How to Create a LinkedIn Carousel

LinkedIn carousels are one of the most effective ways to stop the scroll, share your expertise, and spark meaningful conversations on the platform. Unlike a simple text post or single image, carousels let you tell a story, break down a complex idea, or showcase your products in an engaging, interactive format. This guide will walk you through exactly why carousels work, how to create them step-by-step, and the best practices to turn your posts into engagement magnets.

Why LinkedIn Carousels Are So Effective

Before jumping into the creation process, it's helpful to understand why these posts perform so well. LinkedIn's algorithm loves content that keeps users on the platform longer - and carousels do exactly that. The simple act of swiping creates active participation, which signals to LinkedIn that your content is valuable.

Here are a few reasons why you should add carousels to your content strategy:

• Higher Dwell Time: When someone stops to swipe through your slides, their "dwell time" (the amount of time they spend looking at your post) increases significantly. This is a positive signal to the algorithm, which is more likely to show your post to a wider audience.
• Better Storytelling: A single image or block of text limits how much of a story you can tell. A carousel gives you a sequence of slides to build a narrative, guide your reader through a process, or present an argument step-by-step.
• Easier to Digest: People on social media are scanners. A carousel allows you to take intimidatingly large topics - like a tutorial, a list of industry tips, or a case study - and break them down into bite-sized, scannable slides. This makes your knowledge more accessible and valuable.
• Visually Stand Out: The LinkedIn feed can be a sea of text. A well-designed, visually appealing carousel immediately catches the eye and stands out from standard posts, prompting users to stop and pay attention.

The Anatomy of a High-Impact Carousel

A great carousel isn't just a random collection of slides. It’s a structured piece of content with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Think of it like a mini-presentation designed for the feed.

1. The Attention-Grabbing First Slide (The Hook)

Your first slide has one job: to make people stop scrolling and want to see the next one. It needs a compelling headline that promises a solution, sparks curiosity, or states a bold opinion. Use large, easy-to-read text. Don't crowd it with too much information. Think of it as the cover of a magazine - it has to sell the story inside.

Example Headline: "5 Canva Secrets You've Never Heard Before" or "The Biggest Mistake Marketers Make (And How to Fix It)."

2. The Engaging Middle Slides (The Story)

These slides deliver on the promise of your headline. Each slide should build on the last, guiding the reader through your main points. Here are a few guidelines:

• One Idea Per Slide: Don't try to cram three different tips onto a single slide. Keep the focus narrow to make the information easy to absorb.
• Visuals Over Text: Use icons, screenshots, simple graphics, or photos to illustrate your points. Keep paragraphs short - a sentence or two is often enough.
• Guide the Swipe: Add a visual cue like a small arrow or the text "Keep Swiping →" at the bottom of the slides to encourage people to move forward.

3. The Action-Oriented Last Slide (The Call-to-Action)

Never leave your audience hanging. The final slide is your opportunity to tell them what to do next. A good call-to-action (CTA) focuses on starting a conversation or providing more value. Avoid hard-selling and aim for engagement.

Example CTAs: "What's the #1 tip you would add? Let me know in the comments!", "Save this post for your next project," or "Follow me for more daily marketing tips."

4. The Power Post Copy (The Context)

The text above your carousel in the LinkedIn post itself is critical. Use it to provide context, add a personal story, or pose a question that frames the topic. Your first sentence should be a strong hook to get people to click "...see more" and then start swiping. Don't forget to include 3-5 relevant hashtags to expand your reach. #LinkedInTips #ContentMarketing #CarouselPost are examples that fit this topic.

How to Design a LinkedIn Carousel: A Step-by-Step Guide

Creating a professional-looking carousel doesn't require advanced design skills. Tools like Canva have made it accessible to everyone. Here’s a simple process you can follow.

Step 1: Choose Your Creation Tool

While you can use tools like Figma, Adobe Illustrator, or even Google Slides, Canva is usually the easiest and most popular choice for non-designers.

• Canva: Perfect for a user-friendly experience with countless templates and design elements.
• Figma: Offers more control and precision, great for designers who are comfortable with the interface.
• PowerPoint / Keynote / Google Slides: A perfectly viable option if you're already familiar with creating presentations. Just be sure to set your slide dimensions correctly.

Step 2: Set Up Your Document Correctly

The dimensions of your slides matter for visibility in the feed. The most common sizes are:

• Square (1080 x 1080 pixels): A classic, clean look that works well.
• Portrait (1080 x 1350 pixels): Recommended. This taller format takes up more vertical screen real estate on mobile phones, making it harder for users to scroll past.

In Canva, select "Create a design" → "Custom size," and enter your chosen dimensions. Once you have your first blank slide, simply duplicate it to create as many slides as you need for your carousel (typically between 5 and 10 slides works best).

Step 3: Outline Your Story and Write Your Content

Before you touch any design elements, plan your content. Open a simple text document and write out the text for each slide:

• Slide 1 (Hook): Write your catchy headline.
• Slide 2 (Intro): Briefly introduce the problem or topic.
• Slides 3-8 (Main Points): List each tip, step, or idea.
• Slide 9 (Summary): A quick recap of what you shared.
• Slide 10 (CTA): Your call-to-action.

This "script first, design later" approach saves you a lot of time and keeps your message focused and logical.

Step 4: Design Your Slides

Now comes the fun part. With your content planned, start designing in your chosen tool.

• Apply Your Branding: Use your brand colors, fonts, and logo consistently to build brand recognition.
• Focus on Readability: Use a large, clear font. Contrast your text color with the background color (e.g., dark text on a light background).
• Add Visual Interest: Don't rely on text alone. Incorporate icons, illustrations, photos, or screenshots to make your slides more dynamic.
• Leave White Space: Avoid cluttering your slides. A clean, minimalist design is often more effective and professional.

Step 5: Export as a High-Quality PDF

This is the most important technical step. LinkedIn carousels are not a series of images, they are a single PDF document, where each page of the document becomes a slide.

In your design tool (like Canva), choose the "Download" or "Export" option. Select PDF Standard as the file type. Make sure you've selected "All pages" to be included in the download. This will create one single PDF file ready for upload.

How to Post Your Carousel on LinkedIn

Once you have your PDF file ready, publishing it is straightforward:

1. On the LinkedIn homepage, click "Start a post."
2. In the post creation window, look at the bottom icons and click "Add a document" (it looks like a document icon with a folded corner).
3. Choose the PDF file you just downloaded from your computer.
4. LinkedIn will prompt you to add a descriptive title for your document. This title appears at the top frame of the carousel viewer, so make it clear and relevant (e.g., "5 Ways to Improve Your Writing").
5. Write your engaging post copy in the text box above the document preview. Remember to include your hook and hashtags.
6. Click "Post" and you're done! Your document will appear in the feed as an interactive carousel.

Quick Tips for Better Carousels

Ready to level up your carousels? Here are a few final tips to keep in mind:

• Tell a story, don't just state facts. People connect with narratives far more than bullet points.
• Create "linked slides." Design a graphic element (like a line or a background shape) that continues from one slide to the next. This creates a seamless flow and further encourages swiping.
• Use a strong visual brand identity. Anyone who sees your carousel should instantly know it's yours without even looking at your name.
• Ask for engagement directly. A question in the last slide or in your post copy is the single best way to get comments.
• Repurpose longer content. If you have a blog post, a conference talk, or a webinar, carousels are the perfect format for turning that valuable content into a shareable LinkedIn asset.

Final Thoughts

Creating LinkedIn carousels is a powerful way to demonstrate authority, educate your audience, and drive serious engagement on the platform. By following a structured process - from planning your message to executing a clean design - you can consistently produce content that captures attention and delivers real value.

As you build a library of high-performing content like carousels for LinkedIn, keeping everything organized can become a challenge. We built Postbase with a visual content calendar that helps us and our users see our entire strategy at a glance. It's much easier to plan campaigns and ensure a consistent content mix when you can visually map out your short-form videos, carousels, and other posts across all your platforms in one clean view.