5 content ideas for your Instagram carousel posts
Instagram carousel posts have higher engagement than static posts and Instagram stories. Why? Per Aia Adriano, VP of content at Complex, Carousels “increases engagement and time spent on the post simply because there's more to consume. Also, the algorithm rewards it."
The study from Social insider confirms this trend. It analyzed 109 million Instagram posts and found using carousels can increase your engagement per impression rate and earn you more likes.
OK, but what type of carousel content should you post?
Here are the five ideas to get you started:
1. Teach something
Most people browse the Internet to learn something (and, of course, to see cat videos). Hence, Instagram carousels are the best way to post educational content.
These can be a how-to guide, X [topic] tips-type content (10 marketing tips to land more clients), or a topic explainer (here’s what content repurposing means).
You can highlight the crucial points in the post and expand on some of them in the captions. For example, see this Semrush's how-to guide.
Like Semrush, use visuals and a benefit-oriented headline (“how to create a marketing campaign”) to hook the reader’s attention. Then, provide an in-depth explanation of the topic.
2. Use data storytelling
Per Harvard, “data storytelling is the ability to effectively communicate insights from a dataset using narratives and visualizations. It can be used to put data insights into context for and inspire action from your audience.”
Use images, pie charts, graphs, and other visuals to simplify complex data that will add credibility to your argument. For example, look at this Buffer’s Instagram post.
It used data to communicate its pro-remote-work argument. Using visuals, Buffer attracts readers. Once the readers are in, they will be more likely to read the caption that explains why Buffer is pro-remote-work.
Similarly, you can leverage company data to convey insights on a particular topic. For example, if you’re a company that helps HR to manage their recruitment, you can survey all HRs and report your findings through data storytelling.
3. Share the behind-the-scenes (BTS)
Post behind-the-curtain content. It can be a carousel that shows:
a) Company culture (what it’s like to work at our company-type post)
b) Employees working together
c) Brainstorming sessions
d) Company events
Here’s Google showing its celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day.
Here’s Microsoft sharing its employees’ outdoor photos.
BTS gives an unedited look at the company. It’s an authentic way to build trust and connect with your audience. Your followers will see the human behind your brand and form an emotional connection.
4. Promote your product/service
Carousels help you advertise your product. You can highlight new product launches, display different variations/designs, and show details that make your product unique.
For example, here’s H&M promoting its new product and highlighting different clothes from its collection you can shop:
You can also highlight what differentiates your product/service, how it will benefit your customers, and why people should consider you versus your competitors.
5. Publish user-generated content
Social media is a two-way conversation channel. If all you do is sing your praises and ignore your users, you won’t have an engaged community of loyal fans that support you, use your product, and promote your brand.
Instead, connect with your fans by publishing their content using your product. These act as a testimonial and encourages other people to share similar content. All this will increase your brand awareness and trust because people believe in social proof.
Take Apple’s example. It frequently posts user-generated photos under the hashtag #ShotoniPhone.
So these are some of the Instagram carousel contents you should start posting. Ensure your posts are more than three slides (ideally, 5-6) and either educate, inspire, or entertain your users.