How to write carousels
3 years of writing, distilled into 5 lessons you can apply immediately.
Three years ago, I’d never posted a single carousel in my life.
Today, I’m reaching 100 million views a month and have grown to 2 million followers in what might be the hardest niche to crack on Instagram: tech.
My DMs are constantly full of people messaging me about my content. It’s not just because the information is valuable. It’s because of how it’s written.
What I’m about to break down won’t work for absolutely everyone. But it works for most people who are trying to build an audience that actually generates real business.
There are tons of ways to grow on this platform. My strategy is simple: post a shit ton of high-value carousels, consistently.
But here’s the first thing you need to understand: a brilliant insight doesn’t automatically turn into a great carousel.
I still post incredibly valuable stuff that completely flops. Sometimes because my writing wasn’t tight enough. Sometimes because the algorithm just decided to ignore me that day. It happens.
So what actually matters when you sit down to write?
1/ It needs to be genuinely valuable
This sounds painfully obvious but you can’t just regurgitate advice that’s been floating around for years
I see the same recycled tips everywhere... stuff said a thousand times and it won’t make anyone stop swiping
Trendy audio clips with zero substance mostly don’t work either, at least not the way most people try it
I’ve seen a few wizards turn that into a legitimate strategy but when i tried that route i just failed lol
You need to dig into your experience and pull out insights that are fresh
Things that haven’t been beaten to death across the platform
Ideas that could genuinely shift how someone approaches their work or thinks about their business
The difference between content that gets ignored and content that gets saved is whether you’re saying something new
Or at least saying something old in a way that makes people see it differently
Ask yourself before posting: would i save this if someone else made it?
If the answer is no, keep working on it
2/ It needs to be immediately actionable
An insight without a blueprint is basically entertainment, not education
I see carousels constantly like “this Instagram update is absolutely insane” with zero context or application
Maybe it gets views if you’re lucky... but it brings in almost no followers and definitely zero business opportunities
People don’t follow you because you noticed something, they follow you because you taught them how to use it
So if you’re writing about that Instagram update, don’t just point at it
Write “how to use Instagram’s new feature to double your reach:” and then walk through the actual process
Slide by slide, step by step, exactly how to implement it in their workflow
People will swipe through every single slide because you’re not just giving them information, you’re giving them a system
They’ll start thinking your account is worth following because every carousel teaches them something they can apply today
Not tomorrow, not eventually... right now
Do this consistently and some percentage of your followers will want to hire you because they’ve already seen proof you know what you’re talking about
The carousels become your portfolio
Examples:
- Post 1
- Post 2
- Post 3
3/ It needs to spark natural engagement
This is where most people mess up because they think engagement means begging for it “double tap if you agree” or “share this to your story if you found it helpful” just makes you look desperate
You want your carousel structured in a way that naturally creates comments and saves without asking
Saves happen automatically when your cover slide uses phrases like “here’s how” or “how to” or “do this”
Because you have maybe one second to stop someone mid-scroll and a ton of people operate on autopilot... they see something that looks useful, save it for later, keep scrolling
Your job is to make that first slide so clear and valuable that the save happens instinctively
For comments, you’ve got two main approaches and both work depending on your content:
First option is to push your opinion harder and take a clear controversial stance you could write “carousels outperform reels for building real followers, here’s the proof”
People will either argue with you or back you up in the comments, either way you’re getting engagement and your carousel is getting pushed to more people
Second option is to keep it slightly open and invite perspective “this is the carousel structure i’m using right now, curious if anyone’s tested a different approach”
This feels collaborative instead of combative, and people love sharing their own experiences when you give them an opening
Both strategies work, you just need to pick which one fits the content better
4/ It needs to be ridiculously easy to read
This seems super basic but it’s the difference between someone swiping through your whole carousel or bouncing after the first slide
Most people scroll through their feed at insane speeds, their eyes land on your cover slide for maybe one second before deciding whether to engage
If your design looks messy or your opening looks like a wall of text, they’re already gone
Your cover slide needs to be short and punchy, ideally one line that clearly signals what value you’re about to deliver
“how to X” or “why X doesn’t work” or “the X mistake you’re making”
After that, use one idea per slide whenever possible
This creates natural rhythm and makes everything way easier to process visually. Your brain can chunk information better when it’s not crammed into dense paragraphs
Throw in numbered steps or bullet points to organize complex information into digestible pieces
People can skim a slide and still grab the main points even if they don’t read every word
Also... white space matters
The space between your lines and sections gives people’s eyes a place to rest
Slides that are just solid blocks of text feel exhausting before you even start reading them
Then there’s your language, and this might be even easier if english isn’t your first language
Simplify everything as much as you possibly can
Aim for a conversational tone like you’re a mentor talking to students
Like you’re a smart person who deliberately chose simple words because you want to be understood, not because you want to sound impressive
Use “use” instead of “utilize”
Say “help” instead of “facilitate”
Write “get better” instead of “optimize performance”
The goal is that someone who knows absolutely nothing about your field could still follow what you’re saying
If your 14-year-old cousin couldn’t understand your carousel, it’s probably too complex
Dumb it down until it feels almost too simple, then stop there
5/ You need to develop your own recognizable style
When I scroll through my feed iIsee the exact same content written in the exact same style everywhere
Same hooks, same templates, same fonts, same voice
It all blends together into this generic AI-sounding content soup
But when someone has a carousel style i can identify instantly, a design and voice that screams “this is them”... i stop scrolling completely
I swipe through the entire thing because i know it won’t sound like everything else
Your style is what makes people remember you
Maybe you always use a specific color palette
Maybe you start most carousels with a question pattern
Maybe you write in fragments sometimes for emphasis
Maybe you use “tbh” or “honestly” when you’re about to drop a controversial take
Maybe you always end with the same type of CTA slide
These little patterns become your signature, and people start recognizing your carousels before they even see your name
The key is consistency without being formulaic
You want patterns people can recognize, but you don’t want every carousel to feel like you’re filling in a template
Find 3-4 structural and visual elements that feel natural to you and use them frequently
But mix up the order, change the context, adapt them to different topics
Your style should feel like you, not like you’re following a script
And when you nail all of this consistently...
You build an audience that respects your ideas, not just your follower count
People stop scrolling when they see your cover slide because they know you’re about to teach them something useful
Your carousels pull people to your profile because every single one delivers clear insights with actionable steps
Not vague advice, not motivational fluff, but systems they can implement
And when you’re ready to sell your services or products, the conversion becomes natural
Because you’ve been proving your expertise in public for months
They’ve already experienced your teaching style through your carousels
Hiring you or buying from you just feels like the logical next step
That’s the real power of writing carousels that don’t just get engagement... but build genuine followers who trust you
This applies to any format of content you write
Carousels, threads, long-form articles, newsletters... the principles are exactly the same
I’m using it to grow on Substack too
I just started writing articles 3 days ago and already got my first hit
Read it here: https://substack.com/home/post/p-183756184
All of the lessons above are applied there
Straight up value, walking you through the exact process of how to erase your digital footprints from the internet
Step by step, no fluff, just actionable systems you can implement immediately
It got nearly 2k likes.
Same formula: genuinely valuable insight + clear actionable steps + easy to read structure
The platform changes but the writing principles don’t
Now i’m not gonna lie... this is not easy, because this level of content requires so much research and structure and edits
But what’s the point of sharing content just for the sake of posting?
Why not have the intention of genuinely helping people?
Whatever field you have expertise in... or at least a field you’re willing to spend the hours going deep on
Come up with something that can actually help people who don’t have the time to do that research themselves. That’s the whole point
You put in the work so they don’t have to
You spend 10 hours researching so they can learn it in 3 minutes
That’s real value
And people feel the difference between content made to post and content made to help
One gets scrolled past, the other gets saved and shared
Choose which one you want to be known for
– Abi
Appreciate u sharing the process. This is reaaaal value
Wow thank youuu