Many people get thrown off by the name carousel as it relates to Instagram. Interestingly, my son, Brock, recently did a poll on his IG all about carousels. It turns out that 40% of his audience didn’t know what a carousel post was just by the name. I’m guessing the same holds true for most audiences.
However, most Instagram users DO know what a carousel post is — once defined. We all see them constantly!
So, a carousel post is what Instagram calls those feed posts that resemble slide shows. Where you have the option to swipe through and see up to 10 pictures or videos all in one post. And let me tell you, they’re a fantastic way to grow your account.
Why Carousel Posts Matter
Let’s pretend your IG follower, Sally Smith, just opened up her Instagram feed. She sees your traditional single image post and has one opportunity to engage with it — only one chance to like, save, share, comment, etc.
But Sally may be distracted or busy or not really feeling your post, in general, and just scrolls on by. Therefore, that’s the last time Sally will ever see that image. This is because Instagram’s algorithm has determined,
Sally doesn’t like this picture and we won’t show it to her again.
Now, here’s the super cool thing about carousel posts, though…
Let’s say you post a carousel and Sally doesn’t engage. She keeps on scrolling and, eventually, closes Instagram for a while. The very next time she pops open the app, Instagram will show her your carousel again!
But instead of showing her the first image, they’ll show her a different image from the slide of pics!
Instagram shows followers a new image from the carousel (they never engaged with) to try and increase reach, views and the likelihood of engagement.
Think about it: it’s just human nature. The more times we see something (or shoved in our faces, to be honest) the more likely we are to interact with it.
Hence, from now on, when you’re posting on your Instagram feed, consider turning that single image or video into a carousel post!
This blog, today, covers ONE key pillar in growing your Instagram account, but there are 4 more you need to know. For that juice, listen to the Build Your Tribe episode below NOW:
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