Carousel is the most engaging Instagram format: why you should be using it
Considering the popularity increasing from Instagram, the experts of social media must constantly balance the amount and type of posts to see what works best.
According to the latest Socialinsider study, among the three Instagram posting options (image, video or carousel), the carousel is the winning option in terms of engagement . It offers brands more flexibility and also the possibility of combining images and videos to convey a message. During the Instagram carousel study , Socialinsider has analyzed more than 22 million posts and a shown how the carousel posts perform better .
Instagram Carousel Post Study
In L' survey , different aspects of carousels on Instagram were analyzed : the increase of this type of publication, the participation rate, the number of slides they should have, their theme, among others.
Rise of carousels on Instagram
Since the launch of Instagram carousels in 2017, brands have incorporated this possibility into their publication schedule over time.
As we can see in the graph above, in the early years only 3-4% of Instagram content was carousel posts. Currently the percentage is increased to 19,44% . Although images remain the most popular posts, they have lost their importance since 2017.
Instagram carousels generate higher engagement rates
In this other graph we see how the engagement rate of carousels (1,92%) exceed that of images (1,74%) and videos (1,45%).
Jenn Herman, Instagram and Social Media Specialist at SocialInsider, Explains How Instagram's Algorithm ne show only once at your subscribers a normal post , while a carousel post will show it twice if the subscriber does not see it in full. This gives you a double chance to connect with your audience: "If a follower scrolls through the post with the first image, Instagram will show them the same post a second time with usually the second photo or video from the carousel."
How many slides should carousels have?
Carousels can hold two to 10 slides or slides, although the most common are those that have two or three. In this third graph, we see how despite the fact that carousels that contain two or three slides generate good participation rates (1,90%), carousels with the highest number of slides, between eight and ten, perform even better (2%).
On the other hand, the carousel supports a lot of versatility in terms of content, you can post only with images, with videos or mixed .
In this graph we can see how mixed carousels have a higher participation rate (2,33%) than carousels with images (1,80%) or video (1,86%).
Best practices for carousels on Instagram
Carousel posts allow you to tell a story with multiple images or videos: it gives a lot of play for show a process , for example, a step by step cooking recipe , panoramic photos in sliding format, show the latest discounted items of your brand or use this format to create educational pills , which spark the interest of your audience, like in this case:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjwvFt-lK6D/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Use curiosity to guide your audience to the last slide of your carousel post. You need to get creative and try out different styles and layouts for your carousel content. You have to keep in mind that the ones that work the best are the mixed ones, i.e. the ones that mix pictures and videos .
Another fact to keep in mind is that posts that encourage you to view full content work best. If you include a title Slide to the left , Read or similar in your carousel post, the average engagement rate drops from 1,83% to 2%.
In short, Instagram carousel posts are becoming more and more important, so starting today, include these types of posts in your Community Manager calendar. to get better engagement rates. Remember to use mixed carousels and include the title of Slide to the left.
As always, let us know what you think of this study and let us know if it works for you.
