🔥 Trend Alert: “Hold and Scroll” Instagram Carousels Are Taking Over — Here’s How to Make One
If you’ve been seeing those viral Instagram carousels that animate as you swipe — where each slide reveals a little more of an image or scene — you’re witnessing the rise of the flipbook-style carousel. Known as “Hold and Scroll” carousels or animated swipe posts, this trend is taking over Reels and static feeds.
And yes, they’re not just cool looking — they’re smart marketing.
In this post, we’ll break down:
👉 What a “Hold and Scroll” carousel is
👉 Why it works so well (engagement-wise and algorithm-wise)
👉 SEO keywords to help your content get found
👉 Step-by-step: how to make your own
👉 How to shortcut the process with our Canva templates
🤳 What is a “Hold and Scroll” Carousel?
A “Hold and Scroll” carousel (aka flipbook carousel, animated Instagram carousel, or swipe-to-reveal post) is a multi-image post where:
Each slide contains a slight visual change
When swiped quickly, the images animate like a flipbook
Viewers are often instructed to “hold the dots and scroll” for the full effect
You can use this style to:
→ Reveal a product or service
→ Share a quote or story, line-by-line
→ Show a transformation or before/after
→ Build excitement for a launch or event
→ Add surprise and delight to your feed
This format makes your followers pause and swipe, increasing time spent on your post — which we know the algorithm loves.
📈 What are people searching for related to this trend?
Here are trending keywords and search phrases people are typing into Google, TikTok, and Pinterest:
👉 Instagram flipbook carousel
👉 Hold and scroll Instagram post
👉 Animated carousel Instagram
👉 Swipe-to-reveal post template
👉 Instagram carousel animation
👉 Flipbook-style Canva carousel
👉 Hold the dots and scroll Instagram
👉 How to make animated Instagram slides
Use these exact phrases in your captions, blog posts, Pinterest pins, and hashtags for max visibility.
💡 Why do “Hold and Scroll” carousels work so well?
There’s strategy behind the scroll. This trend works because:
🔥 It breaks the scroll pattern — movement and instruction grab attention
🔥 It’s interactive — asking someone to “hold and scroll” makes them participate
🔥 It’s fun and memorable — your content feels different
🔥 It increases dwell time — people spend longer on the post = higher reach
And bonus: people often replay the scroll or share it with a friend. That’s built-in engagement.
✨ How to Make a Flipbook Carousel in Canva
You don’t need pro design skills or fancy animation tools to pull this off. You just need Canva (free or Pro), a little patience, and a plan.
Here’s a step-by-step guide:
Start with your concept
Are you revealing a product? Building anticipation? Telling a story? Pick one clear message to animate across slides.Set up your slide dimensions
Use 1080x1350 px (Instagram portrait carousel size) for max social media real estate.Design your first slide
This is your “hook.” Keep it clean and direct. Add text like:
→ “Hold the dots and scroll”
→ “Swipe quickly to see it move”
→ “Hold and swipe to see what’s coming…”Design the animation sequence
Each slide should show a slight change from the previous one — think of it like stop-motion.
👉 For example: a torn paper effect slowly revealing an image
👉 Or: text that gets typed out one word at a time
👉 Or: a landscape that pans across slide-by-slidePreview the sequence
Export your slides and test them on Instagram to make sure the animation flows when swiped quickly.Upload as a carousel post
Add a compelling caption, trending keywords, and a CTA (comment, save, or visit your link).
Or skip the design work entirely and use one of our Canva templates built for this trend. Just swap in your content, download, and post. Done in under 15 minutes.
Join Your Template Club to get our Flipbook-style Carousel Templates here - they will drop October 27!
👀 Pro Tips to Make Yours Stand Out
🔥 Use textured backgrounds (like watercolor paper or film grain) to give it a handmade feel
🔥 Add launch dates or countdowns to build urgency
🔥 Use to share a Hot Take because these Carousels are great to make people pay attention
🔥 Use your brand colors and fonts to keep it on-brand while still trending
🔥 Pin it to your feed during launches or promos for extra visibility
Want Canva templates for these Trending Carousels?
This pack of Canva templates for the Hold and Scroll trendy will be available for Your Template Club members Monday October 27. Join here.
If you’re using this carousel style to tease a launch or promote something new, don’t forget to match the rest of your marketing.
Inside Your Inbox Team, we send members weekly email templates and matching Canva headers and footers — so your emails and IG posts are working together like the dream team they are.
TL;DR — Here’s the Flipbook Carousel Recap
👉 “Hold and Scroll” carousels are animated-style swipe posts going viral
👉 They keep people on your content longer, boosting reach
👉 You can use them to reveal products, tell stories, or build anticipation
👉 Use keywords like “Instagram flipbook carousel” and “swipe to animate post”
👉 Want to save time? Use our pre-made Canva templates
👉 Pair it with email templates from Your Inbox Team for a cohesive promo
Photo: KVC Photography
About Manu Muraro
Manu Muraro is the founder of Your Social Team, a content marketing brand helping small business owners grow through strategic email marketing and Instagram content.
She’s the creator of Your Template Club, one of the first Canva template subscriptions designed for Instagram, and the founder of Your Inbox Team, a weekly email marketing membership that helps entrepreneurs send consistent, high-converting emails in under 15 minutes.
Manu is also the creator of The Reelies Awards, the first award show celebrating Small Business Owners and Creators’ creativity and originality in Instagram Reels.
A former creative strategist at Cartoon Network, Manu brings award-winning experience to everything she creates — from viral Reels to done-for-you content that saves time and drives results.
👉 Follow Manu on Instagram