How to Create a Carousel Post on LinkedIn (even if you’re not a “creator”)

What if I told you that LinkedIn right NOW (in 2022) is kind of like Instagram in 2017?

Well, it is, and in the BEST of ways.

You’ve seen the uproar, right? Instagram is getting all kinds of flack for its algorithms and changes and prioritizing video on a formerly photo-only app, and bla bla blaaaaa. You get it.

If you’ve found yourself longing for the simpler days of social media, creating true community, connection and CLEAR content strategy, you may want to start hangin’ with us over on LinkedIn.

Recently, we’ve seen an uptick in the use of carousel posts on LinkedIn. This fairly new feature was rolled out to “creators” on LinkedIn, but there’s a workaround for ALL LinkedIn users to utilize this feature and experience the growth it can bring even if it hasn’t technically rolled out to you yet.

In today’s post I’m combining a little bit of “how to” with a splash of “this is why this matters” to show you that carousel posts are really worth your content creation time. Ya with me?

How to Create a Carousel Post on LinkedIn (creator or not)

Carousel posts are a type of visual content that incorporates multiple slides with text and teaching points so you can capture attention and drive your point home.

Here are 3 steps to create your carousel post on LinkedIn:

1. Choose your concept.
The types of carousel posts that do well on LinkedIn are ones that educate your audience on a new skill, share industry insights, or give actionable tips.

Here are a few examples:

• Psychological Safety 101
• Top 5 Recruiting Best Practices
• 3 Reasons Connection in the Workplace Drives Productivity

So, the first step is to choose your topic, outline your points, and then expand using your expertise!

2. Design your graphics.
With your concept outline in hand, it’s time to head to Canva. This graphic-centric platform has tons of templates designed for carousels and will make your life so easy as you start to create this type of content.

As you create your content in Canva, use these tips to help your content shine:

• Break content up into 3-5 tips or takeaways
• Create an intro slide, a slide for each takeaway, and a closing slide
• Add a CTA at the end to boost engagement

Finally, after you create your graphics, save them and download as a PDF. This is KEY for the carousel workaround on LinkedIn!

3. Post as a “document” on LinkedIn.
Once you’ve created your content, saved, and downloaded as a PDF, now you can post on LinkedIn!

Simply go to create a post like you typically would, and then select “add a document.” This will allow you to post your carousel WITHOUT the carousel feature! Super simple, right?

Who should be posting carousels on LinkedIn and why?

If you’ve got an expertise edge to share or you want to become a leader through sharing innovative and thoughtful content, LinkedIn is the place for you, and carousel posts could be a really great type of content in your rotation.

But, here’s the thing: I KNOW that’s you. I know you’re an expert. I know you ARE a leader and you’re always looking to grow in that area.

So, if we know that carousels would be a great option for you, let’s talk about two hidden benefits you may not have thought through yet.

Benefit 1: If you’ve lived over on Instagram for a while, this could be an amazing opportunity for you to repurpose your high-performing past content.

Remember when I said that LinkedIn is like Instagram in 2017? The cool thing is, that means a lot of us who have prioritized content creation on Instagram actually have YEARS worth of content to pull from. Even though you could repurpose those on Instagram again, it may not be very fruitful since Instagram is now prioritizing video. But instead of needing to reimagine your content, you could pretty much DIRECTLY repost from your archive of content over to LinkedIn and start reaching an entirely new, highly qualified audience almost immediately.

Main takeaway: If you’ve got a backlog of carousels you’ve posted on Instagram, PLEASE start posting immediately on LinkedIn, okay?!

Benefit 2: With content that combines visuals and voice, you have the opportunity to build a Powerful Personal Presence much more quickly.

In the past, LinkedIn content has been a bit lacking on the visuals. Sure, you can add images to an article, you’ve got your headshot, etc. but, compared to other social platforms, the visual aspects on LinkedIn haven’t been top priority. When you have the chance to combine your unique voice and take on things WITH a visual brand identity (consistent colors, fonts, etc.), it’s more likely to stick and become more memorable in the mind’s eye of your audience.

Main takeaway: Utilizing carousels on LinkedIn could accelerate your memorability and recognizability with your audience.

Check out THIS carousel I made that breaks it all down in a few slides!
Have you posted a carousel on LinkedIn yet? Let me know when you do and TAG ME ON LINKEDIN so we can chat about what it’s doing for you and your audience!