Carousel Post: What It Is and How to Make One
A carousel post is one post that holds several images (or videos) the reader swipes through, left to right. Instagram allows up to 20 per post, LinkedIn shows a PDF as swipeable pages, and TikTok and Threads have their own photo versions. The ones that work follow one shape: a hook slide that makes a promise, one idea per slide after it, and a last slide that tells the reader what to do. If you can write that as text, you can make the carousel; the slow part is turning the text into images, and that part can be automated.
What is a carousel post, exactly?
It is a set of slides published as a single post. The reader sees the first slide in the feed and swipes for the rest. Each platform names it differently:
| Platform | What it is called | What you upload | Slides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carousel | Images or videos | Up to 20 | |
| Document post | One PDF, one page per slide | One page per slide | |
| TikTok | Photo post | Images | Several, with music |
| Threads | Multiple photos | Images | Several per post |
The format is the same everywhere: a sequence. That is why one carousel, rendered once as images and once as a PDF, can go to all four. The sizes for each platform are in Instagram carousel size, LinkedIn carousel PDF size and carousels on Threads and TikTok.
Why do people post carousels instead of single images?
Because a carousel holds an argument. A single image holds one line; a reel holds a person talking. A carousel holds five to ten steps the reader controls, at their own pace, and can save to read again. Tips, checklists, before and after, mistakes, frameworks: anything with steps fits. Carousel vs single image vs reel has the full comparison.
The catch is time. Writing the slides is quick; laying them out in an editor, slide by slide, is the part that eats the afternoon. If you stopped posting carousels, it was probably the layout, not the ideas.
What goes on each slide of a carousel post?
One job per slide, in this order:
- Hook slide. The promise, in one short line. “5 pricing mistakes I made with my first ebook.” Carousel hook ideas has forty first lines.
- Body slides. One idea each: a tip, a step, a mistake, a number. If a slide needs two ideas, it is two slides.
- Proof slides (optional). A stat or a quote, with its source.
- Last slide. What to do now: save, follow, comment, click the link. The last slide of a carousel covers why this one matters most.
Keep the text short. A slide is read on a phone, at arm’s length, in a second or two. How much text fits on a carousel slide has the limits that still read, and how many slides covers length.
How do you make a carousel post?
There are three common ways:
| Way | How it works | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Design editor (Canva, Figma) | Pick a template, paste text slide by slide, export | People who enjoy designing each post |
| Carousel tool in the browser | Write or generate text in the tool, it lays it out | People who want a guided editor |
| Render from your AI chat | Your AI writes the slides and a connected tool renders them | People who already write with Claude or ChatGPT |
If you like the editor, use it. If the text already lives in an AI chat, the third way removes the copy and paste. That is what Karou does: you connect it once to Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor, ask for a carousel, and the AI writes the slides and calls Karou. The thumbnails come back in the chat with a PNG per slide, a ZIP and a PDF.
How do you make a carousel post with Karou?
- Create a free account and connect Karou to your AI (setup guide).
- Ask: “Make a carousel post on the 5 pricing mistakes I made, 7 slides, bold template, 4:5.” Give it your facts.
- Look at the thumbnails. Ask for changes in plain words (“shorter slide 3”). The edit re-renders the same carousel and does not count against your daily limit.
- Download the PNGs or the ZIP for Instagram, TikTok and Threads, the PDF for LinkedIn.
Karou does not write for you; your AI does, from what you give it. Karou lays out and renders. It also does not post: you upload the files yourself.
FAQ
How many slides should a carousel post have?
Enough for one idea per slide and no more. Most land between 5 and 10. Instagram allows up to 20, and so does Karou.
What size is a carousel post?
Portrait 4:5 (1080 by 1350 pixels) is the safe default on Instagram and LinkedIn. Square 1:1 also works, and 9:16 fits TikTok. Karou renders all three.
Can a carousel post mix photos and text slides?
On Instagram, yes. Karou renders text slides only (hook, text, list, quote, stat and closing slides), so photo slides come from your camera roll.
Is a carousel post free to make?
With Karou’s free plan, 3 carousels a day, with a small watermark. Pro removes the watermark and adds your own templates: free for 14 days, then $12 a month or $97 a year.
Make your first carousel post from the chat you already write in: start free.