9 Ways to use Instagram carousels for your business
If you’re looking for an easy way to boost your Instagram engagement and reach (that doesn’t involve making Reels!), look no further than Instagram carousel posts.
If you are not already taking advantage of powerhouse post format, shown to get great engagement and saves, now is the time to add Instagram carousels to your content strategy.
In this post you’ll discover everything you need to know about Instagram carousel posts, ways you can use them for your business, and step-by-step instructions to create your own Instagram carousels with Canva.
what is an instagram carousel post?
Carousels are multi-slide Instagram feed posts that users view by swiping left on the Instagram mobile app or by clicking through on desktop.
Carousel posts can include up to 10x images, graphics, GIFs, or video slides - or a combination of all of these.
why should you use instagram carousels?
Carousel posts have grown in popularity over the last two years and are predicted to continue to be widely shared in 2023.
Carousel slides provide an easy way to share a lot of information in a digestible visual-first format (AKA the future of Instagram content). Sharing high-value content encourages users to follow you and keep coming back to your account for more.
While they can be time-consuming to create, carousel posts pay dividends in terms of performance.
Due to their multi-slide nature, users naturally spend more time on your post than they would for a single image, moving through each slide. Time spent on a post, or “linger time”, is one of the ranking signals Instagram algorithms use to identify quality content.
Likewise, carousel posts have been show to get better reach and engagement.
Hootsuite’s social media team found that, “on average, carousel posts get 1.4x more reach and 3.1x more engagement than regular posts on Instagram” (source: blog.hootsuite.com). Likewise, the scheduling app, Buffer, analysed 184 posts to see if carousels got higher engagement - which they did, by by 2.37%.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that carousel posts are also saved more often. During the course of the research conducted by the Buffer team, they found that carousel posts were saved 2x more than other post formats. (source: Buffer.com).
9 WAYS TO USE instagram carousel posts FOR YOUR BUSINESS
Weekly highlights
Step-by-step-tutorial
Photo dump or slideshow from an event
Share a before and after or client transformation
Showcase your best-selling products or collection
Repurpose the key points from a blog post or podcast
Tell your brand story showing photos from each stage of business
Share lists of books, tools, websites or Instagram accounts you recommend
Answer FAQs about your product or business specifically, or industry-related questions
how to design an instagram carousel WITH CANVA
Step 1: Go to Canva.com and click “Create a design” in the top right-hand corner and search for “Instagram carousel post” for a library of pre-made carousel templates you can edit. Alternatively, create your own carousel from scratch.
Instagram carousel sizes:
Square 1:1 ratio or 1080 x 1080 pixels, or
Vertical 4:5 ratio or 1080 x 1350 pixels (recommended)
Step 2: Choose a template and create up to 10x slides with static images, graphics, GIFs or videos.
Optional:
Hit the “Resize” button (available on a Canva Pro plan) to change the template from square to portrait before you begin editing.
Add elements or images that overlap across slides to create a seamless effect (see example below).
Step 3: Click “Share” and “Download” your design.
Download static slides as a PNG
For video or GIF slides, download each slide individually as an MP4 video.
Now you’re ready to post to Instagram or upload to your favourite Instagram scheduling tool.
Example of a seamless Instagram carousel with overlapping images and elements
How to post an instagram carousel
From the Instagram home screen or from your profile:
Step 1: Click the “+” button to create a new post
Step 2: Tap the option to select multiple images or videos from your camera roll (see image below)
Step 3: Choose the media you wish you use (up to 10x slides) and tap “Next”
Step 4: Add filters or edit the individual slides if desired and tap “Next”
Step 5: Write a caption, tag people, add a location or event and “Share”
Carousel POST TEMPLATES
If you don’t wish to design your own, Your Social Team have a range of done-for-you template packs of seamless carousel posts, like the examples shown below. These can be edited and fully customised in Canva.
Please note: This blog post includes affiliate links, which means, if you purchase via one of these links, I receive a small commission, at no cost to you.