Are You Stopping the Scroll?
If you’re looking for a way to keep visitors on your Instagram account for longer, don’t underestimate the power of the Carousel post.
Instagram carousel posts work to keep your audience engaged for increased periods of time because of their swiping feature. The viewer needs to swipe through your images, gets caught up in the story you’re telling, which makes them want to swipe to the next photo until they reach the end and move on with their scrolling.
That engaged use, and the seconds ticking by, makes the algorithm happy…which in turns rewards you with higher visibility as you’re telling Instagram “Hey! Look at how long people are spending on my post and account!”.
The trick though is to catch people’s attention with that first slide to get them to stop scrolling in the first place. And once that's accomplished, keep them interested in continuing to swipe through your entire carousel.
MAKE THAT FIRST SLIDE COUNT
You need to stop the scroll first. So make sure that your first slide has a compelling headline/statement to catch their eye. It should spark curiosity and a desire to read.
EASY TO CONSUME
It’s a common human trait that we don’t like effort. If something feels hard to do, and there’s an easier way out (like scrolling), then we’ll take it. So make sure that your first few slides are easy to consume.
BE BRIEF
You don’t want to get too heavy on the text with your slides – save that for your emails or website. If you do have a lot to say, then look at how you can separate it into multiple posts.
DON’T FORGET YOUR CALL TO ACTION
Your carousel should end with a clear call-to-action (CTA) that benefits the viewer. Is it to join your mailing list where you share more tips & advice? Or provide discounts? Or maybe it’s to buy a product which is on sale for a limited time? The most successful CTAs are value-based for the viewer. What’s in it for them?
CONTENT IDEAS FOR CAROUSEL POSTS
- Step-by-Step Tutorials
- A short story
- Showcasing a product and it’s uses
- Before & After
- Recapping an event/show you attended (goes to storytelling)
- Behind the Scenes snaps
- Promoting Customer reviews/testimonials
Until next time!
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