| name | 43-carousel-brief-global |
| description | Use when a multi-slide carousel is needed for Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn — a narrative arc with the hook on slide one, value through the middle, CTA on the last, headline, body, visual direction, and background per slide, plus an HTML preview to approve the concept before production. Trigger on 'carousel brief', 'make a carousel', 'turn this into slides', 'LinkedIn carousel', 'slide by slide breakdown', 'preview the carousel first'. Not for — a single static image, see `42-image-brief-global`; the caption posted with it, see `37-social-caption-global`; production steps inside Canva or Figma, see `45-design-tool-brief-global`; scoring the finished slides, see `47-design-review-global`. |
| metadata | {"version":"1.0.1","category":"content"} |
| license | MIT |
| triggers | ["carousel brief","make a carousel","turn this into a carousel","slide brief","LinkedIn carousel","render a carousel preview","create a carousel"] |
| output | File .md — slide-by-slide brief (headline, body, visual direction, background color) plus HTML preview instructions to approve the concept before the designer starts production. |
| related | ["product-marketing-context-global","36-content-brief-global","41-campaign-asset-list-global","42-image-brief-global","45-design-tool-brief-global","46-brand-guideline-global","47-design-review-global","01-content-calendar-global"] |
Carousel Brief (Global)
A carousel is not a stack of images — it is a sequence, and every slide has to pull the reader to the next one. Slide 1 decides whether anyone swipes. The final slide must carry a clear CTA. Never invent the content: if something is missing, ask the user first.
Information gathering
Read .agents/product-marketing-context-global.md, the brand guideline, and the source content if available. If the user has not supplied content, ask up to 4 questions:
- Topic and source content? Is this carousel adapted from an existing piece, or written from scratch?
- Objective and funnel stage? Education, proof, offer, tips, story, or comparison — TOFU, MOFU, or BOFU?
- Channel and slide count? Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn — how many slides (5-7 recommended)?
- Copy and tone? Is the per-slide copy written already, and should the tone be conversational, professional, bold, or story-led?
Principles
- Slide 1 matters most — put 40% of the effort into the hook. It decides swipe versus scroll-past.
- Approve the copy before opening a design tool. Never work in the other order.
- One idea per slide. A carousel is not a slide deck — do not pack in text.
- 5-7 slides is the sweet spot. Beyond 9, drop-off is heavy. If the content needs more than 7, split it into a two-part series.
- Always close with a CTA. A carousel without a CTA wastes the whole effort.
- Text limits: headline max 8 words, subtext max 15 words, body max 25 words per slide.
Workflow
1. Set the narrative arc
A strong carousel has an explicit arc before content is distributed across slides:
Hook -> Problem -> Insight -> Solution -> Proof -> CTA
Fix the arc first, then split the content. With existing source material: slide 1 is the strongest hook (pain point, question, or surprising number), the middle slides carry proof and explanation, and the last slide carries a clear action.
2. Write the copy slide by slide
Each slide gets a headline (max 8 words), body (max 25 words), and visual direction. Copy is approved before any layout work begins.
3. Brief visual direction per slide
Never leave the designer guessing. Background colors come from the brand guideline: the hook and CTA slides use a dark or saturated ground ([primary color], or a gradient from [primary color] to [secondary color]) for contrast, while body slides use a light ground for breathing room.
