What is a LinkedIn carousel?
Carousel posts are like storytelling through a sequence of images, with each slide adding depth to your narrative, much like the pages of a book. This dynamic format grabs attention, enhances information retention, and significantly boosts engagement.
Statistics show that carousel posts organically reach 1.6 times more people than traditional image and text posts!
Example of a carousel ad post in the LinkedIn feed
A carousel on LinkedIn is particularly effective because it can simplify complex information and statistics, making them perfect for company page posts and business owners. To make the most out of your LinkedIn carousels, we’ll explore some standout post examples and introduce you to powerful tools that help you create compelling posts.
Get ready!
LinkedIn’s new rule states that carousels can now only be made for advertisements.
Why can’t I post a carousel on LinkedIn? The new rules state that carousels are no longer available for regular posts in the LinkedIn interface.
But what about the carousels you still see in your feed? Unfortunately, those are paid for by creators out of their marketing budgets.
Carousels are now only available for advertising posts. In the ad creation dashboard, advertisers can still create carousels.
This change doesn’t affect already published carousels — they remain visible. However, the option to create a carousel from the post creation interface has been unavailable since December 2023.
Yes, you can! Creators can continue posting makeshift carousels by uploading PDFs, with each page acting as a separate slide. So, even though the interface doesn’t support traditional carousels, there’s a workaround: design your slides as a PDF and upload it in a post!
When creating a post on LinkedIn, there’s an option to add a PDF file. This file can have as many pages as you want, which will be displayed as a carousel of slides.
This is a carousel uploaded as a PDF where you can see page numbers.
Does this sound complicated? Not really. You’ve probably created PDF presentations before, or you might already have slides ready. Just optimize them for LinkedIn’s format. Next, we’ll explore services that offer ready-made templates tailored for LinkedIn, complete with the right dimensions and even carousel generators.
This is a post with multiple images that doesn’t look like a carousel.
Note: Don’t use multiple images to upload a carousel on LinkedIn. Posting individual slides as images can look a bit messy. The photos are scattered, and each photo preview reduces the desire to click through the slides, losing the essence of a carousel. Using the PDF method keeps your presentation clean and engaging!
LinkedIn carousel ads allow you to showcase up to 10 images, each with its own link, within a single ad. This expanded creative space enables you to highlight various services, products, or offers or narrate a compelling story about your company or brand as users swipe through each image.
Example combining text slides and images
In this example, we see an ad for a job search service in Europe. The advertiser smartly chose the carousel format, and here’s why it works well:
Example of a two-slide carousel ad for an event
This carousel ad consists of just two slides promoting a tech networking event. Here’s why it’s effective:
Example of a product showcase ad carousel with links to each product
This is an excellent example of how your carousel can feature multiple products. Each card includes product details, increasing the likelihood of generating leads:
How can you make a LinkedIn carousel? You can create a pre-made carousel and upload it as a PDF.
When creating a post, you can choose to upload a file and upload a PDF to create a carousel.
Here are three ways to design it:
Pros of using Canva for a LinkedIn carousel:
How to Do It:
Canva offers many carousel templates for LinkedIn posts where you can add text.
Choose a carousel template in Canva, customize it with your own content, download the final design as a PDF, and upload it to LinkedIn.
Cons:
Due to Canva’s popularity, many users might select the same or similar templates for their LinkedIn carousels. This can result in a lack of uniqueness, making your posts less distinctive among the multitude of content shared on LinkedIn. To mitigate this, consider adding unique elements or significantly customizing the templates to better reflect your brand’s identity.
These tools come with preset file sizes, fonts, and graphic elements designed by professionals. You won’t need to create a design from scratch, unlike with Figma. Here are some top tools you can use:
Overview:
Taplio is one of the top tools where you can add graphics and input text for slides, including titles and subtitles.
Features:
Advantages:
This tool is great for trying out without registration and can generate LinkedIn carousels quickly.
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Additional Tools:
Post generator and idea generator, helpful for creating complete posts beyond just carousels.
Advantages:
A simpler tool that is part of a broader LinkedIn analytics service.
Features:
Advantages:
An online tool that includes a graphic editor integrated with carousel creation.
Features:
Advantages:
A service with stunning design capabilities and template editing options.
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If you’re looking to design LinkedIn carousels, using mockups can significantly streamline the process.
Here’s how you can make the most out of these resources.
Make the first slide intriguing so viewers want to scroll further – a catchy phrase can do the trick.
The first slide of your carousel is essential. If it’s unappealing and doesn’t catch attention, nobody will be curious to know what comes next. For example, it can include not just an image but also text on a bright, vibrant background. As seen in the example below, a catchy phrase can psychologically prompt people to want to know more, making them eager to swipe to the next slide and discover what happens.
On the first slides you can mention facts, the carousel’s objective, and the benefits
Depending on your carousel’s purpose, the first slide can describe what the viewer will gain by exploring further. It’s a practical hook. In the example, the author begins by showcasing their achievement of gaining over 7,000 subscribers, directly aligning with the target audience’s goals. Towards the end, there’s a clear call-to-action inviting viewers to share their knowledge in a few slides. This carousel also cleverly uses screenshots and real people, building trust and potentially serving as a great funnel for this audience segment.
Example of a funny carousel that the brand regularly posts on their company page
Here’s an example of an engaging LinkedIn carousel created by a health food company, which is quite unique compared to typical retail content.
It’s impressive how these carousels manage to gather over 2,000 likes, reposts, and comments, given their humorous and shareable nature.
You can take inspiration from this creative marketing approach and experiment with playful elements in your own content. It’s interesting to note that they also present these carousels in PDF format on their company profile, staying true to their brand style and communication format. Despite LinkedIn’s usual static content, these carousels stand out with their satirical tone and manage to capture attention effectively.
Each post in your carousel can be linked to its own dedicated page. This strategy is particularly valuable for slides showcasing your products. Alternatively, you could design landing pages tailored to address specific challenges faced by your target audience. By doing so, your carousel becomes a dynamic journey, guiding viewers to various sources and enhancing their interactive experience.
Example of how each carousel slide can link to a separate page
Example of using a monochrome color scheme and different text block styles
Pay attention to the design to ensure it is functional. Make sure the text is readable and understandable at first glance. Avoid placing too much text on one slide as it may overwhelm readers. Additionally, use different fonts to highlight different text blocks in terms of meaning.
You can also use carousel generators or ready-made templates where text blocks already have the designers’ set font sizes and optimal placement on the image. The design of all slides within one carousel should be consistent, with fonts and image styles familiar to your brand.
Example of how an 11-slide PDF looks as a carousel
Many may wonder how many slides are best for a carousel. This is indeed an important question, and the optimal number of slides may vary depending on your audience and objectives.
For example, if it’s for advertising, two slides may suffice to showcase a portfolio of your company’s work, while showcasing products may require 10 slides. If you’re telling a story through slides, try not to exceed 12 slides, which is a maximum that people are usually willing to scroll through. Keep the messages concise and focus on highlighting key text blocks in headline format.
Example of a question and a call-to-action on the final slide of the carousel
“So why did I bother reading through this entire carousel?” a viewer might think. To avoid leaving them with this question, prompt them with a clear call-to-action. For example, in a PDF format post carousel, encourage them to message you. In a promotional carousel, leave a link that invites them to visit a website or fill out a contact form. This way, you improve the conversion rates of your carousel post by 20-25%.
You can enhance the carousel’s impact by using the Boost Post feature in Linked Helper. By selecting a target audience for your funnel and enabling this tool, it will tag selected users under the carousel in comments, leading to an increase in the post’s organic reach.
LinkedIn carousel posts are usually formatted at 1200 x 1200 pixels, which is a standard size for social media graphics. However, when you create a PDF document for your carousel, you have the freedom to select almost any size you find suitable for your content. This flexibility allows you to customize the dimensions based on your design preferences and the visual impact you want to achieve.
Many carousel generators and design tools offer templates with preset sizes that are optimized for social media platforms like LinkedIn. These templates already have the recommended dimensions, making it convenient for you to create visually appealing and engaging carousel posts without worrying about the technical aspects of sizing.
Crafting engaging LinkedIn carousel posts involves several key elements. You start strong with an attention-grabbing hook that entices curiosity, align your objectives with what your audience seeks, and include clear calls-to-action. Consistency in design and content optimization is vital for readability and impact. Choosing the right post size, preferably vertical for carousels, adds to the overall appeal. By focusing on these aspects, your LinkedIn carousels can effectively connect with your audience, encouraging meaningful interactions and engagement.
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Updated: August 7, 2026
16 min read