We chose carousels as the photo format to test against Reels since they are traditionally considered the most engaging post type on Instagram. Carousels are more interactive than single photos, so people tend to spend more time engaging with them.

My experiment spanned three weeks, from mid-February to early March 2023.

Right here’s what I did:

My instructional publish this week was a recap of {a magazine} article about my store:

Carousel:

My second publish highlighted some out there gadgets. I’ve used this content material sort for some time, although I had but to show it right into a Reel.

Reel:

After every publish had been reside for 48 hours, I captured the outcomes.

In week 1, my carousels acquired extra likes and saves than the Reels. Nonetheless, my Reels had a broader attain than my carousels.

To be truthful, I hadn’t posted a Reel in a number of weeks earlier than beginning this experiment. My followers had been most likely excited to see some video content material and gave my Reels additional love and a spotlight.

Week 1 outcomes: Reels 1, Carousels 1

In Week 2’s instructional publish, I shared some favourite thrifting suggestions:

Reel:

My “out there gadgets” recap publish adopted the very same format as in Week 1. I used a trending audio clip for the Reel.

Carousel:

In Week 2, carousels acquired WAY extra likes and in addition noticed extra attain than my Reels.

Fascinating!

As soon as once more, carousels acquired considerably extra likes and reached extra individuals than my Reels.

My UGC didn’t yield any direct outcomes (the model appreciated my publish however didn’t share it), however hey, no hurt performed.

Week 3 outcomes: Reels 0, Carousels 2

As my experiment got here to an finish, I needed to check out how content material format impacts advert efficiency on Instagram.

The post-ad outcomes are break up between the carousel and the Reel. The carousel advert had higher attain, however the Reels advert yielded extra profile exercise, which was my aim.

In the end, each advertisements acquired extra eyes on my content material.

Within the weekly exams, carousels earned 5 factors, whereas Reels squeaked in with only one level. However listed below are the ultimate numbers on the finish of my experiment:

Notice: I didn’t embrace advert outcomes right here to verify the comparability is as truthful as potential.

General, it looks as if carousels are nonetheless the top-performing publish sort on Instagram.

If we take a look at the likes all through my experiment, the carousels outperform the Reels each single time. Whereas Reels earned extra feedback than carousels, carousels did higher on each different engagement metric.

And if we take a look at attain, carousels carry out barely higher than Reels.

I additionally had a take a look at how the previous three weeks had affected my follower rely and engagement fee:

So, are Instagram carousels nonetheless outperforming Reels? In our admittedly restricted research, sure: Instagram carousels proceed to earn extra engagement and attain than Reels do.

Nonetheless, whether or not carousels are higher than Reels relies on your content material sort and viewers.

I run a small enterprise promoting classic gadgets, so images are key. A carousel permits me to publish a number of images so potential patrons can examine gadgets earlier than buying. That is how I promote, so carousels will at all times be extra priceless to me than Reels.

Judging by the outcomes of my experiment, carousels carry out higher for my account general.

Completely different content material varieties lend themselves extra readily to video, so take into consideration the form of content material you’re creating and the way your viewers will devour it. If movies make extra sense in your account, then do this. However don’t publish movies only for the sake of it! My knowledge exhibits that this doesn’t essentially repay.

Hold your viewers in thoughts when creating content material. In case you have a enterprise account, comply with these steps to see how your viewers breaks down:

• Go to your Instagram profile
• Click on the menu within the high right-hand nook (three horizontal bars)
• Click on Insights
• Click on Followers
• Scroll by way of to see varied stats, together with High Areas, Age Vary, Gender, and Most Lively Occasions

Reels are an effective way to provide followers a glimpse into your every day life and present your character, so create content material that makes you cheerful!

Foolish Reels that I filmed and edited collectively in just some minutes did higher than Reels that took a whole lot of time and power. I like making off-the-cuff content material, and it appears to resonate with my viewers.

Viewers take a look at your content material for a minute or two, so don’t spend hours placing it collectively! Make it fascinating and enjoyable, however don’t get too specific with precise synching or flawless transitions (until that’s your entire factor) — a posted Reel is healthier than an ideal Reel.

In case your Reel or carousel is related to a bigger account or model, tag them in your caption — social managers are at all times in search of UGC, and so they may repost your content material, which opens up an entire new viewers!

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