Social media carousel structure: a slide-by-slide script

A social media carousel organizes an explanation into slides that are read in order. Before designing it, write down what the reader should be able to do by the end. That action helps you choose the opening, steps and ending.

For this example, the action is sharing a draft in Google Drive to receive comments. The sequence moves from choosing access to sending a link the other person can use. It is an editorial proposal based on Google’s help documentation, not a post whose performance we have measured.

A full script, ready for design

Each slide separates the copy you publish from the direction for the designer. The title belongs on the slide. Design notes help prepare the visual and are not added to the copy by default.

1. 01Sending a draft for review?
   Slide copy

   Before copying the link, decide what you need: comments on the text or changes inside the document.

   Design direction

   A page with two actions: comment and edit. Highlight the difference between asking for an opinion and asking for a correction.

2. 02Choose access for the task
   Slide copy

   For feedback, choose Commenter. For rewriting, choose Editor. Also check what access that person has through the folder.

   Design direction

   Two rows pairing actions with roles. These are file permissions in My Drive; avoid depicting a menu you have not checked.

3. 03Decide who can open it
   Slide copy

   For a private review, choose Restricted and add the people. Anyone with the link broadens access, if your account allows it.

   Design direction

   Show named recipients beside Restricted and a link that can be forwarded beside the other option.

4. 04Check the folder’s access
   Slide copy

   Open Share and check where access comes from. If it is inherited from the folder, adjust permissions there or use a limited-access subfolder.

   Design direction

   A folder connected to a draft. Point out where inherited access is controlled.

5. 05Ask for a specific review
   Slide copy

   “Does the first paragraph make it clear who the post is for? Leave a comment in the document.”

   Design direction

   One question beside the first paragraph. Mark what needs review without filling the slide with the entire draft.

6. 06Test the link before sending it
   Slide copy

   Confirm that the person can open the draft and comment. Send the link together with the review question.

   Design direction

   The file, person and selected permission. Finish with the link and question you will send.

Google documents My Drive file roles and link options in Share files. An Editor can share and change permissions by default; the owner can limit this. If someone already has access through the folder, changing the file alone does not reduce that access. To separate material, see limited-access folders. Work or school accounts may have additional sharing restrictions.

Why the sequence is easy to follow

The opening introduces a recognizable task: sending a draft. Each slide answers the next question: what the person can do, who can open it, where their access comes from and what they should review. The ending lets the reader finish the task with a tested link and a specific question.

Review your own script this way: read only the titles and check whether they form a journey. Then read the full copy without the design notes. If a condition is missing, add it where it changes the decision. If a slide opens another topic that is not needed to reach the ending, save it for another post.

You do not need six slides every time. A short comparison may need fewer; a process with an important condition may need another. Divide the explanation by what the reader needs to understand, rather than to fill a count.

From copy to a phone screen

Design a slide with the longest copy first and view it at the size people will read in the feed. Keep a clear hierarchy between the title and explanation. If fitting everything requires very small text, shorten the copy or split the idea.

Use the visual to explain something: the relationship between a folder and a file in slide four, for example. A screenshot can help if the interface is current and the control is visible; an illustration can explain the relationship without imitating a menu. Avoid elements that compete with the step you are teaching.

The editable storyboard CSV includes all six titles, their full copy and the design notes. For another carousel, keep those three fields and start with the final action. To agree on the audience, goal and sources with your team, use the content brief.