Welcome to 2021! With 2020 behind us, and a fresh start ahead of us, you are faced with the opportunity to make 2021 YOUR year and escalate your social media presence to its highest potential.
Whether you are a small business owner, an entrepreneur or somewhere in between, it is no secret that a booming social media presence is a game changer for the success of your business. With this being said, Bruno PR & Social hopes to serve as your guide with getting started in conquering the social media world. Whether you are new to the social media scene and need help getting started or you have built a social media presence yet you’re aiming to enhance your social media presence to its fullest potential, we are here to help!
Today, we are focusing on a newer feature of Instagram that can be used to boost your social media and help keep you abreast of trends throughout this year. Introducing….Instagram Guides!
What Are Instagram Guides?
An Instagram Guide is a curated collection of Instagram posts in an editorial format. Each guide will have an overall theme, and so the posts featured in the guide will directly support and provide information regarding the theme. Guides have their own dedicated tab on a user’s profile and assists users in offering value to followers, that value usually being to educate, inform or inspire.
Why Should You Use Instagram Guides?
To be favored by the Instagram algorithm, of course! The greater the variety of Instagram features that you use (ex: Reels, IGTV, Guides), the more favored your account will be by the Instagram algorithm and the more likely your account will be discovered by those who do not already follow you.
To repurpose your old content. Guides give you the opportunity to include posts from months or even years ago. A post from a year ago is unlikely to receive much notice or engagement but by including that post in your guide, you are giving it a second chance to get noticed and interacted with.
How to Create Instagram Guides
In your Instagram account, go to your profile page. In the top right corner, click the plus symbol, and select ‘Guides’.
Next, choose whether you would like to create a places, products or posts guide.
Places: The places option can be used to feature specific locations within towns or cities that may be interesting or helpful for your followers. This feature is recommended for creating travel guides, curating a list of favorite places to eat, etc.
Products: The products options allows you to create a guide of products that may be interesting or helpful to your followers. This feature is recommended for creating gift guides, sharing must have products, etc.
Posts: The posts feature allows you to use your previous posts or other users posts to curate your guide. Utilizing posts is the most versatile option and is recommended for almost any and every theme. If you choose to include other Instagram users posts, you will first have to go save their post, to then later select it from the saved content when creating your guide. You can add up to 30 posts in a guide.
After you’ve selected the type of guide you are creating, you will choose the content that you would like to add to the guide. The type of content that you can choose from will be based on whether you are creating a places, products or posts guide.
Places: For places, you will be prompted to type in locations that can range broadly from the name of your favorite city to your favorite coffee shop within the city. You will also be able to include locations that are mentioned in your previous posts as well as locations from posts that you have saved.
Products: For products, you will be prompted to choose products only from Instagram accounts that have a shopping page. The products feature will first show you accounts that you follow that have shopping pages but will also allow you to search for other accounts that have shopping pages as well.
Posts: For posts, you will be prompted to choose posts that you have previously posted or posts that you have saved. Choosing posts that you have saved, will allow you to share other Instagram users content as well!
Once you have chosen the content that you wish to include, you will be directed to format your guide. You can begin formatting by choosing a cover photo for the guide. Click ‘Change Cover Photo’ from the bottom left of the cover photo to choose a new image. You will only be able to choose a new image from your previous posts or saved posts. It is important to choose a cover photo that aligns with the theme of your post and to not re-use a photo that will be featured in your guide as that is redundant and your social media abilities are stronger than you realize! You can also add a description for your guide, which is recommended as it will let followers know what they can expect from the guide.
Next, you will have to add a title and description for each specific post within the guide. This will help your followers to understand what you hope for them to take from the guide and how each post is relevant to the overall theme. You can also change the order of the posts within the guide. To do this, click on the 3 dots above the right hand side of any post, and choose ‘Reorder Posts”. Once brought to the next page, hold down on a post and drag it either up or down, to have the post placed higher or lower within the guide. Once you are finished with re-arranging your posts, click ‘Done’.
When finished formatting your content, click ‘Next’ in the upper right hand corner.
5. You will now be on the share screen, where you will have the options to preview, save or share your guide. It is highly recommended that you preview your guide, as it will give a final look as to what the guide will look like once posted. Previewing the guide will also give you the opportunity to catch any last minute mistakes or highlight changes you may want to make. After previewing you can either click ‘Share’ so that the guide will now be available on your profile, or ‘Save as Draft’ for you to post at a later date.
And there you have it, an Instagram Guide! We hope you enjoyed this post and will be able to use this information to elevate your social media presence! Be sure to check out our upcoming blog post “Do’s and Don'ts of Instagram Guides” to learn some tips and tricks of Instagram Guides, and you will soon be an expert!
