Social Media: How to Create Instagram Guides

Go to your profile and click on the “plus” at the top right corner. This will lead you to the Create section in the Instagram app. 

Click on “Guide.”

Choose guide type: 

• Places – Pick a city and recommend posts from that location. Once you choose a location, you can choose public posts that have recently tagged that location.

• Products – Recommend your favourite products and shops. When you select a shop, a list of all their products will pop up, allowing you to recommend your favourite products.

• Posts – Highlight your favourite posts from your feed. Bundle your best posts or share tips from your most favourite experiences.

Once you have selected your posts, you can add a catchy headline and a cover photo to the Guide. 

Your headline can be up to 63 characters (with spaces) to avoid any text from being cut off. Be sure to get the most out of the limited text you’re able to include – check out tips on writing Instagram captions. Here are the character limits:

• Titles: 63 characters (with spaces)

• Description: 2,200 characters (with spaces)

In the descriptions, you can add hashtags and tag other accounts. 

Tip: Your cover photo doesn’t have to be from one of the selected posts. You can choose any post from your profile as a cover photo. 

Once you’ve completed the Instagram Guide, you have the option to share immediately or save as Draft. 

Tip: Keep in mind that when you create an Instagram Guide, it will not show up your follower’s main feed (similar to Story Highlights). Use Instagram Stories or posts to share your new Guide to your followers. 

Also, don’t limit yourself to features that are available on Instagram, there are multiple apps that can help you create engaging Instagram Story content to promote your Instagram Guides. 

The Takeaway

Instagram Guides can add a whole to layer to your content strategy. With more and more features coming out quicker than normal, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. So as a brand you’re probably wondering what does this mean for me?

Brands have developed new social media strategies with Guides and we will start to see more collaborations between brands and content creators. 

Guides can be a great way to get the most out of the content you’ve worked hard to create. Don’t forget that content creators and brands are posting more Instagram Reels content, creators can use Guides to show their top best Reels, IGTV posts, video recipes, promote sponsored products, and much more.