Carousel post

Pick a carousel when people will want to come back to the content: a recipe, a method in steps, a comparison, a checklist, a before and after. Each swipe tells Instagram the post is holding attention, and Instagram may show the post again, opening on slide 2, to people who scrolled past it: slide 2 needs its own pull.

A single surprising claim, or anything that has to be seen moving, works better filmed: point the user to reel-script instead.

1. Plan the slides

Aim for five to ten. Saypage publishes up to 10 images per post (the Instagram app takes 20, which very few ideas fill).

• Slide 1, the cover: a promise of eight words at most, big enough to read in the grid.
• Slide 2: the reason to care, in a sentence. Someone may see this slide first.
• The middle: one point each, a short headline and no more than about 30 words below it. When the text runs longer, give it a second slide.
• Second to last: everything on one slide, the version people screenshot or save.
• Last: a single action: save, send to a friend, or comment a keyword.

Small touches that help: a "4/8" counter so people know how far they are, and the handle in a corner of every slide, since screenshots get shared without the caption. Use only the quantities, prices, steps and results the user gave.

Before any image exists, show the copy as a numbered list and let the user change it.

2. Size and layout

• 1080×1350 px (4:5) for every slide. It is the tallest feed format; Saypage crops feed images outside 4:5 to 1.91:1, and Instagram gives every slide the first one's shape.
• The profile grid shows posts in a 3:4 frame, which shaves a little off each side of a 4:5 image: leave at least 60 px between the cover's text and its left and right edges.
• On a phone the slide shrinks to about a third: keep text at 40 px or more. One accent color, and the user's own fonts and colors when they have a brand.
• Prepare one alt text per slide (alt_texts, in slide order).

3. Make the images

• With a shell (assistants that can run commands): one HTML section per slide at 1080×1350 px, rendered to PNG or JPEG with headless Chrome or whatever is installed, then each file uploaded with start_image_upload and confirm_image_upload.
• In chat apps: the user designs the slides in their usual tool (or picks photos) and adds them through the link from request_upload_link; list_images then gives each one's reference.
• JPEG, PNG or WebP, up to 5 MB each.

4. Check, then publish if asked

1. preview_instagram_post with the slides in order, and look at each one as Instagram will receive it. A cut headline or face: change fit, or use pad.
2. Write the caption with instagram-caption. On a carousel the caption's first line does the hooking, because the cover has only a few words.
3. Publishing needs can_publish_posts in get_account; it is optional and off by default. With it on: prepare_instagram_post (kind: "feed", images, caption, alt_texts), show the user the slides and final caption, and call publish_instagram_post once they say go. Otherwise the user posts from the app.
4. When the last slide asks for a keyword, set up the automation that answers it (the saypage skill), with the user's approval.

Output

CAROUSEL  ·  7 slides  ·  1080×1350

1  COVER    Sourdough in 5 steps
2  WHY      No stand mixer, no fancy flour, 24 hours start to finish.
3           1. Feed the starter the night before
...
6  ALL-IN-ONE  The 5 steps on one slide
7  ASK      Comment BREAD and I'll send you the printable recipe.

Caption: hook in the first line, one ask, 3 hashtags (instagram-caption)