Brands, take note: Instagram tests displaying ‘like’ counts for individual carousel frames

Instagram is now testing the display of like counts on individual carousel frames, rather than showing just a single total for the entire post. This subtle but powerful change offers brands and creators a sharper lens into audience behaviour. Instead of simply knowing that your 10-slide post received 5,000 likes overall, you'll now be able to see that slide 4 — featuring a new product — earned 2,000 likes, while slide 1 performed significantly less.

For brands doing product placements, this development is a game-changer. It allows for frame-level performance tracking, providing immediate insights into which visual or narrative moment resonates best. If the product shot is liked significantly more, you’ll know the creative hit the mark. If it underperforms, you can rethink the presentation, styling, or messaging in that specific frame — all without needing to run separate A/B tests.

From a strategic standpoint, the feature incentivises more intentional storytelling. Creators will be compelled to treat each frame as its own micro-campaign, refining how they build suspense, narrative flow, and timing for brand reveals. It elevates each slide beyond filler content because every frame now carries measurable weight.

However, this increased granularity also elevates stakes. Brands might begin judging campaigns by individual slide performance, leading to pressure on creators to over-optimize a single frame. This could risk authenticity, with content feeling forced or overly manufactured in an attempt to chase likes.

Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, recently explained why carousel posts often outperform single-photo content: “Multiple pieces of media are going to mean more interactions with your carousel posts, and more interactions is going to mean more reach on average. And if someone sees your carousel post but they don’t swipe, we’ll often give that carousel a second chance and automatically move to that second piece of media for the viewer.” 

In essence, by testing per-frame like counts, Instagram is giving brands a microscope rather than a magnifying glass. It rewards precision, creativity, and narrative strength at the micro-level—forcing brands and creators to step up not just their placement, but the quality of every single frame.