Linkedin Carousel Handwritten

LinkedIn Carousel — Handwritten Weekly Post

Goal

Turn one technical lesson, methodology, or system Dhruv has shipped in production into a complete LinkedIn carousel post that:

1. Stops the scroll on the first slide
2. Holds dwell time across all 7 slides
3. Converts comments into qualified DMs
4. Builds the AIwithDhruv brand library week over week
5. Compounds via cross-posting to X, Instagram, YouTube

Every output of this skill follows the SAME visual + structural pattern — that's how the channel develops a recognizable rhythm. Audience starts to anticipate the format.

---

When to Invoke

Trigger phrases from Dhruv:

• "Write a LinkedIn carousel about [topic]"
• "Make this a weekly carousel post"
• "Turn this methodology into a notebook carousel"
• "Build the Sunday/Tuesday post"
• "Use the carousel skill"

Default cadence: once per week, posted Tuesday or Wednesday at 9-10 AM IST.

---

Series Identity (Locked)

| Field | Value | |------|------| | Series name | Build-in-Public Diaries — Notebook Edition | | Episode prefix | Diary #N (continuous numbering across all carousels) | | Cadence | 1 per week, Tuesday OR Wednesday, 9-10 AM IST | | Slide count | 7 (algorithm-optimal — outperforms 5 slides by 18%) | | Aspect | 4:5 vertical for each slide | | Format | Upload as PDF document post (LinkedIn renders as native carousel — gets 6.6% engagement, highest format) | | Voice | First-person from Dhruv ("I shipped", "we built", "what I learned") | | Brand palette | Black marker + cyan #00D4FF + yellow highlighter + pastel sticky notes (yellow, light blue, pink, light green, light purple) | | Style anchor | Real notebook page on wooden desk — photo of a real whiteboard, NOT digital illustration |

---

The Proven 7-Slide Formula

Each slide has a single job. Don't blur the jobs.

| # | Slide Job | What's On It | Visual Hero | |---|-----------|--------------|-------------| | 1 | Hook + Thesis | Title, subtitle, 3 thesis statements, "what fails / what ships" two-column, swipe arrow | Big bold title + cyan-underlined thesis boxes | | 2 | The Framework | The N-step methodology as a flow diagram (boxes connected by arrows) | Horizontal flow with arrows | | 3 | The Workflow | The N-gate / N-rule workflow that runs every commit/task | Horizontal arrow with vertical gates/checkpoints | | 4 | The Team / Stack | The N-agent or N-tool architecture as an org chart or constellation | Org chart or constellation diagram | | 5 | The Proof | One real shipped example with timeline + outcome + numbers | Mini-timeline with checkmarks + outcome box | | 6 | The Lesson | One sentence everyone can take away + "what to do next" | Big quote-style lesson + one action item | | 7 | CTA | Comment FRAMEWORK + Follow + Share — with author signature | Big "COMMENT → FRAMEWORK" hero box + arrow + author Polaroid |

Why 7 slides: LinkedIn 2026 algorithm rewards 7-slide carousels with 18% more reach than other lengths. Each swipe = dwell time = distribution. Slides 5 and 6 are the algorithm boost vs the 5-slide version — they keep viewers swiping past the danger zone (35% click-through penalty if they drop off too early).

Word count rule: ≤30 words per slide. The notebook style + sticky notes carry the visual story.

---

Required Inputs (Ask Before Drafting)

If any are missing, ASK Dhruv before generating anything:

1. Topic / lesson — what one thing has he shipped that he wants to teach?
2. Episode number — check the running count (default: next sequential)
3. The thesis — 3 honest statements about what fails vs what ships
4. The methodology — the N-step framework (e.g., 6-phase build)
5. The workflow — the N-rule/N-gate system that enforces it
6. The team / stack — the N-agent or N-tool architecture
7. A real shipped example — with a real timeline + real outcome (not hypothetical)
8. The lesson — one sentence anyone can apply
9. The CTA word — what should commenters write to trigger the DM? (default: "FRAMEWORK")
10. Public revenue numbers OK? — default NO unless explicit opt-in

Don't fabricate. If the example doesn't exist, ask for one. Honesty is the brand.

---

Style Constants (NEVER Change These)

This block goes at the top of EVERY slide prompt. Identical across all 7 slides — that's how the carousel feels like one notebook.

═══════ STYLE CONSTANTS — APPLY TO EVERY SLIDE ═══════

Hand-drawn whiteboard infographic on white lined notebook paper, sitting on a natural wooden desk surface visible at the edges. Black marker lines, cyan (#00D4FF) marker highlights, yellow highlighter on key numbers. Real marker ink texture, natural paper grain. Photo of a real whiteboard after a brainstorming session. 4:5 aspect ratio for LinkedIn carousel.

PAPER + SURFACE:
- White lined notebook paper, subtle horizontal lines visible
- Spiral notebook ring binding visible along the LEFT EDGE of the paper
- Natural wooden desk grain visible at all four edges of the paper
- Slight paper texture, subtle natural shadow on right edge

PALETTE (strict — never deviate):
- Black marker for text and outlines
- Cyan #00D4FF for headers, underlines, brand elements, checkmarks, key terms
- Yellow highlighter for numbers and stats
- Pastel sticky notes — yellow (hero feature), light blue (tech/skills), pink (data/memory/persistence), light green (products/quantity), light purple (integrations/connections)

BRANDING (required in 3+ spots on EVERY slide):
1. TOP-RIGHT: "AiwithDhruv" in bold cyan marker inside a hand-drawn rounded rectangle badge with rough edges
2. CENTER: faint diagonal "AiwithDhruv" watermark in light grey marker across the page (very subtle, doesn't compete with content)
3. BOTTOM-RIGHT: "AiwithDhruv" with cyan lightning bolt + "AD" monogram inside a hand-drawn circle + "@aiwithdhruv · github.com/aiagentwithdhruv"

AMBIENT DETAILS (every slide gets these):
- Subtle coffee ring stain somewhere on the page
- Paper clip or piece of tape on 1-2 sticky notes
- Blue ballpoint pen lying diagonally across the wooden desk at one edge
- Small marker doodle stars and tiny arrow doodles in empty whitespace
- Slight eraser smudge in one margin
- Slightly imperfect handwriting — readable but real

ANTI-PATTERNS (never do these — break any one and the slide loses authenticity):
- NO computer/digital fonts — every word hand-drawn
- NO Canva-template look or polished marketing-design feel
- NO graphic-design slide aesthetic
- NO stock-photo people, clipart, emoji, 3D rendered elements
- NO portraits except on Slide 7 (the CTA slide), and only as a small Polaroid taped to the page
- NO color outside the palette above
- NEVER use the word "infographic" anywhere visible (triggers digital look)
- NO Photoshop-perfect sticky notes — they must look like real physical sticky notes photographed on the page (slight curl at corners, real shadow, random tilt 4-10°)
- NO computer icons — every icon hand-sketched with marker
- NO portraits or faces unless explicitly listed in the slide
- NO empty mockups — every visual element has content inside

═══════ END STYLE CONSTANTS ═══════

---

Per-Slide Prompt Templates

Replace everything in [BRACKETS] with topic-specific content. Each prompt below is COMPLETE and self-contained — paste with the Style Constants block above.

Slide 1 — Hook + Thesis

[paste STYLE CONSTANTS]

═══ SLIDE 1 OF 7 — HOOK + THESIS ═══

=== TOP TITLE BAR ===
Hand-written bold title across the top, large lettering: "[TITLE — ALL CAPS, 4-6 WORDS MAX]"
Below it, smaller handwritten subtitle: "[SUBTITLE — proof line, e.g., 'Notes from 20+ shipped systems']"
Bold cyan marker underline stroke under the title.
TOP-RIGHT: "AiwithDhruv" cyan badge + "Diary #[N]" written below in small handwriting.

=== CENTER — "THE THESIS" (largest section, takes the middle of the page) ===
Header: "THE THESIS" with a hand-drawn circle around it, slightly oval and imperfect.

Three stacked truth statements, each inside a hand-drawn box with a small bullet circle in front:

Box 1 (top): "[THESIS STATEMENT 1 — what's broken]"
   — Cyan marker underline under the strongest 2-3 words
   — Small sketched [ICON] doodle next to it

Box 2 (middle): "[THESIS STATEMENT 2 — the contrast]"
   — Yellow highlighter rectangle behind the entire phrase
   — Small sketched [ICON] doodle

Box 3 (bottom): "[THESIS STATEMENT 3 — the punchline]"
   — Cyan marker underline under the strongest 2-3 words
   — Tiny sketched [ICON] doodle

Below the three boxes, a hand-drawn arrow pointing right with handwritten label: "what actually ships →"

=== LEFT COLUMN — "WHAT FAILS" ===
Header: "WHAT FAILS" inside a hand-drawn box
A short hand-drawn checklist with X marks next to each, and small sketched icons:
   ✗ [Failure mode 1]    (small sketched icon)
   ✗ [Failure mode 2]    (small sketched icon)
   ✗ [Failure mode 3]    (small sketched icon)
   ✗ [Failure mode 4]    (small sketched icon)
   ✗ [Failure mode 5]    (small sketched icon)

=== RIGHT COLUMN — "WHAT SHIPS" ===
Header: "WHAT SHIPS" inside a hand-drawn box
A short hand-drawn checklist with cyan checkmarks next to each, and small sketched icons:
   ✓ [Working pattern 1]    (small sketched icon)
   ✓ [Working pattern 2]    (small sketched icon)
   ✓ [Working pattern 3]    (small sketched icon)
   ✓ [Working pattern 4]    (small sketched icon)
   ✓ [Working pattern 5]    (small sketched icon)

=== FLASH CARDS scattered around like sticky notes, tilted at slight angles 4-10° ===

YELLOW sticky note (upper-left edge, tape on top edge):
"[BIG STAT]"
"[short context]"
"[scope]"
Small star doodle.

LIGHT BLUE sticky note (right margin, paper clip on top-left):
"[FRAMEWORK SIZE]"
"[license/access]"
"[what's inside]"
Small sketched .md document icon.

PINK sticky note (near bottom-left of thesis):
"[PROOF POINT]"
"[why it matters]"
"[scale]"
Small sketched icon.

LIGHT GREEN sticky note (near right side bottom):
"[OUTCOME]"
"[time to value]"
"[before vs after]"
Small sketched rocket doodle.

=== BOTTOM CENTER — Stats Row ===
Three items in a row, each with a hand-drawn circle around the number and yellow highlighter behind:
"[STAT 1]"     "[STAT 2]"     "[STAT 3]"
Small star doodles around each stat.

=== BOTTOM LEFT — Mini preview flow ===
A small hand-drawn process arrow showing the framework end-to-end:
"[Step 1]" → "[Step 2]" → "[Step 3]" → "[Step 4]" → "[Step 5]" → "[Step 6]" → "SHIP"
Each label inside a small box with hand-drawn arrows between them. Cyan marker underline under the most important step.

=== BOTTOM RIGHT — Author + Branding ===
"AiwithDhruv" with cyan lightning bolt
"@aiwithdhruv  ·  github.com/aiagentwithdhruv"
"AD" monogram in a hand-drawn circle
Tiny "→ swipe for the system" with a small sketched arrow

=== STYLE — CRITICAL ===
Real black marker on white paper. Slight messiness. Authentic notebook page. Title must be unmistakably readable on a phone screen at thumbnail size (200px wide). Apply all STYLE CONSTANTS above. Apply all ANTI-PATTERNS above. Photo of a real whiteboard, NOT digital illustration.

---

Slide 2 — The Framework (Methodology)

[paste STYLE CONSTANTS]

═══ SLIDE 2 OF 7 — THE FRAMEWORK ═══

=== TOP TITLE BAR ===
Hand-written bold title: "[FRAMEWORK NAME, e.g., 'THE 6-PHASE BUILD']"
Below it, smaller handwritten subtitle: "[one-line consequence, e.g., 'skip a phase = the bug ships']"
Cyan marker underline under the title.
TOP-RIGHT: "AiwithDhruv" cyan badge + "Slide 2 of 7" written below.

=== CENTER — THE FLOW (largest section) ===
[N] hand-drawn boxes connected left-to-right by hand-drawn arrows, like a process flow diagram. Each box hand-drawn with imperfect edges. Arrows sketched freehand with arrowheads.

Box 1: "[STEP 1]"
Box 2: "[STEP 2]"
Box 3: "[STEP 3]"
[continue for all N steps]
Cyan marker underline under the most critical box.

Below the row of boxes, a hand-drawn arrow continues right to:
"→ SHIP" (with a small hand-sketched rocket doodle and yellow highlighter behind "SHIP")

=== LEFT COLUMN — "WHY THIS ORDER?" ===
Header: "WHY THIS ORDER?" inside a hand-drawn box
[N] handwritten reasons, each with a small dash and a tiny sketched icon:
   — [Step 1] kills "[failure mode 1]"    (sketched icon)
   — [Step 2] kills "[failure mode 2]"    (sketched icon)
   [continue for all N]

=== RIGHT COLUMN — "REAL EXAMPLE" ===
Header: "REAL EXAMPLE: [PROJECT NAME]" inside a hand-drawn box
A small hand-drawn timeline showing a real shipped project:
   ✓ [Step 1] → [duration]
   ✓ [Step 2] → [duration]
   [continue for all N steps]
Below the checklist: small sketched output box labeled "PROD ✓" with yellow highlighter.

=== FLASH CARDS scattered (3-4 sticky notes) ===
[See Slide 1 template for color guide and tilt rules]
Each flash card adds context, doesn't repeat content.

=== BOTTOM CENTER — Stats Row ===
"[Stat 1]"     "[Stat 2]"     "[Stat 3]"
Yellow highlighter behind each, hand-drawn circles around numbers.

=== BOTTOM RIGHT — Branding ===
[Standard branding block — see STYLE CONSTANTS]
Tiny "→ swipe for the workflow" with a small sketched arrow

=== STYLE — CRITICAL ===
Apply all STYLE CONSTANTS. The N boxes must be visually clear and readable on a phone at thumbnail size. The most critical box stands out via cyan underline. Real marker, not digital.

---

Slide 3 — The Workflow (Gates / Rules)

[paste STYLE CONSTANTS]

═══ SLIDE 3 OF 7 — THE WORKFLOW ═══

=== TOP TITLE BAR ===
Hand-written bold title: "[WORKFLOW NAME, e.g., 'THE 5 ANTI-DRIFT GATES']"
Below it, smaller handwritten subtitle: "[one-line rule, e.g., 'every commit passes all 5 — in order — no exceptions']"
Cyan marker underline under the title.
TOP-RIGHT: "AiwithDhruv" cyan badge + "Slide 3 of 7" written below.

=== CENTER — THE GATE FLOW (largest section) ===
A long horizontal hand-drawn arrow running LEFT to RIGHT across the middle.
LEFT label: "[STARTING STATE, e.g., 'TASK START']"
RIGHT label: "[ENDING STATE, e.g., 'MAIN BRANCH']" (with a small sketched flag icon)

[N] hand-drawn vertical gate-shapes (simple fence posts or door-frames) drawn over the arrow at evenly-spaced intervals. Each gate numbered 1-N with its name written above:

GATE 1: "[GATE NAME 1]"
GATE 2: "[GATE NAME 2]"
[continue for all N]

Each gate number has a cyan marker circle around it.

=== LEFT COLUMN — "WHAT EACH GATE CHECKS" ===
Header: "WHAT EACH GATE CHECKS" inside a hand-drawn box
[N] short rule blocks with a small sketched icon next to each:
   1. [GATE NAME]   (icon)
      "[rule 1] · [rule 2] · [rule 3]"
   [continue for all N]

=== RIGHT COLUMN — "WHEN A GATE FAILS" ===
Header: "WHEN A GATE FAILS" inside a hand-drawn box
A small hand-drawn flowchart:
   "Gate FAILS"
        ↓
   "STOP. fix. re-run."
        ↓
   "log to errors.md"   (cyan underline)
        ↓
   "1 rule born"        (yellow highlight)
Below: "[the system gets stronger every failure — or your version of this lesson]"

=== FLASH CARDS scattered (3-4 sticky notes, see color guide) ===

=== BOTTOM CENTER — Stats Row ===
"[Stat 1]"     "[Stat 2]"     "[Stat 3]"

=== BOTTOM RIGHT — Branding ===
[Standard branding block]
Tiny "→ swipe for the team" with a small sketched arrow

=== STYLE — CRITICAL ===
Horizontal arrow with N numbered gates is the visual hero. Must read like a process timeline an engineer would sketch. Gates = simple hand-drawn fence posts over the arrow line, NOT digital icons.

---

Slide 4 — The Team / Stack (Architecture)

[paste STYLE CONSTANTS]

═══ SLIDE 4 OF 7 — THE TEAM / STACK ═══

=== TOP TITLE BAR ===
Hand-written bold title: "[STACK NAME, e.g., 'THE 7-AGENT STACK']"
Below it, smaller handwritten subtitle: "[one-line rule, e.g., 'hard role boundaries · zero overlap · no agent merges to main']"
Cyan marker underline under the title.
TOP-RIGHT: "AiwithDhruv" cyan badge + "Slide 4 of 7" written below.

=== CENTER — THE ORG CHART / CONSTELLATION (largest section) ===
A hand-drawn org chart (if hierarchical)

…

## Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [aiagentwithdhruv](https://github.com/aiagentwithdhruv)
- **Source:** [aiagentwithdhruv/skills](https://github.com/aiagentwithdhruv/skills)
- **License:** MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.