We all understand the curiosity, right?
Possibly your favorite person posts an Instagram Story, and you cannot keep yourself from viewing it!
You anticipate what they post, and your anticipation grows with every passing story slide—in curiosity for what’s next.
Instagram is clever. They took this exact idea and human nature and turned it into one of their most amazing features: the Instagram Carousels.
Instagram carousel posts have become a hot favorite social media content type and are growing in popularity like never before.
In 2017, 3 to 4% of Instagram content comprised carousel posts. But in July 2020, the ratio shot up to 19%, which was almost tripled!
So, want to create a seamless Instagram carousel to boost engagement?
We’ve got you covered!
In this article, we’ll provide expert tips and insights on creating and using Instagram carousel posts.
Read the blog and discover how to use Instagram scheduler to create and manage engaging Instagram posts and carousels.
Create, Schedule, and Grow — All From One Platform!
Schedule your content today and stay ahead on Instagram. Try Social Champ!
Short Summary
- A carousel is a post similar to a slideshow and consists of several images or videos that users may swipe through.
- Carousel has more highest engagement rate than single images and video.
- Carousel works best because of its striking layout, especially when the first slide is visually appealing.
- Carousels are ideal for tutorials, infographics, product launches, instructional posts, and narratives.
- Social Champ allows users to schedule carousel posts with relevant hashtags and eye-catching captions.
- Case studies, blog promotions, and behind-the-scene glimpses are the best content for the carousel.
What Is an Instagram Carousel?
An Instagram carousel is a post containing more than one photo or video.
Users can view a carousel post by swiping left on it through the phone app, or desktop users can view it by clicking on the arrow button on the right of a post.
You can think of it as a slideshow of images where users can control the pictures themselves and won’t rush out of time to understand the information.
Instagram carousels are the only content type with the highest engagement among all post types.
They are a great way to get people to pause and engage with your content, specifically if the first slide is aesthetic and appealing.
So, it’s safe to say that Instagram carousels outperform both photo and video posts in terms of engagement.
They perform well on the platform due to their eye-catching designs and sleek visuals for the viewers.
Users can share up to 10 photos in a carousel post and add a call to action on the first page.
This lets the user swipe left to read more about the topic.
Carousels hit engagement rates between 1.65% and 5.40%, depending on follower size.
According to the latest Instagram stats, this is higher than the average platform engagement rate, which is 1.22%.
Here are some important Instagram carousel statistics that you should check out!
When to Use Instagram Carousels
If you are running a digital business, then below are some of the best ways to use an Instagram carousel post:
- Educational content
- Data and analytics
- Infographics
- Tutorials
- Break articles in the form of tips/hacks
- Brand storytelling
- Before-and-after reveals
- Photo dumps
- Product reveals
- Essential components
- Product/brand updates
- User-generated content
- Event highlights
- Behind-the-scenes looks
Instagram Carousel Size Requirements
When creating a carousel post on Instagram, following the size requirements and specifications is essential.
Design and optimize your posts with the three aspect ratio options in mind:
- Square (1:1)
- Horizontal (1.91:1)
- Vertical (4:5)
For images, Instagram recommends a resolution of 1080 x 1080 pixels.
Videos can have a minimum resolution of 600 x 600 pixels and a maximum resolution of 1080 x 1080 pixels.
Create aesthetic visuals and push them to publish immediately or schedule them for later using a single dashboard of Social Champ!
How to Create a Carousel Post on Instagram
To create an Instagram carousel:
- Tap the plus (+) sign to create an Instagram post.
- Select the layered square icon.
- Choose up to 10 photos/videos from your library.
- Tap “Next.”
- Edit each image individually.
- Tap, hold, and drag images to rearrange the order.
- Tap “Share.”
Instagram carousel images and videos can be square, landscape, or portrait.
However, whatever size you choose for your first image will be applied to all photos and videos in an Instagram carousel.
You can use multiple Instagram tools to boost your content’s reach and growth.
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How to Schedule an Instagram Carousel Post
Use Social Champ!
Social Champ is a social media scheduler with which you can schedule Instagram carousel posts for your business profile.
With this tool, you can schedule your Instagram content in advance with captions, images, and hashtags.
You can automate your Instagram management with Social Champ and schedule daily posts with high-quality visuals, tagging, mentions, hashtags, and captions.
Scheduling an Instagram carousel post via Social Champ is super easy.
Here is what you have to do.
- Login to your Social Champ account.
Log In to Social Champ - Click on the ‘Add Media’ icon
Click “Add Media” - You can upload your post from your PC or from Google Drive or Dropbox.
Upload Your Posts From PC, Google Drive or Dropbox - Select your posts, schedule them, or push them to the queue for automated posting.
Schedule Your Carousel Post
The tool recently rolled out the new feature of scheduling Instagram Reels from Social Champ.
With this tool, you can directly post and push your reels to schedule.
Furthermore, Social Champ also allows you to track the Instagram analytics of the post to make data-driven decisions.
You can easily monitor Instagram-specific engagement metrics to gain valuable insights and download reports on audience engagement.
You can schedule the first comment for any of your posts directly and reply to comments and messages with saved replies.
This way, you can increase response rates among the audience and achieve a clean Social Inbox.
Social Champ’s free plan is also a win-win for social media managers.
If you start with Instagram for business, you can use Social Champ’s free plan to schedule your posts for the platform.
How to Create an Instagram Carousel Using Social Champ
Let’s come to the most fun and exciting part: creating an Instagram carousel with Social Champ.
Since the dashboard integrates completely with Canva (an all-rounder for Instagram carousel), one can easily start with a slideshow of amazing content. Let’s get started.
- Login to your Social Champ account.
Social Champ’s Log In Page - Now, in the “Content Composer” section. Click on the plugin sign called “Integration.”
Click the Plug-In Sign - Select Canva to create a design.
Click “Canva” - A window will open, taking you to Canva’s main screen. You can then create designs as you like!
Create Design With Canva
Social Champ is a third-party scheduler that you can use to schedule your content for multiple social media platforms.
It has free and multiple paid plans, premium integrations, and features.
So, Social Champ is a smart choice to manage all your socials.
Engage Your Audience With Every Carousel — Get Social Champ!
Schedule and automate your Instagram carousels and posts and maximize your reach effortlessly!
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10 Ways to Use Instagram Carousels
If a picture is worth 1000 words, the Instagram carousel is worth ten times more, and we can vouch for this due to its increased engagement.
Here are the most popular 10 ways to use Instagram carousel posts for your business.
Keep reading for more information.
Educational Posts
View this post on InstagramSocial media has become oversaturated with content, and the competition keeps growing by the hour.
So, how do you secure your place on the feed?
Here is the secret sauce to attain success.
You can steal the limelight by posting high-quality content that is valuable, unique, and completely aligned with your and your audience’s values.
At this point, educational posts will help you tick all of these boxes.
You can include your perspective on the matter and offer your expert advice to help your audience.
Blog Promotion
View this post on InstagramI always break my article down into multiple carousels.
This helps me market my blog among the target audience, and I use the same carousels for LinkedIn and Instagram.
Since then, my account has seen a massive increase in traffic and engagement.
If you have just started with Instagram marketing, these carousels will help you hit the jackpot.
They are the secret weapon for promoting blog content!
You can also include how-to instructions, tactics, or hacks.
Make an Instagram carousel for each of them! This way, you will tease your readers to either wait for your next post to uncover the following step or read the entire piece to learn more; the formula is pretty straightforward.
You can check how Social Champ’s Instagram profile is wholly occupied with break articles in the form of carousels.
Case Studies & Results
View this post on InstagramYou can use an Instagram carousel to present your case studies and results to increase social proof.
If you have completed your research and want to create a concrete presence, you can easily combine information, explanations, and visuals on multiple slides!
The above-shown carousel post is from National Geographic, where they updated a new case study.
Videos & Tutorials
View this post on InstagramAnother amazing thing you can do with carousels is create videos and tutorials.
If you own a product for a digital business, you can post demos and walkthroughs of your platform in the form of a carousel.
If you own a cosmetic brand, you can easily take advantage of posting tutorials and reels.
Lenkalul is an influencer on Instagram and TikTok who is growing stronger every day.
She posts a lot of reels and tutorials on her feed, and in the shared carousel, she can be seen creating cartoon-inspired makeup looks in three slides.
Brand Storytelling
Let’s now discuss brand storytelling.
With an Instagram carousel, you can easily hit the ground running.
Use the carousel to tell the audience about you and your business, how you started, and how it’s going.
To maintain consistency, follow the brand theme and color throughout your Instagram profiles.
Before-&-After Results
It is highly recommended that businesses that guarantee results for future use before-and-after results and images from product demos.
If your business deals with skin-care products and cosmetic items, you can surely use before-and-after results.
It will help you build trust and credibility among the audience, and they will return to purchase the product.
Photo Dumps
View this post on InstagramNothing to post? No worries, go with the weekend photo dumps.
It is basically an Instagram carousel post with a low-effort and less edited random collection.
It generally conveys a story or showcases your mood throughout the week.
You can share coffee session glimpses and workstation photos and engage your audience!
The photo dumping from Nike is something I always wait for. Their shoes and apparels are to die for.
Product Reveals
View this post on InstagramAnother idea to use the Instagram carousel is to share a sneak peek of your upcoming product.
The best example of a product reveal comes from PepsiCo, which revamped its plant-based protein drink, Evolve, and introduced another product, Evolve Energy Bar.
The design team created new packaging designs for the reformulated bar, which is how they revealed the product.
The Evolve bar was released in new flavors. The new design shows the brand’s commitment to preserving the National Park.
You can also do the same by going with the basic announcement and guess pictures, then revealing the product once your audience has fully anticipated it.
Product Promotion
View this post on InstagramAbove is an example from Dior, where they are marketing a handbag for women.
Product promotion comes into play here. You must explain how your product can add value to your audience.
Customers need to trust the brand and the product before purchasing them, especially when they are ready to spend significant money.
This is why showcasing products through multiple images and videos has become so valuable, as they allow brands to share a story of a particular product.
Event Highlights
View this post on InstagramLastly, you can use the Instagram carousel to share the highlights of any event that happened at your workplace.
You can also share pictures of your business event.
If you have launched a new product or won an award, you can showcase that on your business profile via Instagram carousel.
Cristiano Ronaldo posted this carousel last week, showcasing his team’s victory.
Let’s Get Vibrant!
If you are not using the Instagram carousel enough, you miss out on a huge marketing opportunity.
The types of Instagram carousel posts mentioned above can help you steal the audience’s attention and increase your content’s engagement rate.
Make the most of these carousel tips and ideas to boost your reach 10 times more than ever before.
Have a happy carousel-making ahead!
2 thoughts on “The Ultimate Guide to Seamless Instagram Carousel Design”
Agreed! Carousels are trending & increase your engagement in no time. Your article is well written & I really love the examples attached.
Thanks for sharing the article. It is really helpful for people like me, who are new to the marketing field and don’t have much knowledge. The article is really enlightening.