Carousels on Instagram have the best engagement rate of any post type, but they only account for 19% of all Instagram content.

Even though this number is up from 3-4 percent in 2017, Instagram Carousels are still underutilized, especially when compared to other types of content.

Instagram Carousels should be used by everyone, especially brands, to enhance interaction. Furthermore, diversifying your content kinds is an excellent strategy to make the Instagram algorithm work in your favour. You're missing out on a great feature if you're not using Instagram Carousels in your marketing strategy.

The basics of Instagram Carousel posts

Carousels on Instagram allow you to submit up to ten photographs and/or videos in a single post.

To make an Instagram Carousel, follow these steps:

• To make an Instagram post, tap the plus (+) icon.
• The layered square icon should be selected.
• Select up to ten photos/videos from your photo/video library.
• Tap “Next.”
• Edit each photo individually.
• If desired, tap, hold and drag photos to alter the order.
• Select "Share" from the menu.

Images and videos in the Instagram Carousel can be square, landscape, or portrait. The size you select for your first image, however, will be applied to all photos and videos in the Carousel.

Why are Carousel posts more engaging?

Carousels are a great way to increase your Instagram presence because, as Andy Cummings, Sweeny Director of Social Media, explains on Twitter, "[it] increases engagement and time spent on the post simply because there's more to consume." It's also common for carousel posts to appear in the feed multiple times, with a different slide displaying each time.

10 Ways to use Instagram Carousels

Don't expect to get a lot of likes by posting 10 relevant photographs in a single post. With Instagram Carousels, you can be as creative as you want. Also, don't forget to include videos - carousels that include both images and videos have the best engagement rate of any post type on the app. Experiment with these content ideas to evaluate how well they resonate with your target audience.

1. Tutorials

Instagram Carousels are your buddy if your how-to content is too long for an Instagram Reel and too hard to convey in a description.

Tutorials are an excellent method to demonstrate the value of the things you sell. Use still photos, short videos, or a combination of both to provide step-by-step instructions on how to use a given feature. Tutorials aren't only useful in the moment; they're also worth saving. And because saves count into your Instagram engagement ratings, you want users to press that small banner button under your post to save it for later.

Of course, tutorials aren't always about products. Many business accounts utilize Instagram Carousels to give tutorials for everything from cosmetic tips to iPhone hacks.

2. Data and Educational Content

Long-form writing and explanations work well in Instagram captions, but they lack the visual appeal of an image. Create text images and then share the content in an Instagram Carousel post when you have intriguing information to share.

You'll have a hard time enticing folks to read through your caption to discover the statistic or data point, no matter how engaging it is. Use basic graphic representations to illustrate a few crucial topics.

Carousels on Instagram are also great for sharing instructional content. Make a sequence of photos to teach a concept, go over some history, or provide some interesting information.

Because Instagram is such a visual site, photos and videos are the most effective ways to discourage people from swiping straight past your post. If the graphic grabs someone's attention, they're more inclined to read your caption or look at your profile page for more information.

3. Spotlights

Please share the love! Carousel posts on Instagram are a simple way to highlight people, products, and businesses you support.

Make a list of accounts you like, authors you admire, local companies you frequent, or anything else you want to highlight on your account.

Take a peek at the Instagram pages of any animal sanctuary. There's a good chance you'll find Instagram Carousel posts with animals for adoption. While cute animal photographs are always welcome on Instagram, publishing ten back-to-back posts of the same puppy will spread engagement overall ten posts. You can keep all of your likes and comments in one place with Instagram Carousels.

4. Behind-the-scenes content

Everyone enjoys seeing what's going on behind the scenes. However, not all behind-the-scenes photos are Instagram-worthy. You may share the finished product with photographs and videos of the process using Instagram Carousel posts.

"Instagram versus reality" material is one of the most common uses for Instagram Carousel posts. The finely edited finished product does not resemble real life. Showing the altered photo alongside the original version will provide your viewers with the relatable content they crave.

Bloopers are always a hit with the audience, but there are other methods to show off your work. Use Instagram Carousel posts to show how something is manufactured, how to frame the perfect product photo, or how your video setup looks.

5. Engagement prompts

Give your Instagram Carousel posts a cause to be swiped through. While you're at it, encourage folks to swipe left in your caption; studies suggest that posts with "swipe left" generate more engagement than those without.

Prompts like "swipe to learn more" or "swipe for a surprise" may seem overly obvious, yet they work. The promise of a reveal is used by some Instagram accounts to entice followers to connect with their posts. For example, an astrology account might utilize an Instagram Carousel post to combine horoscopes for each zodiac sign and invite viewers to swipe to discover what's in store for each sign.

Another strategy to boost engagement is to post a series of similar photos/videos and then ask people to vote on their favorite. “Which of these ensembles is more your style?” for example. ” or “Here's the same video clip from various perspectives. Which one is your favorite? ”

6. Storytelling

In ten slides or less, tell a tale. To tell a tale, make a short slideshow with images, text, or a combination of the two. Artist James Byrd, for example, uses a combination of illustrations and animations to show off the artwork he makes.

Of course, not every story has to be as high-end as Byrd's. You can also use Instagram Carousels to show the progress of a project, the phases leading up to a product launch, or even the history of your organization.

7. Repurposed content

Why spend so much time and effort crafting outstanding content if you'll only utilize it once? Carousels on Instagram are a great way to repurpose material like blog posts, webinars, events, and more.

It's difficult to promote textual content on Instagram. However, you can utilize Instagram Carousels to generate text image teasers for content, such as blog posts, and then direct them to your bio link to read more. Long-form information, such as white papers or books, can also be repurposed in this fashion – text graphics that offer highlights work well as stand-alone content.

Consider how much content you can reuse by putting up a multi-image series. Quotes from webinars, images from product presentations, and video snippets from a recent event - Instagram Carousels can be used for all of these things and more.

8. Showcase your work

Carousels are a terrific technique to get people's attention and draw notice to your work. Because a Carousel allows you to share multiple slides, you can communicate the story behind your work in greater depth than a single image or video post.

This style of post can be used for a variety of businesses. Showcasing client work on Instagram makes sense. This may also be useful for a software company launching a new feature or an e-commerce company launching a new product.

9. Before and Afters

Demonstrate your transformations. Instead of splitting a single image into two, use Instagram Carousels to share full-sized photos.

From beauty salons to DIY projects, before-and-after posts work effectively in a range of businesses. Instagram Carousels are a terrific method to demonstrate how your product or service improves something.

Consider providing before-and-after content in reverse order: result photographs first, then prior photos. It's always better to draw folks in with stunning pictures on Instagram.

10. User-generated content

It should never be a one-way debate on social media. Including user-generated material on your account is one of the finest methods to interact with your followers. Everyone likes a shout-out, and Instagram Carousels are the ideal way to distribute user-generated content roundups.

Brands can shout their praises all they want, but nothing beats a client testimonial for impact. Share roundups in Instagram Carousel posts to put those excellent reviews to work. Even more powerful are photos of consumers utilizing your goods. Consider this: don't you care more about how a regular person uses a product than someone who is paid to promote it?

However, not all user-generated content must be promotional. It's sometimes enough to simply pump up your fans, give them shout-outs, and thank them for their support.

Do you make use of Instagram Carousels?

Instagram Carousels increased from 3-4 percent of Instagram posts in 2017 to 19 percent in 2020. If you're still avoiding this content format, you're already slipping behind your competition.

On Instagram, you may post content in a variety of ways. While it may be tempting to limit your content types to single-image posts and the occasional Instagram Story, doing so will limit your Instagram development. Start incorporating more Instagram Carousels into your content and be creative with it.