Understanding Instagram's Multiple Picture Feature

What is Instagram's Multiple Picture Feature?

Instagram's multiple picture feature, also known as "carousel," allows users to share more than one photo or video in a single post. Released in early 2017, this feature lets followers swipe through a series of pictures or videos within a single post, like a mini-album. This feature has quickly grown in popularity as it enables users to share multiple aspects of a single event, thought, or theme, without overflowing followers' feeds. For businesses and brands, it offers an added advantage of storytelling and displaying various products or services within a single post.

Why Use the Multiple Picture Feature?

The Instagram multiple pictures offer an exciting way for users to share their adventures or moments. It allows sharing different angles or phases of an experience, which might not be possible with a single image video. For businesses and influencers, this feature presents a unique opportunity to share a step-by-step guide, a range of products, or a story progression. This ability to create a more sophisticated content narrative increases engagement and interaction, directly influencing the algorithm that determines post visibility on followers' feeds.

How to Use Instagram's Multiple Picture Feature?

Using Instagram's multiple picture feature is straightforward. Users can select up to 10 photos or videos for a singular post, arranging them in their preferred order. Post-editing features like filters, stickers or text, can be added to individual pictures within the carousel, allowing each image or video to stand independently within the set or create a cohesive, interconnected narrative.

Step-by-Step Guide to Post Multiple Photos on Instagram

Selecting Photos and Videos

To begin creating a multiple picture post, users should first open the post function in Instagram. Instead of selecting a single photo or video, they need to click on the 'Select Multiple' button. In doing that, the ability to choose up to 10 photos or videos from the gallery is enabled. Users can then select the photos or videos they wish to include by clicking on them.

Editing and Arranging Your Selection

After selecting the desired photos or video, users can then proceed to the editing phase. Here, they can rearrange their selected images or videos by simply pressing, holding, and dragging them into the preferred sequence. Users can also decide to edit all the images or videos together using the same filter, or individually, permitting each image or video to convey a unique vibe within the compilation.

Publishing the Post

Once the selection and editing process is complete, users can proceed to write a caption, tag people, add a location, and tweak the advance settings as they would in a regular post. After this, users can share the post, making it visible on their profile and their followers' feed. Users' followers will then be able to swipe through the images or videos within the post, engaging with each one individually if they please.

Best Practices for Posting Multiple Pictures on Instagram

Curation and Cohesion

When creating a multiple photo or video post, it is essential to ensure that the selected images or videos tell a cohesive story. Whether this is a progression of an event, a step-by-step guide, or a showcase, the connection between each image or video should be clear. This cohesion increases engagement as it encourages followers to swipe through the entire series.

Quality Over Quantity

While the multiple picture feature permits the inclusion of up to 10 photos or videos, this maximum should not always be reached. The focus should remain on quality rather than quantity, displaying the best visuals to represent the post's narrative. Using too many visuals can detract from the overall story and overwhelm viewers.

Engagement Encouragement

Finally, users should leverage the caption space and comment section to encourage engagement with their post. Engaging questions or prompts in captions can inspire followers to leave their thoughts, while engaging with the comments can foster a sense of community among followers.