Master Instagram Guides: Curate, Influence, and Convert 🚀

Instagram Guides transformed how creators, brands, and influencers curated content—helping audiences discover and consume resources in a seamless, blog-like format. Though Instagram sunsetted Guides by late 2023, their strategic approach to content curation, storytelling, and engagement still inspires top-performing Instagram content strategies. This guide dives deep into best practices, actionable steps, and pro insights to help you leverage Instagram’s evolving content tools for maximum impact.

What Are Instagram Guides? 📖

Instagram Guides were designed to let users compile and organize posts, products, or places into a scrollable, narrative format—much like a mini-blog within your Instagram profile. Guides enabled creators and brands to:

✔️ Curate themed resources and recommendations
✔️ Add commentary and context to collections
✔️ Drive deeper engagement through storytelling

There were three main types of Instagram Guides:
✔️ Place Guides (location-based recommendations)
✔️ Product Guides (shoppable collections)
✔️ Post Guides (curated posts on a theme or topic)

While the Guides feature has been retired, the principles behind their success are essential for any curation-based Instagram content strategy today.

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Why Instagram Guides Mattered for Growth 📈

Instagram Guides provided a format for brands and creators to:

✔️ Aggregate valuable posts for repeat engagement
✔️ Share expertise and resources in an organized, user-friendly way
✔️ Establish authority and thought leadership in your niche
✔️ Increase discoverability as Guides could be promoted in Stories and Highlights

For marketers: The curated format led to longer session times, improved retention, and a higher likelihood of followers acting on CTAs within guides.

Step-by-Step: How Instagram Guides Worked 📝

Creating Your First Guide

To craft an Instagram Guide, users would:

✔️ Tap the "+" icon and select "Guide"
✔️ Choose from Places, Products, or Posts
✔️ Select up to 30 items to include
✔️ Add a compelling title and introduction
✔️ Write descriptions for each item to offer value and context

Pro Tip:

Use concise, benefit-driven copy for each section to maximize engagement and shares.

Instagram Guides turned profiles into living resource hubs for followers.

Best Practices for Instagram Guides 🏆

1. Define Your Purpose and Audience

✔️ Identify the goal: education, inspiration, product promotion, etc.
✔️ Tailor your content and tone to your ideal followers
✔️ Focus on value: solve a specific problem or answer common questions

2. Organize with a Clear Structure

✔️ Start with an engaging introduction—explain what the guide covers
✔️ Group related posts logically (by theme, topic, or purpose)
✔️ Use section headings for easy navigation

3. Prioritize High-Quality Content

✔️ Curate only your best-performing, most relevant posts
✔️ Use eye-catching visuals and consistent branding
✔️ Refresh guides as you publish new content

4. Write Compelling Descriptions

✔️ Add value by explaining the relevance of each featured post
✔️ Use storytelling to connect emotionally
✔️ Include clear, actionable CTAs within the guide and each section

5. Leverage Cross-Promotion

✔️ Share guides to Stories and Highlights for maximum reach
✔️ Collaborate with other creators or brands to co-promote guides
✔️ Announce new guides in captions and via IG Lives

6. Optimize for Search and Discovery

✔️ Use relevant keywords in titles and descriptions
✔️ Add hashtags and geo-tags where appropriate
✔️ Choose cover images that stand out in feed and search

7. Analyze and Iterate

✔️ Monitor engagement metrics (views, saves, shares, profile visits)
✔️ Update or archive underperforming guides
✔️ Ask for feedback and experiment with new formats or themes

Use Cases: How Brands and Creators Excelled 🌟

✔️ Retailers: Gift guides, product launches, seasonal roundups
✔️ Influencers: Educational series, tips collections, “best of” resources
✔️ Travel brands: City guides, itinerary suggestions, themed experiences
✔️ Nonprofits: Resource lists, awareness campaigns, supporter spotlights

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Features of Instagram Guides 🛠️

✔️ Curate up to 30 posts, products, or places
✔️ Add custom titles, intros, and section descriptions
✔️ Choose cover images for each guide
✔️ Share guides via Stories, Highlights, or DMs
✔️ Edit or update guides anytime

FeatureDescription
✔️ Curated CollectionsOrganize posts, products, or places by theme or topic
✔️ Customizable TitlesCraft attention-grabbing guide headlines
✔️ Narrative IntrosAdd engaging introductions and context
✔️ Section DescriptionsProvide explanations and CTAs for each item
✔️ Visual CoversChoose or upload a standout cover image
✔️ ShareabilityPromote guides in Stories, Highlights, and DMs
Alert: Instagram Guides are no longer available as of late 2023.

Pros and Cons of Instagram Guides ⚖️

Pros Cons
✔️ Easy content curation
✔️ Increases session duration
✔️ Showcases expertise
✔️ Drives more engagement
✔️ Content repurposing
 ❌ No longer available as of late 2023
❌ Limited to 30 items per guide
❌ No native analytics specific to guides
❌ Not integrated with all Instagram features

Instagram Guides Pricing 💲

PlanPriceFeatures
Instagram Guides Free ✔️ Curate, edit, and share guides
✔️ No cost for using guides
Storytelling in Guides builds trust and authority faster than sporadic posts.

Use Cases & Expert Tips 💡

Popular Use Cases

✔️ “Start Here” guides for new followers
✔️ Product recommendations or gift roundups
✔️ City, restaurant, or travel guides
✔️ Educational resources or FAQ collections
✔️ Brand storytelling and behind-the-scenes tours

Expert Tips

✔️ Repurpose high-performing content into themed guides
✔️ Collaborate with industry partners for broader reach
✔️ Use Guides as lead magnets by offering exclusive resources

Pro Tip: Group posts thematically and use concise descriptions for higher engagement.

Alternatives & Comparison 🔄

ToolKey FeaturesBest For
Instagram Guides ✔️ Curated resource collections
✔️ Storytelling and commentary
✔️ Integrated with Instagram feed
 Brands, creators, educators
Instagram Highlights ✔️ Save Stories permanently
✔️ Organize by theme
 Story-driven content
Instagram Carousels ✔️ Multiple images/videos per post
✔️ Step-by-step walkthroughs
 Tutorials, storytelling
Link in Bio Tools ✔️ Drive traffic to multiple resources
✔️ Custom landing pages
 External content curation
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Customer Reviews 🌟

★★★★★
"Game-Changer for Content"
"Instagram Guides made it so easy to curate my best tips and resources! My followers loved the organized format."
– @wellnesswithmaya
★★★★★
"Perfect for Product Launches"
"Loved using Guides for our seasonal product roundups—so easy for customers to browse!"
– @thecozyedit
★★★★☆
"Drives Real Engagement"
"My guides consistently got more saves and shares than regular posts. Wish Instagram kept this feature!"
– @socialsavvycoach
★★★★★
"Resourceful & User-Friendly"
"Guides let us create a ‘Start Here’ for new followers—so valuable for onboarding."
– @mindfulbiztools
★★★★☆
"Boosted My Brand Story"
"Curating guides helped me tell a cohesive story across my posts—great for branding!"
– @styletales

Frequently Asked Questions

Instagram Guides were a feature that allowed users to curate posts, products, or places into themed, narrative-driven collections within their profile.

No, Instagram Guides were sunset by the end of 2023 and are no longer available as a feature.

There were three types: Place Guides (locations), Product Guides (shoppable products), and Post Guides (curated posts on a topic).

Users tapped the "+" icon on their profile, selected "Guide," chose a type, selected up to 30 items, and added titles and descriptions for each section.

No, after the sunset of the feature, existing Guides are no longer accessible on profiles.

Guides allowed users to curate and organize content, improve discoverability, and provide deeper storytelling and value to their audience.

Instagram allowed up to 30 posts, products, or places per guide.

Use Instagram Highlights, carousels, or external link-in-bio tools for content curation and resource sharing.

Share guides in Stories, Highlights, and DMs, and collaborate with other creators or brands to expand reach.

Yes, you could update, add, or remove posts, edit descriptions, and change the guide cover at any time.

Product Guides could feature shoppable products, making it easy to recommend, review, and link directly to items for sale.

Start with a clear intro, use headings for each section or theme, add valuable commentary, and finish with a strong call to action.

No, Instagram did not provide separate analytics for Guides—users relied on engagement metrics like saves, shares, and profile visits.

Yes, the principles of curation, storytelling, and thematic collections can be applied to Highlights, carousels, and external resources.

Guides were permanent and organized, while Stories were ephemeral unless saved as Highlights.

Yes, as long as the post was public and saved to your “Saved” collection, you could include it in your guide.

Place Guides helped users compile and recommend locations, such as city guides, travel itineraries, and local business roundups.

Guides were public and visible on your Instagram profile for anyone to view.

Carousels and Highlights are excellent for step-by-step tutorials and organizing educational resources.

Yes, Guides were indexed in-app, improving your discoverability and making your resources more findable via search and hashtags.

A great title was concise, descriptive, keyword-rich, and compelling to encourage clicks and shares.

No, Guides had to be published manually; scheduling was not available.

Guides supported product links via Instagram Shopping, but not general external links.

The ideal guide was focused—typically 6 to 15 items—balancing depth with easy scrollability.

Small businesses used Guides for FAQs, product highlights, customer stories, and resource collections to build trust and loyalty.

Yes, if you share their Stories to your own Highlights (with proper credit), you can curate community content.

Use keyword-rich titles, relevant hashtags, and share the guide in Stories and Highlights for maximum reach.

Yes, any video posts saved or published could be added to a Guide, offering multimedia storytelling.

Track engagement via profile views, saves, shares, DMs, and follower growth after publishing a new guide.

Apply the same organizational, storytelling, and curation techniques to Instagram Highlights, carousels, and external resource hubs.

Conclusion & Key Takeaways 🎯

Instagram Guides demonstrated the power of curated, story-driven content in building audience trust and authority. Even as the feature is no longer available, you can apply its best practices to Instagram Highlights, carousels, Stories, and external link-in-bio tools. Focus on organization, clear value, and narrative context to keep your audience engaged and coming back for more.

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