LinkedIn is a powerful platform for building your professional brand and generating leads through content marketing. One popular format on LinkedIn is the carousel post, which allows you to create a post with multiple slides that users can swipe through. Determining the optimal number of slides for your LinkedIn carousels is important for keeping your audience engaged and conveying the right information.
Why Use Carousels on LinkedIn?
Carousels allow you to:
– Share more information than a single image post
– Display information in a visual format
– Highlight different features, benefits, products, etc.
– Maintain user attention by allowing them to interact with the content
– Increase click-through rates compared to standard posts
The scrolling interaction in a carousel helps keep viewers engaged as they actively click through each slide. Carousels also stand out in the LinkedIn feed, making them more likely to capture user attention.
Ideal Number of Slides
When determining how many slides your LinkedIn carousel should contain, shorter is usually better. The ideal carousel post contains:
– 3-5 slides
– 7 slides maximum
Research from Socialinsider analyzed over 12,000 carousel posts on LinkedIn and found that carousels with 5 or fewer slides generated the highest engagement.
Specifically, they found:
– 3 slide carousels had the highest overall engagement
– 4 slide carousels had the most likes and clicks
– 2 slide carousels had the most comments
– Carousels with 7+ slides saw declining engagement
Keeping your carousels in the 3-5 slide range helps maximize engagement on each individual slide. Less is more when it comes to maintaining audience attention through the full carousel.
3-5 Slide Carousel Benefits
Using only 3-5 slides for your carousels provides the following benefits:
– Allows you to succinctly get your message across
– Avoids overwhelming users with too much information
– Maintains engagement as users view each slide
– Reduces drop off since users have less slides to click through
– Prevents your carousel from looking cluttered
Concise carousels that highlight your most important information will connect with LinkedIn users scrolling through their feed. You don’t need elaborate 7+ slide carousels to generate engagement and clicks.
Types of Content to Include
When structuring your 3-5 slide LinkedIn carousel, consider including the following types of content:
1. Eye-catching visuals
Visuals like images, charts, and graphics help draw attention and break up text-heavy slides. Ensure your #1 slide features a compelling photo or visual that will capture interest as users scroll through posts.
2. Informational statistics
Relevant stats and data help demonstrate credibility while succinctly conveying information. Infographics are a great way to incorporate stats visually.
3. Listicles
Numbered lists of tips, steps, features, etc. are highly scannable and engaging slide formats. Listicles allow you to share a variety of information in bite-sized points.
4. Quotes
Pulling powerful or inspiring quotes related to your topic adds variety while showcasing thought leadership perspectives.
5. Customer testimonials
Direct quotes and feedback from customers build trust and social proof. Their words can be more powerful than your own.
6. Offers or CTAs
Close your carousel loop with a compelling call-to-action, like downloading an ebook, accessing a discount, registering for a webinar, etc. This provides a clear path for converting carousel viewers.
Carousel Design Tips
Follow these best practices when designing your 3-5 slide LinkedIn carousels:
Keep a consistent look and feel
Maintain visual consistency from slide to slide through colors, fonts, styles, etc. This polished, professional look improves the overall quality.
Use high-quality images
Invest in great stock photos or custom images. Pixelated, amateurish images will lower perceptions of your brand.
Minimize text
Each slide should contain a digestible amount of text that can be read quickly. Use brief bullet points instead of lengthy paragraphs.
Ensure readability
Avoid overcrowded designs and text. Use white space between elements and sufficient font sizes for easy reading. Don’t make users zoom in just to read.
Personalize when possible
Consider incorporating headshots of team members or clients to boost familiarity and approachability.
By following these carousel design best practices, your slides will offer an appealing experience that engages users from start to finish.
Tools for Creating LinkedIn Carousels
To easily build polished, professional carousels, take advantage of user-friendly design tools like:
– Canva
– Adobe Spark
– Animoto
– InVideo
– Biteable
– PosterMyWall
Browser-based options like Canva don’t require any technical expertise. You can choose from pre-made templates, drag-and-drop images, add stylized text, and quickly rearrange slides.
Investing in a powerful design platform will enable you to make captivating carousels that bring your content to life while reflecting your brand visual identity.
Optimizing Your Carousel for Engagement
Once you’ve created your stellar 3-5 slide carousel, focus on distribution and optimization tactics to boost engagement:
Share at optimal times
According to Sprout Social, the peak times for LinkedIn engagement are Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9-10 AM and 12-1 PM. Test what works best for your audience.
Retarget your carousel
Consider sponsoring your carousel as a LinkedIn ad to repeatedly share it with your target audience for maximum views.
Promote on additional channels
Share your carousel across other social platforms like Twitter and Facebook to expand reach.
Monitor analytics
Analyze LinkedIn’s native analytics to see which slides are resonating and generating the most clicks. Double down on high-performing content.
Refine over time
Review your results and fine-tune your approach. Experiment with different slide formats, calls-to-action, etc. to boost metrics.
With strategic promotion and optimization, your carousel can continue accruing value long after you first share it on your LinkedIn profile.
Top Examples of Effective LinkedIn Carousels
The following brands demonstrate how using focused 3-5 slide carousels can excel on LinkedIn:
Moz
Moz keeps their carousel simple yet eye-catching by highlighting different book quotes against a bold fuchsia background in each slide. The styling stays consistent while the quotes change, maintaining interest as users navigate through the slide deck.
Nielsen
Nielsen packs informative stats into each slide while using bold, distinctive visualizations that capture attention as users scroll. The data helps reinforce their thought leadership.
Forbes
Forbes prominently features different eye-catching photos on each slide while keeping the dark bold text consistent. The contrast and imagery entices users to click from one slide to the next to consume more inspirational quotes.
Key Takeaways
To recap, remember these tips when creating LinkedIn carousel posts:
1. Limit carousels to 3-5 slides max
Keep them concise and scannable for the platform. Longer carousels see declining engagement.
2. Lead with an eye-catching visual
Make your #1 slide shine to capture attention in the busy feed.
4. Maintain a consistent look and feel
Use cohesive design elements like color schemes, fonts, and graphics across slides.
5. Include a strong CTA on the final slide
Prompt visitors to take their next step, like downloading content or setting up a meeting.
By sticking to a limited number of highly engaging slides, your LinkedIn carousels will stand out on users’ feeds and deliver clicks for your brand. Test different formats and content types to determine what resonates best with your audience. Carousels allow you to showcase a variety of messages in a compelling visual medium.