Instagram has finally started offering long-form content through its “Guides,” which allows creators, brands, public figures, publishers, and organizations to provide recommendations, tips, and various other types of content. The scrollable guides, or listicles, allow creators to include both text and visuals. In fact, it presents one more opportunity for brands, subject matter experts, and influencers to engage with users on Instagram.
What Is an Instagram Guide?
An Instagram Guide is a string of curated posts for sharing helpful information with your audience. Each post in the guide can be linked to a traditional post on the social media network or a product page to help users complete a purchase.
Instagram Guides are available to all users, and there are three types of them: products, posts, and places. Instagram focuses more on travel and shopping and links product guides to shops that are on Instagram.
This enables brands to create and promote content and increase their sales. While home improvement brands can create renovation and repair guides, cosmetics brands can provide step-by-step guides on various makeup aspects, and food brands can provide yummy recipes. The possibilities are just endless.
How to Create an Instagram Guide?
Creating an Instagram Guide is simple and easy. Click on the “plus sign” that you use for adding a regular post, a video, or live content. Choose Guides from the drop-down menu that pops up. From here, you have the option to choose three different types of content:
Places: Choose this option if you want to provide location-based tips. As a local or travel influencer, you can create a tour guide, provide restaurant recommendations, or offer a list of off-beat places to visit.
Posts: Choose this option to curate previous or saved posts that you want to recommend to users. You can also create new content by putting older posts together on a topic.
Products: This guide is the best option if you want to link directly to an Instagram shop. However, you can curate only those products that users will find in this shop.
After choosing your content format, upload images, links, and posts, keeping in mind the fact that images and content must be formatted for accessing Instagram from mobile devices.
Uses and Advantages
Instagram Guides provide an opportunity for brands to become more creative and allow them to tell stories about products. Brands can also repurpose older posts and make new content and/or add context to new posts. Besides, Instagram Guides allow brands to build long-form content for benefits such as:
- Keeping users on the page
- Leveraging the power of keyword searches
- Expanding their reach
- Building brand loyalty
- Increasing conversions
- Creating shareable content
- Forging partnerships with influencers
Instagram Guides are yet another great marketing tool that is available to a brand to increase its following and improve conversions. It allows marketers to provide engaging and valuable content to their audiences. Additionally, it enables brands to reach out to new audiences as well. Brands can make use of guides to deliver shopping opportunities to users via Instagram Shopping.
