Instagram still remains one of the top platforms for businesses to get in front of potential customers. After all the different types of ad formats, carousel ads continued to prevail and remain popular even into 2025.
Carousel ads allow you to include multiple images or videos in one post that users can swipe through. They allow you additional room to tell your story, display your products or explain your services without trying to fit everything into one picture or video.This format becomes even more powerful when paired with user-generated content. Brands using a tool like Walls.io to collect UGC can repurpose authentic visuals directly into carousel ads, creating higher engagement and social proof.
In this article, we are going to discuss why carousel ads are still effective in 2025, what has changed and how you can make the most of them for your business.
What Are Instagram Carousel Ads?
Source: Freepik
A carousel ad is an Instagram ad format that can contain multiple types of media, including a picture, a video, or a combination of both, all in one post.
- Users swipe left to move on to the next card in the carousel.
- Each card could have its own caption, link, and call to action (CTA).
- Carousels can run in the feed, Explore page, or Instagram Stories.
The swipe feature provides an opportunity for users to engage longer on Instagram than with single image posts. Instead of supplying users with one, static message, you can give them multiple pieces of content that work together to tell a much larger narrative.
Why Carousel Ads Still Work in 2025
Source: Unsplash
A lot has changed on Instagram in recent years. The algorithm has evolved, user behavior has shifted, and attention spans have gotten shorter. Still, carousel ads continue to deliver good results.
Here’s why:
They Increase Engagement
More slides can keep users on your ad longer. The longer they spend with it, the more the algorithm views it as valuable content, which encourages it to deliver to more people, particularly with micro influencers
They Offer a Complete Story
Instead of trying to jam everything into one photo, you can display it slide by slide. This is going to be easier to digest.
They Offer Variety
For product-based businesses, you can display your different products, colors, or styles in one ad. For a service-based business, you can show different solutions, benefits, or steps in your process. You can even take your carousels and put them on a social media wall in your brick and mortar store to repurpose them.
They Work Great for Retargeting
If someone visited your site, or engaged with your page, you can use carousel ads to show them a multitude of reasons to take action.Close the loop by adding a scannable CTA that routes prospects to your digital business card or lead form for instant follow-up.
Changes in Carousel Ad Effectiveness in 2025
Instagram in 2025 is not the same as it was in 2020. This has changed:
More Intelligent AI Targeting
Instagram’s ad system can predict what card in your carousel to show first to different users using AI technology. For example, if users are more likely to purchase a particular product your card may appear first for them.
More Interactive Features
Carousels also offer the ability to use interactive stickers and polls, and now AR try-on features, which lets people be interactive within Instagram and makes engagement easier.
Shorter Video Focus
Due to the success of Reels, people prefer short videos from carousels. Marketers converting their videos in carousels to 5–10 second videos are getting better results than marketers who use longer videos.
This is where tools like FlexClip come in handy—helping marketers quickly trim and optimize videos for maximum impact. With FlexClip’s easy editing features, you can adjust pacing, highlight key messages, and make sure your content grabs attention in just seconds.
The trend is clear: Short, snappy videos win in today’s fast-scrolling social media world!
When to Use Carousel Ads
Carousel ads don’t always deserve to be chosen. They are best for
- Product launches – enabling you to show different features or models.
- Tutorials – allowing the steps to be laid out in a swipeable format.
- Before and after stories – great for the fitness, home renovation or beauty sectors.
- Event promotion – showcasing different activities, or speakers.
- Brand storytelling – taking people through your experience in a series.
With the rise of AI, it is now easier than ever to make Instagram carousels with AI tools like Zoviz.com and Predis.ai. With it, you can create Instagram post designs and ads easily with simple prompts or from your linked website. Not just that, these tools also offer scheduling and auto-posting all from a single dashboard.
Key Elements That Make Carousel Ads Effective
Now let’s break down what actually makes a carousel ad perform well.
A Strong First Card
The first card acts like a cover. If it doesn’t grab attention, people won’t swipe.
- Use a clear headline.
- Show the main benefit or key product.
- Keep text short but impactful.
Visual Consistency
The cards should feel like they belong together.
- Use the same color palette.
- Keep fonts consistent.
- Maintain a similar tone in images or videos.
Storytelling Flow
Think of the carousel like a short comic strip or mini-presentation.
- Slide 1: Hook
- Slide 2–4: Details or benefits
- Slide 5: Strong call-to-action
Clear Call-to-Action on Each Card
Instead of waiting for the last slide, add CTAs throughout. Examples:
- “Swipe to see more”
- “Learn how in the next slide.”
- “Shop now”
Mixing Media Types
A mix of images and short videos keeps things interesting. For example:
- Slide 1: Photo with headline
- Slide 2: 7-second product demo
- Slide 3: Customer testimonial image
Data-Driven Adjustments
Use Instagram Insights to see which slides perform best. You may find that your third card gets the most clicks — that’s a sign to put your best content earlier.
For deeper insights beyond Instagram, 1up.ai helps businesses analyze real customer questions and conversations. By understanding what your audience truly cares about, you can create carousel ads that resonate more and drive stronger engagement.
How to Design a Carousel Ad in 2025 Step-by-Step
Here is a straightforward process to build an effective carousel ad today:
- Define the objective – Do you want sales, leads, or brand awareness?
- Plan the story – Decide how many slides you will need, and what will be on each slide.
- Build the first card hook – Make it visually appealing, and clear.
- Create the rest of the cards – Keep them consistent and swipe-able.
- Add short captions – Don’t overload with text, let the visuals do the storytelling.
- Add CTAs – Guide the user at every step.
- Leverage AI prompting – Generate fresh ideas, streamline creative variations, and maximize the effectiveness of your ads.
- Test and optimize – Run variations and see which performs best.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
No matter how good your ad is, missteps always lead to less than optimal results; be cautious of the following:
- Identifying too much text on images – Instagram still punishes heavy text in visuals.
- Low quality visuals – Blurry or stretched visuals decrease your credibility.
- No coherent story – A series of random slides with no connection to one another is confusing.
- Only one CTA at the end – Some people just won’t swipe to the last slide.
- Ignoring analytics – You can’t optimize perfromance without looking at performance.
Examples of High-Performing Carousel Ads in 2025
Example 1: E-commerce Brand
A clothing store launched a summer collection.
- Slide 1: Model wearing the main piece with “Summer 2025 is here.”
- Slide 2–4: Different color options.
- Slide 5: Limited-time discount code.
Result: 30% higher click-through rate than their single-image ads.
Example 2: Service-Based Business
A marketing agency promoted a free webinar.
- Slide 1: Eye-catching title.
- Slide 2–3: Speaker introductions with photos.
- Slide 4: What attendees will learn.
- Slide 5: “Reserve your seat now” with link.
Result: 40% more sign-ups than previous campaigns.
Example 3: Local Restaurant
A restaurant used carousel ads to promote a weekend brunch.
- Slide 1: Signature dish close-up.
- Slide 2: Chef preparing food.
- Slide 3: Happy customers enjoying meals.
- Slide 4: Menu highlights.
- Slide 5: “Book your table” CTA.
Result: Fully booked tables for the weekend.
Best Practices for Carousel Ads in 2025
- Use short-form videos where possible.
- Keep a clear theme across all slides.
- Use interactive elements like polls or quizzes.
- Test different first card designs.
- Track and optimize based on data.
The Future of Carousel Ads on Instagram
While Instagram continues to push Reels and other video formats, carousel ads remain a versatile tool for advertisers. In the future, we may see:
- More personalized carousels based on AI predictions.
- Deeper AR integrations for virtual try-ons.
- Carousels that auto-adjust order based on user interaction.
Businesses that adapt to these changes will continue to see strong results.
How to Measure the Success of Your Carousel Ads
Running a carousel ad is only half of the process – the other half is tracking that ad’s performance to know if it’s worth your money. In 2025, with Instagram’s analytic tools and other third-party platforms, it’s easy to tell what’s working and what’s not.
Here are the most common metrics to track:
- Impressions – The number of times your ad was shown.
- Engagement Rate – The percentage of people who engaged with your ad (liked, commented, or swiped).
- Click-through Rate (CTR) – The number of users who clicked on your CTA link compared to the number of users who viewed your ad.
- Conversion Rate – The percentage of people that take the desired action (purchases, sign-ups, downloads).
- Cost per result – The cost per conversion, click, or lead.
Pro Tip: Use performance data to measure performance by individual slide; Instagram insights can tell you exactly which card had the most engagement. If there’s a card that has performed better than others, consider moving it earlier in the carousel.
Amplifying your carousels via creators or customers? ReferralCandy centralizes referral, affiliate, and influencer marketing tracking Instagram-driven sales and automating rewards.
Tips for Testing and Optimizing Carousel Ads
Even the most well-crafted carousel ad can always benefit from testing. In 2025, advertisers have access to more than ever regarding tools and data to run quick experiments and change things up based on measurably better outcomes.
Here’s how to get started:
- Test new first cards – Think of your first slide as your hook. Change up the headline, visuals, or color scheme and see which drives more eyeballs!
- Test slide order – Sometimes creating a new flow for your slides can lead to better swipe rates and conversions.
- Test images vs. mixed media – Some audiences respond better to photos while others prefer a mix of videos and images.
- Test different CTAs – You can test everything from wording to location. An example would be testing “Shop Now” vs. “Discover More.”
- Test shorter carousels vs. longer ones – Test the performance of a 3-slide vs. a 5-slide ad.
- Protect against spam bot engagement – Fake likes, comments, and clicks from Instagram spam bots can skew performance. Use click fraud prevention tools and Instagram’s built-in filtering to protect your ads..
- Review and implement – Use Instagram Insights to make little changes over time, rather than making all changes at once.
If you are continuously testing you will find the exact mix of visual, text, and flow that resonates with your audience.
To Conclude
In 2025, Instagram’s carousel ads continue to be a powerful option because they allow you to share more information in a more engaging and interactive way. The most important points to consider are to catch their attention with the first card, have a consistent look, tell a clear story and include calls-to-action.
If you’re strategic about their use, they can outperform many other ad types – of all platforms, carousel ads are best for storytelling and for promoting multiple products.
FAQs
Q1. How many cards should I include in my carousel ad?
Generally, most effective carousel ads contain between 3-5 cards. This provides enough content to narrate a story without overloading users to the point of losing interest.
Q2. Can I include both images and videos within one carousel?
Absolutely! Using both image and video content creates mixed media, which stimulates engagement, and will keep users swiping.
Q3. Do carousel ads perform better than static image ads?
This question has a subjective answer and really depends on the goal, but in general, carousel ads tend to be a better use of Instagram for storytelling and showcasing a variety of products.
Q4. How do I know which carousel slide is performing best?
Check your Instagram Insights! You just need to look at the engagement number, and click data for each card to fully evaluate which card is performing best.
Q5. Can carousel ads be used in Stories?
Yes! Carousel ads can be utilized in both feed and Stories. Instagram allows for a carousel still offer different posts in the users feed and exclude other ads vs. stories placements.
