If you want to stay ahead of the game with your social media marketing, then you should definitely consider using Instagram carousels.

With a carousel post, you can share up to 20 photos or videos in one shot, giving you greater impact for your story. In fact, according to a recent update by Instagram chief Adam Mosseri, "If someone sees your carousel post but they don’t swipe, we’ll often give that carousel a second chance and automatically move to that second piece of media for the viewer."

Industry studies suggest that carousels get on average 154 more interactions compared to single-image or video posts, which means they are great for boosting engagement.

An Instagram carousel post can be used for all different forms of content, whether that be showing off your products, giving thought to more complex ideas, or celebrating achievements with your followers.

If you want to create step-by-step guides, show multiple angles of the same subject, or even take a larger image and spread it over multiple slides, then carousels are perfect.

However, even though they have such great effectiveness, they are still very underused by businesses, and only about 19% of business posts on Instagram are published in a carousel format. That's partially because there's such a large focus on Reels, yet a smart social media manager could recycle their Reels content and create a carousel post from it.

Creativity is the key here. Carousels offer a lot more room for experimenting, and it’s important that you do so in a way that keeps your audience interested.

There is such a big opportunity for you to stand out, so when developing your Instagram strategy, make sure carousel posts on Instagram are a key part of it.

If you learn to use this format effectively, you'll elevate your Instagram game with seamless carousel posts that give your followers more value and keep them coming back to your profile.

In this guide, you'll read about:

How to create an Instagram carousel post

Creating Instagram carousel posts is a simple process that allows you to share multiple images and videos in one go. This is how you can do it, step by step.

1. Selecting your images or videos

To begin with, you must choose the content for your carousel, using photos or videos that tell a story or showcase aspects of your product or event.

The most important thing here is to ensure that you are sharing high-quality, engaging imagery or video content. Aim to share between 3 and 20 visuals that blend well and catch the eye of your followers.

Here's how Dunkin' Donuts engaged followers with their recent Instagram post.

It's also important to remember that the visuals need to be aligned with your brand, so your audience finds it easily recognizable.

Multiple photos and videos can both be used in the same carousel post, so don’t be afraid to get creative.

In a carousel post, you can’t have different aspect ratios on the individual photos and videos. You will either crop the first photo to 1:1 or 4:5 and that will be the ratio set for the remainder of the visuals.

Consider the arrangement of the visuals, thinking about how your followers will swipe through. Aim for a logical flow that guides them smoothly through the post.

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2. Editing and arranging the slides

When you have the content you want for your carousel post, you then need to edit and arrange it. All you have to do is select the "multiple squares" icon, which will allow you to select multiple images or videos.

In the Instagram app, you can find this icon after tapping the "+" icon to create a new post, and then you'll find the multiple squares icon located below the image.

Choose the visuals you'd like to use and arrange them in the desired order. Each visual will be numbered based on the sequence you select. If you want to rearrange them later, simply tap "Next" and move them around to adjust their order on the editing screen.

At this point, you can also apply filters either to all the slides as a whole or edit each visual individually.

Editing options include brightness, contrast, and other settings such as cropping and zooming. However, it's probably best to use a design tool or photo editing software beforehand to ensure the entire carousel post on Instagram lines up properly.

For accessibility purposes, you can also head to advanced settings and then write in "alt text" for each image.

Once you’re happy with all your edits, you can tap "Next" and then head into add your caption, location, and tags. Then finally, your carousel post is ready to go.

Best practices to elevate your Instagram game

Instagram carousels boost engagement in a way that isn't possible on other social sites. They tell your story while also maintaining an engaging Instagram feed that doesn't look cluttered.

There are some key strategies to follow that will help you create a compelling carousel post that produces the results you want.

Telling a story with your carousel post

A strong opener is crucial because this is what will immediately grab the attention. You can also consider a swipe call to action on the visual to encourage the user to engage with the post.

Here's an example from Oreo using "swipe to see" on the first slide of his carousel, guiding viewers to swipe to the next slide.

Each slide must build on the narrative that you are getting across, revealing something new. It needs a flow to it that has a thought and encourages users to swipe through.

A successful Instagram carousel post looks and reads seamlessly, so consider mixing text and visuals to tell your story effectively. Captions are also important as they add context and explain your ideas in more detail.

Here's a mixed-media Instagram carousel post by Buzzfeed.

You should come up with unique ways to keep your followers engaged with your carousel posts. One way might be, if you’re a business, to do a carousel post displaying your most viewed or sold products over the last month.

One of the most in-trend forms of carousel posts right now are photo dumps. Photo dumps are a collection of visuals over a period of time, or it might be something as simple as a "weekend recap."

A sports team might do this, for example, by publishing a series of photos from a recent game in a single post. Or a musician might publish one seamless panoramic image of their recent concert. 

Mixing content types

You should vary your carousel content to keep things refreshed and on trend. Make sure you combine photos, videos, graphics, and text slides.

Using diverse content ideas will appeal to different followers and also give you a better understanding of what your audience engages with.

Consistency is also key. Once you understand what resonates with your audience, maintaining a steady flow of posts and a consistent brand presence will keep them engaged.

Use data visualizations or infographics that clearly demonstrate information and the story you are trying to tell.

Another way to mix up your content is using an Instagram carousel splitter.

An Instagram carousel splitter will allow you to spread one image over several slides. If, for example, you have a 16:9 image, but you want the aspect ratio of your carousel to be 1:1, you can split the image in half and spread it over two slides.

This creates a seamless Instagram carousel that will hugely elevate your social media game and have a greater impact on your engagement.

Another way to utilize this is by layering images on one another. This can be useful if you want to get even more images into a post and will really catch the eye of your audience.

In this example, REI is telling a story, staging the scene over three images.

Alcoholic beverage brand White Claw quite literally split the image into two images within a carousel.

There are many ways you can use Instagram carousel posts to educate, inform, and tell stories to your audience.

Educational posts and tutorials

Step-by-step guides are a great way to use Instagram carousel posts by breaking down complex ideas into an engaging tutorial.

Make sure to come up with a catchy title that immediately grabs attention. From there, use each slide to explain a different stage to the tutorial.

Text overlays should be used to highlight your key points, and they also help visual learners absorb the information more clearly.

Also, don’t be afraid to mix up your content with a range of photos, graphics, and video clips to keep things interesting for your follower base.

Finally, include a clear call-to-action that encourages followers to save the post for later or share it to their story.

Product showcases and promotions

If you’re looking to sell on Instagram, then carousel posts make your job a lot easier. You can use them to show different aspects of your product or service.

Start with the best shot to draw users in, then add more details in the following slides.

A mix of lifestyle and close-up shots will help users immerse themselves in your product or service.

Adding pricing will add to the engagement, especially if you connect your account to your shop, which will enable you to add price tags and take followers directly to your product.

User-generated content (UGC)

Instagram carousel posts are a brilliant way to showcase UGC. You can ask your followers to send in images and videos of them using your product or service and share it in a photo dump style that takes your credibility to a whole new level.

When doing so, remember to tag each user (get permission first!) as it will build your sense of community and encourage others to want to get involved and share their own experiences.

Another interesting way to do this is to mix UGC with your own branded content. This will create a more balanced feed and build trust between your brand and the real world.

There are some key design principles you should consider to make your carousel posts stand out.

Maintaining a consistent aesthetic

Think about your brand as a whole, and how you want that to be represented on social media.

You need to choose a color scheme that not only reflects your brand but also styles your carousel posts in a way that will appeal to your followers.

Maintain consistency by finding filters on photos that you like and stick to the same ones across your feed.

Consistency in this area as well as text font and placement will help your users build a deeper connection.

Tools like Canva are a great way to achieve this, as they have built-in templates that you can use and edit to fit your brand. You can also use it to create your own Instagram carousel templates.

Using this approach will help build credibility for your brand and make you far more visually appealing.

You can also use the Facebook Business Suite (Meta), linked to your Instagram account to help you organize and schedule Instagram carousel posts.

Scheduling carousels with Meta Business will help you stay on top of your workflow, and it'll use AI to show when your audience is most active. 

Designing seamless transitions

A seamless carousel post on Instagram will flow smoothly from one slide to the next.

To achieve this, use visual CTAs or layering that connects each slide. This can also be something like a continuing background image or graphic that connects the carousel together.

To get that truly seamless look, you can consider creating one long panoramic image that is split into quadrants and spread over the course of the carousel.

Save these images in JPEGs or PNGs to achieve the best quality.

Also, pay close attention to how the slides align with each other and ensure that there are no jarring transitions that don’t look good on the eye.

By using this technique, you'll keep your follower base engaged, always encouraging them to swipe through the entire Instagram carousel post.

Frequently asked questions

As explored in this article, there are a lot of different ways that Instagram carousel posts can be used and as a result, have many creative possibilities.

Let’s now look at some common questions that may arise as a result to ensure you utilize this feature effectively.

Make sure your images flow together visually to create seamless carousel posts.

Consistency is always key – it helps your audience easily recognize your brand and keep engaging with your content.

Use consistent colors, fonts, and style across your creations and slides to maintain this.

A panoramic effect on photos split across multiple slides as well as layering content, gives you greater creative variety.

The Instagram app will let you easily rearrange slides to fit your flow how you want it to. There are also tools like Brandwatch that help you schedule Instagram carousels to streamline how you manage your social media.

It's recommended that your images and videos for an Instagram carousel post are 1080 x 1080 (1:1), and that is because the square post format works well for both mobile and desktop and keeps your user engaged as a result.

A great quick win you can do is to use high-quality images that will look sharp and crisp on all devices.

Are there creative ideas for using Instagram carousels effectively?

A big reason for Instagram carousels being successful is their ability to tell a story in a compelling way.

A quick and easy example of this is "before and after" shots. You might have a product where you can showcase before and after shots of your product in use that prove why it’s reliable.

They are also good for recaps, showing behind-the-scenes content, and also more recently, for interactive quizzes.

Yes, Canva offers many templates and pre-made carousels that can help you with your content.

These are all easily customizable, and you can even add your own images and text.

Templates are a great way to maintain consistency in your brand and keep the same flow across your slides.

As of August 2024, you can now add up to 20 visuals on your Instagram carousel, up from the usual 10.

This gives you even more flexibility in your content and can add even more to the story you’re trying to tell.

It also enables you to be more flexible in layering and get more creative with your slides.

What are the best practices for using Instagram carousels in 2024?

High-quality imagery first. That is the key thing to maintain when creating a carousel post.

Make sure the first slide is as eye-catching as possible to encourage users to swipe through and mix your content up with photos, graphics, text, and videos.

Ensure that you have a clear call-to-action on the last slide that gives the audience a reason to interact, and include more information in the text below your post.

Don’t be afraid to experiment before eventually finding consistency that builds a good relationship with your followers. Eventually, you'll create an Instagram feed that looks and feels like your brand.