# Carousel Narratives

> Use when writing a multi-slide carousel post for Instagram, LinkedIn, or similar — for any niche or business — including repurposing scripts/blogs into slides or diagnosing low saves and swipe-through.

- **Type:** Skill
- **Install:** `agentstack add skill-yaxeen-storytelling-skills-carousel-narratives`
- **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior
- **Seller:** [yaxeen](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/yaxeen)
- **Installs:** 0
- **Category:** [Content & Media](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/content-and-media)
- **Latest version:** 0.1.0
- **License:** MIT
- **Upstream author:** [yaxeen](https://github.com/yaxeen)
- **Source:** https://github.com/yaxeen/storytelling-skills/tree/main/skills/carousel-narratives

## Install

```sh
agentstack add skill-yaxeen-storytelling-skills-carousel-narratives
```

Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent.

## About

# Carousel Narratives

- A carousel is a story told one swipe at a time. Each slide's only job is to make the thumb swipe to the next.
- Slide 1 is a hook (treat it like a thumbnail + title); the last slide is the bookend + call to action.
- Built on the six levers — see **storytelling-hooks**. Recap: 1. Curiosity gap · 2. Emotional mirror · 3. Conflict engine · 4. Relatability · 5. Pattern + surprise · 6. Three-act.

## When to Use

- Writing an Instagram or LinkedIn carousel (5–10 slides).
- Repurposing a video script, blog, or tip list into a swipeable post.
- Diagnosing a carousel with high reach but low saves/swipe-through.
- Any niche: education, business, design, finance, fitness, faith, personal brand.

## Generation Workflow

1. **Intake.** Confirm: exact audience, goal metric (saves / shares / comments / follows), platform(s), voice, and rough slide count. Ask if missing when the user can respond; otherwise state assumptions up front.
2. **Map.** Assign every idea to the slide map below. **One idea per slide wins over a shorter deck** — split a crowded slide rather than compress it (5–10 slides total).
3. **Write.** Deliver slide-by-slide: **slide text + visual direction** (layout intent, emphasis, swipe cue — not fonts/hex codes) for each slide, then the caption. Read **patterns.md** (same folder) for slide-1 hooks, transition loops, CTA lines, and caption openers — adapt, don't copy.
4. **Adapt per platform** (below) if posting to more than one.
5. **Check** against the checklist and say so.

## Platform Deltas (Instagram vs LinkedIn)

| | Instagram | LinkedIn |
|---|-----------|----------|
| Format | 4:5 (1080×1350) image slides | PDF document post, square or 4:5 |
| Text density | ~2-second skim per slide | Tolerates ~20–30% more text; add one supporting example |
| Tone | Casual, emoji fine | Peer-to-peer professional, minimal emoji |
| Best CTA | Save (reference value) | Comment — comments drive LinkedIn reach more than saves |
| Caption | Hook line + compressed story + 3–5 hashtags | First-person story opening; 2–3 hashtags max |

- Posting to both? Write **one core deck + a short adaptation layer** per platform (headline variant, CTA variant, density note, and its own caption + hashtags) — don't design twice.
- Slide count from a list: N items → N value beats + hook + stakes + payoff = **N + 3 slides**.

## Slide Map (Quick Reference)

| Slide | Role | Lever focus |
|-------|------|-------------|
| 1 | Hook — stop the scroll, open the loop | 1, 4, 2 |
| 2 | Stakes — why this matters to *you* | 3, 4 |
| 3–N−1 | Value beats — one idea per slide | 5, 6 |
| N | Payoff + CTA + bookend | 6, 1 |

## Slide 1: The Hook

- One bold idea, large readable text, minimal words.
- Open a curiosity gap wrapped in a relatable feeling — same job as a video hook.
- Add a swipe cue ("swipe →", an arrow, or a sentence that cuts off).
- Patterns: bold claim, surprising stat, "Stop doing X", "N mistakes that…", a question that's clearly "about me".

## Slide 2: The Stakes

- Convert the hook's gap into *personal* stakes: why this costs or blocks the reader specifically.
- Reframe the problem away from the reader's self-blame ("you're not underpaid because you lack skill — it's how you price").
- End on momentum into the first value beat.

## The Swipe-Momentum Rule

- **One idea per slide.** Two ideas = a reason to stop.
- End slides on a **mini open loop**: "...but there's a catch →".
- Keep each slide skimmable in ~2 seconds; the deck readable in ~15.
- Maintain a visual rhythm (consistent layout) so cognitive load stays low and the thumb keeps moving.

## The Middle (Value Beats)

- Each beat = a small three-act: claim → why → quick proof/example.
- Use **pattern + surprise** on at least one slide to create a memorable jolt.
- Order beats by rising value or rising tension; don't front-load the best and flatten after.
- Numbers and specifics make beats sharp ("cut 3 steps" > "simplify").

## Final Slide: Payoff + CTA

- Resolve the loop opened on slide 1 (bookend — echo the opening phrase/number).
- **One** CTA only: save, share, comment a keyword, or follow. Pick the action that fits the goal:
  - Save → reference/how-to value.
  - Share → relatable/identity statement.
  - Comment → a question or keyword prompt.
- Make the action effortless and explicit.

## Caption Pairing

- The caption is a second hook for the feed preview — open a loop in the first line.
- Expand the story the slides compressed; end with the same CTA as the last slide.

## Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| Two ideas squeezed onto one slide to keep the deck short | Split the slide — one idea per slide beats a shorter deck |
| Same deck posted identically to IG and LinkedIn | One core deck + per-platform adaptation layer |
| Slide text only, no visual direction | Every slide gets layout intent + emphasis + swipe cue |
| CTA chosen by habit ("follow!") | Match CTA to goal *and* platform (save on IG, comment on LinkedIn) |
| Caption written as an afterthought | First caption line is its own hook; caption expands what slides compressed |
| Best beat placed first, deck flattens after | Order beats by rising value or tension |

## Carousel Checklist

- [ ] Does slide 1 stop the scroll and open a loop in ~2 seconds?
- [ ] Exactly one idea per slide?
- [ ] Does each slide end on momentum toward the next swipe?
- [ ] At least one pattern-break beat in the middle?
- [ ] Final slide pays off slide 1 (bookend) + a single clear CTA?
- [ ] First caption line is its own hook?
- If swipe-through is low: slide 1 is weak or a middle slide stalls — find the slide that closes a loop without opening one.

## Related

- **storytelling-hooks** — the six levers (read for depth).
- **email-hooks** — the same loop logic for inboxes.

## Source & license

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

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

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

## Pricing

- **Free** — Free

## Security capabilities

Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access:

- **Network access:** no
- **Filesystem access:** no
- **Shell / process execution:** no
- **Environment & secrets:** no
- **Dynamic code execution:** no

*"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.*


## Versions

- **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source.

## Links

- Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-yaxeen-storytelling-skills-carousel-narratives
- Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/yaxeen
- Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse

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