3 Steps To Turn Blog Posts Into High-Performing Instagram Carousel Posts

Do you ever feel like you’re running out of things to post on Instagram?

Luckily, you already have a stockpile of compelling content that’s just waiting to be converted into ultra-engaging posts built just for the platform. You may be asking yourself—“where is this treasure trove of amazing content?” Why your blog, of course!

So if you’re ready to transform your blog content into a thumb-stopping Instagram carousel post, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve created a recipe for Instagram success that you won’t want to miss.

Let’s get right into it!

What We’ll Cover:

• What is a Carousel Post on Instagram?

• How to Make a Carousel Post on Instagram

• Converting Blog Posts into Instagram Carousel Posts

• Killer Carousel Post Examples

What is a Carousel Post on Instagram?

Instagram is image-forward, which is what makes it stand out from other platforms. This partly explains the huge draw of brands and individuals looking to showcase their products and services on the social media site.

Currently, Instagram boasts more than 1 billion monthly active users and 500 million daily users. That’s a lot of eyeballs and you want to get in front of as many of them as possible.

But sometimes, one standard post isn’t enough to get the job done. Enter the Instagram carousel post.

If you have more content to share, this is a strategy you definitely want to implement. Whether you’re looking to add more variety to your account, boost engagement rates, or add value to your feed, a well-timed carousel post is the perfect way to further your brand’s reach.

Put simply, this is a post with multiple photos, graphics, or videos that can be viewed by simply swiping or clicking left.

Talk about a great user experience! Carousel posts are ideal for storytelling or featuring several images centered around one cohesive theme.

The best part is that an Instagram carousel post is akin to a regular post. You have free reign to add a clever caption or product tag and users are still able to like, comment, and share the post.

Plus, you can feature a topic or collection without overwhelming your feed with numerous individual posts.

But let’s say that someone chooses not to engage with your post when they first see it. In this case, Instagram will automatically show them the following image or video in your carousel post to encourage more engagement.

That offers you an easy way to get your post seen over and over again without having to invest more time, effort, and advertising dollars.

How to Make a Carousel Post on Instagram

When you’ve taken a series of photos or videos of a product line or you have some new features you’d like to highlight, carousel posts allow you to share them all together.

But the process differs from your average Instagram post. Thankfully, it’s still pretty easy. Here’s what you need to do:

• Open your Instagram app on iOS or Android app and tap on the plus icon in the bottom right corner.
• When redirected to your photo folders, click on the “Select Multiple” option. Every photo or video that you select will be displayed on the top section of your screen. A number will also be added to the thumbnail of the selected photos. You can choose up to 10 images, 10 videos, or a combination of the two to add to the post. 
• Then, tap “Next.”
• At this point, you’ll have the opportunity to look through your chosen photos and videos and add any filters or effects you’d like to apply by clicking the “Edit” icon displayed on each image. You can also switch the order of your chose photos and videos, delete some, or add additional. 
• After you’ve made your edits, hit “Next.”
• Now, it’s time to write your caption. Keep in mind that the same caption will be displayed for the entire Instagram carousel post, so it should be relevant to each image and/or video. You can also add tags and a location. In addition, you can opt for publishing the post on other social media platforms by tapping the appropriate options on the screen.
• Once you’ve checked and re-checked everything, tap “Share” to make your post go live. Whenever you create an Instagram carousel post, it will have an icon denoted by a series of dots.

Converting Blog Posts into Instagram Carousel Posts

Now that we’ve covered how to create a carousel post on Instagram, let’s dive into how to leverage your existing blog articles so you can publish even more captivating Instagram content.

While content marketing and social media marketing have a different set of best practices and strategies, there is some overlap, particularly when it comes to your target audience’s interests.

Integrating the two has several benefits. Mainly, it will strengthen your brand identity, like two puzzle pieces coming together to form a complete picture.

It can also send more traffic to your blog, depending on how often you add links or mentions on your post.

And finally, you have plenty of material to work with. It’s difficult enough to regularly come up with blog article ideas, let alone several Instagram posts per week.

Here’s a breakdown of the process:

• STEP 1: First, take an inventory of your blog posts. Choose topics that you know your audience is already interested in. Think quality over quantity. The key here is to repurpose your blog content into engaging social content, and not merely share the link to your blog on your Instagram bio. Surprisingly, many marketers think this is the way to go. Trust us—the copy and paste strategy won’t get you anywhere.
• STEP 2: After you get an idea of which blogs you want to use, examine each section carefully and pull out the most significant points. These could be facts and figures or quotes.
• STEP 3: Now, it’s time to let your graphic designer work their magic. Give them a little creative direction so they can create professional-looking graphics that are in line with your brand. Upload the content on Instagram as a carousel post and watch the likes and comments roll in!

Killer Carousel Post Examples

So, who’s making the most out of this feature? Here are a few incredible Instagram carousel post examples we’ve spotted in the wild:

John Lincoln Marketing

The first example comes to us from our very own John Lincoln Marketing.

What I love about this is how the carousel succinctly summarizes the key ideas of the blog article. Each graphic entices you to scroll to the next image, which breaks down each video marketing best practice.

The carousel also closes with a well-placed call to action—“Like this post to get more video marketing tips in the future.”

Tony Robbins

Never underestimate the power of an effective quote paired with a gripping image.

According to Brain Rules, people are likely to only remember 10% of the information they hear or read several days later. But couple that same information with a photo, and you are more likely to remember 65% of it.

That’s why this post from Tony Robbins works so well.  It easily turns text into stimulating visual content.

Liquid Interactive

Did you know that infographics and data visualizations get triple the amount of shares than any other type of image on social media? Liquid Interactive knocked it out of the park by taking valuable content from their blog post and converting it into an eye-catching infographic carousel.

This is a creative way to convey information that may otherwise be overlooked when presented in another format. It’s best to not go overboard when creating these types of carousels though. You don’t want to overload people with too much information. It should offer a little snippet that will leave them wanting more.

Buzzfeed Tasty

Instagram carousels that only include videos receive a median number of 26 comments per post. Who doesn’t want that kind of engagement?

Buzzfeed Tasty often accompanies their recipe blog posts with video carousels, which is a winning combination.

With this example, Buzzfeed Tasty shows the progression of the pizza nachos while also getting around Instagram’s typical video limitations, which is capped at 60 seconds.

Ignite Visibility

This example from Ignite Visibility combines a variety of strategies to create a well-balanced carousel post.

The first image integrates minimal copy with icons that clearly describe what the blog post is about. Then, you’re hit with an attention-grabbing data point, followed by a quote pulled directly from the article.

To cover all their bases, the call to action “Learn how you can transition by visiting our site. Link in bio” is embedded right into the caption.

Wrapping Up

Getting creative with your marketing efforts can deliver significant results, ranging from increased web traffic, higher opt-in rates, and higher social media engagement.

With that being said, don’t let your blog just sit on your website and collect dust—it’s time to repurpose that content and artfully turn it into a high-performing Instagram carousel post that will truly resonate with your followers.

After all, Instagram carousel posts are one of the most engaging formats on social media out there. On average, they receive 1.4x more reach and 3.1x more engagement than regular posts on Instagram.

Since you now know how to create a carousel post on Instagram, free to check out @johnelincolnoffical on Instagram for more inspiration.