How to make your Instagram posts more effective

A brand new study has shed light on how to do just that by revealing the most popular type of post on Instagram. According to the research, carried out by Socialslider, Instagram posts are much more likely to capture attention and by successful if they contain a carousel of images, rather than a single image or video. 



The analysis of more than 22 million Instagram posts was broken down into a wealth of useful hints and tips to make your posting as effective as possible. Here are the key takeaways from the report: 

More slides equals more engagement

Carousel style posts are more engaging overall than videos or single images. The average engagement rate for carousel posts is 1.92% with single images second at 1.74% while video generates an average engagement rate of 1.45%. The more slides posted within the carousel, the more engagement that update is likely to generate. While most carousel posts include three or four slides, those making use of the full 10 available were found to generate the best engagement overall. 

A mixture of video and images sends performance soaring

The study observed that carousels which included a mix of both videos and images performed the best of all. Although only 7% of the more than three million carousel posts found used a mix of both content types, those that did were rewarded with much higher engagement rates, at an average of 2.33%. This was the highest figure of any type or style of post. 

Video helps to generate comments

Video was found to help increase the average number of comments an Instagram post received. Carousels which included only video uploads generated an average of 26 comments, while mixed format carousels including both image and video sparked an average of 16 comments per post. Image only carousels generate an average of 7 comments per post. 

Remind users to swipe

Adding the simple instruction to swipe left was also found to boost engagement. Carousels which included this were found to perform better with an average engagement rate of 1.83-2.00% overall.