Instagram publishes a hard copy handbook for brands

Brands, Instagram is ready to hold your hand.

Major brands are drooling over Instagram’s advertising program, and rightfully so: They have hardly tapped the Facebook-owned social network. But a problem’s afoot: Instagram is attempting to balance, delicately, its dreams of monetization and the obvious risk of self-destruction.

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Unfortunately for the service, that balance isn’t fully up to Instagram — if it wants to scale an advertising program. This is why Instagram is investing so much in setting standards, first with a limited test period to avoid angry protests and now with a physical book for select brands. Here it is, in all of its pixelated glory:

For excluded brands — that’s the majority of them — you’ll have to settle for blog posts instead of the book; Instagram says it’s sharing all of its advice online.

Don’t let yourself believe, however, that these books contain magic, revenue-building tips. Instead, Instagram focuses on the basic elements of advertising: be true to your brand, share experiences, and know your audience.