[FAQ]

I’ve been seeing a lot of those carousel-style posts on LinkedIn that you swipe through, and I know they’re made by uploading a PDF. They seem to get great engagement, and I want to start creating them for my content strategy.

I’m looking for some best practices for doing this effectively in 2025. For example, how should I design the PDF itself? What’s the best page size or orientation? How much text should I put on each slide? And what makes a good first slide to hook people in and a good last slide for a call to action?

Any advice on making these engaging would be great. Thanks!

[Jeff Bullas]

LinkedIn carousel posts, which are created by uploading a PDF document, are a highly effective format for sharing in-depth information and telling a compelling story on the platform. To make them engaging, you need to design the document specifically for the “swipe-through” experience of a social media feed.

First, you must format your document correctly before you even start adding content. For the best viewing experience, especially on mobile, you should use either a square aspect ratio (like 1080×1080 pixels) or a vertical aspect ratio (like 1080×1350 pixels) for your pages. It is best to create your slides in a design tool like Canva, Google Slides, or PowerPoint and then export the final document as a PDF.

Second, you need to create a strong, attention-grabbing first slide. This slide functions as the hook for your entire post. It must have a bold, clear headline and an engaging visual that makes someone stop scrolling and feel compelled to swipe to see what is next.

Third, keep the text on each slide minimal and highly readable. This is a critical point. Do not simply paste large blocks of text from a word document onto a slide. Use a large, clean font and plenty of white space. Each slide should ideally convey one single, simple idea. Think of each page of your PDF as an individual social media graphic, not a page in a document.

Fourth, you should actively encourage the swipe. Use visual cues to prompt the user to continue. This can be done with small arrows, by numbering your slides (e.g., “Tip 1 of 5”), or by using design elements that span across the slide break to create curiosity about what is on the next page.

Fifth, use the format to tell a cohesive story or provide step-by-step value. Your carousel should have a logical flow that takes the viewer on a journey. This could be guiding them through a list of valuable tips, explaining a process, or telling a short story with a clear beginning, middle, and end.

And sixth, your final slide must include a clear Call to Action (CTA). Do not let your carousel be a dead end. The last slide is your opportunity to drive engagement. You can ask a question to spark a discussion in the comments, encourage people to save or share the post, or direct them to the link in your bio for more information.

In the main text of your LinkedIn post that accompanies the PDF, you should provide context, summarise the value contained in the carousel, and use three to five relevant hashtags to aid discoverability.

The key to an effective LinkedIn PDF carousel is to design it as a series of connected, visual social media slides, not as a traditional text document.

Cheers,

Jeff

[Author]

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