How to get more likes on Instagram carousels?

This article has been written by our Instagram expert who will tell you what are the most efficient strategies in your niche

What type of carousel content gets the highest average like rate across different niches?

Educational and tutorial-based carousels consistently achieve the highest average like and save rates across virtually every niche on Instagram.

Step-by-step guides, infographics, and swipe-through tips perform exceptionally well because they provide immediate value to viewers. Photo dumps featuring curated, candid, or themed image collections also generate strong engagement, particularly in lifestyle, travel, and fashion niches.

Different industries see specific content patterns emerge as top performers. B2B accounts excel with data-driven infographics and industry insights, beauty and fashion brands succeed with before-and-after transformations and product reveals, food creators dominate with recipe breakdowns and cooking processes, while tech and finance accounts perform best with explainer content and myth-busting posts.

Video carousels are rapidly gaining traction in 2025, especially for brands looking to leverage short-form video trends within the carousel format. These hybrid posts combine the engagement benefits of carousels with the dynamic appeal of video content.

If you're struggling to identify what content works in your niche, we can help you figure it out.

How does the Instagram algorithm prioritize carousels in 2025, and what changes are coming for 2026?

Carousels have become the most engaging format on Instagram in 2025, driving significantly more saves and comments than single images or Reels, especially for accounts with larger followings.

The algorithm now heavily weights time spent on posts, with swipe-through rate being a critical factor. Instagram also prioritizes saves and shares over traditional engagement metrics like likes and comments. Content relevance matching user interests and recent activity plays a major role, while originality and creativity receive significant algorithmic boosts over reposted content.

A unique feature called "second-chance visibility" means that if users don't engage with your first slide, Instagram may resurface your carousel starting with a different slide, effectively giving you multiple opportunities to capture attention and boost overall reach.

Looking ahead to 2026, expect more sophisticated AI-driven personalization, greater emphasis on original content creation, and deeper integration between carousels and Reels. This includes potential music integration, enhanced interactive features, and new advertising formats specifically designed for carousel content.

What are the optimal posting times for carousels right now to maximize engagement?

Data from 2025 shows that 5 AM local time delivers the highest engagement rates for carousel posts, with Tuesday emerging as the strongest day of the week.

Weekdays between 10 AM and 3 PM consistently perform well across most niches, though industry-specific variations exist. Food and restaurant brands often see engagement peaks around meal times, while travel and lifestyle content tends to perform better on weekends when users have more leisure time to browse.

The key lies in understanding your specific audience behavior patterns. Instagram Insights provides detailed follower activity data that should guide your posting schedule more than general recommendations.

Testing different time slots and tracking performance metrics over several weeks will reveal your optimal posting windows, as audience behavior can vary significantly based on demographics, geographic location, and niche-specific browsing habits.

How many slides should a carousel ideally have to perform well, and does this differ by niche?

The optimal carousel length falls between 3-7 slides for most niches, providing enough content to deliver value without overwhelming viewers or causing drop-off.

Longer carousels with 10+ slides can work effectively for in-depth tutorials or comprehensive photo dumps, but only when each slide adds clear, distinct value. The key principle is ensuring every slide serves a purpose rather than padding content to reach a certain number.

Niche-specific differences do emerge in optimal length. B2B and educational content often benefits from longer carousels that can fully explain complex concepts, while fashion and beauty brands typically achieve better results with 5-7 visually striking slides that maintain viewer attention throughout.

Monitor your carousel insights to track slide-by-slide engagement. If you notice significant drop-off after certain slides, consider shortening your content or restructuring to place the most compelling information earlier in the sequence.

What are the top three visual design principles that increase the swipe-through rate on carousels?

Three fundamental design principles dramatically impact carousel swipe-through rates and overall engagement performance.

Design Principle	Description	Implementation Strategy
Bold First Slide Hook	High-contrast colors, compelling headlines, and striking visuals that stop scrolling	Use contrasting color schemes, large readable fonts, and curiosity-driven headlines that promise value
Consistent Visual Identity	Cohesive color palettes, typography, and branding across all slides	Maintain brand colors, use consistent fonts, and ensure visual flow feels seamless and professional
Clear Visual Flow	Logical progression and storytelling structure that guides users through content	Use arrows, numbered sequences, or visual cues that create narrative momentum and encourage swiping
Interactive Elements	Modern features like stickers, outlined objects, and subtle animations	Incorporate trending design elements, interactive stickers, and motion graphics that feel current
White Space Usage	Strategic spacing that prevents visual overwhelm and improves readability	Avoid cramming too much information per slide, use breathing room around text and images
Mobile Optimization	Design specifically for mobile viewing with appropriate text sizes and touch targets	Test designs on mobile devices, ensure text is readable without zooming, optimize for thumb navigation
Call-to-Action Placement	Strategic positioning of swipe prompts and engagement cues	Place "swipe for more" indicators, use visual arrows, and position CTAs where they naturally guide user behavior

How important are hooks on the first slide for retention, and what formats work best lately?

The first slide determines carousel success, with 72% of users who engage viewing the entire carousel if properly hooked by the opening slide.

Effective hook formats include bold headlines that create curiosity, direct questions that relate to viewer pain points, striking visual contrasts that stop scrolling, and surprising statements that challenge conventional thinking. The goal is creating immediate intrigue that compels users to swipe rather than scroll past.

Current trending formats for 2025 include animated text overlays, sticker cutouts that add visual interest, and clear "swipe to see" prompts that explicitly direct user behavior. These elements work because they combine visual appeal with clear action guidance.

Testing different hook approaches and monitoring which generate the highest swipe-through rates will help you identify what resonates most with your specific audience and niche.

Not sure why your posts aren't converting? Let us take a look for you.

How do captions influence engagement on carousel posts, and is long-form or short-form better now?

Short captions under 30 words paired with carousels now drive the highest engagement rates on Instagram in 2025.

The shift toward brevity reflects user behavior changes and platform algorithm preferences. Concise, punchy text with clear calls-to-action like "Save this for later" or "Comment your favorite tip" generates more interaction than lengthy explanations.

Long-form captions can still work effectively for storytelling or micro-blogging content, but shorter formats generally perform better for carousel posts. The visual content should carry the primary message, with captions serving as supporting elements rather than the main focus.

Focus on crafting captions that complement your visual content, include specific calls-to-action, and encourage the types of engagement most valuable for your goals, whether that's saves, shares, or comments.

What role do hashtags play in visibility of carousels today, and how should they be used?

Hashtag impact on reach has significantly declined, with posts using fewer, highly relevant hashtags (1-2) consistently outperforming those overloaded with multiple tags.

Modern hashtag strategy focuses on discoverability and content organization rather than expecting major reach boosts. Use hashtags for categorization and helping users find related content, but don't rely on them as primary growth drivers.

Prioritize niche-specific or branded hashtags that align closely with your content and audience. More importantly, focus on incorporating relevant keywords naturally within your captions, as Instagram's search functionality increasingly relies on text content rather than hashtag matching.

The platform's algorithm now better understands content context through AI, making authentic, keyword-rich captions more valuable than hashtag stuffing for long-term visibility and growth.

Should carousel posts be reused or repurposed for Stories or Reels to increase total reach?

Repurposing carousels for Stories and Reels is strongly recommended and can significantly increase total reach and content lifespan.

Effective repurposing involves adapting the format rather than simply reposting. Split carousel slides into individual Stories, animate static content for Reels, and add platform-specific features like music, interactive stickers, or trending audio to maximize performance on each format.

Cross-posting helps reach different audience segments who prefer different content formats. Some users primarily engage with Stories, others focus on Reels, and carousel content can capture users who prefer in-depth, swipeable content.

This strategy extends content value and provides multiple touchpoints with your audience, increasing overall brand exposure and engagement opportunities without requiring completely new content creation for each post.

Are collaborations or tags with other creators or brands boosting carousel likes significantly?

Collaborative posts deliver substantial engagement increases, with co-authored carousels generating 1.66x more interactions and 4.39x more impressions than solo posts.

Instagram's collaborative post feature allows up to 5 accounts to co-author content, expanding reach to multiple audiences simultaneously. Tagging relevant brands or creators increases authenticity and trust while providing access to new follower bases.

Strategic partnerships work particularly well for carousel content because the format allows for comprehensive storytelling about joint projects, behind-the-scenes collaborations, or multi-brand narratives that provide genuine value to both audiences.

Focus on collaborations that make natural sense for your brand and audience rather than forcing partnerships solely for reach benefits. Authentic collaborations generate better long-term engagement and follower quality.

If you feel like your content isn't getting enough engagement, we can help improve that.

What metrics should be monitored weekly to evaluate and improve carousel performance?

Six key metrics provide comprehensive insight into carousel performance and areas for improvement.

Engagement rate (likes, comments, shares, saves per follower) remains fundamental for understanding overall content resonance. Swipe-through rate, though not directly shown, can be inferred from slide-level insights and indicates how compelling your content flow is throughout the carousel.

Saves and shares have become critically important as the algorithm weights these actions heavily in distribution decisions. Monitor impressions and reach to understand your content's visibility, while tracking profile visits and link clicks reveals conversion effectiveness from your carousel content.

Follower growth attributed to specific carousel posts helps identify which content types attract and retain new audience members. Weekly monitoring of these metrics allows for rapid adjustment and optimization of future content strategy.

What tools or AI features are recommended to streamline carousel creation and performance testing in 2025 and beyond?

Modern carousel creation benefits from AI-powered design tools and comprehensive analytics platforms that streamline both creation and optimization processes.

Design tools like Pippit, PostNitro, Canva, and Figma templates use AI to generate on-brand, high-converting visuals tailored to your aesthetic and audience preferences. These platforms often include template libraries specifically optimized for carousel performance.

Scheduling and analytics platforms including Hootsuite, Buffer, Later, and Sprout Social provide optimal timing recommendations, A/B testing capabilities, and detailed performance tracking across all your carousel content.

AI caption and hashtag generators, particularly tools like PostNitro, create optimized, engaging captions and smart hashtag suggestions based on your content and audience data. Instagram's native Insights tool remains essential for in-depth analytics on engagement patterns, swipe rates, and follower activity.

Don't know which format works best for your audience? We can help you test and optimize.

Conclusion

Sources

1. Social Insider Instagram Benchmarks
2. Pippit Carousel Engagement Guide
3. Sprout Social Instagram Carousel Guide
4. RecurPost Instagram Carousel Blog
5. RivalIQ Social Media Benchmark Report
6. Later Best Time to Post
7. Buffer Instagram Algorithm Guide
8. Hootsuite Instagram Algorithm
9. PostNitro Viral Carousel Design
10. Emplifi Collaborative Posts Guide

Who is the author of this content?

NAPOLIFY

A team specialized in data-driven growth strategies for social media

We offer data-driven, battle-tested approach to growing online profiles, especially on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. Unlike traditional agencies or consultants who often recycle generic advice, we go on the field and we keep analyzing real-world social content—breaking down hundreds of viral posts to identify what formats, hooks, and strategies actually drive engagement, conversions, and growth. If you'd like to learn more about us, you can check our website.

How this content was created 🔎📝

At Napolify, we analyze social media trends and viral content every day. Our team doesn't just observe from a distance—we're actively studying platform-specific patterns, breaking down viral posts, and maintaining a constantly updated database of trends, tactics, and strategies. This hands-on approach allows us to understand what actually drives engagement and growth.

These observations are originally based on what we've learned through analyzing hundreds of viral posts and real-world performance data. But it was not enough. To back them up, we also needed to rely on trusted resources and case studies from major brands.

We prioritize accuracy and authority. Trends lacking solid data or performance metrics were excluded.

Trustworthiness is central to our work. Every source and citation is clearly listed, ensuring transparency. A writing AI-powered tool was used solely to refine readability and engagement.

To make the information accessible, our team designed custom infographics that clarify key points. We hope you will like them! All illustrations and media were created in-house and added manually.