How to schedule a Carousel for automatic publishing?

In this article, we explain how to schedule Instagram Carousel for automatic posting and answer some very important questions.

Ready to start scheduling? Follow these steps:

1. Click on Schedule a new post
2. Select Carousel as the option for the type of post you'd like to schedule followed by Create post
3. Upload the media from your media library or your computer 
4. Crop your pictures (by choosing a ratio with a ⚡️ next to it) and reorganize your media
5. Add your caption, tag users, and add a location to your post
6. Select a time and date
7. Choose whether to auto-post your Carousel or not
8. Choose whether you would like to cross-post this Carousel and select the other social profiles
9. Click on Schedule post and you should get a confirmation that your post will be automatically published and cross-posted (if you chose this option)

To make sure a post will be automatically published, please keep an eye on the ⚡️ icon which says Auto. 

Things to keep in mind before starting your scheduling of Carousels

Can I mix images and videos?

Yes! You can mix images and videos for Instagram and Facebook Carousels but keep in mind that using a mix of media is not supported for Twitter social profiles. 

Can I crop images?

Yes! You can crop your images to supported ratios directly on the scheduler. You can identify supported ratios by the lightning bolt icon next to them in the cropping section of the scheduler. If you crop one image, all of your other images will be cropped to the same ratio. 

Can I edit videos within the scheduler?

Unfortunately, this feature is currently not available. You will need to choose a video that is supported for auto-publishing. 

Can I cross-post Carousels from one social profile to another?

Yes, you can! However, please keep in mind that all images must meet the supported criteria for ALL social profiles in order for the Carousel to be auto-posted on all cross-posted social profiles. That said, we suggest starting your Carousels from Instagram and cross-posting onto other social profiles since the supported criteria for Instagram is more restrictive than for others. 

You will not be able to cross-post to Twitter if you are either using more than 4 images or a mix of videos and images. 

The social profile I would like to cross-post to does not appear. What can I do?

If the social profile you would like to cross-post to is not appearing on the list of options, this might mean that the media is not supported for Carousels for this social profile. For example, if you have more than 4 photos or a mixture of pictures and videos, Twitter profiles will not appear as an option for cross-posting.

Another example: if ALL images are not auto-postable, then Instagram profiles will not appear as an option for cross-posting. 

Need a refresher on the supported formats for images and videos for auto-posting? Have a look at this article.