How to Create a Carousel Post on Facebook Business Suite

A Facebook carousel is one of the most versatile and engaging post formats available, allowing you to showcase multiple images or videos in a single, swipeable post. This article is your guide to creating compelling carousel posts directly within the Meta Business Suite, step by step. We'll cover everything from prepping your content to publishing and provide creative ideas to make your posts stand out.

What is a Facebook Carousel Post (and Why Bother)?

Simply put, a carousel is a post containing multiple "cards," with each card featuring its own image, video, headline, description, and link. Users swipe or click through the cards to see all the content, giving you more creative real estate than a standard single-image post.

So, why add them to your content calendar? Carousels aren't just for showing off product shots, they're powerhouse tools for storytelling and engagement.

• Tell a Deeper Story: You can guide your audience through a narrative, step-by-step tutorial, or company announcement in a way a single image never could.
• Showcase Multiple Products or Features: Display an entire product line, highlight different features of a single service, or show off various color options without overwhelming your audience.
• Repurpose Long-Form Content: Break down the key points from a blog post or video into bitesize, visually appealing cards. It's a great way to get more mileage from your pillar content.
• Boost Engagement: The interactive, swipeable nature of carousels naturally encourages people to spend more time with your post, signaling to the algorithm that your content is valuable.

Before You Start: Prepping Your Carousel Content

A great carousel starts with a great plan. Before you jump into the Business Suite, spending a few minutes organizing your assets and story will make the entire process smoother and more effective.

Gather Your Visuals

You can use up to 10 images or videos in a single carousel. For a clean, professional look, try to keep your visuals consistent.

• Images and Videos: You can mix and match photos and videos in the same carousel. This is perfect for showing a product in action (video) alongside high-quality detail shots (images).
• Sizing: While Facebook is flexible, the best format is a 1:1 aspect ratio (square), typically 1080x1080 pixels. This looks best across both Facebook and Instagram feeds and prevents awkward cropping.
• Consistency: Use a consistent filter, color palette, or photographic style across all your cards. This helps the carousel feel like a cohesive, thoughtful piece of content rather than a random photo dump.

Outline Your Narrative

Think of your carousel as a mini-story with a beginning, middle, and end. Each card should build on the last and lead your audience toward a specific goal.

• Card 1: The Hook. Your first image or video is your most important. It needs to grab attention in the feed and make someone want to see what's next. Use a captivating image, a bold headline, or ask a question.
• Cards 2-9: The Story. This is where you deliver the value. Show your products, walk through the steps of a tutorial, or reveal different aspects of your brand story. Keep the text on each card minimal and let the visuals do the talking.
• Card 10: The Call to Action (CTA). Your last card is your closing statement. What do you want your audience to do next? "Shop Now," "Learn More," "Read the Blog," or "Sign Up" - make it clear and compelling. Pointing an arrow or graphical element towards the link can make it even clearer.

Once you have your visuals and your story in place, you’re ready to build your post.

Step-by-Step: Creating a Carousel in Meta Business Suite

Meta Business Suite centralizes planning and posting for Facebook and Instagram. Here’s how to create your carousel directly from the platform.

Step 1: Open the Composer

Log in to your Meta Business Suite account. From the home page or the "Planner" tab, click the blue "Create post" button in the top right corner. This will open the post composer window.

Step 2: Choose Your Placements

At the top of the composer, under "Post to," select the Facebook Page and/or Instagram account where you want to publish the carousel. Carousel posts work brilliantly on both platforms.

Step 3: Add Your Media

In the "Media" section, click "Add photo" or "Add video". Hold down the Shift or Ctrl/Cmd key to select multiple files from your computer at once. You can select up to 10 visuals.

Once uploaded, you'll see thumbnails of all your images and videos. You can reorder them by simply clicking and dragging a thumbnail into a new position.

Step 4: Turn it into a Carousel

Here's the most important step. After uploading your media, Facebook will ask you to choose a format. Instead of "Show as individual images" or "Show in a collage," find the option to convert to a Carousel. On some versions of the interface, you may need to look for a small icon or a dropdown menu that says "Carousel." Select this to transform your media into individual, editable cards.

Note: If you are setting up an ad, this option is usually presented more clearly. For organic posts, you simply upload multiple photos, and Business Suite treats it like a carousel where you can specify a unique link for each card.

Step 5: Customize Each Carousel Card

Now the fun part begins. Beneath each image thumbnail, you’ll see fields to customize each card individually. This is what sets a carousel apart from a standard multi-image post.

• Headline: Write a short, punchy title for the card. For a product, this might be the product name. For a blog highlight, it might be the key takeaway.
• Image Destination URL: This is a powerful feature. You can assign a unique link to every single card. For a clothing brand, each card could link directly to that product’s page on your store. For a blog post summary, each card can point to the same main article link. Paste your URL here.

Go through and complete these fields for all of your uploaded cards. This creates a much richer, more functional experience for your audience.

Step 6: Write Your Main Post Text

At the top of the composer in the "Text" field, write the primary caption for your post. This is the text that will appear above the carousel in the feed. This copy should introduce the carousel, provide context, and encourage your audience to swipe through and engage.

Use emojis to add personality and hashtags to increase discoverability, especially if you’re also posting to Instagram.

Step 7: Preview Your Post

On the right side of the composer, you'll see a live preview of your post. You can toggle between the Facebook Feed (Desktop and Mobile) and Instagram Feed previews to make sure everything looks exactly how you want it. This is your chance to catch typos, awkward cropping, or broken links before you go live. Swipe through the preview of the carousel to check the flow and order of your cards.

Step 8: Publish or Schedule

Once you’re happy with the preview, you have three options at the bottom right:

• Publish now: Your post will go live immediately.
• Schedule: Choose a future date and time for your post to be published automatically. This is perfect for planning your content in advance.
• Save as draft: If you're not ready to schedule, save your work to come back to it later.

And that’s it! You've successfully created and scheduled a compelling carousel post.

Beyond the Basics: Creative Strategies for Carousel Posts

Now that you know the how, let's talk about the what. Here are a few creative ways to use carousels to capture attention and communicate your message.

Strategy 1: Product Showcase or Unboxing

Dedicate each card to showing a different perspective of one product. The front, the back, a close-up on a key feature, the product being used by a person, and the final card showing the unboxing experience. This gives potential customers a comprehensive look without leaving the platform.

Strategy 2: The Step-by-Step Guide

Is your product a recipe mix, a DIY kit, or a piece of software? Use a carousel to create a mini-tutorial. Each card can represent a single step, making complicated instructions feel simple and easy to follow. A fitness coach could showcase a 5-move workout, with one exercise per card.

Strategy 3: Before-and-After

The before-and-after is a classic for a reason - it’s visually powerful. Whether you're in home renovation, fitness, or beauty, a carousel is a perfect format to show the transformation. Card 1 is the "before," the middle cards can highlight the process, and the final card is the stunning "after."

Strategy 4: The 'Listicle' Carousel

Turn a text-heavy list into an engaging visual experience. "5 Ways to Style Our Scarf for Fall," "3 Mistakes to Avoid When Filing Your Taxes," or "Our Top 10 Bestsellers This Month." Each card represents one item on the list, making the information digestible and shareable.

Strategy 5: The Seamless Panorama

This is a clever design trick. Create a single, long panoramic image and then slice it into square segments. When you upload these segments in order, it creates a seamless image that flows from one card to the next, compelling users to swipe to see the full picture.

Final Thoughts

Creating carousel posts in Meta Business Suite is a straightforward process that unlocks a world of creative possibilities for your brand. By telling a story, showcasing products in-depth, or offering valuable tutorials, carousels help you stop the scroll and build a stronger connection with your audience.

As you manage content across multiple platforms, working efficiently from a clean, visual calendar is essential. We built Postbase because we knew there had to be a simpler way - where rock-solid scheduling, first-class video support, and intuitive planning all come standard, without getting lost in a maze of tabs and features built for a different era of social media.