# Tips carousels: teach something in ten slides [Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/tips-carousel) The carousel is the format people save. Get the hook, the numbering and the last slide right, and a single post keeps working for months. ## The short version - A tips carousel teaches one specific thing across a series of slides, usually a cover, one tip per slide, a recap and a closing call to action. - The cover slide decides whether anyone swipes, so it should promise a specific, useful outcome in a few words. - Each tip slide should carry a number, a short headline and one or two lines of explanation, never a paragraph. - A recap slide near the end gives people a reason to save the post and come back to it. - Instagram carousels work best at 1080×1350, and every slide should share the same background, type and layout. A **tips carousel** teaches one specific thing across a short run of slides, usually about ten: a cover that promises a clear result, one numbered tip per slide, a recap of all the tips on one slide, and a gentle call to action at the end. Each tip gets a short headline and a line or two of explanation. Done well, it is the post people save, send to a colleague and return to, which is exactly why it is worth more care than a single image. ## A ten slide structure that works Ten slides is a comfortable length: enough room for seven or eight real tips, short enough that people finish. Instagram allows up to 20, but a carousel only works if people reach the end. Here is the structure, with a florist teaching cut flower care as the worked example. | Slide | Job | Florist example | | --- | --- | --- | | 1. Cover | Promise a specific result | Make your flowers last a week longer | | 2. Tip 1 | Easiest win first | Trim stems at an angle before they go in water | | 3. Tip 2 | Build momentum | Strip any leaves below the waterline | | 4. Tip 3 | A common mistake | Keep them away from the fruit bowl | | 5. Tip 4 | A practical habit | Change the water every two days | | 6. Tip 5 | Location | Out of direct sun and away from radiators | | 7. Tip 6 | The insider tip | Trim the stems again with every water change | | 8. Tip 7 | End strong | Remove fading blooms so the rest last | | 9. Recap | All tips on one slide | Seven habits, one list. Save this. | | 10. Close | One soft action | Fresh bunches every Friday · Link in bio | One idea per slide. If a tip needs a paragraph, it is two tips or a different post. ## Write a hook that earns the swipe The cover is the only slide most people see. It needs to promise something specific enough that the right reader thinks "I need that". Vague covers like "Some tips for you" get scrolled past; covers that name an outcome, a number or a mistake get opened. - **The outcome:** "Make your flowers last a week longer" - **The number:** "7 settings to change on a new phone" - **The mistake:** "5 things that make your listing photos look cheap" - **The shortcut:** "Bookkeeping in 10 minutes a week" - **The audience:** "First time landlords: read this before you sign" Carousel cover slide promising tips to make flowers last longer, with a line saying 7 habits and swipe The cover: a clear promise, how many tips, and a nudge to swipe. Carousel tip slide labelled Tip 1 of 7 with the headline Trim stems at an angle and a short explanation A tip slide: number, headline, one supporting line. Same layout on every tip. Put the number of tips on the cover. It sets expectations and tells readers how long the commitment is. [Thumbnail text](https://gradiently.design/guide/typography-for-thumbnails) shares the same principle: few words, very large, readable at a glance. ## Design rules for numbered, saveable slides A tips carousel is a set. Every slide should look like it came from the same hand, with the number, headline and explanation in exactly the same place each time. That consistency is what makes it feel easy to read, and easy reading is what earns the save. ### Avoid - A paragraph on each slide - Numbers that move around the frame - A new background colour per slide - Your best tip buried at slide 8 - Ending on the last tip with no recap - Four calls to action on the final slide ### Do - A headline of under eight words, plus one line - The number in the same corner every time - One background and type system throughout - A strong, easy tip on slide 2 - A recap slide people can screenshot - One soft action, such as follow or visit 1. **Set the type sizes once** On a 1080×1350 slide, a headline of about 72 to 88 px and a supporting line of 36 to 40 px read well on a phone. [Font size for social media](https://gradiently.design/guide/font-size-for-social-media) has the full ladder. 2. **Leave a margin for the dots** Instagram puts the slide indicator under the post, but other apps overlay controls. Keep words at least 80 px from every edge. 3. **Add a visual cue to keep swiping** An arrow, a "Swipe" label or a shape that runs off the right edge tells people there is more. A [seamless carousel](https://gradiently.design/guide/seamless-carousel) takes this further. 4. **Make the recap slide stand alone** All the tips, numbered, on one slide. This is the slide people screenshot, so put your name small at the bottom. ## Carousel sizes by platform - Instagram portrait 1080×1350: 1080 × 1350 - Instagram square 1080×1080: 1080 × 1080 - LinkedIn portrait 1080×1350: 1080 × 1350 - LinkedIn square 1200×1200: 1200 × 1200 Portrait takes more of the screen in both feeds, which is why it is the usual choice for tips. Every slide in an Instagram carousel must share one aspect ratio, so decide before you start. On LinkedIn, carousels are often uploaded as a PDF document, with each page shown as a slide; [LinkedIn carousel](https://gradiently.design/guide/linkedin-thought-leader-content) covers that format. The full reference is in [Instagram carousel size](https://gradiently.design/guide/instagram-carousel-size). ## Ideas for your next tips carousel - A café: five ways to brew better coffee at home. - An accountant: seven receipts to keep before the tax deadline. - A personal trainer: six desk stretches for the afternoon slump. - An estate agent: eight things to fix before your house goes on the market. - A designer: five ways to make text readable on a photo. - A dentist: what to do in the first hour after a chipped tooth. Each idea answers a question customers already ask, which is also why tips carousels pair well with [FAQ posts](https://gradiently.design/guide/faq-post). In Gradiently, a carousel is one design with a page per slide, all on the same Mark, so the set stays consistent without effort. Give the Designer your topic and it will draft the hook, the tips and the recap in your brand kit's voice for you to edit, and Pro adds PDF export, the format LinkedIn uses for document carousels. ## FAQ ### How many slides should a tips carousel have? Around eight to ten works well: a cover, six to eight tips, a recap and a closing slide. Fewer tips done well beat a long list people abandon. ### What size is a carousel post? 1080×1350 portrait is the usual choice on Instagram and LinkedIn. Square 1080×1080 also works, but every slide must use the same ratio. ### How do I make people swipe through a carousel? Promise a specific outcome on the cover, show how many tips there are, put an easy, strong tip on slide two and add a visual cue that there is more. ### How much text should be on each carousel slide? A numbered headline of under about eight words and one or two short supporting lines. Anything longer belongs in the caption. ### Why add a recap slide to a carousel? It gives readers every tip on one screen, which is the reason many people save or screenshot the post and come back to it.