Static Images vs Carousels vs Reels: Which Instagram Content Type Actually Works Best?

Shannon McKinstrie:
I am your host, Shannon McKinstrie. Welcome to Good Content, the podcast where I remove the never ending content creation, guesswork and overwhelm so that you can actually enjoy being on social media again and growing your business with what has always worked. Good Content. On today's episode, we are talking the difference between, between static images, photo dumps, carousels, reels, and how each one has its own awesome qualities and benefits. I'll also be sharing at the end of this a brilliant hook I just saw on Instagram going crazy and it just brings everything home that I've been telling y' all for about a year now about how me centric, I centric copy and text is what's doing really well for people right now. Now it's not the only thing doing well, but again, it's something that if you're struggling with reach, this is the episode you need. Let's get into it.
Shannon McKinstrie:
I'm a huge fan of carousels. Let me just preface this. Carousels are not better than reels. Reels are not better than carousels. I know people who solely use carousels and grow their account. I know people who are more like me and lean on reels. The reason I lean on reels so much is because to me, I find them easier carousels.
Shannon McKinstrie:
I really am a perfectionist when it comes to and I don't have time to be a perfectionist right now. I lean a lot on just simple B roll and text. And that's what I teach a lot in the Reels Lab. I teach, you know, I give them scripts. But what's cool about any hook that I give my students inside the Reels Lab or here on the podcast, you can also use as the first slide of your carousel post or the beginning of your caption underneath your reel post. So let me preface this real quick. First of all, and in case you're new to the whole Instagram world, when I say carousel, it means any post, which is mainly images, not a reel, where you can swipe and there's more images, right.
Shannon McKinstrie:
Some of you can call it a photo dump, if you will, right? Or again, a carousel. A carousel, Back in the day, when I started social media managing in 2014, it was one image on Instagram. Could you even zoom in on images then? It's been a while. It was different. It was a different world. You do one picture A little caption. But I would also do quotes a lot, and I would use Canva. Back then, Canva was super simple.
Shannon McKinstrie:
Like, it had just a few. If you go way back in my feed, they're horrible. They're still up there, my little quotes. But we leaned a lot on just one image, and we had one caption. That's why Instagram is so incredible now, because back then, that's kind of where the conversation of don't make it me centric. Don't make it I centric, because you had an image or a quote or a graphic and a caption, and that was it. And you had to really make that caption like gold. And you wanted to talk.
Shannon McKinstrie:
You wanted to use words like you and really talk to the reader. Now, with carousels and reels and all this stuff, there's so many more layers, right? And that's why I keep pressing, because as I scroll, I'm seeing more and more carousels, reels, captions starting with the word my, I, Or at least they're in there. I actually did a reel earlier this week about this, and we'll have it in the show notes. And it literally says how, you know, I was scrolling on Instagram the other day, and I saw a post, and it said it was a picture of Chipotle on the beach.
Shannon McKinstrie:
And on the image, one single image. So a static image, it said, with text on it, right? Kind of like meme. Ish. And it said, how do I explain this feeling to someone who's never had Chipotle? I immediately looked at who posted it. Chipotle. So when I keep telling y' all to start using how do I. What I. My.
Shannon McKinstrie:
Those words where it feels like a personal post from someone is so powerful right now, because it was years of just the person behind the account wasn't there, and we had no idea who these people were. So with that said before, I've already done a podcast on this, but I just want to drive it home again. Because that static image from Chipotle, the reason it did so well for them was because it was an image, but it was just the Chipotle on the beach. Without the text, it wouldn't have done as well. It told the story, and it was cheeky and funny and. And that's the humor category that I talk about so much. So do not let anyone tell you that one single image cannot perform well. It was a One single image with some text, even one simple image without any text could do well.
Shannon McKinstrie:
It's a gorgeous view. It's a beautiful sourdough, right? Photos still work on Instagram. I do photo dumps probably once a month. Like, either like it's like for Easter or like, I'm sure I'll do one of, you know, once we have the beach house totally decorated, I'll do a photo dump and showing everyone, right? And pointing out the details and things like that. So photo dumps still work. I don't want anyone to tell you otherwise. Especially, like, let's say you do hair, you do makeup, you can do photo dumps still, guys, it's okay. So that's the difference.
Shannon McKinstrie:
That's all Instagram was, was a photo and a caption. And that's why you really had to make the caption about the audience. Only now with carousels, this is what I see. Okay, so carousels, the first slide will have one of those hooks that I give you here on the podcast in the Reels Lab, et cetera. And what I tell my Reels Lab students all the time is if they're looking at these and they're like, actually, Shannon, I really like carousels a lot more. Do they do everything in that post that I give you in the Reels Lab, use that hook, use that caption, and you can use it for a carousel. A lot of times people will write on reels of mine where I'm sharing hooks, and they'll be like, is this for on screen caption or a carousel? I'm like, all of them, really, right? If I say pov, you are struggling with blah, blah, blah and fine, blah, blah, that's mainly typically for reel, but if you wanted, it could be a caption. I mean, again, there's no rules.
Shannon McKinstrie:
Just ask yourself right before you post, like, would this make me stop? Would I keep watching after the first three seconds? Would this carousel make me swipe? So, yeah. So let's get into it again. And I tell people all the time inside the Reels Lab, if you see a hook or one of the reels plans, I give you, you love the hook, but you're like, man, I could really dive more into this. I'm like, great, make it a carousel. If you don't want to, make it a quick, easy B roll with text. Or like, I like to call, I coined it the book reel, which you've seen millions of times on Instagram. It's where the first clip of the reel says the hook, where it's like, fun ways to entertain your kids this weekend if you are in the Outer Banks, right? That's two seconds. The second clip is about one to two seconds.
Shannon McKinstrie:
And it's like Jockey's Ridge. And it's like, third clip, adventure park, right? It's like, it reads, you know, it's. It's hook and then tip, tip, tip. Or suggestion, suggestion, suggestion. Amazon Find, Amazon Find, Amazon, right? You can flip those into carousel. So again, if you see this and you're like, actually, I don't have photos, and I don't really want to do a green screen.
Shannon McKinstrie:
I just have time to do a quick photo dump. Perfect. I see these going viral all the time on Instagram. It is literally a photo of in someone's camera Roll. And on the text is, here are some cool things to do with your kids for free in the Outer Banks. That is it, right? Then you swipe to the next one. Again, it's a photo dump, but it's also a carousel.
Shannon McKinstrie:
Those are doing really well right now, where it's just photos. I've even seen people using the same photo for every slide. And it just tells a story. First slide, the other day I was, da, da, da. I can't believe what I. What I discovered next. Second slide, I was in line at Publix and someone, da, da, da. Third slide, literally, that works.
Shannon McKinstrie:
Okay, so we love stories. We love things that are happening in the moment. And let me tell you, most of the reels I do when I'm talking to camera, because those are a little more work, a little more heavy lifting. It's usually because it's something that just happened on a phone call with a client or a friend or the Reels Lab, right? I'll be like, oh, my gosh, I gotta record this real quick. Put on some makeup real fast, and I'll just hit record. Or I'll write it out on threads. Cause I just. I'm like, okay, it's.
Shannon McKinstrie:
It's in my mind right now. Let me just say, oh, this just came up. And let me just tell you something. It happens all the time. Most things on threads that you see that me that I write is like. Because it just came up and someone just said it. And it either got me ticked off because I'm like, who's saying this garbage? Or it's something that just happened in a call. Okay? So again, when it comes to the hooks I share here, Instagram, Tik Tok, the Reels Lab, they can be caption starters.
Shannon McKinstrie:
Typically. Or they can also be the first slide of your carousel, and then you go on. But with all that said, they all have their own superpower. My friend Lucas o' Keefe, he primarily does carousels, and he says he's like his carousels. His audience prefers carousels, so he knows that. So he does more carousels than reels. I know my people like reels, but they also love consuming carousels. So I try to work in at least one a week, and they love them.
Shannon McKinstrie:
They don't go crazy. For me, I think that's because I've had a few carousel posts go viral. But for me, the amount of time I devote to the carousels, because I get to be a perfectionist in them, because I want them perfect, which I. I would tell you, don't do that. But again, do as I say, not as I do reels. I can throw them out there. I'm like, whatever they do really well, they always bring in followers. They always get great reach.
Shannon McKinstrie:
My carousel is the amount of time for me. I'm like one a week, and then I move on. Okay, so again, just think what makes you happy to create, what do your people like to consume and what's working for your account, and keep doing it until something's not working and you tweak it. So, again, let's go back to carousels. I really want to dive into carousels majorly because I know I don't talk about them a lot. So just know even if I'm talking reels on an episode, the tips I'm giving you work for carousels too, and they work for the beginning of your caption, too. So like I said in the beginning, for years, everyone was like, don't say the word I, my, et cetera in your captions. It needs to be you.
Shannon McKinstrie:
You only talking to the audience. For example, you need to know about this. Blah, blah, blah, instead of, I just found this and I need to tell you about it. That's the shift we're seeing. We're going back to, oh, my gosh, guys, I was just doing this. Oh, my gosh, I wish more people knew. I. Da, da, da.
Shannon McKinstrie:
That is what's working right now. And that's why Chipotle even did it. The account. The brand has its own personality, and that is what you need to remember. It's not. It's not seen as selfish anymore. It's seen as personable. Our radar is up.
Shannon McKinstrie:
We need transparency. We need to know who the person is. Everyone's sales are down. Everyone's reaches down because we're, we're over it. We want to follow humans. We want to get back to what social media was all about, which is connection, period. So I know I'm kind of bouncing all over the place. I will bring it home with this hook in just a second for the big aha moment.
Shannon McKinstrie:
But again, if Chipotle had just, put an image up of the beach and the Chipotle with no text, it wouldn't have done as well. So don't be afraid to add some fun text if you're going to do a static image. But again, if it's like a gorgeous photo of a venue or you're a wedding photographer and it's just the sickest photo you've ever taken, it's so good. Like, you don't need to add that stuff. Just again, ask yourself, I want you to start trusting yourself more. Look at it and go, would this make me stop? Would this make me comment? Images still do well. Photos still do well on Instagram. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Shannon McKinstrie:
Don't let anyone tell you reels are better. Don't let anyone tell you carousel posts are better. The best content for you to create is what you like to create and what your audience likes to consume. And again, that takes testing. So I do a mix of all of it. Okay. All right, back now, the hook for your carousel. When I say that, it means the first slide because that first slide is what they're going to see first.
Shannon McKinstrie:
Now, I don't know if you know this about carousels, but if someone sees your carousel again and they didn't interact with it the first time, they'll actually see slide two. So you want to make slide two also grabby. So let's say you are telling a story. You want that like I just made blah, blah, blah by selling a $20 product. Let's talk about it. Slide 2. You don't want to give away the whole enchilada yet you want to keep teasing them in. You don't write, so you want to make sure they at least get to like slide three.
Shannon McKinstrie:
Because if they get to slide three, four, they're going to slide 10. Okay. Carousels kind of feel like a caption, an essay, if you will, type of thing, an email. That's what carousels are kind of, they're bulkier people. As they're scoring, kind of expect a lot more info. If we see a quick little 10 second reel, we don't expect a lot of information. Right. It's a quick T.
Shannon McKinstrie:
It's, it's something heartfelt. It's a funny joke, whatever it is. But that's why carousels are really great for also conversions because you, you get to give them a lot more value. So again, just the whole purpose of this episode is just to give you permission to like, you know, you don't have to only post reels or carousels. You can do a mix. You can do all of one. It's whatever is best for you, my friend. Okay, so now let's go to the hook that I found that went bonkers for someone.
Shannon McKinstrie:
And we're going to get into exactly why. Because again, it's me centric. It's I centric. It is not selfish at all. Okay? This is what it says. It's absolutely brilliant. And it will be in the show notes. And it is a carousel with just simple images from her camera roll.
Shannon McKinstrie:
That is what's doing very well right now. Not that nothing else is doing well. POV reels are still doing great. Talk to camera. Reels are still doing great. I'm just saying, this is another thing. But also, this hook is also a sign of what to put on your reel. So just because it's a great hook on a carousel doesn't mean it should not.
Shannon McKinstrie:
She should. This girl should absolutely do it again with a reel. Okay, here it is. It says how to pick the perfect watermelon. And it's literally a picture on a camera roll. It's not even great lighting. It's not taken with the sharpest whatever. Okay, that's the main hook.
Shannon McKinstrie:
How to pick the perfect watermelon. It's toward the top of the screen at top of the image, just as it should be. This is exactly how it would look on a reel if she did it as a reel underneath. From someone who bought 25 watermelons last year, over 10,000 likes, insane amount of comments. And then she has one more little, tiny little swipe worthy little call to action in the bottom right corner. And it says, I am no scientist, but this method usually works. I am so obsessed with this piece of content. Y' all like the way I geeked out.
Shannon McKinstrie:
You go to the next one. It's a picture of watermelons in a big. You know how we see em at the grocery store? I look for one with wide stripe webbing and usually darker overall. Next one, now it's in her cart. Then find one that is very symmetrical. Da, da, da, da. She goes on. Then I ...
Shannon McKinstrie:
And you guys, the next slide is just another picture. Next slide is the picture of the watermelon cut open. Works every time, save for your next grocery store run is what the last slide says. Brilliant. Now, did it have the words I. my, that for? Yes, it did. I'm no scientist. That was on her slide. It also said from someone who, qualifier.
Shannon McKinstrie:
So you don't even have to be. Let's say you're a copywriter. You don't even say have to say from a copywriter anymore. You could just say from someone who da, da, da, da. Say you own a bakery or coffee shops. From someone who's made 1,000 lattes. That to me, is actually a little more interesting than from a barista. That is the hook I want y' all to run with this week and test out.
Shannon McKinstrie:
I just did it the other day. I made my hook a little more personable about, like, being a type B. I did it on the real about the Chipotle and how all these big brands are going more I centric. Me centric. And it said my go to formula from writing viral hooks from someone who's helped hundreds of people go viral. Little more fun than from a social media strategist nerd. Right? So I want you guys to run with this. I want you to start writing hooks like this from a personal place, from a personal perspective.
Shannon McKinstrie:
Qualify yourself not just by I'm a doctor, I'm a this from a mom who went through postpartum, from a teacher who now homeschools. From a. Right. Like, give it to me. From someone who used to get zero clicks on their emails and now, you know, makes a thousand dollars per email. It could be that long and lengthy. This is what we're seeing happen on TikTok. We're seeing it on Instagram.
Shannon McKinstrie:
It's going nuts. I know this is a longer episode than normal, but I had to just drive this home because I'm telling you right now, I. Every time I share this sort of conversation on social media, people are like, but, but, but I was told, drop it. Anyone telling you, don't use I, don't use my, don't be me. Centric is living in 2020, and they're not observing what's working. They're holding on to that truth that was true to them five years ago. It's not. That's not what's working.
Shannon McKinstrie:
So whether you're doing a carousel, whether you're doing a static post like Chipotle or at your hair salon just showing a pretty new hairstyle, you did all of these types of formats work. It's the message. It's the image. It's the value you provide with it that's going to make it go crazy. And using hooks like if it's. If it's an educational piece of content. How to pick how to do this from someone who. How I would rank blah, blah, blah from someone who just binged all the true crimes on Netflix.
Shannon McKinstrie:
Like that is the stuff we want to see. I want suggestions from people who have done it, not just what ChatGPT or Google's going to tell me again, the pov. You are struggling with this and just fine. And find my blah, blah, blah. That works too. There's tons of things working right now on Instagram. And if you're struggling and if your reach is down, your engagement's down. Try that and let me know how it goes.
Shannon McKinstrie:
I love you, friend. Go crush it. It's okay. The world. Lot of heavy stuff going on. And it's also summer. Everything's kind of down right now. But this is the time to shine because a lot of people are gonna get frustrated and give up.
Shannon McKinstrie:
You're not. Love you friend.