In 2022, Instagram made large adjustments to the platform and pushed video content material to the forefront. Out of the blue, Reels have been all over the place (and incomes huge engagement and attain boosts), so customers started to adapt their social media methods accordingly. That’s, till earlier this 12 months.
That’s when Instagram head Adam Mosseri introduced that the platform would reprioritize pictures. Quickly after, Instagram customers began noticing that their Reels weren’t performing like they used to.
instagram aggressively deprioritizing reels in a single day after making each model fully pivot their social technique will probably be my villain story 🥲
— Ashni Mehta (@ashnimehta_) February 13, 2023
That’s a lot of adjustments, so if you happen to’re struggling to maintain up with the Instagram algorithm nowadays, you’re not alone. As your pleasant native social media scientists, we needed to seek out out: is it true? Are pictures actually again?
To check this, we determined to pit carousels in opposition to Reels to seek out out if carousels are nonetheless the top-performing format on Instagram or if Reels displaced them for good.
Hypothesis: Instagram carousels still earn more reach and engagement than Reels.
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.
In fact, as recently as October 2022, carousels had the highest average engagement rate of all forms of Instagram posts (0.62%). On the time, video posts (aka Reels) have been proper on their heels with a mean engagement price of 0.61%.
Hootsuite’s personal social workforce finds that their carousel posts get 3.1x more engagement, on common, than their common posts. However did the Nice Reels Push of 2022 lastly dethrone the champions, or have carousels managed to hold onto their place on the high of the heap?
For this experiment, we’re measuring two forms of metrics: attain and engagement.
Attain tells you the quantity of people that have seen your submit. Engagement consists of likes, feedback, saves and shares. They assist you to see what resonates together with your viewers.
Methodology
My experiment spanned three weeks, from mid-February to early March 2023.
Right here’s what I did:
- Each week, I might create two units of posts for my classic residence decor enterprise account, Dwelling on the Past
- Every set would come with one carousel and one Reel with comparable content material and captions (six carousels and 6 Reels in whole)
- My first set of the week could be academic, whereas my second set could be sales-focused
- I might submit every set on the similar time (Wednesday or Friday at 9am ET) and pull the outcomes from every submit after 48 hours
- On the finish of every week, I might award 2 factors: 1 level to the format with the very best whole attain for that week, and 1 level to the format with the very best whole engagement for that week
Armed with my concept and a plan, I jumped into my experiment.
Outcomes
Week 1
My academic submit this week was a recap of {a magazine} article about my store:
Carousel:
My second submit highlighted some accessible gadgets. I’ve used this content material kind for some time, although I had but to show it right into a Reel.
Reel:
After every submit had been stay for 48 hours, I captured the outcomes.
Week 1 outcomes
| Likes | Feedback | Shares | Saves | Attain | Performs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carousel 1 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 166 | N/A |
| Reel 1 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 406 | 484 |
| Carousel 2 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 137 | N/A |
| Reel 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 238 | 289 |
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 have been in all probability excited to see some video content material and gave my Reels further love and a spotlight.
Week 1 outcomes: Reels 1, Carousels 1
Week 2
In Week 2’s academic submit, I shared some favourite thrifting ideas:
Reel:
My “accessible gadgets” recap submit adopted the very same format as in Week 1. I used a trending audio clip for the Reel.
Carousel:
Week 2 outcomes
| Likes | Feedback | Shares | Saves | Attain | Performs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carousel 3 | 87 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 1,014 | N/A |
| Reel 3 | 58 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 642 | 905 |
| Carousel 4 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 147 | N/A |
| Reel 4 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 246 | 397 |
In Week 2, carousels acquired WAY extra likes and likewise noticed extra attain than my Reels.
Fascinating!
Week 2 outcomes: Reels 0, Carousels 2
Week 3
My Week 3 academic submit was a fast have a look at an inside decor pattern. I tagged my favourite maximalist account, Jungalow (1.6M followers), within the Reel and the carousel to see if user-generated content (UGC) yielded any further traction.
Carousel:
My “accessible gadgets” recap submit adopted the very same format as in Weeks 1-2:
Reel:
Week 3 outcomes
| Likes | Feedback | Shares | Saves | Attain | Performs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carousel 5 | 56 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 657 | N/A |
| Reel 5 | 23 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 324 | 466 |
| Carousel 6 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 167 | N/A |
| Reel 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 198 | 324 |
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 preferred my submit however didn’t share it), however hey, no hurt carried out.
Week 3 outcomes: Reels 0, Carousels 2
Bonus experiment: boosting a submit
As my experiment got here to an finish, I needed to try how content material format impacts advert efficiency on Instagram.
For this bonus experiment, I boosted post #5 as a result of the content material of those posts is kind of broad, and my Reel makes use of non-copyrighted music. (Instagram doesn’t enable customers to spice up a submit with copyrighted music.)
My purpose for this advert was to extend profile exercise. I allotted the identical greenback quantity to the carousel and the Reel and let each adverts run for 48 hours earlier than pulling the outcomes.
Put up #5 outcomes – Earlier than & after advert
| Likes | Feedback | Saves | Attain | Performs | Profile Exercise | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carousel 5 earlier than advert | 56 | 6 | 6 | 657 | N/A | N/A |
| Carousel 5 after advert | 72 | 7 | 8 | 1,711 | N/A | 27 |
| Reel 5 earlier than advert | 23 | 6 | 2 | 324 | 466 | N/A |
| Reel 5 after advert | 45 | 6 | 4 | 1,398 | 1,709 | 42 |
The post-ad outcomes are cut up between the carousel and the Reel. The carousel advert had higher attain, however the Reels advert yielded extra profile exercise, which was my purpose.
Finally, each adverts bought extra eyes on my content material.
Ultimate evaluation
Within the weekly exams, carousels earned 5 factors, whereas Reels squeaked in with just one level. However listed below are the ultimate numbers on the finish of my experiment:
| Likes | Feedback | Shares | Saves | Attain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carousels 1-6 | 220 | 16 | 16 | 11 | 2,316 |
| Reels 1-6 | 126 | 20 | 5 | 2 | 2,052 |
Be aware: I didn’t embrace advert outcomes right here to ensure the comparability is as truthful as attainable.
General, it looks like carousels are nonetheless the top-performing submit kind on Instagram.
If we have 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 have a look at attain, carousels carry out barely higher than Reels.
I additionally had a have a look at how the previous three weeks had affected my follower rely and engagement price:
After three weeks, I gained 53 new followers, and my submit interactions are up by 32.6%. Not dangerous!
What’s higher: Instagram carousels or Reels?
So, are Instagram carousels nonetheless outperforming Reels? In our admittedly restricted examine, sure: Instagram carousels proceed to earn extra engagement and attain than Reels do.
Nonetheless, whether or not carousels are higher than Reels is determined by your content material kind and viewers.
Content material kind
I run a small enterprise promoting classic gadgets, so pictures are key. A carousel permits me to submit a number of pictures so potential patrons can examine gadgets earlier than buying. That is how I promote, so carousels will all the time be extra worthwhile to me than Reels.
Judging by the outcomes of my experiment, carousels carry out higher for my account general.
Totally different content material varieties lend themselves extra readily to video, so take into consideration the type of content material you’re creating and the way your viewers will devour it. If movies make extra sense in your account, then try this. However don’t submit movies only for the sake of it! My information exhibits that this doesn’t essentially repay.
Viewers
Hold your viewers in thoughts when creating content material. You probably 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 means of to see varied stats, together with High Places, Age Vary, Gender, and Most Energetic Instances
In my case, over 90% of my followers are girls, and most are millennials. As I proceed to develop my enterprise, I must prioritize this demographic when growing future content material.
To do that, I’ll proceed experimenting with my content mix and examine the metrics often to see what resonates with my viewers. When doubtful, iterate!
Takeaways
Make content material you want
Reels are an effective way to offer followers a glimpse into your every day life and present your persona, so create content material that makes you cheerful!
Foolish Reels that I filmed and edited collectively in only a few minutes did higher than Reels that took quite a lot of time and vitality. I really like making off-the-cuff content material, and it appears to resonate with my viewers.
Don’t spend tons of time on a Reel
Viewers have a look at your content material for a minute or two, so don’t spend hours placing it collectively! Make it attention-grabbing and enjoyable, however don’t get too specific with actual synching or flawless transitions (until that’s your entire factor) — a posted Reel is best than an ideal Reel.
Consider your personal content material as user-generated content material (UGC)
In case your Reel or carousel is related to a bigger account or model, tag them in your caption — social managers are all the time searching for UGC, and so they may repost your content material, which opens up an entire new viewers!
Begin constructing your Instagram presence utilizing Hootsuite. Schedule and publish posts on to Instagram, have interaction your viewers, measure efficiency, and run all of your different social media profiles — all from one easy dashboard. Attempt it free as we speak.
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