ig-carousel

Carousels are the highest-dwell format on the grid, because a swipe is an interaction and a scroll is not. They also get a second chance: Instagram can show a carousel again starting from a later slide to someone who did not engage the first time, so slide two has to stand on its own as well.

The format rewards one idea broken into steps. It punishes a caption cut into pieces.

When to use it instead of a Reel

Use a carousel when the idea has sequence and needs to be re-read: steps, a framework with parts, a before and after, a list worth screenshotting. Use a Reel when the idea has motion, a face, or a payoff that has to be seen happening.

If the idea is one claim, it is neither. Hand it to /ig-reel and say so.

Structure

6 to 10 slides. The cap is 20 and 20 is almost always a book nobody finishes. Under 5 and the swipe never starts.

1         COVER     the hook. 6 words or fewer, at a size that is legible in
                    the grid at thumbnail. One line of promise under it.
2         THE STAKE why this matters, in one sentence. This slide is also a
                    second cover, so it cannot be setup.
3 to N    ONE IDEA PER SLIDE. A headline of 3 to 7 words, at most 25 words
                    under it. If a slide needs a paragraph, it is two slides.
N+1       RECAP     the whole thing as a list. This is the screenshot slide.
LAST      CTA       one action. Save, comment a keyword, or follow. One.

Slide copy rules