Rising Creators Forum

I'm trying to figure out where to put my effort. Should I be making reels or static posts/carousels? or both?

reels take me way longer to create but they seem to get more reach. posts are easier but feel like they get buried in the algorithm

What's working better for you?

I'm gonna give a different perspective: carousels actually have the highest engagement rate for me

while reels get more raw views, my carousels get way more saves and meaningful engagement. and saves are what really boost your content in the algorithm now

my best performing content:
- educational carousels with 5-7 slides of tips/advice
- before/after carousels showing transformations
- storytelling carousels that make people swipe through

these get 2-3x more saves than my reels and the followers i gain from them are way more engaged

reels bring in passive viewers. carousels bring in engaged followers who actually care about your content

my strategy: post 2 reels per week for reach, 2 carousels per week for engagement. the reels cast a wide net, the carousels convert casual viewers into loyal followers

Don't ignore static content just because reels are trendy. use both strategically for different purposes

Reels are 100% the priority right now and it's not even close

instagram is pushing reels hard because they're competing with tiktok. the reach potential is way higher with reels

my stats to prove it:
- reels: average reach of 8k-15k
- carousels: average reach of 800-1,200
- single image posts: average reach of 600-900

reels are getting 10x the reach of static posts. instagram literally says reels get more distribution in their algorithm

Yes, reels take longer to create but the ROI is worth it. i post 3-4 reels per week and 1 carousel per week. the carousel is for my existing engaged followers, the reels are for growth

If you're trying to grow, reels need to be 80% of your content strategy. you can add carousels once you have the audience you want

Also reels bring in new followers way better than posts. people discover you through reels, then check out your profile and follow if they like what they see