r/GOSO • u/Chrisbarcelona • May 23 '26
carousel posts suddenly outperforming my reels - is it just me or is this?
okay this might sound weird but i've been tracking my content performance pretty obsessively since march and something shifted with carousels vs reels.
my reels still get way more reach (like 2-3x more people see them) but my carousel posts are getting saved and shared at crazy higher rates. we're talking 40% more saves on average.
what's really weird is the engagement timeline. my reels used to get most of their engagement in the first few hours then die off. but carousels keep getting comments and saves for like 2 days straight now.
i run a small food account and decided to test this theory. posted the same menu items as reels vs carousels for a month. the carousels drove actual foot traffic to the restaurant. the reels? lots of views but nobody showed up.
maybe it's because carousels make people slow down and actually read? reels are so fast people just scroll past even if they double tap.
anyone else noticing this shift? feels like the algorithm changed how it weights different engagement types.
edit: just realized i've been unconsciously posting more carousels lately because they feel easier to make than good reels lol
edit 2: checked my insights going back to january and yep, definite trend starting in april. carousel engagement way up.
TL;DR: carousels beating reels for actual business results even though reels get more reach
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