How to Make Carousel Pins on Pinterest Mobile

You can create a Pinterest Carousel Pin right from your phone in just a few minutes, giving you a powerful way to tell a bigger story and stop the scroll. This guide lays out exactly how to create Carousel Pins using only the Pinterest mobile app, plus some simple strategies to make them engaging so people will actually swipe, save, and click.

What's the Big Deal with Carousel Pins Anyway?

Before jumping into the how-to, let’s quickly talk about why Carousel Pins are worth your time. Unlike a static image, a carousel is a single Pin that holds multiple images or videos - up to 10 "cards" that users can swipe through. This format is perfect for:

• Storytelling: You can guide your audience through a step-by-step process, a DIY project, a recipe, or a before-and-after transformation. Each card builds on the one before it.
• Showcasing Multiple Products: Instead of cramming everything into one image, you can dedicate a card to each product, highlighting different features, angles, or styles from a collection.
• Providing More Value: A single carousel can break down a complex topic into digestible tips. Think "5 Ways to Style a Bookshelf" or "3 Common Houseplant Mistakes to Avoid." Each tip gets its own card, making the information easy to save and reference later.
• Boosting Engagement: The swipe action is an interaction in itself. By encouraging users to swipe, you're getting them to actively engage with your content, which Pinterest's algorithm tends to favor. More time spent on your Pin signals to Pinterest that it's quality content worth showing to more people.

In a feed crowded with single images and videos, a carousel with a compelling cover card gives you an immediate advantage. It hints at a deeper story, a more valuable tutorial, or a richer collection, making scrollers more likely to stop and engage.

Getting Your Assets Ready

A little prep makes the creation process on mobile much smoother. Before you even open the Pinterest app, make sure you have a few things sorted out.

1. Your Images and Videos:

Have all the images or videos you plan to use saved directly to your phone’s camera roll. You can use 2 to 10 cards per carousel. The ideal size for Pinterest Pins is a 2:3 aspect ratio, which usually means dimensions of 1000px wide by 1500px tall. While you can use other sizes, vertical content performs best because it fills more of the screen on mobile devices.

Pro tip: Your visuals should feel cohesive. Use similar lighting, editing styles, or brand colors to make the carousel flow smoothly from one card to the next.

2. A Clear Narrative:

Think about the story you want to tell. What will be on the first card? The second? The last? Your first card is the most important - it’s the hook that has to grab attention and make someone want to see what’s next. Your last card should provide a satisfying conclusion or a strong call to action, like "Save for later!" or "Click the link for the full recipe!"

3. A Title and Description (with Keywords!):

Just like any other Pin, carousels need a title and description to tell both users and the Pinterest algorithm what your content is about. Think about the terms people would search for to find your Pin. For example, instead of just "Living Room Decor," try "Cozy Minimalist Living Room Ideas." Don't forget a few relevant hashtags in your description, too.

Once you have your content and your story straight, you're ready to build the carousel.

How to Make Carousel Pins on Pinterest Mobile: A Step-by-Step Guide

Creating a Carousel Pin on your phone is a straightforward process. Just follow these steps, and you’ll have one ready to publish in minutes.

Step 1: Start a New Pin

Open the Pinterest app on your phone. Tap the plus sign (+) at the bottom center of the screen. From the menu that pops up, select "Pin".

Step 2: Select Your Photos or Videos

This will open your phone's photo library. To select multiple images or videos for your carousel, you might need to tap a "select" button or long-press on the first image to enter multi-select mode (this can vary slightly between iPhone and Android).

Tap on each photo or video you want to include in your carousel. A number will appear on each selection, showing you the order. Remember, you can choose a minimum of two and a maximum of ten assets. Once you’ve picked your files, tap "Next" at the top right.

Step 3: Arrange and Edit Your Cards

Now you'll see a preview of how your carousel will look. This screen is where you can perfect the flow of your story.

• Reorder the Cards: If your images aren't in the right narrative sequence, just press and hold a card, then drag it to its proper place in the timeline at the bottom of the screen.
• Edit Individual Cards: You can edit each image or video separately. Tap on a card in the timeline to bring up Pinterest’s mobile editing tools. Here, you can add text overlays, stickers, music (for video clips), or even draw on the card. This is an excellent opportunity to add text prompts like "Swipe for step 2 ->" to guide the user. Keep your edits consistent with your brand’s look and feel.

When you're happy with how all the cards look, tap "Next."

Step 4: Fill in the Details

This is the final and most important step for getting your Pin discovered.

• Title: Write a clear, attention-grabbing title using your main keywords. Something like "5-Minute DIY Plant Trellis" is much better than "My New Plant Project."
• Link: This is your chance to drive traffic! Tap "Add a destination link" and paste the URL to your blog post, an eCommerce product page, a landing page, or your homepage.
• Description: Write a few sentences describing what viewers will get from your Pin. Weave your keywords in naturally. A good description provides context and helps your Pin show up in search results. You can also add 2-4 relevant hashtags here (e.g., #gardeningtips #diyproject #plantcare).
• Tag Related Topics: Sometimes Pinterest allows you to tag relevant topics. If you see this option, choose 3-5 tags that accurately describe your content. This helps Pinterest categorize your Pin correctly.

Step 5: Pick a Board and Publish

Finally, choose the most relevant board from your profile to save the Pin to. Posting to a specific, themed board (like "Indoor Gardening Ideas" instead of a generic "My Pins" board) improves visibility.

Once you've selected your board, tap the red "Publish" button. That's it! Your Carousel Pin is now live on Pinterest.

3 Quick Tips for Creating Great Carousel Pins

Knowing how to make a carousel is one thing, making one that people actually engage with is another. Here are a few simple strategies to elevate your carousels.

1. The First Card is Your Billboard

The first image or video in your carousel determines whether someone stops scrolling or keeps going. It needs to be visually striking and should have a bold text overlay that clearly states the value. It could be a question ("Struggling to Keep Your Fiddle Leaf Fig Happy?"), a numbered list ("7 Organizing Hacks You Need to Try"), or a compelling A-to-B outcome ("From Messy Closet to Organized Bliss"). Make the promise on the first card, and use the rest of the cards to deliver on it.

2. Encourage the Swipe Explicitly

Don't assume people will automatically swipe. Guide them! Use visual cues like arrows pointing to the side or simple text overlays like "Swipe for the next tip" or "Keep scrolling ->". This small nudge can dramatically increase the number of people who view your entire carousel.

3. End with a Clear Call to Action (CTA)

Your last card is your final opportunity to connect. Use it strategically. This card can be used to:

• Summarize the key takeaway.
• Ask a question to encourage comments.
• Encourage users to follow you for more tips.
• Directly tell people to click the link to read the full article or shop the product.

Combining a strong final CTA with a destination link is one of the most effective ways to turn Pinterest views into website traffic.

Final Thoughts

Creating Carousel Pins on the go is a fantastic way to produce more dynamic, in-depth content that captures your audience's attention and keeps them engaged. By telling a story across multiple cards, you give followers more value and give yourself more opportunities to drive traffic and grow your brand on the platform.

Figuring out the right content for Pinterest carousels, Instagram Reels, and TikTok videos can feel a little overwhelming, but having a clear plan is half the battle. This is where we use our own platform, Postbase, to see our entire content calendar in one place. Getting that bird's-eye view helps us spot gaps, plan cohesive campaigns across different channels, and stop the daily scramble of figuring out what to post next.