36. Instagram Update 2024: Grow Your Audience with Carousels
Carousels have always been a valuable way to engage followers, but with Instagram’s latest update, they’re an even bigger opportunity to reach new audiences. Plus, this format gives you the chance to be more creative and tell a story in a single post, making it a powerful tool in your Instagram strategy.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
[01:29] New Instagram Update: Carousels can now appear in the Reels tab when you add music, meaning more opportunities to get discovered by new audiences. I’ll explain why this matters and how to make the most of it.
[04:33] Why Carousels Work: Carousels give you multiple chances to engage your audience because they allow for multiple slides in a single post, which can be shown repeatedly in a user's feed if they don’t swipe through all slides the first time.
[05:54] Pro Tips for Carousel Content: How to create attention-grabbing slides, including the importance of using a strong hook on the first slide and adding text within the Instagram app to keep your content relevant and engaging.
[07:15] How to Use Instagram’s New Features: From adding trending audio to carousels for better reach, to leveraging Instagram’s new in-app tools for creating carousels quickly, I cover all the ways to take advantage of this update.
Key Takeaways:
Hook Them in 3 Seconds: Just like reels, the first slide of your carousel needs to grab attention fast! Use bold text, eye-catching visuals, or a compelling question to get your audience to swipe through the slides.
Leverage Trending Audio: Adding music to your carousel posts makes them more engaging and increases the chances of getting featured on the Reels tab, expanding your reach.
Experiment with In-App Carousel Tools: Take advantage of Instagram's new in-app tools to create text-heavy carousels directly within the app—perfect if you’re not a Canva expert but still want to make visually appealing posts.
Feeling stuck? I have two spots left in my private mentorship program this quarter. If you’re ready to refine your Instagram strategy, boost your content, and start converting followers into customers, apply for a complimentary Instagram breakthrough call here.
Links mentioned in this episode:
The carousel post I mention in this episode
Apply for a complimentary IG breakthrough call! - or DM me the word APPLY on Instagram and you’ll get the link.
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Quote
"Your authentic self, your authentic brand vibe is what is going to make you stand out in a saturated marketplace."
S3 Ep36 Transcript: Instagram Update 2024: Grow Your Audience with Carousels
00:00
This week, Instagram dropped a big update about how you can start leveraging carousels to grow your audience. In today's episode, I'm gonna break it down and teach you exactly how you can leverage this form of content in your strategy to, of course, grow your audience, build your email list, and attract more of your Dreamboat clients. I'm excited, let's do it. Welcome to Strut It.
00:25
a podcast about creating bold visibility on social media with zero apologies. I'm Elizabeth Marberry, your host and Instagram marketing coach. I help small business owners get seen on Instagram and monetize their offers so they can make more money doing their sole-led work. If you're tired of spinning your wheels on Instagram and you're seeking simple, proven Instagram marketing strategies that actually work, you're in the right place. Let's dive in.
01:01
We're back to Strub It, the podcast where we talk all things Instagram marketing for bold visibility and creative business growth. I'm your host, Elizabeth Marbury, and today we've got some exciting Instagram updates that could help you reach new audiences, and I'm sharing why you need to start leveraging carousels more strategically on your feed. So let's dive right in. First things first, have you heard about the latest Instagram update?
01:29
Photos and carousels with music are now eligible to appear in the Reels tab. Yep, that's right. This means that even your static photo posts or carousels can help you get discovered by new audiences when you add music. Music really helps to make the content more dynamic and engaging. So if you've just been posting photos and graphics without music, I highly recommend
01:58
that you start leveraging some trending audios when you do your photos and carousel posts. Another pro tip from Instagram is when you're using carousels to tell a story or share some quick tips, make sure to add text, especially on the first slide. This sets the expectation for what's coming in the following slides. So, you know, you can relate to this because you've been listening to this podcast, you know that forever I've been telling you,
02:27
Within the first three seconds, you wanna hook your audience when they're watching your reel. When they're watching that short form video, you have to capture their attention right away in those first three seconds. The same is true of a carousel post. You want to hook your viewers in those first three seconds and grab their attention right away so they can know what to expect. So you have to give them a reason to swipe and continue looking at all of the slides. So for those of you who might be wondering what exactly
02:56
is a carousel post. Let's go back and rewind. Carousels are Instagram posts that allow you to upload multiple photos or videos in a single post. So your audience can kind of swipe through them like a slideshow. And in the past you could only upload 10 photos per carousel, but in August of 2024 Instagram changed it to 20 slides. So you can now have up to 20 slides in one post.
03:25
You definitely don't need to use all 20 slides. In fact, most of the time I would say try not to, but in some cases it can be really fantastic if you have a longer story you're telling or something that requires more space to communicate. But as always, I suggest being as succinct as possible because people's attention spans are shorter than ever. And carousels are a really fantastic way of showcasing more
03:54
content within that one single post because you have so many different tiles on which you can share information, stories, all of that. They're also great if you have like a step-by-step guide or kind of a sneak peek of one of your freebies. Carousels are a great way to deliver that information. So let's talk about why carousels are such a powerful tool for your feed. For starters, they typically perform
04:21
better than just a single photo post. And here's why. I'm sure you've seen this before, but carousels have multiple slides for viewers to engage with, which means they get more chances to be seen and interacted with. So here's how it works. If someone sees your carousel, but they didn't swipe through all of your carousel photos or videos the first time, Instagram treats the ones they missed as new content.
04:50
So these leftover slides can resurface in their feed and get another shot at catching your attention. I love it because it's like a second, third, or even fourth chance at getting more engagement with one post. So think about it, when you post a single photo, your followers either see it or they don't. But with carousels, every individual slide acts as its own opportunity for interaction. So if they only swipe through two or three,
05:20
slides, there's still more content waiting for them that Instagram can sort of backup later. So if you're not already using Carousel strategically, this is your sign. Now is the time to begin playing with this format because they're really blowing up on Instagram with that new announcement that they are now seen on the Reels tab, which basically means your content is going to get in front of more people. Here's a quick tip that you can start implementing today for your business.
05:47
If you're sharing a story or a series of tips, be really intentional with how you lay out each slide. So the first slide should always grab attention. So there needs to be some sort of a hook on the slide. So you wanna use bold text, possibly bright colors or a really visually appealing photo or a question to hook your audience. You wanna just think of this as your headline, your hook.
06:13
And spend the most time on that because as we all know, if you can't capture attention right away, they're gonna keep on scrolling. Then use each subsequent slide to either build anticipation or dive into the key points of your message. So if you're teaching a simple concept, like a behind the scenes of your latest product or sharing your process and strategy step by step,
06:43
People love to save carousels that are really information based. So you can kind of think through, like if you're doing a post about five ways to blank or five tips to do this or, you know, 10 hacks to do X, Y, and Z, those are all fantastic for reels, but you can repurpose your reels into carousel posts and kind of test out that format. And again, don't forget to add music to your carousels.
07:13
not only helps them to be just more dynamic and fun, because remember people come on Instagram to unplug, relax, have fun. They're not trying to get an MBA when they come on Instagram. They're just trying to relax. So we want to keep Instagram that fun, playful energy and keep it dynamic. So music helps with that, but it also increases your chances of showing up on the Reels tab.
07:39
and reaching more audiences. Because if you're not including music, you're not gonna be shown on that Reels tab. Posting more carousels is definitely one of my personal goals for both of my brands on Instagram moving forward. And what's really cool is it used to be where you had to go into Canva and spend a lot of time and energy creating all these perfect slides. And now you can create your carousels right within the Instagram app, where you...
08:09
add photos into the carousel just like you normally would. But you can click on the text button and you can add text within the app on each slide. And that is great. As we all know, Instagram loves when we use their new feature, so definitely test it out. But I love that because I am not a Canva pro. In fact, I have an incredible executive assistant and she is a Canva expert.
08:34
So all of my lead magnets and everything, I have her designed for me because it would take me hours and hours to do. And so I love how easy Instagram made it for you to create your own carousel posts with text on screen within the Instagram app. So if you haven't tried that yet, definitely do that. You know, if you've been listening to this podcast, a few weeks ago, my mother had a stroke and it was exceptionally hard time. It still frankly is hard.
09:02
But I wanted to tell part of that story on my Instagram. And it didn't feel appropriate to make it a reel and I didn't wanna make it a reel. I had pretty low energy, so I just wanted to use one photo over and over again and just tell the story through text on the photos. And I did that and it got just incredible engagement and of course, I mean, it's a very serious topic of someone.
09:32
you know, moving through a stroke and I tied it into that she's lost her ability to communicate. And as, you know, creators and business owners on Instagram, like, let's never take for granted our voices. Like, let's keep honoring our voices, sharing our messages, serving our people. So I was really connecting that personal story into what I do with my clients and how I help people. And so it would serve my audience. But
09:57
This post just did really, really well. And it's just a reminder that Instagram is just really favoring the use of these types of posts right now. So if you're not already using them, definitely go use it. Now, this does not mean that I would suggest that you just forgo doing reels and only focus on carousels. You definitely wanna keep a nice balance and mix of your content.
10:25
But if you're like me where you've primarily focused on Reels, which is a great thing to focus on if you're wanting to really grow your audience and drive people to your email list, I do really want you to start looking more at carousels because now that they are shown on the Reels tab, you can really use those to get in front of newer audiences. In the past, carousels...
10:48
If they went viral and blew up, they definitely could be shown to people who don't already follow you, but in the past, carousels were mostly shown to your followers. And so this is just a huge opportunity and a new way of telling your story, teaching your concepts, and serving your people. That's it for today's quick tip. I hope you found it super helpful. Make sure that you are subscribed to the show because I come here every Monday with the latest tips, tricks, and strategies of how to grow your business.
11:17
on Instagram with more ease and simplicity and fun. If you want my help with your Instagram strategy, then I would love to work with you in one of my private or group mentorship containers. If that's something you're curious about, you can send me a direct message on Instagram at Elizabeth Marberry, M-A-R-B-E-R-R-Y. Make sure you're following me, otherwise I won't see your message come through. And let's chat. I would love to know.
11:45
how you're wanting to use this free tool to grow your business and really boost your income and impact. I do have a few private mentorship spots open.
11:56
And I'm also gonna be reopening the doors to Hot Reels, which is my 12 month Instagram content lab, where it's a group program, we're all in it together, and I'm giving you feedback on your content each week. It's super fun and potent. So I'd love to have you in there when the doors open. Send me a direct message on Instagram so I can make sure that we are connected and you know when the doors open for that program. I can't wait to see you play with carousels this week.
12:23
Once you post one, I would love to see it. Send it to me in the direct messages, tag me in the comments. I love cheering you on. Thank you so much for being here and I will see you back here next week. Thank you for listening to Strut It. If you're ready to start leveraging Instagram to grow your business, then you're gonna wanna grab my free Monetize Your IG Guide, where you'll learn seven simple and proven ways to finally make money on Instagram.
12:50
You can grab your guide at elizabethmarbury.com slash freebies. That's elizabethmarberry.com slash freebies to get my monetize your IG guide. If you've got some incredible value from today's episode, be sure to leave a review and subscribe on your favorite podcast platforms. And I cannot wait to start it with you again next week.