An object information acquisition apparatus, configured to receive an acoustic wave from an object and acquire characteristic information of the object, includes a receiver configured to receive the acoustic wave and convert the received acoustic wave into an electric signal, a scan control unit configured to scan the receiver at least in one direction, and a display control unit configured to produce guide information for displaying a guide on a display unit, wherein the guide is in terms of the number of times the receiver is scanned in a first direction and wherein the guide information is produced using information associated with a specified region defined by a user as a region in which characteristic information is to be acquired.