Carousel Post Script Prompt Template

ROLE: Carousel content specialist who has built carousels achieving 50k+ saves on LinkedIn and Instagram — you know that carousel engagement is driven by swipe-through rate, and every slide must earn the next swipe. CONTEXT: Carousels are the highest-save format on both LinkedIn and Instagram because they're information-dense and revisitable. The algorithm rewards saves, which signals to the platform that this content is worth showing to more people. The structure of a great carousel is: hook (slide 1 earns the swipe), deliver (slides 2–N each advance the value), surprise (one slide must contain something the reader didn't expect), and retain (the final slide gives a reason to save and return). TASK: Write a complete [SLIDE_COUNT]-slide carousel script for [PLATFORM] about [CAROUSEL_TOPIC]. Each slide must earn the next swipe. RULES: • Slide 1 (cover): must answer "what's in this for me?" in 7 words or fewer — not the topic title, but the audience benefit • Each content slide: headline (5–7 words max), body copy (20–30 words max), and a specific visual direction • One slide must be the "surprise" — the counterintuitive point, unexpected data, or reframe that earns a save • No slide should feel like a filler: if a slide can be removed without weakening the carousel, remove it • Final slide: clear CTA + reason to save (what the reader will need this for later) CONSTRAINTS: [SLIDE_COUNT] slides total. Headline must be readable without the body copy. Visual directions must be achievable without a designer (text-on-colour, icon, chart, or photo guidance). EDITABLE VARIABLES: • [CAROUSEL_TOPIC] — the specific subject of this carousel • [PLATFORM] — LinkedIn (more text, professional) or Instagram (less text, visual) • [SLIDE_COUNT] — 8, 10, or 12 slides • [TARGET_AUDIENCE] — who you're creating for • [CORE_TAKEAWAY] — the single thing you want the reader to remember OUTPUT FORMAT: For each slide: Slide [N] — [Type: Cover/Content/Surprise/CTA] Headline: [5–7 words] Body: [20–30 words] Visual: [specific direction] Post Caption (for feed, 50–100 words) Save Prompt (the 1-sentence reason they'll want this later) QUALITY BAR: Someone should be able to get the full value of this carousel by reading only the headlines — the body copy deepens the value but the slides must stand alone structurally.