Gone are the heady, sepia-colored days when carousels were something we rode at the county fair. Today’s carousel has gone digital, with those majestic spinning horsies replaced by a majestic rotation of photos (sometimes of horsies). If you’ve ever flipped through a multi-photo post on Instagram, you’ve ridden on an Instagram carousel.
I see you side-eyeing me, but for us social media types, Instagram carousel posts are better than deep-fried Oreos.
Creating an Instagram carousel post is a winning strategy for a bunch of reasons:
• Share a series of related images all at once.
Got a lot to show the world? Sadly, the chances that the IG algorithm will surface a whole bunch of separate, sequential posts are teeny-tiny. BUT, posting those photos as a carousel makes it way more likely that your fans are going to see it all – helping you get your word out while boosting engagement.
• Go deep on your content.
If you’re taking a deep dive on a topic or whipping up a how-to, carousel posts are the way to go. Think of them like a slideshow and design up your “slides” accordingly.
• They’re an amazing way to level up your ads.
Want to show off your full range of products or services in your paid #ad? Now you’ve got range, baby. Instead of cramming everything into a single photo, carousels give you up to ten pics to show off your stuff.
• You won’t clog up people’s feeds.
No one likes a spammer. Collating your posts into a carousel keeps things neat and tidy for you, while making sure your fans won’t scroll past your latest and greatest.
• You’ll win more eyeballs.
Carousel posts nab more reach and way more engagement – we’re talking 3x here – than your standard one-and-done post. By posting carousels it gives your audience more opportunities to see your content on their feed.
Now that I’ve got you sold on creating an Instagram carousel post…except for the fact that it sounds like a whole lotta work.
Pfft. You know that at Oh Snap! we like to keep things easy and doable.
Here are 3 ultra-simple ways to create an Instagram carousel post without a graphic designer.
• Stories.
The easiest way to design a keep-swiping carousel post is to use the text, stickers and insert image features within Instagram stories. Be sure to tap the down arrow to save it to your camera roll to upload as a feed/grid post later. Pro Tip: Be sure to keep your content in a 1:1 ratio (square) so your content remains visible when posting as a carousel to your feed.
• Canva.
Our absolute favorite! Canva has a bunch of IG-friendly templates that you can easily adjust to create a branded carousel. Whip up your designs, save them to your camera roll (if you’re using the app), then post them in order on IG using the “layered square” icon. Using a template keeps your content on brand and visually seamless as fans click between frames.
• Photos of whiteboards.
Quick and dirty, but it gets the job done! Snap photos as you go during a presentation or brainstorming session, then upload those using the “layered square” icon. No fiddling with templates or playing around in Photoshop required! Bonus point if you’re a calligrapher sharing your “work with me” process in this way – demoing your talent and educating your audience in the process. Double win!
Everyone loves a carousel, and with these handy-dandy posting options you’ll be spinning circles around the competition. For more tips and info, pop on over to my IG where I’ve shared examples of the above in a – you guessed it – carousel format.