If you’re looking for easy ways to boost engagement on social media, don’t sleep on Instagram carousels.
A post with multiple photos or videos that can be viewed by simply swiping left, Instagram carousels get 1.4x more reach and 3.1x more engagement than regular posts on the platform.
Why? People like getting lots of content, and the urge to swipe left is strong — especially if you open the series with a captivating cover slide.
So, how can you use this tool to boost engagement, reach new audiences, and grow your business? Here, we share five creative ways to use Instagram carousels.
- Promote a product or service.
Rather than just sharing one photo, video, or graphic, an Instagram carousel allows you to share several in one post.
Think about this as an opportunity to showcase your offerings to your audience. Maybe it’s a collection of products or a breakdown of your services. For example, if you’re a content writer, you can create an individual carousel slide to describe each service you offer — website writing, digital newsletters, blogging, social media posts, etc.
Whatever you offer, Instagram carousels allow you to really spell out and showcase what you do to encourage engagement and drive business.
- Reveal a surprising before-and-after.
Everyone loves an awesome transformation, and Instagram carousels are one of the best ways to showcase before-and-after content.
Before-and-after reveals are a great way to show the real-life impact of your products or services, which is a highly effective sales technique. For example, if you’re an interior designer or realtor, you can show a room before and after a renovation or following a major organization overhaul.
Plus, the promise of a reveal sparks curiosity in your audience, prompting them to keep swiping left. This is a win-win because it keeps followers on your page and drives the Instagram algorithm to show your post to a broader audience. (The more engagement, the more exposure!)
- Share inside industry tips.
The #1 guideline for creating social media content is to provide your audience with real value. Inform them, educate them, and keep them entertained and you really can’t go wrong.
To maximize on this idea, use Instagram carousels to create digestible content that your audience can save and use in the future. (Again, the Instagram algorithm will reward you for providing saveable content by showing your post to more people.)
You can use up to ten slides per carousel, so think about putting together a how-to guide, numbered tips, or a step-by-step breakdown of your own expert routine. (Use Canva to create professional-looking graphics.) For example, I recently broke down exactly what you need to create a scroll-stopping social media post, including one step on each slide. This made the content easy to process and resulted in more saves.
- Go behind the scenes.
When people work with you, they care about the finished product, but they also care about the process. They’re curious about how your products are made, or your services are completed, what your daily routine looks like, and your plans for future projects or offerings.
Use an Instagram carousel to give your audience a behind-the-scenes look. Take photos of you and your team working on something new or provide them with insight into how you break down your workday. Followers love an authentic, real-life look into your business, and this type of content will foster trust and help you build a deeper connection with your community.
- Showcase customer content.
User-generated content and client reviews are among the most trusted forms of content that you can share because it’s coming from your actual customers.
Create a collection of client testimonials and turn them into an Instagram carousel highlight reel. Or, if you have photos of people using your products, attending one of your events, or giving a shout-out to you and what you do, include them on your feed and tag the source. This reciprocal posting will increase brand loyalty, strengthen the sense of community on your channel, and drive more product sales.
Whether you’re launching a new service, want to share some inside tips, or just can’t decide which photo to post, carousels are one of the most versatile and user-friendly Instagram features out there. Plus, they allow you to provide your audience with a lot of information without blowing up their feed with too many posts.
Check me out on Instagram at @brandsocialmarket for more carousel ideas, as well as Reels, stories, and traditional posts. I’m committed to always sharing the latest social media tools with you, so follow along for the inside scoop!
And if you need help tackling the latest Instagram trends, our team is always here to help. Visit our website to connect today, and let’s see how we can work together to optimize your social media strategy.
