Instagram Carousel Tutorial: A Complete Carousel Post Guide
Updated on
Home » Blog » Instagram Carousel Tutorial: A Complete Carousel Post Guide
Ever find yourself mindlessly scrolling Instagram only to stop at a post that keeps you swiping for minutes? Such is the power of an Instagram carousel.
If a single picture is worth a thousand words, carousel posts are worth thousands. They not only look great but also let you visually communicate everything you need in a single post. When done right, these posts may be the missing piece to your audience engagement puzzle. However, the keyword is “when done right.”
How exactly do you turn carousel posts into an asset? Read on as we answer this and more questions in this Instagram carousel tutorial. We look at everything from what it is and why it matters to how to create one and which best practices to implement to maximize engagement.
What Is an Instagram Carousel Post?
An Instagram carousel is a content format that allows creators to share multiple images (and videos) in a single post. It’s essentially a manual slideshow. Instagram app users view the content by swiping left, while desktop users view it by tapping designated arrow buttons on the posts.
While they may seem like a novel feature because of their current popularity, carousel posts have been around since 2017. Their adoption was relatively slow, but more creators and brands are recognizing their value. So, you’re sure to come across one every few scrolls.
Benefits of Instagram Carousels
Carousels are a lot more work than single-image posts. Are they worth it? Definitely. Here are some reasons why:
High engagement rates: Carousel posts registered a 0.55% average engagement rate in 2024. While this may not seem like much, it’s the highest engagement rate across all Instagram content formats. Reels had an average engagement of 0.50%, while static images recorded 0.45%.
More impressions: Carousel posts recorded more average impressions than single-image posts across all accounts. They also overtook Reels across larger accounts (50K+ followers).
Double exposure: Single-image posts and Reels tend to appear once in followers’ feeds. Carousel posts, however, appear twice. According to the Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, the platform shows the same carousel post twice to users who don’t swipe the first time. Usually, Instagram shows a different slide in the carousel post the second time to help encourage interaction.
Increased dwell time: Carousels keep users on your posts longer than single images. To the Instagram algorithm, a long dwell time signals content value. So, the system may push your posts to broader audiences.
Deeper storytelling: Instagram carousels allow you to share more detailed stories and information. For example, you can share multiple customer reviews, showcase your product at various stages of production, and provide step-by-step tutorials.
How to Create an Instagram Carousel Post
Looking to mix things up by incorporating carousels into your Instagram strategy? Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to create engaging posts:
Plan Your Carousel
The first step is to create a visual storyboard for your carousel post. This will serve as your guide, showing you which images (or videos) to take and how to arrange them.
When creating your storyboard, start by identifying your goal:
Do you want to boost sales? Create a storyboard of customer review screenshots, product reveals, or product spotlights.
Do you want to connect more with your audience? Include behind-the-scenes videos or images, user-generated content, and photo dumps of you and your team.
Do you want to educate your target audience? Focus on tutorials and infographics.
Determining what to post early on can save you a lot of time. It also allows for better organization, as you’ll know exactly what goes where.
Start Creating
Once your visual storyboard is ready, start creating. There’s more to creating a carousel than just designing slides; you need to make sure your content is something people actually want to swipe through.
Ideally, every slide in your carousel should carry a high-quality visual.
Every slide should also feel like a natural continuation of the last. If you want to post a product tutorial, for example, record all vital steps and arrange them in their respective order. If you’re going to share educational content, start by breaking down simple ideas and move on to the more complex ones as your slides progress.
Post Your Carousel
When you have your images (and videos) lined up, post them to Instagram. The process is relatively straightforward:
Tap the Create (+) button at the top of your screen.
Select the Post option.
Tap Select to add multiple images (and videos).
Choose the images or videos you want to include in your carousel. Start with the visual you want to use as the first slide.
When you’re done, tap Next.
Edit your photos or videos as desired. You can add filters and text overlays as well as choose your preferred audio.
Tap Next once you’re done with editing.
Write your caption. Ideally, it should enhance your carousel post by providing additional context. It should also include relevant hashtags to boost your discoverability in search results.
Tag relevant people and your location (optional).
Confirm that everything is in order, then tap Share.
Instagram Carousel Size and Specs Guide
As with other content formats, you need to get your image and video sizes right to make sure your carousels look great. Here are the specs to keep in mind when creating your post:
Image carousel
Minimum resolution: 1080×1080 pixels
Recommended aspect ratio: square (1:1). The platform also supports landscape (1.91:1) and vertical (4:5), but square is more popular.
Maximum file size: 30MB per image
Recommended formats: JPG or PNG
Minimum carousel cards: 2
Instagram carousel limit: 20
Video carousel
Recommended resolution: 1080×1080 pixels
Aspect ratio: 1:1, 4:5, or 1.91:1
Maximum file size: 4GB
Supported formats: MP4, MOV, and GIF
Minimum carousel cards: 2
Maximum cards: 20
Video length: 3 to 60 seconds
Note: Instagram uses your chosen first image as a reference point for the aspect ratio and automatically crops the other slides to match it. Unfortunately, this can make subsequent images look distorted or even crop out vital information. To prevent such issues, use the same aspect ratio for all your carousel images and videos.
Instagram Carousel Post Best Practices
Want your carousel posts to drive engagement and ultimately, account growth? Here are some key best practices to follow:
Always Start With a Strong Hook
Your first slide often determines whether users continue to the next slides. If it doesn’t grab scrollers’ attention, odds are they won’t give the rest of your content the time of day.
So, make your first slide a scroll-stopping one. If you start your carousel with a photo or video, make sure it has striking visuals. If you start with a text-based image, ensure the text is bold and readable. You can also grab users’ attention by highlighting your value proposition, making a bold claim, or asking a question.
Want to encourage users to scroll through your carousel post up to the last slide? Make them look forward to each one by following a logical narrative flow.
Say you’re making a carousel tutorial. You can hook your audience by doing the following:
Include a striking product image or state a product usage statistic in the first slide.
Explain people’s struggle with the product in the next slide.
Provide tips for proper product use in the following slides.
Provide a summary in the next slide.
Add a call-to-action in the final slide.
If you want to showcase an item’s design or production process, you can:
Start with a short text that asks users to swipe through your journey.
Follow through with images or videos showcasing every step of the design process.
The goal is not only to capture but also to maintain your audience’s attention. The longer your posts’ dwell time, the more valuable they appear to the Instagram algorithm. This could ultimately broaden your reach.
Maintain Visual Consistency
Visual consistency enhances a carousel post’s aesthetic by making it appear smoother. This, in turn, can increase users’ likelihood of swiping through and engaging with the post.
To maintain visual consistency:
Make sure all your images and videos share the same aspect ratio. This way, you don’t have to worry about Instagram distorting the visuals when aligning them.
Maintain a consistent color palette across all your slides.
Use the same font for your text overlays.
Align your text placement across all images.
Minimize Text
There’s no question about the value of text overlays in carousel posts. They add context to images, making them easier for audiences to understand.
That said, too much text can be overwhelming. So, minimize it. Here are some ideas to help you:
Break up lengthy or complex ideas across multiple slides.
Maintain a single idea per slide.
Use short sentences.
Incorporate bullet points when breaking down ideas.
Carousel posts are harder to create than single-image posts. So, it’s normal to want to publish them only occasionally.
However, inconsistent posting makes it challenging to identify which carousel designs and content generate the most engagement. It can also limit your reach.
Consistent posting, on the other hand, gives you more data to work with. It also trains your audience to expect content from your account and puts you on the right side of the algorithm.
If you’re having trouble sticking to your posting schedule, maybe because you have multiple Instagram accounts or are managing different profiles across various social media platforms, lean on solutions like GeeLark.
GeeLark is an antidetect platform that lets you operate multiple accounts without detection by providing unique browser and cloud phone profiles for each one.
Beyond isolating accounts, it offers automation tools that can streamline account management.
With the platform’s “Instagram publish Reels gallery” template, for example, you can automate carousel (and single-image) posting on Instagram at scale. This makes it easier to maintain consistency.
Instagram carousels are a powerful, yet sometimes overlooked, content format. They register more impressions than single-image posts and higher engagement rates than both single-image posts and Reels. What’s more, they often receive double exposure, which increases your chances of catching users’ attention.
However, how you create and use carousels determines your success. For optimal engagement and a broad reach, hook your target audience with the first slide, maintain visual consistency across slides, and post consistently.
GeeLark can help you maintain consistency by automating carousel posting at scale. To automate the process, create your content, set up cloud phone profiles for your accounts, upload your content to GeeLark, and pick your preferred publishing date.
GeeLark can also help with content creation. The GeeLark AI facilitates everything from image generation to video editing, streamlining the creation process.
Without a doubt. Carousel posts typically register more impressions and engagement than other content formats. If you’re looking for ways to grow your Instagram account, they should definitely be part of your plan.
To boost carousel engagement:
Lead with an attention-grabbing slide.
Make sure each slide naturally leads to the next.
Use high-quality visuals.
Remove unnecessary text.
Focus on a single idea per slide.
You can make carousel posts for numerous pieces of content, including: Behind-the-scenes moments Tutorials Product reveals Brand storytelling Tips and tricks Basically, any swipeable piece of content can do well as a carousel.
No. Different audiences prefer varying content formats — some people may like carousels, others Reels, and others single-image posts. To cater to them all, mix things up.
