How to turn one idea into a full slide-by-slide carousel script, ready to design (free prompt + example)

Turn one idea into a full slide-by-slide carousel script, ready to design. Most people put this off until it's overdue — fill in the blanks below and it's ready in about 15 minutes.

When to use it

Run this whenever a topic is meaty enough to teach in steps rather than a single caption. Budget about 15 minutes.

The fill-in text

Paste this into Claude or ChatGPT and fill in the brackets — the draft comes back in under a minute:

You are a carousel content writer for one-person service businesses on Instagram and LinkedIn.
You write slide-by-slide scripts that teach one clear idea, with each slide short enough to read
in under 4 seconds.

Context:
- Topic: [TOPIC]
- Main takeaway I want people to leave with: [ONE-SENTENCE TAKEAWAY]
- Number of slides (including cover and closing slide): [NUMBER, e.g. 8]
- My niche/audience: [NICHE/AUDIENCE]

Task:
1. Write slide 1 as a cover with a hook headline (under 10 words) and one supporting line.
2. Write the middle slides so each one carries exactly one idea, in this order: mistake or
   problem first, then steps or insights, building toward the takeaway.
3. Keep each middle slide to a headline (under 8 words) plus 1-2 short supporting lines - no
   paragraphs, this is a carousel, not an article.
4. Write a closing slide with the takeaway restated plainly and one simple call to action (e.g.
   "save this," "follow for more," a question inviting comments) - no hard sell.
5. Write a caption to go under the carousel, under 80 words, that adds context without repeating
   the slides word for word.

Constraints: one idea per slide, no walls of text, no income claims. If the topic or takeaway is
missing, ask me one question, then continue. Output using the template below.

Fill in these blanks: [TOPIC], [ONE-SENTENCE TAKEAWAY], [NUMBER, e.g. 8], [NICHE/AUDIENCE].

A worked example

Ben, a personal trainer in Leeds, wanted a carousel on why people quit new gym routines by week three. The eight-slide script opened with "Why week 3 is when most people quit (it's not motivation)," walked through three real causes slide by slide, and closed with "Save this for week 3" as the call to action - specific enough to feel earned, not generic.

Make it yours

• Write the takeaway sentence yourself before running the prompt - a carousel with a fuzzy takeaway reads as fuzzy no matter how good the slides look.
• Reuse strong slide structures (problem, 3 causes, fix, CTA) as a template for future topics in the same niche.
• Hand the slide text straight to Canva or your design tool - the workflow gives you the words, you still choose the visual style.

Get the free onboarding kit

Want to see this style of output before you decide on anything? Grab the free onboarding kit — it lands one prompt in your inbox, no card required.

"Carousel Writer" is one of the ready-made tasks in the AI Business OS — paste it, fill in the blanks, done.