Carousels are one of the best formats brands can use on Instagram. They are a fun and engaging way to grab your audience’s attention. But making a successful carousel takes some careful planning. Here’s a breakdown of the essentials for an effective Instagram carousel, along with examples from big brands that do it the right way.
Keeping Things Consistent and Telling a Story
Stick to a single visual theme throughout your carousel. This could mean using the same colors, style, or repeating elements. Also, use carousels to tell a story. Share a behind-the-scenes look, a customer’s experience, or a quick tutorial. Make sure each slide adds to the overall story you’re telling.
Tips:
- Use similar fonts and text sizes across all slides for consistency.
- Consider the overall mood or emotion you want to convey and ensure each slide contributes to it.
Example: The North Face
Despite a minimalist approach to visuals, The North Face excels at storytelling through their carousels. A testament to this is their post honoring Dawa Yangzum, a mountaineer who successfully ascended all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters. The photos chosen for the carousel show Dawa wearing The North Face gear while climbing mountains, allowing the audience to see that the brand’s clothes are used in the most grueling environments around the world.
Captions and CTAs That Engage
Keep your captions short and sweet. Use emojis and bold text to make important points stand out. Guide viewers with clear calls to action (CTAs). This could be a link to your site, asking them to like or comment, or prompting them to swipe to the next slide.
Tips:
- Use simple, everyday language to make your captions more relatable.
- Ask questions or create a sense of curiosity to encourage users to engage with your carousel.
- Make your CTAs visually distinct by using buttons or different colors to highlight them.
Example: Doritos
Doritos is one of the brands that boast awesome engagement. In their carousels, they employ numerous tricks to get the audience to stop swiping and leave a comment. Here is a carousel from Doritos featuring zero words. Instead, they rely solely on emojis that hide the names of different Xbox games.
Slide Order That Makes Sense
Think carefully about the order of your slides. Start strong to grab attention and end with a compelling CTA. Make sure the visuals flow smoothly from one slide to the next. Avoid sudden, jarring changes that can disrupt the viewing experience.
Tips:
- After the opening slide, provide context or background information to set the stage.
- Build up to a climax or key point in the middle of your carousel to keep viewers interested.
- Use the second-to-last slide to summarize or reinforce your main message before ending with your CTA.
Example: Adobe Photoshop
The format or topic you choose to cover doesn’t have to be complicated. Even a basic post about new products can be engaging with a carousel. Look at how Photoshop announces recent updates. The carousel is organized well, starting with a title slide that also has a simple call to action, encouraging you to swipe.
Accessibility and Testing
Make sure your carousel is accessible to everyone. Use high-contrast text for better readability and provide alternative text for images to help visually impaired users. Test your carousel on different devices and platforms to ensure it looks good and functions properly everywhere.
Tips:
- Use a large enough font size to make your text easy to read on small screens.
- Avoid using color alone to convey information, as some users may be colorblind.
Example:
BetterHelp is a mental health service that offers online consultations with therapists. The company’s Instagram account is a great source of useful tips, thoughts, and wisdoms for keeping psychological well-being in balance. The way BetterHelp present their carousels is also indicative of their effort to provide information that is accessible and engaging. See this example, where they use a combination of large font, short text, and pleasant colors to make the carousel easy-to-read for everyone.
Branding
Ensure your carousel is consistent with your brand’s identity and values. This helps build recognition and reinforces your brand message.
Tips:
- Incorporate your brand’s logo, colors, and typography into the carousel design.
- Maintain a consistent tone of voice in your captions that aligns with your brand personality.
- Showcase your brand’s unique selling points and what sets you apart from competitors.
Example:
Starbucks is a great example of a brand that consistently sticks to its branding in every piece of content they publish on social media. Check out this cute carousel. Despite not using the brand’s logo, it instantly makes you recognize that it belongs to Starbucks thanks to the signature pastel colors and a green circle on the cup.
Analytics and Tracking
Track the performance of your carousel using analytics tools to gain insights into user behavior and engagement.
Tips:
- Monitor metrics like slide views, click-through rates, and conversion rates to measure your carousel’s effectiveness.
- Use heatmaps to visualize where users are interacting with your carousel the most.
- Set up A/B tests to compare the performance of different carousel designs or CTAs.
Conclusion
As we’ve seen, carousels can be a game-changer for brands on Instagram. From showcasing products to telling stories, the possibilities are endless. Embrace the carousel format, learn from the success of others, and watch your brand’s engagement grow.
Carousels are one of the best formats brands can use on Instagram. They are a fun and engaging way to grab your audience’s attention. But making a successful carousel takes some careful planning. Here’s a breakdown of the essentials for an effective Instagram carousel, along with examples from big brands that do it the right way.
Keeping Things Consistent and Telling a Story
Stick to a single visual theme throughout your carousel. This could mean using the same colors, style, or repeating elements. Also, use carousels to tell a story. Share a behind-the-scenes look, a customer’s experience, or a quick tutorial. Make sure each slide adds to the overall story you’re telling.
Tips:
- Use similar fonts and text sizes across all slides for consistency.
- Consider the overall mood or emotion you want to convey and ensure each slide contributes to it.
Example: The North Face
Despite a minimalist approach to visuals, The North Face excels at storytelling through their carousels. A testament to this is their post honoring Dawa Yangzum, a mountaineer who successfully ascended all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters. The photos chosen for the carousel show Dawa wearing The North Face gear while climbing mountains, allowing the audience to see that the brand’s clothes are used in the most grueling environments around the world.
Captions and CTAs That Engage
Keep your captions short and sweet. Use emojis and bold text to make important points stand out. Guide viewers with clear calls to action (CTAs). This could be a link to your site, asking them to like or comment, or prompting them to swipe to the next slide.
Tips:
- Use simple, everyday language to make your captions more relatable.
- Ask questions or create a sense of curiosity to encourage users to engage with your carousel.
- Make your CTAs visually distinct by using buttons or different colors to highlight them.
Example: Doritos
Doritos is one of the brands that boast awesome engagement. In their carousels, they employ numerous tricks to get the audience to stop swiping and leave a comment. Here is a carousel from Doritos featuring zero words. Instead, they rely solely on emojis that hide the names of different Xbox games.
Slide Order That Makes Sense
Think carefully about the order of your slides. Start strong to grab attention and end with a compelling CTA. Make sure the visuals flow smoothly from one slide to the next. Avoid sudden, jarring changes that can disrupt the viewing experience.
Tips:
- After the opening slide, provide context or background information to set the stage.
- Build up to a climax or key point in the middle of your carousel to keep viewers interested.
- Use the second-to-last slide to summarize or reinforce your main message before ending with your CTA.
Example: Adobe Photoshop
The format or topic you choose to cover doesn’t have to be complicated. Even a basic post about new products can be engaging with a carousel. Look at how Photoshop announces recent updates. The carousel is organized well, starting with a title slide that also has a simple call to action, encouraging you to swipe.
Accessibility and Testing
Make sure your carousel is accessible to everyone. Use high-contrast text for better readability and provide alternative text for images to help visually impaired users. Test your carousel on different devices and platforms to ensure it looks good and functions properly everywhere.
Tips:
- Use a large enough font size to make your text easy to read on small screens.
- Avoid using color alone to convey information, as some users may be colorblind.
Example:
BetterHelp is a mental health service that offers online consultations with therapists. The company’s Instagram account is a great source of useful tips, thoughts, and wisdoms for keeping psychological well-being in balance. The way BetterHelp present their carousels is also indicative of their effort to provide information that is accessible and engaging. See this example, where they use a combination of large font, short text, and pleasant colors to make the carousel easy-to-read for everyone.
Branding
Ensure your carousel is consistent with your brand’s identity and values. This helps build recognition and reinforces your brand message.
Tips:
- Incorporate your brand’s logo, colors, and typography into the carousel design.
- Maintain a consistent tone of voice in your captions that aligns with your brand personality.
- Showcase your brand’s unique selling points and what sets you apart from competitors.
Example:
Starbucks is a great example of a brand that consistently sticks to its branding in every piece of content they publish on social media. Check out this cute carousel. Despite not using the brand’s logo, it instantly makes you recognize that it belongs to Starbucks thanks to the signature pastel colors and a green circle on the cup.
Analytics and Tracking
Track the performance of your carousel using analytics tools to gain insights into user behavior and engagement.
Tips:
- Monitor metrics like slide views, click-through rates, and conversion rates to measure your carousel’s effectiveness.
- Use heatmaps to visualize where users are interacting with your carousel the most.
- Set up A/B tests to compare the performance of different carousel designs or CTAs.
Conclusion
As we’ve seen, carousels can be a game-changer for brands on Instagram. From showcasing products to telling stories, the possibilities are endless. Embrace the carousel format, learn from the success of others, and watch your brand’s engagement grow.
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