only your own posts and the posts you’ve saved.

• In the Saved Posts section, once you select the saved location, all the posts you’ve saved from that location will be displayed, as well as posts by other people in that location.
• Similarly, in the Your Posts section, once you click on any of the displayed locations, all of your posts in that location will be displayed, in addition to posts by other users. Select the posts that you want to add to your Guide, and hit “Next.”

• All the posts you’ve selected will be added to your guide as a carousel of one location. To add more locations to the Guide, select “Add Place” at the bottom, and repeat the process.
• Add titles and descriptions to the posts, and select a cover. Keep in mind that you need to have at least two places to be able to publish the guide. Once your guide looks just the way you want it to, hit “Next.” You can then share it instantly or save it as a draft to publish later.

For Posts and Product guides, the process is quite similar, with minor differences. In the case of Posts guides, the Search function is not present, and you can select to include in your guide your own posts and saved posts. In the case of Product guides, you have access to products in your own Instagram shop (if available), share from your posts, and a search function to find products listed in the marketplaces of other users.

Whether you are looking to promote a product, share travel recommendations, or simply group your content together for better accessibility, Instagram offers you three types of guides: places (focused on specific locations), products (ideal for showcasing and promoting the brands you are working with), and posts (for curating content based on a particular theme or topic). Let’s look at each type in detail individually.

Instagram Places Guides, as the name suggests, are designed for sharing location-specific recommendations and experiences. Through Places Guides, you can create curated collections of photos and videos related to particular places, such as travel destinations, restaurants, or tourist attractions. You can then use the captions to share insights, tips, and stories about these locations.

Places guides are a valuable tool for travel creators, as well as creators working with local establishments, to showcase your expertise and recommendations, as well as display your work, and promote your partners further.

Instagram Product Guides, on the other hand, are more tailored to promoting products, and serve as a sort of virtual storefront within the platform you can use to promote the brands you’ve collaborated with in your posts. In Product Guides, you can include posts featuring products, detailed descriptions, pricing info, and even direct shopping links. Product Guides have proved to be particularly effective for creators working in the fashion and beauty industries, as well as for lifestyle creators.

Lastly, you have the Post Guides, a versatile format the main aim of which is to help you assemble your existing Instagram content into a cohesive narrative, and group them based on topic. With Post Guides, you can arrange photos and videos covering the same topics in a visually engaging, scrollable format. You can then use captions and commentary to provide context and explanations. This makes Posts Guides an especially creative tool for you if you are looking to educate your audience, tell stories, or simply share content with a focused theme or message.

Now that you know more about Instagram guides and their various types, let’s dive into real-world examples that illustrate their creative potential and practical applications. These Instagram Guide examples showcase how as a creator you can harness the power of this feature to engage and educate your audience in captivating ways.

SimplyMunich Places Guides

Simply Munich is, as the name suggests, a page dedicated to the German city of Munich. The account is dedicated to discovering the city’s gems, from parks and neighborhoods to cafes, restaurants, and everything in between.

In their Hodd Love guide series, the page covers different regions of Munich. In Howw Love – Schwabing, the account assembled some of its most popular posts on the Schwabing district, with a brief intro in the beginning. Each post then explores a new location or an activity in the district in more detail.

Izkiz Location Guides

Jennifer Tuffen, better known as Izkiz, is a UK-based travel and lifestyle content creator. Over the years, she has built an audience of almost 3 million, who follow her for her beautiful travel pics and insightful tips and recommendations.

As part of her Instagram strategy, she has been using Instagram guides quite extensively, creating guides dedicated to specific locations. Some guides simply assemble her posts dedicated to the location, while others, like the Top 10 in Dubai, give recommendations of specific places and activities people can do in those places.

Fenty Beauty Product Guides

Fenty Beauty is an award-winning beauty brand that has made a name for itself through its efforts to make beauty inclusive and accessible to everyone, despite their skin tone and conditions.

As part of their effective and active Instagram presence, Fenty Beauty used Instagram guides extensively to collect and promote their products. For example, in their Bright Fix Eye Brightener guide, they collected the posts covering all 16 shades of the brightener, with their relevant information. The guide contains information on each shade, how they can be used for the best-looking result, and what are their effects.

Alohas

Next up is Alohas, a Spanish sustainable fashion brand known primarily for its range of vegan leather shoes. The brand also produces accessories and clothing. The eco-conscious brand was established in 2015, and since then has used Instagram as one of its main sources of promotion.

In their Boots for FW Instagram Guide, Alohas assembled 11 shoes for the fall and winter seasons from their various collections, with their respective names to provide some style inspiration (and reference) for colder days to come.

@Juanjomarfe Fitness Post Guides

Juan Jose Martín Fenollosa, known better as @juanjomarfe is a Spanish-speaking fitness influencer regularly posting on the topics of health, sports, muscle-building, and healthy nutrition. He then used many of these posts to assemble several guides covering a wide range of topics, from supplements to how to perform exercises correctly.

In his Entrenamiento Cuádriceps guide, he assembled a series of videos on quadriceps exercises, leading to posts providing detailed descriptions of how to perform the exercises correctly and what equipment is needed.

@Jessicaolie Stretching Guides

Another fitness influencer who uses Instagram guides extensively is Jessica Olie, a content creator who is known for her stretching, yoga, and fitness content, as well as her own line of fitness guides and equipment.

On her account, she has created a few guides dedicated to stretching exercises for different levels, as well as guides on different exercises.

Benefits of Instagram Guides

Instagram guides may still be somehow under-utilized compared to stories or reels, but the format comes with a set of powerful benefits. Below is a list of some of the key advantages of using Instagram guides you shouldn’t ignore as a content creator.

Compelling Storytelling

One of the main benefits of Instagram guides is that they allow you to craft compelling and structured narratives through better-arranged content, all while establishing yourself as an expert in your niche. With Instagram guides, you can arrange your content in a sequential order to craft a more coherent story, all while adding context to each of your posts through titles, explanations, and additional pieces of information you can use to guide your viewers through the story. Lastly, Instagram is a visual platform, and guides take full advantage of this aspect, allowing you to add depth to your stories through a visual element.

Better Content Organization

Another of the main benefits of Instagram guides is that they can help you organize your content around specific themes or topics. This is particularly useful if you are looking to categorize your posts and create easily navigable collections. This thematic curation will then help you with a streamlined presentation of your most important content and much easier navigation into the themes and topics you are covering. This more user-friendly navigation process helps you break away from the limits of the feed’s chronological order, ensuring that your content flawless, which is especially useful when presenting step-by-step guides, tutorials, or educational content.

Content Revival and Discoverability

Next up is the content revival and improved discoverability. Now, as time goes by, there is less and less chance your older feed posts will be seen. Instagram guides provide a solution for this: you can breathe new life into your existing content by repurposing and rearranging your earlier posts into Guides, giving them older content increased visibility and relevance. This is especially important since Instagram started considering broad keywording in its algorithm, and the text space provided by the guides can be used to work with the keywords to optimize your content for SEO.
Added bonus: Well-organized guides can enhance content discoverability. When viewers explore your profile and see Guides dedicated to specific topics or products, they are more likely to stick around to discover and engage with content that aligns with their interests.

More Engaged Followers

Lastly, by using Instagram guides, you freshen up your content, give your audience a more immersive experience, tell a thematic coherent story, and give them educational value. All of these come together to offer a visually appealing, structured, and immersive way to present content that naturally encourages your audience to engage with your content more and be more interested in your posts in general. By crafting compelling narratives, providing valuable information, and organizing content around specific themes, you can create an environment that keeps your audience interested and actively participating in your Instagram experience.

Depending on your content, Instagram guides can give you a lot of place for creativity and experimentation. They can also serve as an inspiration for future posts: by planning future guides, you can come up with ideas for posts you previously didn’t think about.
To help you with planning your future guides, we’ve assembled a list of ideas you can play around with as you are planning your future guides.

• Create a gift list

As the different holidays come and go, you can dedicate to them an Instagram Guide that serves as a curated gift list. Highlight a selection of thoughtful and unique gift ideas suitable for various occasions, such as birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, or special holidays. These guide can be quite useful and informative for your followers, providing them inspiration and simplifying the gift-giving process during festive seasons. If you’ve worked with different brands, you can use this guide to highlight your cooperations, or to further promote affiliate programs you are a part of. Alternatively, if you have your own business, gift guides are a wonderful way to promote your products. Bonus point is that gift lists are a great example of evergreen, always relevant content you can update periodically.
Give tips and tricks

As you become more and more knowledgeable in your niche, why not share it with your followers in a more structured way? Whether you are a fashion expert, a sports guru, a life hack enthusiast, or work in an entirely different niche, tips and tricks Instagram guides are a great way to share your expertise or knowledge. Assemble your informative posts per theme, and use a combination of images, videos, and detailed explanations to demonstrate helpful techniques, shortcuts, or solutions to common challenges. Your followers are sure to appreciate the actionable information and guidance you provide.

• Add educational content

Instagram guides are an excellent platform for delivering educational content to your audience. Whether you’re an educator, a subject matter expert, or simply passionate about a particular topic, create a Guide that compiles informative and educational resources. Share your posts covering certain topics, include posts by other users (luckily, Instagram gives credit to them), add detailed textual descriptions, or even add links to articles or recommended reading materials related to the subject in the description! Educational Guides can serve as valuable references and sources of knowledge for your followers, fostering a learning community on your profile.

• Gather posts under a theme

No matter which niche your are targeting and how narrow it is, chances are, you are posting different types of content (and hey, you should be!) You can gather posts covering a similar topic under themed guides. For example, if you’ve worked with make up brands, you can create a guide that only showcases some of their best eyeshadow palettes. Or assemble a guide of some of your favourite athleisure brands. The theme of the guide can vary greatly depending on the content you create, but options are close to unlimited here.

• Offer travel itineraries and tips

If you are a travel blogger, or simply a travel enthusiast, Instagram guides provide an excellent platform for sharing your adventures and expertise. Use them to create detailed travel itineraries in different locations that guide your audience through various destinations, complete with stunning visuals, suggested activities, dining recommendations, and travel tips. Each post within the Guide can represent a unique aspect of the journey, whether it’s exploring iconic landmarks, experiencing local cuisine, or exploring the nightlife scene. You can both use only your own posts in the guides, or include posts by other users for a more detailed and informative guide.

• Highlight a partnership with a brands

If you’ve been working with a specific brand for a longer period of time, why not use guides to highlight that collaboration? You can use the guide to share some of their products you’ve particularly enjoyed, assemble a lookbook from the posts in which you are wearing their pieces, or even go a bit more sentimental and craft a visual timeline of significant milestones and shared achievements. This guide not only acknowledges the importance of your partnership but also strengthens your professional reputation and engagement with your followers.

• Curate a book or reading list

For literature enthusiasts, creating an Instagram guide dedicated to curated reading lists can be a wonderful way to share your literary passions. Compile a collection of your favorite books, each accompanied by engaging cover images, brief summaries, and personal insights. You can also provide recommendations based on different genres, themes, or moods. You can then encourage discussions and book club-like interactions with your followers by asking for their thoughts on the books you recommend. This guide can transform your profile into a valuable resource for fellow readers, adding a new dimension to your online persona, and simply sharing your passion.

Conclusion

Since their launch, Instagram guides have emerged as a dynamic tool for creators, which can be tailored to diverse content needs, and give an almost unlimited place for creativity and experimentation. They offer a unique platform for making your posts more structured, more accessible even after they “get lost” in the feed over time, and enhancing audience engagement. When used correctly, guides can help you make your content more visible and valuable for your audience, captivating and educating them in the process.

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