How to Make Instagram Carousels That ACTUALLY Get Views & Reach

0:00If your carousel posts aren't getting

0:01reach in 2025, you're not alone. You've

0:04probably seen other people getting

0:0510,000 plus likes, tons of shares,

0:07comments everywhere, and then there's

0:09your post, the one you spent a lot of

0:11time on, barely getting seen. You added

0:13helpful tips, clear slides, valuable

0:16information, and still nothing. It's

0:18frustrating. It starts to feel like no

0:20matter how much effort you put in,

0:22something's missing. And you can't help

0:24but ask yourself, "What am I doing

0:26wrong?" The truth is, most people are

0:28making one of four common mistakes. And

0:30my guess is you are too. Once you fix

0:32them, your reach can take off. More

0:35saves, more shares, and yeah, more

0:38followers, too. Today, I'm breaking down

0:40exactly how to win with carousels in

0:422025 with real examples so you can see

0:45what actually works. Let's jump in.

0:47Number one, your first slide is

0:49everything. Your first slide isn't just

0:51the intro, it's the decider, and it

0:53needs to hook. So, here's how you can

0:54create your cover slide that hooks every

0:56time. Number one, big bold headline.

0:59Keep it short and strong, 3 to seven

1:00words max. Number two, clear value or

1:03intrigue. Make the viewer instantly

1:05curious or give them a reason to swipe.

1:07And to help, ask yourself these three

1:09questions. What will they learn? What

1:11belief will you challenge? And what

1:13mistake are they probably making? Number

1:15three, visual contrast. Use a strong

1:18background, high contrast text, and one

1:20clear focal point. Clutter equals lost

1:23attention. Number four, emotional or

1:25identity trigger. Speak to the viewer

1:27and tap into a painoint, desire, or

1:30belief. And finally, number five,

1:31consistent branding. Use your brand

1:33fonts, colors, and logo subtly so it

1:36feels like your post even before they

1:38swipe. This is instant brand

1:39recognition. Okay, now moving on to

1:42number two. If you think the cover slide

1:43is the only deciding factor, you might

1:46be surprised by this one. The second

1:48slide might matter even more. Here's

1:50what you might not realize. If someone

1:52skips your first slide, Instagram will

1:54show them the second one at a later

1:55time, giving them a second chance to

1:57engage with it. Instagram is literally

1:59being like, "Oh, you struck out with

2:00that first slide, so let's show them the

2:02second one." So, it needs to hit just as

2:04hard as the cover slide. Let's look at

2:06this example. Meal versus the groceries.

2:08Slide one stops a scroll. It's clean and

2:11it has a catchy headline, but slide two

2:13also delivers. It has bright visuals and

2:15breaks down the actual meal, and you

2:17want to know more about it. This

2:19structure works because the second slide

2:21follows through on the hook. So ask

2:22yourself, if someone only saw your

2:24second slide, would they still give

2:25value? Would they still know what

2:27they're getting into? And if not, it

2:29needs work. All right, let's keep going

2:31to number three. Number three, every

2:32single slide needs to stand alone. One

2:35of the biggest mistakes I see with

2:36carousels is this. There's way too much

2:39text on every slide, and every slide

2:41depends on the one before it to make

2:42sense. But here's the thing. People

2:44swipe fast. They're not reading your 20s

2:46slide essay, no matter how good the info

2:48is. If a single slide doesn't grab them

2:51instantly or feels confusing out of

2:52context, they'll just skip the whole

2:54thing. Carousels need to be quick,

2:55clear, and easy to follow. Even if

2:58someone jumps in halfway through, so

2:59every slide should have one clear idea,

3:02be visually punchy, require no context

3:05from the slide before or after. Let's

3:07look at this example. Every slide in

3:09this carousel can stand on its own. It

3:12doesn't rely on what came before or

3:14after to make sense. Each one could be

3:16shared to stories, saved, or

3:18screenshotted on its own. And that's the

3:20goal. And pro tip, design your carousels

3:22like each slide is a mini poster. And

3:24ask yourself, if someone only saw this

3:26one slide, would it still be worth

3:28sharing? Super quick before we get to

3:29the final point, if you're enjoying this

3:31video so far, I know something about

3:32you. You're either a coach,

3:34entrepreneur, or business owner. And if

3:35you found this video helpful, hit

3:37subscribe. It's the best way to support

3:38the channel, and it tells me you want

3:40more content. just like this. Okay.

3:42Finally, number four, use trending

3:45audio. This one is sneaky but powerful.

3:48When you use trending audios on your

3:49carousels, Instagram classifies your

3:51post as a real, boosting your reach in

3:53Explorer and the reals tab. But it's not

3:55just about slapping on any audio. You

3:58need to pick one that matches the vibe

3:59of your content. Let's look at this

4:00example.

4:02This works because the music enhances

4:04the mood of the post and kind of makes

4:06it a vibe while you're swiping through

4:08it. So, yes, add the trending audio.

4:10Just make sure it adds something to the

4:12experience. And if you're watching this,

4:14I know something about you because

4:16you're probably thinking, "Okay, this is

4:17great and all, but when do I actually

4:19post these carousels?" You're not alone.

4:21See, I know a lot of creators, coaches,

4:22and entrepreneurs struggle not just with

4:24what to post, but when? And how to

4:26actually organize it all in a way that

4:28feels strategic, not scattered. And you

4:30probably feel that way, too. Which is

4:32exactly why I built my content calendar

4:34system. It's the same one I use to plan

4:36all of my posts. And it's grounded in

4:38human psychology. how your audience

4:40thinks, feels, and acts throughout the

4:42week, so you can post the right message

4:44at the right time in a way that actually

4:46lands. It's clean, customizable, and

4:49built to help you stay consistent

4:51without guessing every time you open

4:53Instagram. It'll probably save you

4:55hours. The link to that is in the

4:57description below if you want to check

4:58it out. that this video helped, hit

5:00subscribe down below because if you're

5:01not subscribed, the subscribe button

5:03should be illuminating right now for you

5:04to subscribe, which again is the best

5:06way for you to support the channel for

5:08free. And it tells me that you want more

5:10of this content because you enjoy it.

5:12Remember, you're one video away. I'll

5:14see you in the next one.