If you are new to Instagram, we encourage you to do a simple Google search for “Instagram 101: Understanding the Basics”, which will give you all the information you need to get started and understand how the platform works. Then start exploring the app on your own!

If you are having trouble with your Instagram account you can look for troubleshooting tips in their Help Center or you can report bugs so Instagram can investigate.

Instagram doesn't have a customer support team ready to actively engage with users, but they do have a direct phone number and email, though we suggest visiting their Help Center first.

Instagram Stories is a feature within the Instagram app where users can post short vertical videos that last for only 24 hours. Stories are accessible by tapping the circle around a user’s profile picture, either on their profile or at the top of the home feed. Stories can be modified with filters, text, and stickers.

You can find Jasmine's Instagram Stories Checklist here.
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Instagram Stories do not have public likes or comments. Instead, they have reactions and replies (sent as direct messages) that are only viewable by you. Instagram Stories are shareable only via DMs if a user allows their story to be sent via DM.

You dive deeper into using Instagram Stories >>HERE<<

Instagram Live allows you to share a video broadcast in real-time with your followers. When users broadcast live video streams on their accounts, a ring highlights their profile picture in Instagram Stories to alert followers that they can view the live stream. Live videos typically expire after 24 hours, similar to stories, and your followers can watch (and engage) if they catch it live or they can watch the replay before it expires. Jasmine goes live on Instagram every Tuesday if you would like to watch an example.

In the video below, Jasmine walks you through how to strategically use Instagram Live to connect with your audience and keep them engaged using photos and slides.
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You can also watch this tutorial for a closer look at how to do this yourself. And remember, there is no right way to do the thing! Show up messy, show up real, but show up! We're here to support you.

Instagram Live Rooms are a way to go Live with up to 3 guests (4 speakers total)!

How to Start Your First Live Room

To start your first Live Room, open the Instagram Stories camera and swipe across the bottom of the screen to the “Live” icon.

Then, click on the “Alignment” icon on the left-hand side of the screen to add a title for your Live Room so your audience knows what to expect. *You can also add a fundraiser using the “Heart” icon to the left, to allow your audience to donate while you’re Live.*

Finally, tap the “Live” icon to start your Live Room.

To add guests to your Room once you’re Live, tap the “People” icon in the lower right-hand corner of your screen. Here, you’ll see those who have requested to go Live with you, and you’ll also be able to send requests for guests to join.

Upon ending your Live Room, you will have the option to share the replay to your feed, download the video, or delete it. *We recommend sharing it to your feed or downloading and repurposing it on Facebook, LinkedIn, edited for TikTok, or a podcast for it to reach more of your audience*

Instagram Video is Instagram’s long-form video platform. While a typical video post on Instagram is limited to 1 minute, Instagram Videos can be up to 60 minutes long. In contrast to YouTube, Instagram Video allows both horizontal and vertical video formats.

Have fun experimenting with all three video formats to see what works best for your audience!

Instagram Reels can be found on the Reels tab at the center of the navigation bar! Reels allow you to connect with viewers using short, creative videos, and the Reels tab acts as the stage to share your creativity with the world.

Discover how you can create Reels to grow your business within this Action Plan!

A Carousel is a series of photos on your feed that your audience can scroll through. Rather than posting a single picture, you’ll share two or more on the same topic.

But rather than simply sharing a photo dump of your recent vacation, you can jam-pack a Carousel with value for your audience!

Here are 5 ways to create incredible Carousels:

*Friend, the possibilities are endless!*

Here are a few examples of how we’ve used Carousels on the Social Curator Instagram to build our authority and showcase different aspects of the subscription:

Perfect for any product-based business, the Shop tab offers a great space to sell your product(s) online! With more and more shopping moving virtually, the Shop tab makes it easy for people to find and buy products AND support your business, all within the Instagram app!

You can send other Instagram users private messages called "Direct Messages" (DMs). At Social Curator, one of our favorite ways to do this is by sending personalized audio and video DMs to our current and potential customers!

If you want to get started with sending audio and video messages but you’re not sure where to begin, follow the step-by-step instructions below and you’ll be turning followers into customers in no time.

1. While in your Direct Message chat log with another Instagram user, locate the microphone icon to the right of the message bar.
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2. Tap and hold the microphone icon and record your message by speaking directly into your phone’s speaker.

​Note: There is a 1 minute limit for audio DMs.
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3. Once you’ve finished recording your message, let go of the microphone icon. This will automatically send your message to the user.

4. To delete your message before sending it, drag your finger to the trash icon while recording and release it when the icon turns red.

1. While in your Direct Message chat log with another Instagram user, locate the camera icon to the left of the message bar.

2. Tap the camera icon to open your camera. Tap and hold the camera button to record a video.

​Note: There is a 1 minute limit for video DMs, which will be split into four 15-second clips played in succession.

3. Once you’ve finished recording your message, let go of the camera button. A menu will appear on the bottom of your screen with the following Replay options:

4. To select which Replay option you’d like, simply rotate through the options by scrolling from the left to right at the bottom of your screen. Then click “Send” when the correct option is selected in bold.

Want to learn more about DM's? Action Plan: Instagram Direct Messages: How to Turn Followers into Customers and Action Plan: Growing Your Business with Engaging DMs are two jam-packed Action Plans that teach you how to turn DM conversations into business conversions. Check them out and start sending Direct Messages with ease!

When scrolling through your feed or someone else’s profile and you come across an Instagram post you’d like to save, simply tap the flag icon in the bottom right corner of the post.

If you’d like to save a post to a collection, tap and hold the flag icon, then select a collection you’ve already created or the + to create a new collection.

To find your saved posts and collections on Instagram, tap your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile, tap the hamburger menu in the top right, then tap the flag icon.

“Collabs” is an easy-to-use feature within Instagram. This feature allows you to invite or be invited to co-author feed posts, and Reels with another Instagram user.

What you “collab” on gets credited to both accounts and shared with both creators' audiences.

Let’s take a moment to imagine the possibilities of what this could mean for your business?

Alexandru Voica (@alexvoica) with Meta, gave the low down of this new collab feature, and we’re going to share his breakdown of how easy the collab feature is to use with you below.

From the tagging screen, you can invite another account to be a collaborator on the post or Reel. If they accept, both accounts will appear in the post or Reel header, and it will be shared to both sets of followers.

The post or Reel will live on both Profile Grids and will share organic insights, such as view count, like count, and comment thread.

This is not a way to co-create content, rather to co-author a post or reel.

Here’s what the final post, video, or Reel would look like once the Collab is published:

Easy, right?

Now that you know HOW to use the Collab feature, let’s take a look at 3 ways you could use this feature to increase your discoverability, engagement, and sales…

1. Increase your discoverability by using “Collabs” with another business that has an audience your service/product could also serve.

2. Increase your engagement by using “Collabs” with another Instagram account that has an audience your service/product could also serve.

3. Increase your sales by using “Collabs” with a favorite customer or client who recently gave you a rave testimonial.

As you can see, no matter what kind of service or product-based business you have, putting Instagram’s “Collabs” feature to use is a great way to increase your discoverability, engagement, and sales, because when you co-author a post, Video, or Reel, your audience and reach can grow significantly.

Collaborating with another account not only increases your credibility but also supports another entrepreneur or business owner.

Let’s be real… collaborating has already been a huge part of how people connect on Instagram, discover new accounts, and grow their business. This new “Collabs” feature is just one more tool to add to your social media marketing toolkit.

Remember, this feature is new, so it’s the perfect opportunity to give it a try, and see what’s possible. Like most things, the best way to learn is by doing.

Did you know you can pin up to 3 of your followers’ comments at the top of your Instagram post?

This is a game-changer for business owners in all industries to highlight the comments of your followers!

In fact, it’s even a great way to express gratitude for your engaged followers because they get a notification when their comment is pinned on your post.

It's important to keep in mind that in order for someone to read the comments of any Instagram post, they have to consciously click 'view comments’... EXCEPT for the first pinned comment, which is shown as a preview.

Here are 3 ideas to use the pinned comments feature on Instagram to highlight your follower’s comments.

1. Encourage Engagement

If you ask your followers a fun follow-up question in the Call-to-Action of your post, pin the comments of 3 followers who replied to it.
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For example, if your post is about kitchen redesign, your CTA could be, "What's the most important design element in your kitchen: the backsplash, island, or flooring?"

Then, simply pin a few replies to encourage other readers to engage too!

Another way to use the pinned comment feature is to ask a current or previous customer to leave a testimonial as a comment on your post, then pin it.
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For example, if you post about one of your products or services, pin a followers’ comment that includes a real testimonial of that product or service.

This will keep your post a little less wordy and add a level of third-party validation for your business.

In a post that contains an educational tutorial or behind-the-scenes look at your business, use the pinned comment feature to highlight someone’s question.
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For example, if someone asks you a question about your business that you wish more people would ask, simply pin their comment and post your reply.

Now you might be wondering HOW to pin your followers’ comments.

To pin a comment on Instagram, go to the comments section and follow these steps:

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1. Open the app and then tap your icon in the bottom-right corner.

2. Tap the parallel bars in the top-right corner.

3. Tap "Settings" at the bottom of the menu.

4. Tap "Help" on the next screen.

5. Select "Help Center," and from there you can browse by topic, narrowing in on the issue at hand.