Rising Creators Forum

When I make carousel posts I never know what order to put the images in. should the best image be first or last? does it affect reach or engagement?

Curious if anyone has tested this and found a strategy that works better

Honestly i think people overthink carousel order too much

what matters most is that each slide provides value. if your content is good, people will swipe through regardless of order

that said, i do follow a general structure:
- slide 1: hook/headline that promises value ("5 ways to...")
- slides 2-6: actual content/tips
- slide 7: summary or CTA

but i've also seen carousels that start with the CTA and work backwards perform well. and carousels that are just random inspirational quotes perform well

the algorithm cares more about:
- how many people swipe through your carousel
- how long people spend on each slide
- whether people save it

Optimize for those metrics instead of obsessing over perfect order. test different structures and see what your specific audience responds to

I tested this extensively and order definitely matters

here's what i found:
- first image needs to be the most eye-catching to stop the scroll
- last image should have a call to action or summary
- middle images should flow logically

i tested putting my best image last (to encourage people to swipe through) vs first (to get initial attention). putting it first performed better

why? because instagram's algorithm shows your carousel to more people if the first image gets high engagement. if your first image is weak and people scroll past, fewer people ever see your carousel

my carousel strategy now:
1. attention-grabbing first image (bright colors, clear text, interesting visual)
2-6. valuable content in logical order
7. call to action or summary

also people who swipe through all slides are more likely to engage (like, save, comment). so make sure each slide provides value to encourage people to keep swiping

the swipe-through rate is an important metric. aim for at least 40% of people who see your carousel to swipe through at least 3 slides