If there’s one thing that we can count on when it comes to social media marketing, it’s that the rules change every day. What works best one moment will not necessarily be best practice the next. Case in point: Instagram is now heavily-prioritizing carousel posts – posts that include two or more images. Each image is featured one at a time, and the user swipes left to see the next image in the carousel.

The Doubletake

Have you ever noticed how, when scrolling through Instagram, a single carousel post will show up a second time? The post will show the first image on the first pass, and if the person scrolling doesn’t engage with the post the first time through, the algorithm will feed the post to the user again, this time with the second image featured. This means that if your brand is already posting multi-image posts on Instagram, you’re significantly increasing your own reach.

Clever Carousels

Every post you make on your social media channels should be done so with intention. Is the purpose to educate? Maybe the goal is to highlight certain product features? Or perhaps the post is recapping your company’s 50th Anniversary celebration? 

There are many ways that carousel posts can be a successful part of your social strategy, and here are some of our favorites:

• Educate: Hook the audience with a strong cover image, then make each subsequent image an educational graphic that provides them with some type of tip/trick/takeaway. Use this type of post to correspond to an already-existing blog post. Encourage them to visit your blog for more details on the topic. 
• Feature a New Product: Showcasing an aircraft allows you to highlight different features, exterior angles, or variations of cabin decor in a single post.
• Share a Before-and-After Transformation: From a fresh paint job to an interior overhaul, before-and-after carousel posts are visually compelling and can tell a powerful story of progress. They grab attention and often evoke strong emotional responses from viewers.
• Tell a Story: Carousel posts can be used for storytelling, whether it be personal anecdotes, behind-the-scenes glimpses, or brand storytelling. Each slide can build upon the previous one, creating anticipation and keeping viewers engaged until the end of the narrative.
• Recap an Important Event: Whether it’s a conference, trade show, product launch, or any other event, carousel posts can be used to highlight key moments, speakers, demos, or core memories from the event. This allows you to encapsulate the essence of the occasion and share it with your audience in a visually-appealing format.

Reels Are King, Carousels Are Queen

All of this being said, Instagram is not backing down on prioritizing Reels. However, it is lumping carousel posts into the same tier of importance. How so? By blatantly going so far as to include these multi-image posts in the Reels feed – a feed that is separate from the default Instagram feed that most users know, love and regularly scroll. To refresh your memory, a person clicks into the Reels feed two different ways, either by simply clicking on a Reel and then continuing to scroll, or by clicking the Reels icon at the bottom of the home screen. 

This ultimately means that carousel posts increase reach not only by showing up twice in a viewer’s scrolling experience, but also by appearing in two very different feeds, for exceedingly different audiences. 

If you aren’t already including carousel posts in your Instagram strategy, now is the time to start brainstorming. Whether you’re showcasing the latest capabilities of your MRO, or highlighting how your product contributes to global sustainability goals, the Instagram carousel post will prove to be your Queen of Reach. 

Feeling overwhelmed by the potential of your social media strategy? Our team is here to help and we’d love to have a conversation with you. Contact us today.