ChatGPT Prompts for Instagram Carousel Posts: 25 Prompts to Copy

The Help Center and the developer reference disagree on the tallest shape: the app keeps 3:4, publishing tools stop at 4:5.

• 0. Carousel Rules for the Whole Chat

  Prompt: "You are helping me write Instagram carousels for [account name], which posts about [subject] for [audience]. Follow these rules in every carousel in this chat. A carousel has [7] slides unless I say otherwise. Slide 1 is the cover: a headline of 10 words or fewer that makes one specific promise. Middle slides carry one idea each: a headline of 8 words or fewer and at most 25 words of body text. The last slide asks the reader to do one thing. Plain words, second person, no emojis, no hashtags on slides, no dashes. Never invent numbers, quotes, studies or customers; write [number] where a figure is needed. Return every carousel as a table with columns Slide, Headline, Body, Visual." What it produces: a confirmation, then every later answer as a table you can paste into a design tool, at a length that fits a phone screen.

• 1. Ten Cover Headlines From One Topic

  Prompt: "Write 10 cover headlines for an Instagram carousel about [topic] for [audience]. Use five patterns, two of each: a number and a result, a mistake to avoid, a question the reader already asks, a before and after, and a bold but true statement. Each 10 words or fewer. Then tell me which two you would pick and why, in one sentence each." What it produces: ten headlines in pairs by pattern and a short recommendation. Pick the one that names a result your reader can picture.

• 2. Cover Headline Plus Subline

  Prompt: "For a carousel titled [working title], write 5 versions of the cover. Each has a headline of up to 8 words and a subline of up to 12 words that says who it is for or what they get. The subline must add information, not repeat the headline." What it produces: five pairs. The subline carries "for busy parents" or "in 5 minutes a day", which keeps the headline short enough to read at a glance.

• 3. Hooks Written From a Comment or Question

  Prompt: "Here are real questions my followers asked: [paste 3 to 10 comments or DMs]. Turn each into a carousel cover headline that answers the question in the reader's own words, under 10 words. Do not add facts that are not in the questions." What it produces: one cover per question, in your audience's vocabulary. The demand is proven before you design anything.

• 4. Stop Scrolling Test for a Cover

  Prompt: "Here is my carousel cover: [headline and subline]. Pretend you are [audience] scrolling fast. In three short lines tell me what you think the carousel will teach you, whether you would swipe, and what one change would make you more likely to. Then rewrite the cover with that change." What it produces: a reader's view and one improved version. If the model's guess about what the carousel teaches is wrong, the cover is unclear.

• 5. Rough Notes to a Seven Slide Outline

  Prompt: "Turn these notes into a 7 slide Instagram carousel for [audience]: [paste notes]. Slide 1 is the cover, slides 2 to 6 carry one point each in the order a beginner needs them, slide 7 asks the reader to [save the post or follow or try the app]. Use only what is in my notes. If something important is missing, list it under the table as a question for me instead of filling it in." What it produces: a slide table built only from your material, plus a list of gaps, which stops ChatGPT padding with advice you never gave.

• 6. Blog Post to Carousel

  Prompt: "Here is a blog post: [paste text]. Make an 8 slide Instagram carousel from it. Put the post's most useful point on slide 2, not slide 7. Cut every example except the best one. Each middle slide gets a headline of 8 words or fewer and at most 20 words of body text. Add a Visual column saying what image or screenshot each slide needs." What it produces: the post compressed to eight slides with a shot list. Long articles often hold two carousels; ask what the second one would be.

• 7. Video or Podcast Transcript to Carousel

  Prompt: "This is a transcript of my [video or podcast]: [paste transcript]. Find the three moments a viewer would most want to save. Make a 6 slide carousel around them, quoting my own words where they are short and clear. Mark each quote with its timestamp." What it produces: a carousel built from your best moments, with timestamps so you can check every quote against the recording.

• 8. Change the Slide Count Without Losing the Point

  Prompt: "Here is my carousel: [paste table]. Rewrite it as [5] slides. Merge points that overlap, drop the weakest one, and keep the cover and the last slide's request. Show which slides were merged or dropped." What it produces: a shorter version and a change list. A model asked for 12 slides will usually stretch five ideas to fill them, so cut rather than pad.

• 9. How To Carousel in Numbered Steps

  Prompt: "Write a how to carousel: how to [task] in [number] steps, for someone who has never done it. Slide 1: the cover with the number of steps and the result. One step per slide, each starting with a verb, with one line on what success looks like. Last slide: a recap of all steps in one line each, so the reader can save it." What it produces: a numbered tutorial with a recap slide, which is the slide people return to after saving.

• 10. Listicle of Tools, Tips or Ideas

  Prompt: "Write a listicle carousel: [number] [tips or tools or ideas] for [audience] who want [result]. One item per slide with a short name and one sentence on when to use it, ordered from easiest to most effort. No general truisms such as be consistent. If you cannot reach [number] specific items, give fewer." What it produces: a ranked list of specific items. Allowing fewer items is what stops the list padding itself to your number.

• 11. Before and After Carousel

  Prompt: "Write a before and after carousel about [what changed, such as my morning routine or our onboarding screen]. Slide 1: the cover naming the change. Slides 2 and 3: the before and what was wrong with it. Slides 4 and 5: the after and what is different. Slide 6: what caused the change. Slide 7: a question about the reader's own before. Use [number] where a result needs a real figure." What it produces: paired before and after slides. Design each pair with the same layout and crop so readers compare the content only.

• 12. Mistakes and Fixes

  Prompt: "Write a carousel of [6] mistakes [audience] make with [topic]. Each middle slide has the mistake as the headline, in the words the reader would use for their own habit, and the fix as one action they can take today. Last slide: ask which mistake they are fixing first." What it produces: mistake and fix pairs. A mistake with no fix reads as a complaint, so the prompt forces both.

• 13. Myth Versus Fact

  Prompt: "Write a myth versus fact carousel on [topic]. For each of [4] myths, one slide states the myth and the fact in one sentence each. Under the table, list for each fact the kind of source I should check it against, such as an official help page or a published study. Do not state any statistic." What it produces: myth and fact slides plus a list of where to verify each fact. Check every one before you design.

• 14. App Update Carousel From Release Notes

  Prompt: "Here are the release notes for [app name] version [number]: [paste notes]. Write a 6 slide Instagram carousel for people who already use the app. Slide 1: the version and the change they will notice first. Slides 2 to 5: one change each, benefit first, then where to find it. Slide 6: update from the App Store, and which change did they want most. Add a Visual column naming the screen each slide shows." What it produces: an update announcement with a shot list; for Streakly 2.4 the cover might read "Your Streak Now Survives a Sick Day". More wording is in the app update announcement examples.

• 15. One Feature Explained in Five Slides

  Prompt: "Explain one feature of [app name], [feature], as a 5 slide carousel. Slide 1: the problem it solves, as the question a user would ask. Slides 2 to 4: the three taps to use it, one per slide, naming the exact button. Slide 5: the result and where to get the app. Nothing about other features." What it produces: a short tutorial with button names spelled out, ready for one screenshot per step. A second feature is a second carousel.

• 16. Review Carousel From App Store Reviews

  Prompt: "Here are App Store reviews of [app name] that the reviewers agreed I can share: [paste reviews with each reviewer's chosen name]. Pick the [4] that each give a different reason people use the app. One review per slide, shortened only by cutting words, never by changing them. Add a cover saying what the reviews have in common and a last slide asking readers to try the app." What it produces: a review carousel that quotes people accurately. Ask permission before quoting, and never let the model rewrite a quote.

• 17. What We Learned From Our Ratings

  Prompt: "[App name] just reached [number] ratings with an average of [rating]. Here are the themes in our reviews: [paste themes]. Write a 7 slide carousel: the milestone, what users praise most, where they got stuck and what we changed, the most requested feature and its status, one thing we decided not to build and why, and a thank you. Use only the numbers I gave you." What it produces: a milestone post that reads as honest because it includes what went wrong.

• 18. Screenshot Walkthrough for a New User

  Prompt: "I will describe [number] screens of [app name] in the order a new user sees them: [describe each screen]. Write one slide per screen with a headline saying what the user can do there and a body line under 15 words. Add a cover for people who have not downloaded the app and a last slide with the name to search for on the App Store." What it produces: a first run tour to lay over real screenshots. The App Store screenshot sizes guide has the export sizes that stay sharp in a frame.

• 19. Caption That Adds to the Slides

  Prompt: "Here is my carousel: [paste table]. Write the Instagram caption. First line: a sentence under 125 characters that makes someone tap more, not a repeat of the cover. Then 2 to 4 short lines of context the slides do not have, such as why I made it. End with one question that is easy to answer in a comment. No emojis, under 600 characters." What it produces: a caption that adds to the slides instead of summarizing them, well inside the 2,200 character limit.

• 20. Five Hashtags, Chosen Not Stuffed

  Prompt: "Suggest hashtags for this carousel: [topic and audience]. Give me 5 in total: 2 broad tags for the subject, 2 specific tags a person interested in exactly this would follow, and 1 for my own account or series. Explain each in a few words." What it produces: five hashtags with reasons. The Instagram Help Center says you can use up to 5 tags on a post, so prompt lists that still ask for 30 are out of date.

• 21. Alt Text for Every Slide

  Prompt: "Write alt text for each slide of this carousel: [paste table with the Visual column]. For each slide, one or two sentences that include the slide's words and describe the image for someone using a screen reader. Do not start with image of." What it produces: alt text per slide. Instagram's alt text page says automatic alt text uses object recognition and that you can replace it under Accessibility, which matters most on slides that are mostly words.

• 22. Caption Variants for Testing

  Prompt: "Write 3 different first lines for this caption: [paste caption]. One opens with a question, one with a specific detail from slide [number], one with the result the reader gets. Keep the rest the same." What it produces: three openings to rotate when you repost the carousel or reuse it on Facebook. Change one thing at a time so you know what made the difference.

• 23. Cut Every Slide to Fit a Phone

  Prompt: "Here is my carousel: [paste table]. Cut every body line to 20 words or fewer without losing its point. Replace any word a 12 year old would not know. Show the word count for each slide after your edit." What it produces: tighter slides with word counts, so you see which one still runs long. As a rule of thumb, text large enough to read on a phone leaves room for 20 to 30 words on a 1080 x 1350 slide.

• 24. Consistency and Fact Check

  Prompt: "Check this carousel: [paste table]. List every number, name, quote and claim, and mark each as from my notes, general knowledge or invented by you. Then check that the slides deliver the cover's promise, that the count on the cover matches the real count, and that the last slide asks for exactly one thing." What it produces: an audit of every claim. Delete anything marked invented and look up anything marked general knowledge.

• 25. Write the Last Slide Three Ways

  Prompt: "Write 3 versions of the last slide for this carousel: [paste table]. One asks people to save it, one asks for a comment answering a specific question, one sends them to [link in bio or the app]. Each under 15 words. Tell me which fits the goal of [goal]." What it produces: three closing slides tied to one goal. A last slide that asks for a save, a follow and a click at once gets none of them.

Prompt 21 then wrote the alt text and prompt 19 the caption, in the same chat.

Run prompt 0 first in the same chat so every idea comes back as a slide table.

1. Step 1

   Finish the Text in the Chat First

   Run prompt 0 and the carousel prompt you need, edit the table in the chat and move to Canva only when every headline is final. Keep the Visual column, so you know which screenshot or photo goes on each slide.

2. Step 2

   Start From a Carousel Template at 1080 x 1350

   Search Canva for Carousel and choose a template whose structure matches your outline, not just its look. Canva's guide gives 1080 x 1350 for the vertical Instagram feed. Add or delete pages until the count matches your table, and remove any hidden extra slides the template keeps at the end.

3. Step 3

   Paste One Row per Page

   Copy each headline and body line into the matching text boxes. To swap the template's photos, tap an image, choose Replace, then Replace multiple to fill every placeholder in one pass.

4. Step 4

   Set the Font Once for Every Slide

   Tap a text box, open Font, pick your brand font and choose Change all, which applies it across the whole design. Set your brand colors the same way, so slide 6 looks like slide 1.

5. Step 5

   Check the Order in Grid View

   On a phone, pinch the screen to see every page at once and drag slides into a new order. Read from the cover to the last slide and delete any slide that does not move the story forward.

6. Step 6

   Export PNG or Share Directly

   Choose Export, then PNG for picture carousels or MP4 if a slide holds video. You can also share straight to Instagram after connecting your account the first time.

• Image Prompt A. Lock the Style Before Any Slide

  Prompt: "Before you make an image, write a style sheet for this carousel that you will repeat word for word in every image prompt: background color as a hex code, one font style in words, text color, where the headline sits, margins and what never appears. Portrait, 4:5. Show me the style sheet, not an image." What it produces: a fixed description to paste into each slide request, the most dependable way to keep slide 5 looking like slide 1.

• Image Prompt B. The Cover Slide

  Prompt: "Using the style sheet, make slide 1. Headline, exactly: [headline]. Subline, exactly: [subline]. Spell every word as written, add no other text and keep all text inside the middle 80 percent of the width." What it produces: a cover whose words survive the profile grid crop. Check every letter; OpenAI's guide still names precise text placement as a weak point.

• Image Prompt C. A Content Slide That Matches

  Prompt: "Same style sheet, slide [number] of [total]. Headline, exactly: [headline]. Body, exactly: [body]. Same layout as the previous slide, only the words change. A small page number in the bottom right." What it produces: the next slide in the series. If the look drifts, paste the style sheet again instead of describing the change.

• Image Prompt D. A Background Without Text

  Prompt: "Using the style sheet, make a background for the content slides with no text at all: the color, one quiet shape in a top corner and an empty area for a headline and three lines of body." What it produces: a plain background to drop into Canva or Keynote, where you type the words yourself. For text heavy carousels, a generated background with real type gives the cleanest result.

1. Step 1

   Check the Files

   Same size for every slide, 1080 pixels wide, numbered in order. A slide of a different shape is cropped to the orientation of the whole post.

2. Step 2

   Select Up to 20 Slides

   Choose Create, then Post, and select multiple photos. Drag to reorder before you continue, then pick portrait once for all slides.

3. Step 3

   Add Alt Text and the Caption

   Open Accessibility to write alt text per photo, paste the caption with its five hashtags, and tag people on the slides where they appear. One caption and one location cover the whole post.

4. Step 4

   Share and Check the Grid

   Open your profile and look at the cover at 3:4. If text is cut, Planoly's grid guide describes Adjust Preview in the post's three dot menu. You can reorder or remove slides later but not add new ones.

• One Promise on the Cover

  Name a result the reader can picture, and keep the headline inside the area the 3:4 grid crop leaves.

• One Idea per Slide

  If a slide needs two headlines, it is two slides. Canva's carousel guide makes the same point: when too much competes on one slide, people scroll past.

• Same Layout, Different Words

  Keep the headline position, margins and font identical on every middle slide, so the eye only reads what changed.

• Show How Far Along They Are

  A small page number such as 3 of 7 tells readers how much is left before the end.

• A Last Slide Worth Saving

  A recap or checklist is the slide people come back to after saving, so end on one.

• A Caption the Slides Do Not Repeat

  One caption covers the whole post. Use it for context, such as why you made the carousel, and keep to five hashtags.

• Read It on a Phone

  Look at every slide on a phone at arm's length before sharing. If you have to squint, cut words.

• Resources

  Claude Prompts for Social Media

  Thirty copy ready Claude prompts for brand voice, post ideas, captions per network, carousels, hooks, replies, export analysis, a weekly review and an audit.

• Resources

  App Launch Checklist

  60 tasks from eight weeks before launch to day 30, each with why it matters and where to do it.

• Resources

  App Store Screenshot Sizes

  Every screenshot and app preview size for the App Store and Google Play, in pixels, with what is required.

• Use cases

  SaaS Products With an iOS App

  Each new version of your iOS app becomes a product update post on LinkedIn and 7 other networks.

• Tools

  Threads MCP Server

  Post to Threads from Claude or ChatGPT: the Threads API limits, four GitHub servers and their token chores, hosted options, and how Spreadcast designs the post and saves it as a draft.

• Alternatives

  Spreadcast vs Canva

  Canva is the editor you design in. Spreadcast designs your app's posts and publishes them for you. Prices and limits for both.