How to Create a High-Performing Instagram Carousel (According to Experts)

If you have an Instagram account, chances are you see tons of carousel posts in your feed every day. You know, the swipeable posts that let you share multiple images or videos in one post? Yep, those!

Since their launch in 2017, Instagram carousels are one of the most powerful content formats for engagement, consistently outperforming single-image posts in reach, saves, and shares. They allow brands to tell a compelling story, educate their audience, and increase interactions through multiple slides.

But how do you create a carousel that not only stops the scroll but also drives meaningful results? We reached out to marketing experts, business owners, and social media strategists to find out.

In this article, we’ll break down their insights into 7 expert-backed strategies to help you craft high-performing Instagram carousels.

1. Start With a Strong Hook Slide

Your first slide is the most crucial because it determines whether users swipe through or keep scrolling. It needs to grab attention immediately.

Loris Petro, Marketing Manager at Kratom Earth, explains:

“A hook slide works because Instagram moves fast. People are bombarded with content, so if the first slide does not grab attention, they will not stick around for the rest.”

What Makes a Strong Hook?

A great first slide should:

• Be visually striking – Use bold colors, large fonts, and high contrast.
• Be relatable/Speak to a pain point – Address a common struggle or frustration.
• Make a bold statement – Use shocking stats or surprising insights.
• Ask a thought-provoking question – Encourage readers to seek answers in the next slides.

A compelling hook ensures users are drawn in and eager to see what’s next.

2. Tell a Story That Flows Naturally

Carousels should take users on a journey, guiding them from one point to the next.

Rene Ymzon, Marketing Manager at Advanced Motion Controls, shares the importance of a "clear narratives" in carousels:

“Our audience—primarily engineers and OEMs—appreciates when we break down complex systems into digestible, swipeable insights.”

A Good Carousel Flow:

Instead of overwhelming your audience with information, break it into sections:

• Slide 1: Hook - Introduce the problem.
• Slide 2-4: Provide context and solutions.
• Slide 5-7: Show proof (case studies, testimonials, statistics).
• Final Slide: End with a call to action (CTA).

Carousels are great for storytelling! Structure your carousel like a mini-story, keeping users engaged from start to finish.

Kenko Matcha's Founder, Sam Speller, emphasizes storytelling:

“Our best-performing carousel started with a common challenge—low energy—and introduced matcha as a solution, leading to a compelling CTA. This approach kept users hooked and increased our CTR by 30%.”

Deepak Shukla’s, CEO of the digital marketing agency Pearl Lemon Group agrees:

"We've noticed that well-crafted carousels drive more interactions, especially when the visuals and message flow seamlessly from one slide to the next."

3. Use Engaging and Consistent Visuals

Carousels need more than just great copy—the visuals must also captivate. High-quality, on-brand visuals make your carousels more appealing and professional.

Taras Talimonchuk, CMO at Claspo, reminds us that Instagram is more about visuals than long essays, so it’s important to keep the text short and easy to digest.

Tips for engaging carousel visuals: 

• Keep slides visually connected with a consistent design. 
• Use arrows, progress bars, or swiping cues. 
• Mix text, images and infographics to keep it dynamic.
• Use contrast to highlight key takeaways.
• Avoid clutter – Each slide should focus on one key point.

Sienna Hart, Social Media Manager & VP of Sales at Chatrandom, also suggests using interactive visuals:

“Meme-ify data: Turn stats into GIF-like visuals (e.g., ‘87% of users hate this filter → Slide 3’s dumpster fire graphic’).”

4. Deliver Value on Every Slide

Carousels perform best when they educate, inspire, or solve a problem. Each slide should offer something valuable—whether it’s a tip, a strategy, an actionable insight, or a piece of the story.

Gabe Garcia, Founder of PierrePark, has seen engagement spikes when every slide is actionable and informative. “I’ve seen a higher engagement rate with carousels, especially when they tell a story or provide value-driven content like step-by-step guides.”

Andrei Vasilescu, CEO of DontPayFull, recommends:

"High-performing carousels often combine education with storytelling. Add value early—tips, insights, or relatable humor—and keep captions concise yet punchy.."

5. Optimize the Number of Slides

More slides don’t always mean better engagement.

Sheraz Ali, founder of HARO Links Builder and an experienced marketer who has managed over 200 Instagram accounts, found that carousels with 5-7 slides perform best, while engagement significantly drops after the 8th slide. 

His tests show that keeping carousels concise leads to higher completion rates and better user retention, ensuring viewers stay engaged until the final slide.

Inigo Rivero, Managing Director of House Of Marketers, agrees: 

"The optimal length of carousels is 5-7 slides because it is not too long and not too short."

Experts noted that a common mistake is overwhelming the audience with too many slides. Chris Bajda, Managing Partner at Groomsday, shares that he prefers to keep carousels simple, usually around 5-7 slides:

"It’s easy for users to get distracted if there are too many options, so I focus on highlighting the most compelling gifts that will resonate with my audience.."

Keep your content clear and to the point. Each slide should serve a purpose. 

6. Optimize Content for Saves and Shares

Carousels thrive on engagement, so make it easy for users to interact. 

Saves and shares are two of the strongest engagement signals for Instagram’s algorithm. Carousels designed for long-term value tend to get saved more often.

Adil Advani, Associate Product Owner at Securiti, notes that carousels that provide immediate value—such as step-by-step tutorials or industry insights—tend to be saved and shared more frequently.

Tips to increase saves & share

• Create reference-worthy content: Tutorials, templates, or strategies get saved.
• Make it easily shareable: Use relatable quotes, stats, industry insights or even humor
• Create evergreen content that remains relevant
• Include a save/share CTA 

7. End with a Strong Call-to-Action (CTA)

Your final slide should direct users toward the next step.

Sheraz Ali reveals:

“Always have a clear call-to-action on the final slide—this increased swipe-through rates by 47% in our A/B tests.”

CTA ideas:

• “Save this post for later!” (Boosts saves, which help rankings)
• “Tag a friend who needs this!” (Encourages shares)
• “What’s your biggest challenge? Drop a comment!” (Increase comments) 
• “Click the link in bio for more!” (Drives traffic)

Nataliya Zhestkova, Co-Founder of Ecualama, emphasizes the importance of a clear CTA:

“Encourage engagement by asking a question, prompting users to comment, or directing them to a link.”

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A well-structured Instagram carousel can be a key element of a successful social media marketing strategy. Whether you’re educating your audience, showcasing products, or telling a story, remember to start strong, keep it visually engaging, and end with a clear call-to-action (CTA). Most importantly, test, analyze, and refine your approach to continuously improve performance.

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Now it’s your turn: go create a carousel that stops the scroll and delivers real results!

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