How to Create LinkedIn Carousels That Get 3x More Engagement
Welcome to the next installment of my LinkedIn Content Format Series (I suggest that if you haven’t optimized your profile yet, then you can follow my LinkedIn profile optimization series, where I covered each component of profile optimization). After newsletters, articles, and LinkedIn video content in previous guides, I'm excited to dive deep into what I consider the most powerful format for professional storytelling: LinkedIn carousels.
When I first discovered LinkedIn carousels, I realized they were game-changers for professional content. These multi-slide posts allow your audience to swipe through up to 10 related images or graphics in a single post, creating an interactive storytelling experience that keeps viewers engaged much longer than single-image posts.
What makes carousels so powerful is their ability to increase dwell time. While a regular post might get a quick scroll-by, carousels force users to actively engage by swiping through slides, and LinkedIn's algorithm rewards this increased engagement with better reach. So let’s dive in:-
What are LinkedIn Carousels?
LinkedIn carousels are multi-slide posts that allow users to swipe through a series of related content within a single post. These PDF-based posts turn each page of an uploaded PDF into a swipeable slide, supporting up to 10 slides per carousel.
The main advantage is that carousels keep viewers engaged longer than static posts because they require active participation through swiping and can deliver more comprehensive information in an easily digestible, sequential format that's particularly effective for building thought leadership and demonstrating expertise on the platform.
Strategic planning and Content development
Before creating any carousel, always start by defining clear objectives. Are you trying to educate your audience, build brand awareness, generate leads, or establish thought leadership?
Your goal will shape everything from content choice to design approach. I recommend focusing on one primary objective per carousel to maintain clarity and effectiveness.
The next step should be understanding your audience. I usually spend time analyzing my connections' job titles, industries, and the types of content they typically engage with.
This helps me identify their pain points and content preferences, whether they respond better to data-driven insights, practical tips, or inspirational stories.
Then comes content planning. I follow a simple structure: start with a compelling hook on slide one that grabs attention with a question, statistic, or bold statement.
The middle slides deliver your core value through tips, insights, or story elements, while the final slide includes a clear call-to-action that guides viewers toward meaningful next steps.
How to post LinkedIn carousels
The actual posting process requires understanding that LinkedIn carousels are created by uploading PDF files, not individual images. This is a crucial distinction that many creators miss. When you upload multiple individual images, LinkedIn treats them as separate posts, not as a carousel. I'll walk you through the correct PDF-based posting process that creates the swipeable carousel experience.
Design your individual slides and combine them into a single PDF document. Each page of the PDF becomes one slide in your LinkedIn carousel.
When saving your PDF, keep the total file size under 300MB (LinkedIn's limit), though I target under 10MB for faster loading. Each page should maintain consistent dimensions which is 1080x1080 pixels per page for optimal mobile display.
Navigate to LinkedIn's post creation area and click the document icon.
When you select "Upload a document," choose your PDF file. LinkedIn will automatically detect it as a carousel-format document.
Step 5: With your PDF successfully converted to carousel format, add a pre-written caption with strategic hashtags. Select "Anyone" for maximum reach and publish.
Content types that drive results
I've experimented with various carousel formats and found that educational carousels consistently perform best. These include step-by-step tutorials like "How to optimize your LinkedIn profile in 7 steps" or industry insights such as "Key trends shaping digital marketing in 2025."
The key is breaking complex topics into digestible, sequential pieces that build upon each other.
Storytelling carousels are incredibly powerful for building a personal brand and credibility. I share case studies with before-and-after results, personal career journey highlights, or behind-the-scenes glimpses into projects.
These human-centered stories create emotional connections that pure educational content often can't achieve.
Data-driven carousels work exceptionally well when you have access to interesting statistics, survey results, or industry research. I change complex information into visual representations that make data more accessible and shareable.
Inspirational carousels round out your content strategy by connecting with audiences on an emotional level. You can share motivational quotes with personal commentary and context rather than generic inspiration, success principles, career advice, and mindset shifts that help reframe challenges through a growth mindset lens.
These posts often generate the most saves and shares because they provide both inspiration and practical application.
Design excellence and Visual consistency
Visual consistency is non-negotiable for professional LinkedIn carousels. Try to maintain the same 2-3 brand colors throughout all slides, stick to a maximum of two font families, and keep similar positioning and spacing across the entire sequence.
This consistency makes your content instantly recognizable and builds brand recognition over time.
Always design with mobile-first thinking since most LinkedIn users browse on their phones. This means using a minimum 24-point font size, ensuring high contrast between text and backgrounds, and keeping important elements within easy thumb reach.
I recommend the 1080x1080 pixel square format as it displays perfectly across all devices. For design efficiency, create template variations for different content types.
Text-heavy slides for tips and insights, quote slides for testimonials, data slides for statistics, and call-to-action slides for final engagement prompts.
Having these templates ready eliminates design decision fatigue and maintains consistency across all my carousels.
Writing Compelling Captions
The carousel caption is just as important as the visual design. I structure mine with an opening hook in the first two lines that's visible without clicking "see more." This might be a surprising statistic, a provocative question, or a bold statement directly relevant to my target audience's interests.
I follow the hook with a clear value proposition in lines 3-5, explicitly stating what the carousel will teach and mentioning specific numbers like "5 tips" or "7 strategies." If relevant, I add brief context about my experience or credentials that establish authority on the topic. Here are some examples:-
Question hooks
Question hooks work exceptionally well for educational carousels and thought leadership content across consulting, coaching, training, HR, and marketing industries. They're perfect for engaging audiences at all experience levels while building authority, starting meaningful conversations, and helping identify pain points your audience faces.
Statistic hooks
Statistic hooks are ideal for data-driven carousels and industry insights, particularly effective in market research, consulting, finance, healthcare, and tech industries. They work best with mid to senior-level professionals who value credible research and help establish your credibility while sharing industry insights and building thought leadership.
Contrarian hooks
Contrarian hooks excel at thought leadership and challenging the status quo, making them perfect for entrepreneurship, innovation, disruptive tech, and consulting industries. They resonate most with experienced professionals, entrepreneurs, and leaders, and are excellent for building thought leadership, creating viral content, and starting industry debates.
Personal story hooks
Personal story hooks are universal and work across all industries for storytelling carousels, personal branding, and inspirational content. They appeal to audiences at every level, especially those facing similar challenges, and are perfect for building your personal brand, creating emotional connections, and establishing relatability with your audience.
Problem/Solution hooks
Problem/solution hooks are ideal for educational carousels and service-based businesses, particularly effective in consulting, coaching, SaaS, productivity tools, and business services industries. They work best with people actively experiencing the stated problem and are excellent for lead generation, demonstrating expertise, and solving immediate pain points.
Before/After hooks
Before/after hooks are perfect for storytelling carousels, case studies, and transformation content, especially effective in coaching, consulting, fitness, education, and business growth industries. They resonate most with people wanting similar transformations and excel at providing social proof, building credibility, and inspiring action from your audience.
Curiosity hooks
Curiosity hooks are universally effective across all carousel types and industries, working particularly well for mystery/reveal content and expertise demonstration. They appeal to audiences at every level, especially busy professionals, and are excellent for maximizing engagement, building authority, and creating intrigue that stops the scroll.
List/Number hooks
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
The biggest mistake I see is weak opening hooks that fail to grab attention. Avoid generic greetings like "Hope you're having a great day" and instead lead with value. Your first slide should make someone stop scrolling and think "I need to see the rest of this."
Poor visual hierarchy is another common issue. Don't make every element the same size or cram too much information per slide. I follow the rule of one key point per slide with plenty of white space for easy mobile reading.
Many creators also make the mistake of posting without an engagement strategy. Creating great content is only half the battle; you must actively respond to comments, engage with other people's content, and build genuine relationships.
Conclusion
The investment you make in learning carousel creation pays dividends beyond just LinkedIn engagement. You'll develop stronger communication skills, deeper expertise in your field, and more meaningful professional relationships. These skills transfer to presentations, client communications, and leadership opportunities throughout your career.
Your first carousel is waiting to be created. Pick a topic you're passionate about, follow the strategies I've outlined, and start building your professional brand one slide at a time. The LinkedIn community needs your unique perspective and expertise—don't keep it to yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I post LinkedIn carousels?
I recommend starting with one carousel per week to maintain consistency without overwhelming your audience. Once you've established a rhythm and built an engaged following, you can experiment with posting twice weekly, but quality should always trump quantity.
What's the ideal number of slides for maximum engagement?
Through testing hundreds of carousels, I've found 5-7 slides perform best. This length provides enough space to deliver substantial value without losing viewer attention.
Should I include my company logo on every slide?
I recommend subtle branding rather than prominent logos. Include your personal brand colors and consistent typography, but avoid making slides look like advertisements.
Can I repurpose carousel content for other platforms?
Absolutely! I regularly adapt my LinkedIn carousels for Instagram, Twitter threads, and blog posts. The research and content creation you invest in carousels can be repurposed across multiple platforms with platform-specific adjustments for optimal performance.
What if my first few carousels don't get much engagement?
Persistence and iteration are key. I typically see improvement after 3-5 carousel posts as you refine your approach and the audience begins recognizing your content style. Focus on providing genuine value, engage with others' content to build relationships, and analyze what topics resonate most with your specific audience.
Should I use the same hashtags for every carousel?
I recommend mixing consistent brand hashtags with content-specific tags. Use 2-3 consistent hashtags that represent your expertise area, then add 2-3 post-specific hashtags related to the particular topic you're covering.
