Carousel ad examples: make the next card worth opening
Give each card something new to say or show. Use these examples to plan how the idea carries from one card to the next.
Follow the panels in their original order
A portrait, a product and a shopping action
Meta’s 2018 illustration puts 3 panels side by side: SZA with Logo Remix text, someone wearing a Gap shirt and a closing panel with shopping copy. We can follow that message order, but this image doesn’t show the original timing.
What to look for: What new information does each panel introduce?
Try this: Assign a separate job to the opening, product view and action. Keep your own message and destination consistent.
We use a 3-panel illustration from Meta’s 2018 announcement to see what each card adds. Then you can plan a sequence for your own product.
Follow the panels in their original order
Meta’s 2018 Stories carousel announcement shows this Gap illustration in its original left-to-right order. The panels do not establish duration, transitions or audio. We have not combined separate library images to make a carousel.
Make successive cards add information
In the Gap illustration, the portrait introduces the collection, the next panel shows the shirt and the last asks you to shop. Give each card something new to add. A repeated slogan can hold the sequence together, but ask what someone learns by moving to the next card.
Keep the last card attached to a real destination
Decide where the last card takes someone. A collection and a product page answer different questions. When you’re researching a carousel, keep the original card order. If you don’t know it, don’t build a story from filenames or a grid of separate images.
A complete original 3-card plan
For the pouch assignment: card 1 shows 3 fixed items beside the opened pouch and asks Where does each item go? Card 2 shows the packed arrangement with each item identified. Card 3 shows the cable being retrieved and says See the layout. This is an original planned sequence, with no competitor assets copied into production.
Use the worksheet
The completed example separates what we can see in the ads from our own plan. Use the blank worksheet for your product details, supporting sources and the people reviewing the work.
Start with the blank worksheet, or read the filled-in example to see how to use it. You can copy either one.