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How to make the most of Instagram carousels in 2024 [GUIDE]

Instagram carousels get way more reach and engagement than regular posts. Here’s how to make carousel posts part of your Instagram strategy.

Colleen Christison September 12, 2024 9 min read
cover image
  1. Instagram carousels consistently outperform single-image posts, leading to higher engagement rates. If you want more likes and comments, start swiping!
  2. Your first image is the hook. A captivating first slide gets people curious and more likely to swipe through the rest. Nail it, and the engagement will follow.
  3. You can use photos, videos, or a combo of both in carousels. This flexibility makes it easy to get creative and keep your audience hooked.
  4. With tools like Hootsuite, you can plan and schedule your carousel posts to go live at the perfect time for maximum visibility—without scrambling to post manually.
  5. Turn blog posts, infographics, and customer reviews into engaging carousels. It’s an easy way to stretch your content and keep your feed fresh!

Instagram carousel posts are one of the most engaging formats brands can use on the platform. On average, carousel posts receive 154 more interactions than single-image posts. And carousels see a year-over-year increase of 16% in interactions. This results in higher engagement rates compared to other post formats on Instagram.

The temptation to swipe left, it seems, is hard to resist, especially when there’s a persuasive cover slide. Give your followers the chance to stop doomscrolling and start swoonscrolling with thumb-stopping carousel posts.

This article will show you everything you need to know about how to make and use Instagram carousel posts. We’ll go over:

  • What carousel posts are,
  • How to make and schedule carousel posts,
  • Free templates on creating Instagram carousels, and
  • How use carousels in your social marketing strategy

Bonus: Get 5 free, customizable Instagram carousel templates and start creating beautifully designed content for your feed now.

What is an Instagram carousel?

An Instagram carousel is a post with up to 10 photos or videos (though stay tuned — the platform’s been testing carousel posts with 15 slides or more).

Mobile Instagram users can view carousel posts by swiping left, while desktop users can click through using the arrow button on the right-hand side of a post.

Right arrow on Instagram carousel visible on Instagram desktop

Like any other Instagram post, you can include image alt-text, a geotag, filters, and account and product tags on each image in your carousel. People can like, comment, and share your carousel post.

Published Instagram photo carousels have little grey dots underneath them (above the caption), which turn blue to indicate where you are in the carousel.

The dots at the bottom of an Instagram carousel post indicate which slide you're currently viewing

In the top right corner, you’ll see a count of which carousel slide you’re on as you browse.

Carousels are still highly relevant in terms of Instagram content. In fact, we’ve proven that they earn more engagement overall than reels.

Image of a Youtube Video: Instagram Reels vs Carousels: which does the Instagram algorithm REALLY like better? EXPERIMENT

Source: Hootsuite Labs

How to create a carousel post on Instagram

It’s easy to create a carousel post on Instagram. In fact, you can do so in five simple steps.

Step one: Start a new post

Tap the + icon at the bottom center of the screen to start a new post.

The create post button on Instagram

Step two: Select Post on the bottom menu

At the bottom of your screen, you’ll see a scrolling menu with options like POST, STORY, REEL, and LIVE. Choose POST.

Image selection screen when creating a new post

Step three: Select your content

Tap on the Select Multiple icon (a layered square icon) on the right side of the screen. Or select and hold a photo or video until it says “1” in the top right corner.

The number indicates how many images you've selected and in which order they'll appear

The first image or video you choose will be your first carousel slide. The rest of your carousel will follow the same shape. So if you want to change the shape of your carousel content, then you need to replace your first selection with an image in the shape you want to use.

Hit Next.

Tap the next button when you've selected all posts you want to include in your carousel

Step four: Choose your filters

You can choose different filters for your different carousel slides. Once you’re happy with your filter, click Done in the bottom right corner.

Tap the next button when you've selected all posts you want to include in your carousel

Once you have all of your images appropriately filtered, click Next → in the bottom right.

Filter options for each image in your Instagram carousel

Step five: Add your caption, details, and tags

This section is your opportunity to customize your carousel with a caption, hashtag, product or people tags, location, and any other useful specifics.

Add caption, location etc details before tapping the Share button at the bottom of the screen

Once you’re happy with it, hit Share to publish.

PS. If, once you’ve posted, you realize you need to delete one pesky photo from the carousel lineup, click that link.

How to schedule Instagram carousel posts (desktop and mobile)

You can schedule Instagram posts (including carousels) using Meta Business Suite or the web version of the Instagram app. (We’ve got detailed instructions for scheduling Instagram carousels using Meta’s native tools here.)

But if your brand is active on other social media platforms, a social media management tool like Hootsuite can help. You can schedule all of your content in advance using one simple dashboard.

With Hootsuite, you can create and easily publish carousel posts directly to Instagram. Here’s how.

1. Go to Planner and tap New post to launch Compose.

2. Select the Instagram account you want to publish to.

Composer page on Hootsuite

3. Include your caption in the Text box.

4. Go to Media and tap Select files to upload. Select all the images you want to include in your carousel. All selected images should appear under Media.

5. Use the yellow Post now button to publish your carousel to Instagram immediately or click Schedule for later to pick a date and time to publish your post. Then, tap Schedule. The post will show up in your Planner at the time you have scheduled it for.

That’s it! Your post will go live on the date and time you selected.

And while you can schedule your carousel posts for whenever you please, Hootsuite’s Best Time to Publish tool also helps you schedule content at the absolute best time to post for your unique account.

Best time to publish Instagram heatmap

The tool breaks down different suggested times for four key goals:

  • Extend reach
  • Build awareness
  • Increase engagement
  • Drive traffic

This allows you to match each piece of content to a specific business goal and optimize your posting schedule for maximum effectiveness. (And score big points with your boss. Just saying.)

How to schedule Instagram carousel posts from your phone

If you’d rather schedule and publish Instagram carousels from your phone, Hootsuite makes it easy to do that too!

  1. Just open the Hootsuite app on your phone and tap Compose.
    schedule instagram carousels from hootsuite mobile - compose
  2. Select the Instagram account you want to publish to and choose the photos or videos for your carousel from your phone’s library.
  3. Write your caption in the Text box, then tap Next.
    publish instagram carousel from hootsuite mobile
  4. You can choose to Publish nowAutoschedule at the best time for your account, or set up your own Custom schedule.

And you’re done! Your carousel will go live at the time and date you’ve selected — no push notifications required!

Instagram carousel sizes and specs

Like regular posts, Instagram carousels can be published in square, landscape, and portrait formats.

Just keep in mind that, for now, all post sizes must be uniform. (Psstt! They’re testing this, so keep an eye out for updates)

But until that update rolls out for everyone, the shape you choose for the first slide will also apply to the rest of the carousel.

Instagram carousel sizes:

  • Landscape: 1080 x 566 pixels
  • Portrait: 1080 x 1350 pixels
  • Square: 1080 x 1080 pixels
  • Aspect ratio: landscape (1.91:1), square (1:1), vertical (4:5)
  • Recommended image size: Width of 1080 pixels, height between 566 and 1350 pixels (depending on whether the image is landscape or portrait)

Instagram video carousel specs:

  • Length: 3 to 60 seconds
  • Recommended formats include .MP4 and .MOV
  • Aspect ratios: landscape (1.91:1), square (1:1), vertical (4:5)
  • Maximum video size: 4GB

Just FYI, Instagram doesn’t consider carousel videos to be reels. So, they won’t show up in the Reels tab and won’t have the same features.

Find other up-to-date social media image size requirements here.

Free Instagram carousel templates

Want to take your carousels beyond “ten pictures from the same vacation”? Start by customizing one of our five free, professionally designed Instagram carousel templates in Canva.

Bonus: Get 5 free, customizable Instagram carousel templates and start creating beautifully designed content for your feed now.

15 smart ways to use Instagram carousel posts (with examples!)

Instagram slide posts have a bunch of potential, especially when it comes to Instagram trends (hello, photo dumps!). Truly, the sky’s the limit.

But if you need a little help brainstorming ideas for your next carousel, we’ve got 15 different tactics you can adopt while planning your Instagram content.

1. Promotions and announcements

Use the carousel’s multiple-slide format to give your audience details on promotions, sales, or new offerings.

Instagram post from the account Universal Standard  showing a picture of a woman holding sunglasses

Source: Universal Standard

Clothing company Universal Standard uses the carousel format to announce a sale while highlighting the pieces that will be available.

2. Photo dumps

Share a collection of photos. These can be from your summer season or a single event, like a staff retreat or product launch.

Instagram post from the account vancanadians

Source: Vancanadians

Think of the photo dump as a post-game highlight reel — you don’t have to be a local minor league baseball team to share your wins.

3. Before and after

Showcase transformations, progress, or changes. This could be a product evolution or a shot of where your brand started vs where it is now.

Instagram post from the account before.after.renovation showing the before and after of a living space

Source: before.after.renovation

Before After Renovations shows off some pretty incredible transformations, giving their audience the satisfaction of a big reveal when they swipe.

4. Educational content

Carousels are particularly useful for posting large amounts of content. You can use them to give your audience a step-by-step tutorial on your product or service or to break down a complex topic in your industry.

Instagram post from the account universityofbc showing responses to the question: what exam/study tip do you swear by?

Source: University of British Columbia

During finals week, the University of BC created a carousel of top study tips to help students through. It’s a great example of using different IG features.

UBC used the “Ask me a question” sticker to gather information from their Instagram Story and then posted the results to their feed.

5. Storytelling

Instagram slide posts give you a way to create cliffhangers and build narratives. Tell a story through your carousel, giving a reason for people to swipe by splitting the message across the slides.

Instagram post from the account natgeo showing what sharks do to protect the planet

Source: National Geographic

Five slides of shark facts? Yes, please.

6. Product showcases

You can easily highlight different features, uses, or variations of your products.

Carousels can work like mini case studies if you’re a brand professional. Brother JoPa uses his Instagram feed as a way to show off the process and output of his design work.

Instagram post from the account brotherjopa showing digital assets animated

Source: JOPA

7. Testimonials and reviews

Share customer feedback, quotes, and reviews to build trust and credibility.

Instagram post from the account mcdonaldscanada showing results from how people feel about iced coffee in the winter

Source: Mcdonald’s Canada

Look, McDonald’s Canada probably doesn’t need to build their reputation. Still, by engaging with and showcasing their customers in a carousel post, they’re continuing to increase community engagement.

8. Infographics and data

You probably won’t want to have a carousel made completely out of graphs and charts, but using these within your carousel to build credibility in what you’re saying can help.

Instagram post from the account mailchimp showing stats on the importance of buying from the right brand

Source: Intuit Mailchimp

Mailchimp’s Strategic Loyalty Playbook is a numbers-heavy doc with plenty of good insight. But they didn’t want to overwhelm their readers with facts and numbers before they were ready — so they used bite-sized stats on carousel slides to pull people in.

9. Mini-blogs

If you already have blogging in your content strategy, then sum up the main points of your latest magnum opus and turn them into a carousel. It’s a great way to cross-promote content in a digestible way.

Instagram post from the account hootsuite showing 3 bad social marketing habits you might be making and how to get rid of them

Source: Hootsuite

Hootsuite’s carousel on social media bad habits gives the audience a bite-sized preview of information, enticing them to head to the main course: A full-size Social Media Consumer Report.

10. Fun with formatting

The actual format of carousels gives creators an opportunity to play with form. If you can find opportunities to entertain and captivate your audience, take ‘em!

Maybe you have a really long product (we’re thinking foot-long hot dogs?) that you can stretch along the photos to create a fun effect. Or maybe you can surprise your audience with an unexpected second picture?

Instagram post from the account okwildlifedept with words "how to illegally trap your new pet badger" paired with a picture of a badger

Source: Dept. of Wildlife Conservation

Here, OK Wildlife Dept uses the carousel format to make a comment about trapping wildlife for pets with a pretty unexpected second photo.

(We won’t spoil the joke, but don’t you want to click through to the post??)

11. Carousel ads

You know what’s awesome in advertising? Low cost per click (CPC) with high click-through rates (CTR).

You know what can get you those awesome results? You guessed it: Carousel ads.

A screenshot of an Instagram carousel ad from brand drool_art

Source: DROOL

Carousel ads, like this one from art print store Drool, offer multiple opportunities to have a higher engagement with your audience.

Plus, just like organic carousel posts usually outperform other posts, carousel ads tend to perform better than single-image ads.

12. Event recaps

Use a carousel to summarize events, conferences, or special occasions with a series of photo or video highlights.

Instagram post from the account kotn showing 2 people standing on the crosswalk stylishly

Source: Kotn

Kotn recapped an NYC Lower East Side block party while showing off their product in a clever community-building carousel.

13. A big reveal

Make your viewers work for it! Tease something on the first slide of your carousel, then have an unveiling moment on the second slide.

Instagram post from the account paulaschoice showing a yellow themed collage

Source: Paula’s Choice

Or, like skincare brand Paula’s Choice, you can build anticipation by teasing a reveal and then leaving people guessing.

14. User-generated content (UGC)

Carousels can be used to repurpose UGC content. The best part? They’re super low-cost to create.

Instagram post from the account weratedogs showing a puppy holding a pride flag in its mouth

Source: We Rate Dogs

We Rate Dogs posting a carousel of rainbow pups for Pride Month is a winning move. They simultaneously showed off their brand values while serving cute puppy pics.

And note how they tagged every account that contributed a photo — a good example of what to do when it comes to user-generated content.

15. Show off the details

For visual artists or products that need extra attention, carousels allow you to post hyper-close-up shots with a big-picture context.

Visual artist Drew Young uses the carousel format to showcase the micro details and macro shots of his oil paintings.

Instagram post from the account drewstuff showing microdetails of one of his artwork

Source: Drew Young

Carousels give visual artists a way to show off all the minutiae of their creations while still showing it off in its entirety.

Manage your Instagram presence alongside your other social channels and save time using Hootsuite. Schedule and publish carousels, edit images, measure performance and wow your boss — all from one easy-to-use dashboard. Try it free today.

With files from Katie Sehl.

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By Colleen Christison

Colleen Christison is a freelance copywriter, copy editor, and brand communications specialist. She spent the first six years of her career in award-winning agencies like Major Tom, writing for social media and websites and developing branding campaigns. Following her agency career, Colleen built her own writing practice, working with brands like Mission Hill Winery, The Prevail Project, and AntiSocial Media.

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