Breaking Down Instagram Carousel: How To Use Carousels In Your Content Strategy

Kseniia Volodina -

If Reels are the first most popular content type on Instagram, carousel posts are certainly a close second.

We see them everywhere: brands create step-by-step guides, influencers ride the photo dump trend, and advertisers leverage multiple pictures in their ads.

Instagram carousel posts are a neat way to diversify your feed with a swipeable, interactive piece of content, while also optimizing your Instagram marketing strategy.

Swipe… I mean, scroll, — to read more about Instagram carousel posts and how to implement them into your content strategy for ultimate success!

Table of contents

What is an Instagram carousel post
Why integrate Instagram carousel posts into your content strategy
When to use Instagram carousels?
How to make carousel post on Instagram
Instagram carousel sizes and specs
How to track analytics for Instagram carousel posts
6 ways to use Instagram carousel posts for marketing
Instagram carousel templates


What is an Instagram carousel post?

An Instagram carousel post is a single post on Instagram that contains multiple photos or videos that users can swipe through.

Carousel posts are very versatile.

You can use them to cater to any business needs, be it educational, promotional, or team-related content. This format allows for a more dynamic and engaging storytelling experience, showcasing various content cohesively within one post.

Besides being a great addition to your feed, carousel posts have excellent advertising potential.

My personal win move is to create a piece of catchy product-related content in a carousel format and boost it directly from Instagram to convert new followers and improve brand visibility.

Why integrate Instagram carousel posts into your content strategy?

Instagram carousel posts offer a dynamic and flexible way to share content, making them a powerful addition to your Instagram content strategy. By integrating social media analytics, you can track the performance of these carousel posts, gaining insights into what resonates most with your audience and optimizing your content for better engagement.

People spend more time interacting with your content

Carousels encourage users to spend more time on your content. Since users need to actively swipe through carousel posts, they tend to spend more time viewing them than single-image posts.

This doesn't always translate into higher engagement rates, but it does form a more profound connection with your content and brand.

And, as data has revealed, carousels are the second-best-performing type of content in terms of engagement, scoring an average of 0.91%, as per our Instagram benchmarks study.

Easy way to diversify your feed

Instagram carousel posts are the ultimate weapon for visual storytelling. They provide you with expanded narrative opportunities to guide your followers through the story with visuals.

Yet carousels are much easier to leverage than, say, Reels, especially in smaller social media teams with no resources for video production. All you need for a carousel post is a batch of pictures!

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Read more: 18 Types of Social Media Content to Create a Tailored Content Strategy

Provide detailed information without overposting

Carousels let you maximize the amount of content you share without the risk of overposting or spamming your followers' feeds. This is particularly useful when you have multiple related images or videos but want to maintain a clean, uncluttered Instagram feed.

Leverage additional narrative depth

Social media platforms like LinkedIn provide enough space for a long caption, and people are more inclined to read it. Instagram, however, is more about the picture and less about the text.

Carousels allow for a more nuanced and detailed storytelling approach. Using multiple slides, you can unfold a story, present various perspectives, or delve deeper into a narrative's details — all while staying within the platform's core format.

When to use Instagram carousels?

Instagram carousels are an excellent way to share multi-layered stories, increase engagement, and add depth to your content strategy. Here’s when carousels work best:

  • Step-by-step processes: Whether it’s a workout routine, a recipe, or a project breakdown, carousels allow you to guide your audience through each step clearly.

  • Showcasing a collection: Carousels are ideal for fashion, art, or product-based brands. They display a series of related items or multiple angles of a single product.

  • In-depth product features: Use each slide to spotlight a different feature or benefit of a product, giving your audience a detailed understanding without overwhelming them with one image.

  • Story sequences: Build anticipation or unveil a narrative gradually, with each slide progressing the story and keeping users swiping to find out more.

  • Customer reviews & testimonials: To build trust and credibility, highlight a series of customer feedback, before-and-after shots, or real-life use cases.

  • Transformation journeys: Whether personal transformation, home renovation, or brand evolution, carousels are great for sharing progress over time.

  • Polls & interactive content: Use carousels to ask questions on each slide, encouraging your audience to swipe through to reveal answers or offer their own.

  • Exclusive announcements: Dedicate one slide to each key detail to announce new partnerships, collaborations, or major updates, building intrigue as your audience swipes.

  • Long-form visual stories: For those moments when a single post isn’t enough, carousels let you dive deeper into your story, offering a multi-slide narrative that keeps people engaged.

  • Event teasers or recaps: Carousels are perfect for offering sneak peeks or sharing event recaps, promoting an upcoming event or highlighting key moments afterward.

How to make a carousel post on Instagram?

Creating a carousel post on Instagram allows you to share a series of photos or videos in a single post. Yes, that’s right — you can make it a photo carousel or combine pictures with videos for even more depictive storytelling.

Grab a step-by-step guide on how to make a carousel for Instagram:

  • Open Instagram.  Launch the Instagram app and tap the "+" icon at the bottom of the screen. This is your starting point for creating any post.

  • Select post type. Choose "Post" from the menu. This allows you to create a standard Instagram post that will appear in your feed.

  • Select images and videos. Tap the gallery icon to choose pictures and/or videos from your camera roll. To create a carousel, tap the multiple image icon (two overlapping squares) on the right side of the screen.

  • Pick your media. Select up to 10* photos or videos from your gallery. A number will appear on each file to indicate its order in the carousel.

  • Adjust order and edit if needed. After selecting your media, tap "Next." You can then edit each photo or video individually by tapping on it. Press and hold an image or video to change the order, then drag it to the desired position.

  • Work on the caption and tags. After editing, click "Next" to add a caption, tags, and location to your carousel post. You can also attach music, add a paid partnership label, and invite collaborators.
  • Share!

Update: In March 2024, Instagram started testing a feature that allows users to add up to 20 media files in one carousel. Whether it sticks or not, we’ll see.

If you are an individual creator, you can also target your carousel post by choosing to share it with Close friends only.

Mind that if you add copyrighted music to your carousel Instagram post, you can’t promote it.


Just like standard posts, Instagram carousels can be shared in various formats: square, landscape, and portrait. However, there’s an important caveat—currently, all slides in your carousel must maintain the same size and aspect ratio as the first slide. Whether using an Instagram carousel mockup or creating from scratch, this rule ensures that all content remains visually consistent.

Though Instagram is testing the ability to mix formats in carousels, for now, the first slide’s format dictates the shape of the entire post. So, when designing a carousel template, choosing the correct Instagram carousel post size from the start is crucial to keep your content aligned.

Here are the recommended dimensions for creative Instagram carousel posts:

  • Landscape: 1080 x 566 pixels
  • Portrait: 1080 x 1350 pixels
  • Square: 1080 x 1080 pixels
  • Aspect Ratios: Landscape (1.91:1), Square (1:1), Portrait (4:5)
  • Image Size: Width of 1080 pixels, with heights ranging between 566 and 1350 pixels depending on the orientation.

Instagram carousel video specs:

  • Length: 3 to 60 seconds per video
  • Recommended Formats: .MP4 or .MOV
  • Aspect Ratios: Landscape (1.91:1), Square (1:1), Portrait (4:5)
  • Maximum File Size: 4GB

Note: It's important to note that Instagram video carousels are not considered Reels, meaning they won’t appear in the Reels tab or benefit from Reel-specific features.

If you're planning a video post, this distinction can influence how your content will be surfaced.

For example, an Instagram carousel example featuring both static images and videos will allow for a richer storytelling experience, but without the same discovery advantages that Reels offer. Keep this in mind when designing your video content strategy.

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Continue reading: Do Shorter Captions Lead To More Engagement Than Longer Captions?

Analytics are vital when it comes to social media content performance. After all, it’s the only way to know if you’re moving in the right direction.

Here’s how you can track your Instagram carousel posts performance:

Native insights tab

You can access carousel performance data directly from the Instagram app using its native Insights tab.

Navigate to the post you’d like to analyze and press “View Insights” right below it.

Native Instagram Insights include data like reach, impressions, and engagement metrics. You can see how many people liked, commented, and saved your Instagram carousel.

If you promote your carousel through Instagram, you can also see the Ads Insights in the same tab, including paid views and the budget you allocated for this particular carousel.

Mind that if you boost it twice, Instagram will combine this data — you won’t be able to divide views and followers coming from the two advertisements.

Socialinsider in-depth analytics tools

If you want more in-depth analytics and comprehensive analysis of your Instagram carousel’s performance, opt for Socialinsider’s analytical tool.

To access Instagram carousel data, navigate to “Posts” and filter all your account’s content by media, choosing “Carousel.”

Get analytics for Instagram carousel posts with Socialinsider

This filter will highlight all Instagram carousels on your business account.

Socialinsider can access historical data for an unlimited period of time, so if you’re running a content audit for your own brand or a client’s brand, you can easily analyze Instagram carousel performance data even from a year ago.

Get post-level analytics with Socialinsider

On the post level, Socialinsider provides detailed Instagram metrics, such as engagement, reach, and impressions, both paid and organic, making it easier to evaluate the effectiveness of your overall content strategy.

In addition to post-level analytics, you can access account-level analytics with helpful information on your audience's demographics and competitors' content pillars. Use this data to determine the most engaging topics that resonate with your audience and promote them in Instagram carousels.

And if you work in an agency or simply need to report to your higher-ups, Socialinsider can create a neat Instagram Carousel performance report in PDF, PPT, CSV, or EXCEL.


A carousel post on Instagram is a powerful way of visual storytelling. It helps you pack more information in one single post, providing enough space for imagination.

Steal these six engaging ways to incorporate Instagram carousel posts into your content strategy:

Educational content and tips

This is my personal favorite way to use carousel posts on Instagram. Carousels are an effective way to break down complex information into digestible chunks. It's like a PowerPoint presentation, but make it bite-sized.

Educational content, tips, tutorials, or even industry insights can be easily divided across multiple Instagram slides to make the information more accessible.

With the proper storytelling techniques, you can captivate your followers' attention and make them swipe all the way to the end.

Showcase product features and services

Treat this carousel post as a small pitch deck for a new product or service your brand provides, highlighting different aspects and sides of your proposition.

Multiple slides combined with compelling visuals provide a comprehensive view without overwhelming the audience with a whole batch of posts or a long caption.

You can detail the benefits, uses, and variations of your offering, guiding viewers through a visual narrative.

Compilations

Whether it’s a compilation of your products (which works great for a beauty brand) or a this-or-that post, Instagram carousels provide a straightforward way to combine several points in one post.

This format not only simplifies the presentation of diverse content but also encourages interaction, making it a compelling strategy for brands looking to highlight their offerings or concepts in an organized, accessible manner.

Case studies and testimonials

Leverage that social proof! Carousel posts can help you turn success stories and testimonials into an engaging narrative.

Use each slide to spotlight a different aspect of the customer's journey, from the initial challenge to the solution provided by your product or service and its positive impact.

Add visuals like customer photos, feedback screenshots, or before-and-after images for extra authenticity points.

Weave real-life stories into your content strategy to get real people advocating for you — carousels are a great, concise way to do so.

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Related content: Instagram Story Ideas to Better Engage With Your Audience

Step-by-step guides

Carousels and step-by-step guides are a match made in heaven.

Valuable content gets a lot of saves on Instagram, and what’s more valuable than a concise, detailed step-by-step?

Break down complex guides into simple steps, whether it’s recipes, DIY projects, beauty tutorials, or any other process where visual instructions enhance understanding.

Start with an overview of what you’ll be teaching or the final result, and use each subsequent slide to break down the steps. Clear, concise instructions paired with visuals ensure followers can easily follow along.

Photo dump

Brands are stealing photo dumps from influencers, and they’re thriving on it. Events, conferences, team buildings, office parties — when sharing these moments with your followers, opt for a carousel post!

Using Instagram template slides can greatly simplify and speed up the content creation process for carousel posts.

With pre-designed carousel post templates, you have a structured foundation to build from, ensuring your carousel on Instagram remains visually cohesive and polished while saving time on design.

Here’s how templates can benefit your Instagram strategy:

  • Consistency in design: Templates help maintain a consistent visual identity across all your carousel posts, making your content more recognizable to your audience. This uniformity reinforces your brand’s style and messaging, whether you're sharing tutorials, product features, or event recaps.


  • Faster creation process: Instead of starting from scratch every time, Instagram template slides offer a ready-to-go design framework. You need to plug in your images, text, or videos, reducing the time spent on layout and formatting.


  • Professional quality: Even without advanced design skills, templates allow you to create sleek, high-quality carousel posts that look professional. They often come with pre-selected fonts, colors, and layouts optimized for engagement and readability.


  • Adaptable for various content: Whether showcasing a step-by-step guide, telling a story, or presenting data, there’s a carousel post example suited for every type of content. Templates can be easily customized to fit your post's specific theme or message.


  • Boosted engagement rates: According to Socialinsider, Instagram carousels achieve significantly higher engagement rates than single images.


  • Branding made simple: With templates, incorporating brand elements like logos, colors, and fonts becomes effortless. This makes keeping your branding front and center easier while ensuring that your Instagram carousels align with your overall visual strategy.


  • Optimized for engagement: Many Instagram template slides are designed with user interaction in mind, making it easier for viewers to follow the flow of information and swipe through the entire carousel. This structured approach can lead to higher engagement rates.

Using templates for posting carousels on Instagram in your strategy will help you consistently produce eye-catching, professional carousel posts with minimal effort, boost engagement and deliver impactful messaging to your audience.

Conclusion

Instagram carousels are undoubtedly one of the most engaging content types on the platform. If you aren’t using them, you’re missing a prime opportunity to boost engagement, showcase your brand story, and keep your audience swiping for more.

Carousels can help you deliver more value in a single post, encouraging users to interact and stay longer on your content. This article has covered everything you need to create eye-catching carousels and follow best practices to improve your Instagram strategy and stand out in your followers’ feeds.

Instagram carousel post FAQs

As of March 2024, you can upload up to 10 slides to your carousel on Instagram. However, as I write this article, Instagram is testing its 20-slide-long carousels, so keep an eye out for updates.

How to make a continuous Instagram post?

To create a seamless Instagram carousel, you'll need Canva or other design tools. Create an empty canvas with a height of 1080 pixels and calculate the width using this formula: required number of slides x 1080.

Create your image, distributing the elements according to the number of slides you have. Once you have your long picture ready, upload it to an Instagram splitter app (I use the one by My Social Boutique), download the final batch of pics, and upload them all into a carousel post on Instagram.

Ensure the correct order before publishing! Happens more often than you think…