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Aug 22, 2022
Have you seen other Instagram users share guides and considered doing the same? Because IG Guides are a relatively new Instagram feature, you may be curious about how to create them and what purposes they serve.
If that's the case, you're in luck!
In this post, the best Florida internet marketing company (that's us!) will tell you everything you need to know about Instagram Guides. We'll also explain how they work and how you can make one.
Instagram Guides are a way for Instagram users to collect and organize previously shared content. Creating an IG Guide is a great way to offer your followers new content or products. With just a single tap, your followers can browse through all the posts and products in your IG Guide.
Instagram first introduced Guides at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new feature initially focused on wellness topics to assist users.
According to Instagram, Guides are intended to help its users find recommendations, tips, and other content from their favorite artists, public figures, organizations, and publications they follow.
Basically, you can think of it as a blog post on Instagram because it can include text, photos, galleries, and videos.
IG Guides are available in a new tab on a user's profile page. Look for the booklet icon between the photo grid and tagged photo icons. If you don't see the icon, it's because that user hasn't published any Guides yet.
IG Guides are also in the Shop tab. When you find a Guide, you can post it on your Instagram Stories and send it to people directly.
When Instagram Guides were first trialed in early 2020, only a small group of content creators could use the feature to post about mental health and overall well-being.
However, in November 2020, Instagram made the feature available to all its users. It has also increased the variety of content available in IG Guides.
From your Instagram profile, tap the + icon in the upper-right corner.
Select Guide from the Create pop-up menu.
After selecting the Guide option from the Create pop-up menu, you will be presented with the three IG Guide types listed below:
Remember that Guides only choose content from Instagram feed posts, not Instagram Stories. If any Instagram Reels or IGTV posts have been shared on the feed, they can be added to Guides.
When selecting posts in any Guide options, tap on the thumbnails of the posts you want to add. The number you selected in the sequence will be displayed in the corner. The posts will be uploaded in the following order, with the first post appearing at the top of the Guide.
If you want your content to appear in chronological order based on the date it was created, choose the oldest content first.
After you've decided on the content for your guide, click Next. You will be directed to the format page, where you can customize the details of your guide.
Your Instagram Guide must have a title. If it doesn't, you'll get an error message when you try to move on to the next step.
We recommend using titles that are clear and concise. If you want more detail and context than the title, you can add a description in the "What is this guide about?" section.
Understanding that you cannot move the cover image by dragging it is critical. Instead, select a photo from your feed and tap Change Cover Photo.
This will only change the cover image, not the posts in your guide. Remember, you cannot use a custom image as the cover photo; instead, you must choose one from your feed or saved posts.
Most Instagram posts are formatted in a 1:1 square format, but the guide cover is a 3:4 portrait size that crops your image appropriately.
Once you have your image, you need to create a title for each post in the guide. Because the guide will not pull any captions or information from the original post, you must give it a title and, if desired, a brief description.
If you want to add more posts to the guide at this point, go to the bottom of the formatting page and click the + Add Posts button.
When you've finished formatting your Instagram guide and its posts, tap Next in the upper-right corner of the screen to move on to the next step.
You can see a preview of your Guide from the Share screen by tapping on Preview below the cover image. Tap Share if you're ready to share it. You could also tap "Save as Draft" to finish editing it later.
Yes, you are free to share your Instagram guide. You can send it to someone via direct message (DM) or Instagram Stories. Anyone who views your guide has the option of sharing it.
To share a guide (yours or someone else's), tap the Share icon (the paper airplane icon) in the upper right corner.
In the pop-up menu, you'll have the option to share it in your Stories or send it via DM. If you send it via DM, you can include a message explaining why you're sending it to that specific person or group.
You could promote your new guide by sharing it on Instagram Stories to show people what's inside and encourage them to check it out for tips, resources, and information.
Instagram Guides are an underused but valuable type of social media content that you can use to improve your social media marketing strategy.
But we know how hard it can be to manage all your social platforms and keep up with the new features and types of content that are constantly being added.
If social media marketing is a challenge for you, you can get help from the best Florida internet marketing company!
At Digital Resource, we can handle your social media strategy so you can focus on running your business and making sales.
Contact us today for a free consultation.
Think you've got what it takes to hang with the pros at Digital Resource? Check out our Careers page to browse current job openings!
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