If you've ever been overwhelmed when creating an Instagram carousel, or felt concerned it was missing something… this is for you!
By the end of this blog post, you'll have a clear understanding of the five essential elements that every Instagram carousel should have.
Plus, we'll share some insider tips to optimize your carousels for maximum reach and engagement.
What’s in this blog post:
Carousels are some of our most shared Instagram posts! They can perform extremely well for product and service businesses. So let's get into it!
What exactly IS a carousel post?
A carousel is a post with multiple photos or videos. Carousels can be photos, videos or a combination of the two. Up to 10 images or videos can be added and shared as a single post on the feed.
Carousels are great to show collections of items or step by step processes, sharing tutorials or exploring topics that have multiple answers or pain points.
Do you see the 1/7 on the above post? That's showing that there are 7 slides you can swipe through on this carousel.
It is important to remember that the algorithm determines who is seeing your account, and many different factors come into play. One metric being time spent on your account. A really well crafted carousel post can keep someone on your account and contribute to the time spent. Which will help your account get seen by even more people.
But here's the thing, if you haven't optimized your carousels, you might be missing out. Today, we'll reveal the five crucial elements that your carousels posts should include.
The Five Crucial Elements
1. The Hook
Your first slide needs to have a compelling hook that grabs people's attention and makes them want to swipe to see more.
Think of it as the headline of your carousel. It should create curiosity and instantly communicate the value your audience will gain by engaging with the rest of the slides. You should consider a hook every time you post, and carousels are no exception.
2. The Call to Action, or CTA
It's essential to use the last slide of your carousel to guide your audience on the action they should take next. Make it relate to the carousel.
Your CTA is like giving them a little nudge in the right direction. Be clear and specific about the action you want them to take, and don't be afraid to ask for it. Even something as simple as asking them to comment, like or share the post is a great idea!
The above CTA is encouraging our audience to "Save this post so when you feel stumped for your CTA, you can try this out!" Having your posts be saved is a great way for engagement and boosting your visibility.
3. Add Arrows When Possible ➡️
If you are taking the steps to design a carousel with a tool, take the extra step of adding arrows. Don't assume that viewers know your post is a carousel. Sometimes, the carousel may show up on slide 2 or 3, so it's crucial to include visual cues to tell people to swipe.
And it can be so easily done in Canva! Are you a Canva user? Let us know in the comments if you’d like a full blog post on designing in Canva.
You can find arrows AND numbering on the example above.
4. Numbering your slides.
Numbering helps your audience keep track of their progress and know exactly where they are in the tutorial. It adds clarity and structure to your content, making it easier for your audience to follow along and take action.
5. Post Ratio
Consider the size and cropping of your post. Right now, the 4:5 ratio is taking up the most real estate on Instagram. That means it appears larger as people scroll through their feeds. Which is a win! More of a chance to capture their attention.
So, make sure to design your visuals in the 4:5 aspect ratio for maximum visibility. This can easily be set up in Canva or other design tools.
Conclusion
There you have it, the five-point checklist for creating amazing Instagram carousels.
- Hook
- Call To Action
- Arrows
- Numbering
- Ratio
Now if you want to learn more about how to use Instagram marketing to grow your business and need a guide – register for our free training by clicking this link!
In it you'll discover our little-known system that allows you to get customers from Instagram™ in just a few hours per week.
And the best part? You won't have to worry about lip-syncing and doing silly dances to make sales. We'll simplify the process for you.
