Remember the Instagram update that allowed people to create carousel posts? It didn’t take long for this to become a must-have part of social strategy. Whether you’re running your own social media, or you’re working with a social media manager, it’s a consensus that carousel posts are a highly effective type of post to include on your feed. And now, Later has made it easier than ever to take advantage of these posts by making auto publishing an option!
Why Carousel Posts Are a Prime Tool
Carousel posts are an Instagram feature that hold up to 10 images or videos in one swipeable post. Why are they worth incorporating regularly into your social media strategy? In short – they drive engagement. According to SocialInsider, the average carousel post has an engagement rate of 1.92% compared to only 1.45% for a single image post.
Carousel posts provide you with the chance to draw more users in for longer periods of time by providing more in-depth, high-value content. Infographic carousels are popular on the app, as are “photo dumps” of vacations and special events. It makes sense to maximize your reach and engagement with a single Instagram post if you can, which is why these types of posts are so useful.
Why Auto Publishing is Essential
While carousel posts are a key strategic move when it comes to Instagram marketing, they haven’t always been easy to incorporate into a social schedule. Later is just one of multiple scheduling tools that marketers can use to create content calendars and actually schedule posts to publish at a certain time. The catch is that this hasn’t been available for carousel posts. So while you could schedule an IG story or single static post to publish at 11:30 on a Monday and then move on, you would have to settle for scheduling a notification to manually publish your carousel post. The notification would prompt you to open your Instagram profile via the Later app and publish the loaded carousel draft at the set time. In other words, you could forget about a true social media break, especially if your posting schedule fell outside of traditional work hours. Luckily, Later has recently announced an update allowing you to automatically publish carousel posts.
How to Schedule and Auto Publish Carousel Posts
You can schedule posts on your desktop or on the mobile Later app. To do so, you will open the app and head to the media section where you can either add new photos/videos or choose from the bank. Create your carousel post by selecting up to 10 photos and/or videos and then add your caption and hashtags. If all your media are not already sized the same way, Later will crop the remaining media to match the dimensions of your first photo or video. Once you’re ready to schedule, auto publish will be the default option. It’s important to note that to take advantage of this feature, your Later account needs to be linked to an Instagram business account and you need to be on a Starter, Growth, or Advanced paid plan.
Later Paid Plan Pricing
As previously mentioned, you need to have a paid plan with Later in order to auto publish carousel posts. The different options cater to a variety of needs and budgets.
Starter – $15/month and includes one social set (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and TikTok), one user, and up to 30 posts per social profile.
Growth – $45/month and includes three social sets (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and TikTok), three users, and up to 150 posts per social profile. You can also add additional social sets and users for $15 and $5 each respectively.
Advanced – $80/month and includes six social sets (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and TikTok), six users, and unlimited posts across profiles. You can also add additional social sets and users for $15 and $5 each respectively.
Later’s new feature will allow marketers to save time and effort when it comes to using Instagram. Carousel posts are particularly useful for mobile app marketing given that they allow you to display multiple features and uses of the app in one post for users to see. With this in mind, you should utilize them as soon as possible in order to help reach your audience quickly and easily.