7 tips to make Instagram carousel posts more attractive and perform best

one of the The biggest Instagram update of the year It is no longer just a photo sharing app to become official.

Now you can do more on Instagram through videos, shopping experience, etc.

This does not mean that Instagram no longer applies to images. But it does mean that when you share them, you need to make it work.

All these changes mean that you need to seriously consider carousels as an important part of your publishing strategy.

why?

research shows, Carousel is the most attractive post type on the platform.

What is an Instagram carousel post?

If you are unfamiliar, these are “album-style” posts in your feed, which can contain up to 10 pictures or photos at a time.

When someone sees a post in their feed for the first time, it will show the first photo as the cover of the post. But unlike the regular picture post in the feed, if the user does not participate, it has a chance to show again, this time showing the next picture.

Whether you are marketing an e-commerce brand with a “photo dump” style carousel function UGC of your product Or an educational brand creates useful and worth saving infographics to teach your audience that carousels are a great way to structure content in an easy-to-understand and engaging way.

Here are some best practices for making an engaging Instagram carousel.

1. Remember the basic copywriting and content principles

First, remember that the Instagram carousel is just another copy of the strategy.

If it helps, you can even brainstorm and conceive the post as an article, and then format the draft to fit the carousel after conceiving the draft.

One of the most effective techniques: Know your audience and talk to them directly As an individual.

Even if you are on a public platform where hundreds or thousands of people will read your posts, you want every reader to feel that you are having a private conversation with them.

An easy way is to use a language like “you” instead of “you” or “all of you”.

You also need to make sure you are in a leading position The most compelling information or image For readers, think about “what is good for them” throughout the carousel.

2. Use the first picture as a “rolling top hat”

The first image in the carousel is essentially its hook or “first screen” real estate.

You will want Treat the first picture Just like the title picture or title.

One of its goals is to get people to stop and pay attention.

no others.

The rest of the carousel, such as other images and titles, can handle other goals of the post and convey the main message.

Consider saving the first image space for the most eye-catching photos in the photo carousel.

If you are creating an infographic, consider keeping the first slide as a short and bold statement to draw people to the rest of the information.

You have 10 complete images to convey your complete message. Let the first image do its job and keep it simple.

3. Encourage people to swipe their cards

Once you get people’s attention with the first slide, you want to keep them scrolling.

As with any marketing campaign, the best way to get someone to do what you want to do is Prompt or ask them.

Just add a simple line to your headline with a sliding call to action. For example, influential people often say “➡️ Swipe to see more!”

For anyone who hasn’t noticed before, this simple sentence not only indicates that the post is a carousel. It also adds a little curiosity to people who were not forced to swipe their cards before reading.

Another thing brands and influencers often do is to add a Visual signal In the image, it is like the arrow pointing to the right in all images except the final image. You can also use a continuous line or shape to “stretch” all images.

4. Make sure that each slide can be used independently

When designing the carousel slides and information sequence, what else do you want to keep in mind?

You want each slide to stand independently.

When you scroll from your profile and share each slide to your story, have you ever encountered another brand’s carousel because they all resonated a lot?

This is the ultimate goal here.

You never know which image will be the first image people encounter, because people can share specific images in their stories and messages.

In addition, once the user sees the first picture, the post may reappear in their feed, showing other pictures. All images are a potential entry point.

This means someone should be able to Guess the overall theme Or the theme of each image in the carousel.

5. Maintain all cohesion

When you try to shape each image into something that can be independent, make sure you don’t accidentally design 10 separate graphics instead of a cohesive slide.

You want the image to feel like part of a series.

Some ways you can do this are:

• use Same font and color The entire graphic (brand guidelines should make this easy).
• use The same editing filters, styles or presets in the photo.
• feature Similar or related products.
• Put one Series title or watermark In the header or footer area of ​​each slide.
• use Same design template For each graph.

Generally speaking, this is all the parts of having a cohesive brand, it can help you Build brand awareness The same is true on Instagram.

Once you have mastered the creation of cohesive carousels, you can try to ensure that all your posts are also blended together.

6. Avoid information flooding

It is also important to remember that adding up to 10 minutes does not mean you want to fill any other post with 10 times more information.

A better mindset for handling Instagram carousels is: You have more space to convey the same amount of information.

Let the content breathe.

For the photo carousel, try not to make each photo become a minimalist, busy, reduced photo. Let the audience zoom in on the details of the scene.

For infographics, Don’t try to memorize There are multiple sentences on one slide. Make sure there is enough padding around the text so that you can read it easily without facing the phone directly to your face.

You want to avoid the passive reeler being unable to take action due to too much information.

7. Remember accessibility

Finally, remember that including more images in your Instagram posts means more accessibility to visually impaired users.

Forgetting that users with disabilities will reduce a significant portion of the potential audience, otherwise they will want to interact with your content.

You can Add alternative text to images In the post editor when creating a carousel.This is also useful Add picture description Headlines or first comments for those who use devices that don’t show them alternate text.

Keep them swiping

With these tricks, you will publish Instagram carousel posts that will make people like, share, and comment on more than just static images.

Between the image sliding and the conversation they will start, this is one of the most effective ways to increase Instagram engagement.

Now you can start!

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Featured image: vector_IT/Shutterstock