How to Make a LinkedIn Carousel in 2026 (Step by Step)

LinkedIn carousels - technically called document posts - are the highest-engagement format on the platform. Readers swipe through your slides, which keeps them on your post longer and signals to the algorithm that your content is worth showing to more people. The catch: most people think they need a designer or Canva skills to make one. You don't.

This guide walks you through the whole process, from picking an idea to uploading a finished PDF, in about ten minutes.

1. Start with one idea per carousel

The best carousels teach exactly one thing. Before you touch a design tool, write your takeaway in a single sentence: "Five hooks that stop the scroll" or "How I plan a week of content in 30 minutes." If you can't say it in one line, it's two carousels, not one.

2. Write the slides as plain text first

Write before you design. A strong carousel usually follows a simple arc:

• →Slide 1 - the hook: a bold promise or a sharp question.
• →Slides 2-8 - one point per slide, one line each. White space does the work.
• →Final slide - a clear call to action: follow, comment, or save.

3. Turn the text into slides

This is where a tool like Reathy saves you the design work. You paste your text, split slides with a line, pick a theme, and every slide is rendered for you - consistent fonts, spacing, and colors, no Figma required. You can add your name and handle so the carousel is branded, and drop in a background photo where it helps.

4. Export as a PDF and post it

LinkedIn document posts are PDFs. Export your carousel as a single PDF, then on LinkedIn choose "Add a document," upload the file, give it a short title, and publish. Post when your audience is active - for most B2B audiences that's weekday mornings.

5. Write a post caption that earns the swipe

The carousel does the teaching, but the caption earns the first tap. Repeat your hook, add one line of context, and end with a question. Don't put external links in the post body - LinkedIn suppresses reach on posts with outbound links, so save those for the comments.

Ready to make one?

You can build your first carousel free with Reathy - up to five slides per carousel and five carousels a day, no card needed. Write your idea, pick a theme, and export a ready-to-post PDF in minutes.