Secrets of High-Performing Carousels

By now you’ve heard the hype.

In 2026, carousels became the top-performing post format on LinkedIn. Meanwhile over on Instagram, brand new accounts grew to 500K+ followers with just carousels.

But if you’ve tried it, you probably know that simply putting content into slide form doesn’t guarantee it’ll outperform your other post types.

So what gives? What makes these outlier carousels so damn irresistible? And how can a nonprofit, healthcare org, or B2B brand with a small social media team replicate the magic? Or at least, approximate it so the message travels farther? 

To answer these questions, today I’m dissecting a crop of standout carousels from both Instagram and LinkedIn. 

All 8 were top performers for these accounts. (The IG carousels even outperformed many of those accounts’ reels!) And while the takeaways from each one are distinct, they tend to follow a few core principles.

We’ll cover those common patterns at the end with a quickfire “do’s and don’ts” list — so keep reading for the full breakdown.

How it hooks you: A compelling, non-obvious insight points to how a lack of clean running water impacts young women’s education opportunities. Plus, the cover photo lends credibility.

How it keeps your attention: Telling the story of one girl makes an abstract problem more specific and emotional. And the video slides are unexpected, which makes swiping through more rewarding.

Why it pays off: The audience sees how the org’s work is changing lives in an unexpected way. They are left with hope that injustice can have practical solutions. 

What makes it shareable: Supporters and advocates of women’s equality can share it as a statement of their values, and to spread awareness of what women globally need to thrive. 

What you can take away: Share a specific, unexpected view on the problem you solve. Explain it through a single human story so we can connect on a personal level. Mix in video clips to make it more engaging. 

How it hooks you: Rare for a tech brand on IG, the hook promises to “reveal” something its audience really cares about — rather than leading with product features or benefits. The solid block of bright color also stands out in the feed. 

How it keeps your attention: Bold, simple infographics show relevant stats with one-line takes on what they mean for the job market — and thus, for you. Plus, the minimalist layout makes it easy to digest. 

Why it pays off: It affirms that human creativity is still in demand in the age of AI. However, it might have performed even better if Adobe mentioned how they did this analysis, making it more credible and original. 

What makes it shareable: The audience could send this to a friend who’s looking for creative work or thinking about adding a new skill to their repertoire.

What you can apply: Package together available data and research in a way that helps, affirms, or resources your audience. What are they worried about right now? What bigger goals does your solution help them achieve? Make it more about them than about you. 

How it hooks you: With a matter-of-fact bit of “news” on a verrrry hot topic, the audience can immediately recognize they should be thinking about this. And like the post above, a minimalist, brightly colored layout grabs attention. 

How it keeps your attention: Saying “we’ve been seeing this” on slide 2 signals there’s a POV in here, not just a regurgitation of facts. It also promises to share “what to do,” giving the audience a reason to stay till the end.  

Why it pays off: It educates nonprofit leaders about the problem, and offers specific templates for what to ask an LLM. People love a template, so this probably got a lot of saves. 

What makes it shareable: If you work at a nonprofit, sending this to your team or boss is a way of adding value. Consultants can also share it to show they’re keeping up. 

What you can apply: What’s changing right now that your audience doesn’t realize? Say it out loud. Be direct and name the thing that matters most. Package your advice as a script or template the audience can use today.

How it hooks you: With a contrarian, spiky POV that makes you think, “Wait, what am I doing wrong?” We must find out what “this” is. Irresistible. 

How it keeps your attention: Each slide resolves tension from the one before, then ends with a question mark, ellipses, or bold claim that builds the tension back up again. You get that “just one more page” feeling that comes from reading a great book.

Why it pays off: For the uninitiated in true strategy, the examples provided will set off light bulbs in your brain. A few minutes of scrolling and you see the concept of strategy completely differently. 

What makes it shareable: It shows you’re smart and “in the know.” Strategists in different niches can use it to advocate for their work. Teams can send it around to suggest, “It’s like I’ve been saying: we need an actual strategy.” 

What you can apply: Your brand has a point of view — use it. Dig into your brand values and find the spikiest, most contrarian way to frame your idea. And don't overthink the design — clean text on a solid background is more than enough when your message is strong and your copy is well-constructed.

How it hooks you: The playful confidence stirs curiosity, the subhead establishes credibility and POV, and the vulnerable caption builds trust. 

How it keeps your attention: If you’re compelled by any of the 3 hooks on the cover page and in the caption, you need to see all 5 Substacks — even if you don’t need another thing in your “to be read” pile. 

Why it pays off: You’ve probably never heard of these newsletters before! But now you feel like part of a secret club of insiders.

What drives engagement: When you share a roundup of other peoples’ work and tag them, they’re more likely to interact and potentially even share your post.

What you can apply: Curated round-ups are an easy way to give value, but position it with a strong POV to build credibility. Why does it make sense for you or your brand to select these recommendations? What do they help your audience achieve? Say it all up front. 

How it hooks you: Awareness of social media’s negative effects have peaked and nobody knows what comes next, but this post offers a take beyond “it’s dead.” Also, it’s incredibly eye-catching. 

How it keeps your attention: Otherworldly, evocative images — each slide is a new dopamine hit of delight and surprise. Nodding along with one argument per slide, you wonder: “Where is this going?”

Why it pays off: Joe devotes 17 slides to describing the problem (this probably wouldn’t work without the images), but then finally delivers a compelling and hopeful trend forecast.

What makes it shareable: It’s cool as hell. And a great way for anyone who works in content, digital marketing or social media to seem culturally knowledgeable — like they’ve got their eye on what’s next.

What you can apply: Even without elaborate art direction, there are ways to make each slide feel like a dopamine hit by interrupting the pattern you set. That can be simple as reversing the colors on each slide or adding a pop of big bold text.

How it hooks you: By leading with “studies show” and linking something people enjoy doing with something they want to achieve, it got thousands to overlook the horrific typography. (Even if I weren’t a font nerd, this might give me a migraine.) 

How it keeps your attention: To rehook us on slide 2, it cites a specific study and makes another bold, concrete claim: “just six minutes a day makes an impact.” 

Why it pays off: We all need fresh reasons to keep doing the things that are good for us. Now we can think of a favorite pastime as a health hack, and maybe even reprioritize it. Thank you, science. 

What makes it shareable: It gives everyone who loves to read validation for their habits, a way to express their identity, and an argument to persuade their own followers to read, too. 

What you can apply: A longer hook can work if it feels immediately credible (studies show, new research shows, we studied 50 examples) and connects clearly to your audience’s identity, needs, and desires — but please, for the love of God, turn off the caps lock. 

How it hooks you: With a contrarian POV that leveraged a timely audience insight — the way LinkedIn was pushing video felt exhausting. Plus, the hand-drawn, white board-style graphics stood out for being human and off-the-cuff. 

How it holds your attention: At 3 slides, this is the shortest carousel on this list, so it didn’t need to hold much. The caption builds credibility, explaining why static posts are still relevant. 

Why it pays off: Slide two makes the claim that your feed needs a healthy variety, then lists 8 non-video content styles still working in 2026. 

What makes it shareable: Other marketers and creatives reposted it to validate their work and push back on LinkedIn video just as grumbling was reaching a fever pitch. 

What you can apply: You don’t have to produce 10 slides — a single, spiky POV plus a handful of specific ideas, examples, or templates can create a highly shareable (and saveable) post, especially if the cover page offers affirmation, reassurance or permission.

DO: Lead with one sharp statement — a contrarian take, a permission slip, an argument that validates your audience’s work or identity, or a non-obvious credible insight.

DON’T: Crowd the cover with competing text in different fonts and sizes (or long-winded statements in tightly-kerned all-caps! 😅). If it takes any work to decipher the message, people won’t even try. 

DO: Focus on one idea per slide and let each point land before moving on. Slides that feel light and easy to read keep people swiping.

DON’T: Use cheesy, untreated stock images or corporate-looking photos on the cover. Most people scroll on by anything that looks like it might be an ad.

DO: Use visuals that earn attention — real photos, back-of-a-napkin-style diagrams or sketches, or bold original design. 

DON’T: Switch up your colors, fonts, and layout every post. Inconsistency resets your brand recognition to zero each time.

DO: Build a consistent visual style — so once you have a hit, your audience is more likely to recognize, stop and read your posts, even if the hook is weaker. 

DON’T: Lead with your brand name or a product feature. Again, nobody swipes for an ad or company update — they swipe for themselves. 

DO: Make it about the audience — what they’re worried about, what validates them, what they can use tomorrow to help with their careers, health, or families.

DON’T: Close a loop on a slide without opening a new one. Especially for text-based, longer carousels, you’re better off ending most slides with a question, ellipses, or tension-building statement. 

DO: Approve your Single Most Persuasive Idea before constructing the copy. Ask: what’s unexpected here? What’s the specific POV? Can the audience act on it?

High-performing carousels make complex ideas and stories easier to take in. But you have to earn every single swipe.

That means leading with a sharp, specific POV that validates or challenges your audience. It means keeping each slide light enough to understand at a glance. And it means consistently building tension, so readers keep swiping to see where you’re going.

Do that consistently, with a recognizable visual style, and your account will become one that people regularly save, share, and stop what they were doing to read. 

Until next time,

P.S. Ready to have a credible, repeatable carousel style — with examples to train your team and make your brand instantly recognizable? My Instagram Makeover package gets you there in just two weeks. Click here to book yours now. We can also spruce up your brand’s LinkedIn presence. Just reply “LinkedIn Makeover” to this email and I’ll share the details.