Instagram Carousel Posts 101: What You Need To Know
By Siân Morgan-Owen, The Admin Genie UK
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links for which I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase. I only recommend products I love.
What is an Instagram Carousel Post?
Using one image to showcase an event, what you offer or a new product launch is really hard…how do you pick the right image that sends the right message?
A while ago we got Instagram carousel posts, which allows you to post up to 10 images or a mixture of both images and video on a single post, almost giving the feel of turning the pages of a magazine. Over the years carousel posts have grown from strength to strength.
Instagram Carousel Requirements
Just like regular Instagram posts you can publish carousel posts in portrait, landscape or square formats.
📱 Carousel posts must be made up of 2 or more photos/videos.
📱 Use your best quality images in a .PNG or .JPG format.
📱 Carousel videos should be less then 60 seconds long. A maximum size of 4GB and in a .MP4 or .MOV format.
📱 Sizing must be uniform throughout your Instagram carousel post.
📱 Your carousel post might be telling a story but you still need to add a caption. Make sure you keep it below the Instagram limit of 2200 characters. That includes your call to action and your hashtags.
Strategy for Creating an Instagram Carousel
Firstly, think is a carousel post the right type of post for the message your creating. Maybe a standard post would be sufficient or maybe your message is more suitable to a story on this occasion.
The best way to start is with a concept. Know what message you are trying to get over and what you want your audience to do next.
Make sure your carousel post:
👉 Is eye catching so it grabs your audiences attention.
👉 Is interesting to encourage your audience to swipe.
👉 Has a call to action to tell your audience what to do next.
Creating Your Carousel
You can create your carousel directly into Instagram from your phone or desktop.
Alternatively you can create beautiful flowing Instagram carousel posts using the FREE version of Canva and a free image splitting tool.
Creating carousel posts can be time consuming but there are a variety of Canva templates you can buy reasonably priced that you can brand, recolour and amend to suit your industry and message.
Check out my ‘Canva Carousel Mastery’ training course available in the Genie Template Shop.
Instagram Carousel Post Ideas
Coming up with carousel ideas is hard work so here are some thoughts to give you inspiration.
⭐ Educational such as ‘How to’ based carousels are always received well. Offering your audience tips also helps to position you as an expert in your field.
⭐ Behind the scenes carousels gives your audience an idea of what goes in the background.
⭐ Before and after transformational posts.
⭐ Share your brand story or business journey.
⭐ Recap post if you’ve recently hosted/attended an event or launch.
⭐ Introduce employees, colleagues, affiliates, business networkers etc.
⭐ User generate content like reviews, testimonials, photo of them using your product or service. This helps your KLT (know, like and trust) factor.
⭐ Repurpose content. If you’ve already spent time creating a 5 steps too… blog then recreate it into a carousel post.
Final Thoughts!
Instagram carousel posts are versatile and can be created out of anything.
Plan your message in advance and make sure you’ve got a call to action. Instagram carousel posts are a really great way to boost your brand, engage your audience and increase your sales.
There are plenty of templates out there for you to brand saving you heaps of time.
