Why you need to be posting Carousels on Instagram

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When trying to grow your following on Instagram, you may have already turned to Reels and Stories to engage your audience, but have you done enough? If you want to continue finding new ways to captivate and convert followers into customers, let's explore the possibility of the Carousel post on Instagram.

In this article, we are going to dive deep into why a single Carousel post can get massive engagement. You'll get a list Carousel post ideas and tips for success. We'll also tell you how to make your first Instagram Carousel.

And when you're ready, you can start creating videos for your Instagram Carousel post in the Mojo app.

What is an Instagram Carousel?

Let's break it down. An Instagram Carousel is a post that can contain up to 10 photos and/or videos. If you've ever posted a group of photos together in one Instagram post, you've made a Carousel before.

On your personal account, maybe you posted several pictures of your recent trip to Brazil. But when running a business or creator Instagram account, Carousels can be used to inspire swipes, likes and share details about your brand.

How posting Instagram Carousels can boost engagement

The nature of the Carousel post is to swipe left for more. It's a simple marketing tactic called the "open loop," which compels people to (at least) see what else you have to offer within the post.

You're by no means trying to be deceptive or waste people's time with clickbait. However, all humans have a curiosity about the complete picture - or in this case, the complete Carousel post.

Carousels also give you the ability to go even deeper into one piece of content. You're not limited to one photo or 60 seconds of video. Users can take their time and flip through all the media. And, there's no doubt that all of that time and action will help you get picked up by the Instagram algorithm!

What types of Carousels work best?

Get creative! Let's give you a long list of how to use Instagram Carousels to share valuable content with your audience. What should you post about in Instagram Carousels?

• Showcase several products in a collection.
• Take a complex topic, and break it down into small pictures or videos.
• Do a step-by-step video demo.
• Relate with your audience by addressing common hesitations your customers have.
• Introduce members of your team side by side.
• Gain attention with not-so-random photo dumps.
• Tell a short visual story.
• Explain statistics or data in a simplified way.
• Create a listicle, because everyone loves listicles!
• Crack a joke with the build up and punchline on different cards.
• Build up excitement for a launch through the slides.
• Load up each image or video with compelling copywriting.
• Take viewers through a behind-the-scenes process.
• Point out specific product features that might otherwise go unnoticed.
• Show off a client's before-and-after success story.
• Rattle off some impressive customer reviews or testimonials.
• Highlight different product angles or uses across several cards.
• List off FAQs and answers that will help customers prior to purchasing your product.

As you can see in Carousel ideas above, you can target customers and members of your audience in an variety of ways. Use Instagram Carousels to share awareness of your brand, strengthen existing relationships and overcome objections that people face.

Using Carousel ads on Instagram as effective paid marketing

Along with Instagram Stories ads and Feed video ads, you can also create Instagram Carousel ads. These ads can be highly engaging types of paid marketing that converts - big time! So, consider them as a key part to your overall Instagram marketing strategy.

Why are paid Carousel ads on Instagram so effective? Unlike other types of ads, you can dive deep to products, collections and the process of doing business with you. While you can do some of that on ads for Instagram Reels and Stories, your videos set the pace. If someone isn't totally captivated by your video ad right away, they may move on to something else.

When it comes to Carousel ads on Instagram, the viewer has the option to swipe back and forth between the media. Whether you capture their interest in the face image, or you simply entice them to swipe through the rest, they're engaging with your brand on their terms.

How to make swipeworthy Instagram Carousels

It's all about the swipe when it comes to your Instagram Carousel posts. Users see your face image and will continue swiping left to see the rest of the content. There are 3 main goals when you use Instagram Carousel posts:

1. Make your initial face image striking. People should stop scrolling.
2. Complete the experience using the rest of the Carousel media, whether it be for entertainment, education, inspiration or conversions.
3. Encourage people to follow a specified CTA.

Seems simple, right? Luckily, we'll give you some tips on how to grow your audience using Carousels.

How to create an Instagram Carousel post

It's super easy to create Instagram Carousel posts! All you have to do is open the Instagram app, start a regular Feed post and select the double-square icon as you choose photos or videos from your phone. You'll be able to select up to 10 images or videos in the post.

If you're interested in using an Instagram Carousel post as an ad, just go to your ads manager interface or within Instagram's ad settings.

What makes people engage with Instagram Carousels?

So many brands use Instagram Carousels, so how can you stand out on the platform? Here are some extra tips and tricks to make your posts highly interactive.

Carousel tip #1 - Create a captivating face card

As we've mentioned before, the face card is really important. It's the first impression of a (hopefully) much longer, positive brand experience.

Treat the face card like a headline, title page or email subject line. In fact, if you want to add image copy to this face card, go for it. In the Mojo app, you can easily add text within stunning premade templates. If you want your face card to be a Carousel video, our app has gorgeous templates to choose from! Play around in Mojo now.

Carousel tip #2 - Add a CTA end card

It's important to have a CTA (AKA "call-to-action") for every encounter with your audience. At the end of your Carousel sequence, make room for a card that tells people what to do next. Some examples of Carousel end cards (photo or video) include:

• Follow for more posts like this!
• Did you love this post? Like and comment below!
• Which tip did you like best? Leave a comment below.
• We have so much more to share, enroll in our free course (link in bio).

The CTA you use in your Carousel post will depend on what type of content you share and where you want people to go next.

Carousel tip #3 - Use a single image

What? If you thought Carousel posts needed to have multiple images, we'll explain. Instead of sharing up to 10 different images or videos, share just one with a panoramic feature.

For example, say you sell high end shoes. Your face card could be just the heel of the shoe. People will want to see the rest of the shoe, so they'll swipe left until they get to the toe.

In the face card, don't give viewers the whole picture until they interact with the entire post.

Carousel tip #4 - Use numbers to indicate a sequence

This can be great if you're doing a step-by-step. In the corner of each image or video, you can put something like "1/7" and "2/7" to show viewers where they are in the lineup. Chances are, if they found value in the first couple of steps, they might as well finish the whole sequence.

See what's possible in Carousels with Mojo

As you can see, a single Carousel post has the capability of drastically boosting engagement on Instagram. Whether you want to create an organic social post or an Instagram Carousel ad, both can reliably inspire likes and swipes!

Explore the Mojo video creation app to see what types of stunning content you can create in just a few minutes.

Craft show-stopping face card videos with compelling copy. Easily take your step-by-step footage and make it look consistent with on-brand templates, colors and fonts. And, since proper formatting for Instagram Carousel videos is essential, our app ensures that all file formats honor the specs.

Looking to upgrade your social content? Subscribe to Mojo Pro today and get started!