An image is price a thousand phrases. However generally, one image alone might not be sufficient to inform the entire story. That’s the place Instagram carousel posts are available in, permitting you so as to add a number of pictures or movies to at least one put up. So that you get folks to cease and swipe, participating them for longer.
This information explores what carousel posts are and the way to use them on your Instagram advertising and marketing technique. Let’s get began.
What’s an Instagram carousel?
An Instagram carousel is a put up containing multiple photograph or video. Customers can view these visuals by swiping left on a put up via the telephone app. Desktop customers can view a carousel put up by clicking on the arrow button on the appropriate of a put up. Consider it as a slideshow of posts that customers can management manually.
The present Instagram carousel restrict stands at 20 photographs or movies. So there’s loads of room to inform longer tales or showcase a number of gadgets from a group. It’s additionally a good way to share snippets of an occasion and even curate pictures round a sure theme.
As such, an Instagram slide put up is ideal for getting folks to pause and have interaction along with your content material. So it’s no shock that Instagram carousels outperform each photograph and video posts by way of engagement.
Socialinsider.io discovered that carousel posts get larger engagement charges than photographs and movies. Regardless of a 28% YoY drop in general engagement, carousels nonetheless see a mean engagement fee of 0.55% per put up. In the meantime, the common engagement per put up for Reels and pictures stands at 0.50% and 0.45%, respectively.
Even in relation to influencer posts, carousel posts see larger engagement than single-image posts. The newest Instagram stats present that carousel posts from influencers see a mean engagement fee of 1.70% per put up. In the meantime, single-image posts from these accounts get a mean engagement of 1.17% per put up.
create a carousel put up on Instagram
Upon getting the right pictures or movies lined up, you can begin creating an Instagram carousel put up utilizing the steps under:
Step 1. Click on on the “+” button on the backside of your display.
Step 2. Choose the choice to create a brand new “Put up.”
Step 3. Select the picture you need to use as the primary slide. Then faucet on the icon so as to add a number of pictures.
Step 4. Choose the photographs or movies you need to embrace within the put up so as of how they need to seem. When you’re accomplished, faucet on “Subsequent.”
Step 5. Similar to making a single-image put up, you’ll get the choice to edit the photographs and movies. You may add filters, music and textual content overlay to create the right carousel put up. Making use of the identical filter all through all the photographs and movies will show you how to create a cohesive look. When you’re accomplished, faucet on the “Subsequent” button.
Step 6. Now add particulars to your carousel put up. Ensure you embrace an appropriate and engaging caption that would immediate engagement. You may even embrace common and related Instagram hashtags to enhance your put up visibility. That is additionally the part the place you may tag folks, add a location or add a reminder just like an everyday put up.
Step 7. Upon getting the whole lot sorted, faucet on the “Share” button and that’s it. You’ve created and shared your Instagram carousel put up.
Instagram carousel measurement necessities
When making a carousel put up on Instagram, you’d need to make it possible for it seems nice on the platform. So it’s necessary to comply with the measurement necessities and specs.
Instagram recommends a facet ratio of 1:1 for carousel posts. You may as well add horizontal (1.91:1) and vertical (4:5) media.
For pictures, Instagram recommends a decision of 1080 x 1080 pixels. Movies can have a minimal decision of 600 x 600 pixels and a most decision of 1080 x 1080 pixels.
Professional Tip: Instagram will use the primary picture in your slide put up as a reference for facet ratio. So it can routinely crop any subsequent visuals you embrace within the slide to suit the primary one. Align the facet ratio of all of the visuals for every carousel put up beforehand. So you may keep away from distorted pictures and by accident cropping out any necessary components.
When to make use of Instagram carousels
The distinctive nature of Instagram carousels makes them an amazing possibility for strategic Instagram content material. A number of the greatest methods to make use of an Instagram carousel put up are:
- Instructional content material
- Information and infographics
- Tutorials
- Model storytelling
- Earlier than-and-after reveals
- Picture dumps
- Product reveals
- Product/model updates
- Consumer-generated content material
- Occasion highlights
- Behind-the-scenes seems
- Themed picture collections
- Product spotlights
schedule an Instagram carousel put up
The guide publishing course of could also be easy, however it may be time-consuming. As a social media supervisor, one among your major targets is to do your job as effectively as potential. Which means scheduling content material forward of time so you may keep a constant publishing schedule.
And the identical would maintain true on your Instagram carousel posts. Happily, you could have the choice to schedule your Instagram posts utilizing the native publishing instrument. Listed here are the steps to schedule a carousel put up on Instagram:
Step 1. After creating your carousel put up, faucet on the “Extra choices” button from the “Share” web page.
Step 2. Toggle on the choice to “Schedule this put up.”
Step 3. Select the date and time on your put up to exit. Then faucet on “Performed.”
Step 4. Return to the “Share” web page. As a substitute of the “Share” button, you’ll now see a “Schedule” button. Faucet on it to schedule your Instagram carousel put up.
Though the native scheduling instrument is beneficial to have, managing your scheduled posts is a bit sophisticated. For example, you’ll have to return to your profile and entry your “Settings and exercise” menu to edit or delete them. Should you’re new to Instagram scheduling, it might take a while to determine it out.
To not neglect the truth that you’ll want to manually schedule every put up separately.
With a publishing instrument like Sprout Social, you may effortlessly handle your scheduled posts in a single place. Edit or reschedule your scheduled posts straight from the visible content material calendar. Or get the choice to create a brand new scheduled put up whenever you hover over a particular day.
Must schedule multiple carousel put up? Use the majority scheduling characteristic to immediately schedule lots of of posts at a time.
create an Instagram carousel put up on Sprout
Step 1. Open Compose within the Sprout desktop or cellular app.
Step 2. Choose your Instagram Enterprise Profile from the Profile Picker.
Step 3. Add your content material for the Instagram put up.
Step 4. Choose as much as 20 pictures to incorporate in your put up. Be aware that you may’t mix pictures and movies in your Instagram carousel posts printed via the Sprout app at the moment.
Step 5. Personalize your put up utilizing tags, hashtags, Instagram First Remark and even put up hyperlinks.
Step 6. Click on on the drop-down menu subsequent to “When to put up” and select the date and time you need. Alternatively, you’ll get the choice to select from a listing of “Optimum ship time” recommendations.
Step 7. Click on on “Schedule” to finish your scheduling.
For extra info on publishing and scheduling Instagram carousel posts inside Sprout, go to our Assist Heart.
8 Instagram carousel put up examples to encourage you
Regardless of carousel posts being essentially the most participating content material format, manufacturers are nonetheless not utilizing them sufficient. The 2025 Content material Benchmarks Report discovered that multi-image posts make up 25% of branded Instagram content material. This makes it the third most-used Instagram content material after single-image posts and Reels.
So ramping up your Instagram carousel technique will provide you with an edge over the competitors.
Want some inspiration for artistic methods to make use of carousel posts? Listed here are some Instagram carousel examples to encourage you:
1. Sprout Social: Sharing insightful stats
Sprout makes use of Instagram carousels to share some key insights from a current information report. These stats provide insights to tell social methods. Not solely does this present worth to the viewers, however it additionally entices them to obtain the total report.
2. Canva: Chew-sized visible guides
Canva makes essentially the most of carousel posts to share actionable visible guides for its customers. This gives sensible worth and serves as design inspiration, guiding customers to take advantage of the platform.
3. ColourPop Cosmetics: Revealing a brand new assortment/product line
Instagram is a good place for locating new merchandise, in accordance with the 2024 Social Media Content material Technique Report. The report reveals that product discovery is the primary purpose for interacting with manufacturers on Instagram. So take advantage of carousels for product reveals and spotlights.
At any time when ColourPop Cosmetics comes up with a brand new collab or assortment, it makes use of carousel posts to disclose the brand new merchandise. Every slide offers the model a chance to focus on a particular merchandise from the gathering. That is excellent for engaging clients to purchase from the gathering.
4. Fabletics Scrubs: Teasing new product drops
On a associated word, Fabletics Scrubs makes use of carousel posts to tease merchandise earlier than the precise drop. The model posts teaser pictures to announce an upcoming shade for his or her subsequent drop. That is extremely efficient for constructing anticipation and getting clients excited on your subsequent launch.
5. Frank Physique: Sharing a model journey
For Frank Physique, carousel posts function the right format to share the model’s journey through the years. It jumps in on the “The way it began vs. the way it’s going” development to point out how the model’s product line has expanded because it first launched.
This can be a probability to take clients on a journey via time, displaying how far the model has come. It additionally helps to create a way of nostalgia in long-time clients.
Professional Tip: Keep away from leaping in on each development. The 2025 Sprout Social Index discovered that manufacturers leaping in on viral developments get blended reactions. Whereas 40% assume it’s cool, 33% assume it’s embarrassing and 27% say it’s solely efficient within the first 24-48 hours. So be selective concerning the developments you take part in.
This Frank Physique instance works as a result of the development has been round for some time, displaying longevity.
6. CLEARSTEM Skincare: Throwing again to a previous occasion
An Instagram slide put up gives the right format for displaying occasion highlights. Within the case of CLEARSTEM Skincare, a carousel put up serves to point out snippets of a previous occasion. The model takes the chance to throw again to an occasion on its one-year anniversary and gauge folks’s opinions about doing one other occasion.
This can be a nice strategy to have interaction audiences and present them that you simply care about what they assume. Plus, you get to really feel out the panorama earlier than investing in one other occasion.
7. File Perfumes: Asking clients to decide on a shade/scent of the day
Carousel posts provide the alternative to curate merchandise or pictures round a particular theme. File Perfumes takes this opportunity to share a few of their prime color-based perfumes. The model then asks clients to select their shade (scent) of the day.
This permits the model to showcase its product selection whereas encouraging clients to work together with the put up. So it’s a extremely efficient strategy to increase Instagram engagement.
8. Miramonti Boutique Resort: Mini Property Tour
For institutions like Miramonti Boutique Resort, carousels are the right format for a mini property tour. The lodge creates a number of slide posts to focus on sure components of the property, such because the Onsen pool.
So it offers potential visitors an opportunity to “discover” the property nearly earlier than they determine to e book.
Creating Instagram carousel put up templates
One of many greatest practices to comply with on Instagram is sustaining a constant Feed with high-quality visuals. Be strategic concerning the visuals you select on your carousel posts to create a Feed that appears cohesive and on-brand. Instagram carousel templates can assist with this.
Instagram carousel templates act as a framework on your carousel posts. They use a constant model of shade schemes, fonts and different design components to make it possible for every picture comes collectively to type a unified look. Customise these templates with textual content, graphics and photographs to create a brand new carousel put up.
Yow will discover loads of pre-made templates on web sites like Canva and PicMonkey. These templates can be found to customise and obtain at no cost or for a small payment. Inventory templates are an amazing possibility if you wish to save time. They’re additionally excellent should you don’t have a knack for designing however nonetheless need professional-looking templates.
Alternatively, you can too design your individual Instagram carousel templates from scratch. This can be a good selection when you have a sturdy model visible identification that you simply need to showcase via your Instagram carousels. It offers you extra flexibility to create a template that matches your precise wants.
Create posts that get folks swiping
Instagram carousels get folks to cease and swipe, driving larger engagement. On the identical time, you’ll want to be strategic along with your posts. From visuals that entice folks to maintain swiping to posts that concentrate on a particular theme, the whole lot wants planning.
Sprout’s visible content material calendar enables you to handle all this seamlessly. You may visualize your content material plan and simply transfer issues round for optimum posting. It even enables you to schedule your Instagram carousel posts proper throughout the platform, so that they exit on the excellent time.
Join a free 30-day trial to see how the platform provides to your Instagram technique.
