Glossary / Instagram

Internet speak

Carousel post

A carousel post is an Instagram post with several photos or videos that people swipe through, up to 20 in one post.

Also called: carousel, swipe post, slideshow post

By Aulto · Last reviewed

Why do carousels do well?

They keep people on the post longer, and useful ones get saved and shared. Instagram can also show a carousel again starting from a later slide, giving it a second chance.

A first slide that makes people want to swipe, one idea per slide, and a last slide with the call to action.

What should go on the last slide?

The one thing you want people to do: comment a keyword, follow, or save the post.

Example

A creator posts a 7-slide recipe carousel ending with "Comment RECIPE for the printable version".

  • Call to action

    A call to action (CTA) is the one specific thing you ask people to do next, like "Pre-save now" or "Comment RECIPE".

  • Keyword comment

    A keyword comment is a single word you ask people to comment on a post, like SONG or RECIPE, which triggers a reply sent to their DMs.

  • Engagement rate

    Engagement rate is the share of people who interacted with your content (liked, commented, shared or saved) compared with how many followers you have or how many people saw it.

  • Auto-reply

    An auto-reply is a message sent automatically in response to a DM, comment or keyword, so people get an answer without waiting for someone to type it.

  • Close Friends

    Close Friends is an Instagram list of people you choose; content shared to it is seen only by them and marked with a green badge.

  • Collab post

    A collab post is a single Instagram post or reel published by two or more accounts together, shown on each profile with shared likes and comments.

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