# Year in review posts: a recap people want to read [Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/year-in-review-post) A year in review can be the one post people actually swipe through in December, as long as it tells a story. Here is how to find the numbers, choose the highlights and design a recap that feels personal. ## The short version - A good year in review post tells the story of the year in six to ten carousel pages, one highlight or number per page. - Use only numbers you can check, from your shop, inbox, analytics or calendar; leave out anything you would have to guess. - Numbers that mean something to the reader, such as orders packed or episodes published, work better than vanity metrics like impressions. - Mix numbers with moments: a photo, a launch, a lesson or a thank you keeps the recap human. - Post the year in review between Christmas and New Year, when people are scrolling slowly and in a reflective mood. A **year in review post** people want to read is a short story, not a scoreboard. Gather a handful of real numbers you already have, pick the moments that defined the year, and give each one its own carousel page with the same layout throughout. Open with a cover that sets the tone, end with a thank you, and post it in the quiet days between Christmas and New Year. The format Spotify Wrapped made familiar works because it is personal and paced: copy that, not the colours. ## Find the numbers you already have Every business and creator has more honest numbers than they think. They are sitting in your shop dashboard, email tool, calendar and camera roll. Spend half an hour collecting them before you design anything. If you cannot check a number, leave it out; a recap is only charming while it is true. | Where to look | Numbers worth finding | | --- | --- | | Shop or till | Orders packed, countries shipped to, best seller, busiest day | | Calendar | Events run, workshops taught, markets attended | | Email and newsletter | Issues sent, subscribers welcomed, replies received | | Content | Posts, episodes, videos or articles published | | Projects | Clients worked with, launches shipped, projects finished | | The odd ones | Cups of coffee made, miles driven to deliveries, plants kept alive | Real sources for a recap. The odd numbers are often the ones people remember, as long as you counted them. ### Vanity numbers - Impressions and reach - Follower growth percentages - Revenue you would rather not share anyway - Numbers rounded up to sound bigger ### Numbers that mean something - Orders packed by hand - Episodes recorded - First time customers welcomed - Exact figures, even if they are small Small numbers are fine. "We sold our first 212 mugs" is more endearing than a vague "thousands of happy customers", and it is believable. Choose three to five numbers in total; more than that and they blur. ## How to structure a year in review carousel Think of the carousel as a short film with a beginning, a middle and an end. Six to ten pages is the sweet spot: long enough to feel like a year, short enough to finish. 1. **Cover** The year and a phrase that sums it up: "2026, the year we moved in". Big type, your background, nothing else. 2. **The headline number** Your single best stat, alone on a page. This is the page people screenshot. 3. **Moments, in order** Three or four highlights through the year, one per page: a launch, a photo, an event, a milestone. Chronological order makes it feel like a journey. 4. **Two or three more numbers** Spread between the moments, so the rhythm alternates between story and stat. 5. **What we learned** One honest lesson. It turns a brag into something useful. 6. **Thank you and what's next** Credit the people who made it happen and hint at next year. Alternating story and stat keeps people swiping, because each page is a small change of pace. If you have a lot to say, cut moments rather than squeezing two onto a page. [Instagram carousel design](https://gradiently.design/guide/instagram-carousel-design) covers how the first two pages decide whether anyone reaches the end. ## Designing the pages Repetition is what makes a recap look designed. Use one template for stat pages and one for moment pages, and alternate them. Put the number in the biggest type you can, with a short label under it that says what it counts. The cover page of a year in review carousel reading 2026, the year we moved in The cover: the year, a phrase, a prompt to swipe. A year in review stat page showing 4,380 orders packed by hand in very large type A stat page: one number, one label, one human detail. - Write numbers in full with separators: 4,380, not 4.4k, unless the number is genuinely in millions. - Say what the number counts in plain words directly under it. - Keep photos on moment pages and numbers on stat pages; mixing both on one page crowds it. - Use the same background across every page, so the carousel reads as one object. A background that flows from page to page makes the swipe feel continuous; [carousels that flow across pages](https://gradiently.design/guide/seamless-carousel) shows how. For numbers in type, [infographic design](https://gradiently.design/guide/infographic-design) covers making figures readable at a glance. In Gradiently, carousel pages share one Mark, so every page of the recap looks like part of the same piece, and the Mark keeps its calmest area behind the big number. ## Year in review formats and sizes The carousel is the main event, but the recap works in other places too. A story version can tease it, a LinkedIn document carousel suits a business or a freelancer, and a single image works on X or Bluesky. - Instagram carousel 1080×1350: 1080 × 1350 - Story teaser 1080×1920: 1080 × 1920 - LinkedIn portrait 1080×1350: 1080 × 1350 - X or Bluesky 1600×900: 1600 × 900 One recap, four formats. The wide version usually carries the cover and the headline number only. On LinkedIn, the recap doubles as a quiet portfolio. [LinkedIn carousels](https://gradiently.design/guide/linkedin-thought-leader-content) explains how to post one there, and [milestone posts](https://gradiently.design/guide/milestone-post) helps when one number deserves a post of its own during the year. ## When to post your year in review The days between Christmas and New Year suit it best. Many people are off work and scrolling slowly, and the sales posts have mostly stopped. Post the carousel around 28 or 29 December, share it to stories the next day, and save the greeting itself for 1 January. The rest of that week is covered in [New Year post ideas](https://gradiently.design/guide/new-year-post-ideas). > **Start a note in January** Keep a running note of wins, numbers and photos through the year. Next December the recap takes an hour instead of a weekend of digging. ## FAQ ### What should be in a year in review post? A cover, three to five real numbers, a few highlights in date order, one lesson and a thank you, spread over six to ten carousel pages. ### How many slides should a year in review carousel have? Six to ten pages is enough to feel like a year without losing people before the end. ### What if my numbers are small? Use them anyway. Exact small numbers are believable and often more charming than vague large ones. ### When should I post a year in review? Between Christmas and New Year, around 28 or 29 December, when people are scrolling slowly and sales posts have quietened.