How can you effectively use Instagram’s carousel feature to tell a story?

1 Choose a theme and a goal

Before you create your carousel, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and what you want to communicate. What is the main point or message of your story? Who is your target audience and what do they care about? How do you want them to feel or act after viewing your carousel? Having a theme and a goal will help you plan and structure your carousel, as well as choose the right images, captions, and hashtags.

2 Select and edit your images or videos

The next step is to select and edit your images or videos for your carousel. You want to choose high-quality and relevant content that supports your theme and goal. You also want to make sure that your images or videos are consistent in style, color, and tone, to create a cohesive and professional look. You can use Instagram's built-in editing tools or other apps to crop, filter, adjust, and enhance your content. You can also add stickers, text, or drawings to make your content more interactive and fun.

3 Arrange and caption your content

Once you have your images or videos ready, you need to arrange them in a logical and compelling order. You want to create a flow and a rhythm that guides your viewers through your story. You can use different techniques to create interest and suspense, such as zooming in or out, changing perspectives, or revealing a surprise. You also need to write captivating captions for each slide, that explain, inform, or entertain your viewers. You can use emojis, questions, or calls to action to spice up your captions and encourage engagement.

4 Add hashtags and tags

The final step is to add hashtags and tags to your carousel, to increase your reach and visibility. You want to use relevant and popular hashtags that relate to your theme, goal, niche, or industry. You can use tools like Hashtagify or Display Purposes to find the best hashtags for your carousel. You also want to tag any people, brands, or locations that are featured or mentioned in your carousel, to show appreciation and build relationships.

6 Analyze and improve your performance

After you publish your carousel, you want to analyze and improve your performance. You can use Instagram's insights feature to see how your carousel is performing in terms of reach, impressions, likes, comments, shares, and saves. You can also use tools like Later or Sprout Social to track and measure your carousel's performance over time. You can use this data to understand what works and what doesn't, and to optimize your future carousels accordingly.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?