FAQ 7: when should it be a Reel, a carousel, a static image or a Story?

One of the best parts of Instagram is the different content placement options, but sometimes too much choice is a bad thing

This post is part of series where I answer some of the questions I am most frequently asked about social media. To browse or read the rest of the series click here.

If you’ve ever found yourself with a brilliant idea for an Instagram post, but making a decision about whether it should be a reel, carousel, static image or story overwhelms you to the point where you end up posting nothing - I HEAR YOU!

It’s only because Instagram is my job that I’m not in the same boat as my executive functioning is… limited (I often don’t eat lunch because I open the fridge, see all the food and my brain either shuts down entirely, or floods my nervous system with panic because how am I supposed to know what I want to eat?).

Thankfully, when it comes to Instagram, there are some rules of thumb that help with the decision making, although there is one thing I’d like you to know before we get into the weeds: you can always choose the content placement you feel most comfortable with.

This is a legitimate way to decide which type of content you want to post because if, for example, you hate the idea of video so much that forcing yourself to do it will mean you never post anything, it’s much better for your book/ writing promotion to shelve the videos and show up in other ways!

However, if you do want to get more strategic with your Instagram presence, it’s worth considering the different strengths and weaknesses of the different placement possibilities.

Reels

Strengths Reels have their own feed as well as appearing in the main feed which means there is double the opportunity to be discovered. This is also the content placement most likely to be shown to audiences who do not already follow you so are an important placement if you want to grow your following.

Weaknesses in my experience, Reels do not drive engagement or relationship building with your audience. I have a theory that this is because the way we consume video is more passive than the way we consume written posts (think watching TV vs reading a book). The watching of the video is the engagement, therefore people are less likely to leave comments and enter into conversation with you.

Use them for account growth; reaching new audiences. Introduce key ideas about your work or your ideas. Think of them like movie trailers for your Instagram account and/ or your book/ writing. The purpose of them is to get people to come and look at your account. Do this well and some people will instantly want to read your work/ order your book but many readers will need more than this one ‘touch point’ before they’re ready to take that step. This is where the other content placements come into play.

For more of my thoughts about using Reels, have a look at this Instagram post.

Carousel posts (text-based, not ‘photo dumps’)

Strengths carousel posts give you plenty of space to explore ideas in more depth. If your carousel is shown to someone and they don’t interact with it, they will be shown the second slide of your carousel = double the opportunity to engage your audience. Swiping through the slides also counts as engagement a.k.a signals to the algorithm to show your post to more accounts. Carousels can also be a good option if you have an idea for a post but you don’t have an image to accompany it. Finally, sharing text-based carousels to your grid can help communicate what your account is about when someone lands on it for the first time.

Weaknesses without a punchy ‘hook’ your carousel is unlikely to get noticed. This can sometimes feel off-putting to writers who don’t want to play Instagram’s game but it can help to remember you have the whole post to make your more nuanced point, while without a hook to ‘stop the scroll’ your point will be lost in the noise.

Use them for sharing your ideas in more detail. They work especially well for ‘education’ posts where you might be explaining an idea, linked to your writing/ book, to your ideal reader who may be interested BUT who isn’t as knowledgeable as you are.

For more of my thoughts about using Carousels, take a look at this Instagram post.

Static image (including ‘photo dumps’) + caption

Strengths relatively easy to create as long as you have images you can use (don’t overthink how relevant the image has to be to the caption btw - sometimes a random ‘pretty picture’ can be a great vehicle to stop the scroll so people start to read your relatively unrelated caption). For some simple image ideas for writers, have a look at this Instagram post

In my experience, static images plus captions are the best content placement for engagement and conversation, especially when the caption is a personal story that you’re sharing to connect with your audience.

Weaknesses can get lost in the noise and fast pace of other parts of the platform. Are highly unlikely to be seen by anyone other than your existing followers.

Use them for telling personal stories that you think will resonate with your ideal reader. These might be stories about your writing life, or they might be personal experiences of the themes/ struggles/ challenges/ joys that appear in your writing.

For more of my thoughts about using static posts, check out this Instagram post.

Stories

Strengths the only content placement where you can include a live link to something off Instagram. This means they’re great for driving traffic to articles you’ve written, podcast episodes, or pre-orders/ books/ products/ services/ event tickets etc you are selling.

There are lots of built-in engagement tools in Stories that can make them a fun place to hang out - use the poll stickers, gifs, Q&A boxes etc. to encourage engagement from your audience. Finally, this is where you can post about your random thoughts or ideas (often, the more random ideas are the ones that get most traction on Stories) without feeling like you have to curate, polish or refine your messaging. Just get on there and share some little bits and bobs of your life.

Weaknesses no possibility for growth. Stories are only shown to your existing audience and are often the content placement with the smallest reach. Don’t stress about this though as the people watching your Stories are some of your most engaged audience members and may even be the ones most likely to take the action you want them to take.

Use them for sharing who you are beyond your writing. Share bits and bobs of your day to day life. Use the engagement stickers and tools to get to know your audience a little bit better. Sharing your platform with other relevant accounts or writers - you can repost their content to your Stories although to stop this getting boring for your audience, you should try to add your own perspective or thoughts on what you are re-posting.

For more of my thoughts about using Stories, have a look at this Instagram post.

I’d love to hear from you about your perspectives and experiences of using different content placements - perhaps you’ve found Reels work really well to engage your audience, or maybe your Stories are tumbleweed? Let me know in the comments below.

Did you know, in June I’m launching my membership TooMuchInstagram, here on Substack? For more details, take a look at this post. Upgrade your subscription now as an Early Bird member to take advantage of the lowest price it will ever be. More details coming soon!

Photo by Mike Meyers on Unsplash