The only TikTok carousel playbook you need today

Someone put together 4 photos, wrote a story across them, and hit 42M+ views 😱 It's time we talk about carousels!

Welcome to another new edition of Ad Break!

‍So… what is this exactly?
‍Ad Break is a creative newsletter powered by Ramdam. Twice a month, we share what’s happening in the world of ads: the creative shifts, the trends in your feeds, and the ideas you should probably be paying attention to.

Who am I?
‍I’m Mitalee. I watch a lot of ads, so you don’t have to sit through the bad ones.‍

The goal is embarrassingly simple:
‍Every issue should leave you with at least one idea you can actually use in your next creative brief.

⚠️ Fair warning: after reading this, you're going to start noticing every ad differently. 👀

‍

Today, we're discussing:

• The carousel formats outperform most video concepts right now
• Your top trends from the feed
• How Instagram is taking carousels to the next level 🤯

Let's get right to it!

I. The new carousel playbook

Carousels are not new, but the results we're seeing right now aren't what we expected either. Better reach, better saves, better engagement than video concepts that cost significantly more to make. We've been paying close attention, and we have a lot to tell you.

What looks simple on the surface has a lot going on underneath:

• A carefully curated storyline to take you from slide to slide
• Images that guide the story (we're not just filling space here!)
• First slide text overlay: that's still the hook, and hook is still the king

We've identified some key carousel formats, each with its own identity. Here's what's working right now:

Faceless Slideshow

Views: 5.2M+

What: No creator, no face, no voice. Just images, text, a story, and a subtle app mention.

How to replicate:

• A scroll-stopping hook (make the not-knowing uncomfortable enough that the only way to know is to swipe)
• Images + text to support the story and move it forward
• Mention the app or product on slide 4 (never the first slide, never the last)

Pinterest Slideshow

Views: 2.9M+

What: Carefully curated images, the kind of slides someone saves to a mood board.

How to replicate:

• Visual consistency is what stops the scroll: every image should feel like it belongs in the same world
• Aspirational storytelling: you're showing them a version of life they want
• Helpful tips + subtle app mention = a reason to save

Carousel Turned Video

Views: 42.5M+

What: Literally a carousel rendered as a video with TikTok's native UI on top.

How to replicate:

• Create curiosity from slide 1
• Show contrast between the text and the image
  
• Add a block of text halfway through to increase watch time (subtly mention the app name here)
• Let it loop back to the beginning

Trend Carousels

Views: 16.6M+

What: Organic trends constantly spawn native carousel formats.

How to replicate:

• Borrow the format of a trending carousel: the familiarity will stop the scroll
  
• The hook still applies: even trend carousels need a first slide worth swiping for
  
• Don't force it: trend-brand fit matters more than being first

Instagram's aesthetic carousels

This one is untested in paid ads, but what's happening with aesthetic carousels on Instagram right now is too interesting to ignore 👀

The production quality has gone up significantly, think cohesive visuals, careful sequencing, stories that make you want to keep scrolling just to see where they go. There's a narrative pulling you through, and you don't realise it until you've swiped six times.

What makes it work:

• The visuals stop the scroll, but the story keeps them swiping
• Every slide gives them something: a new image, a new idea, a new piece of the story. Give them a reason to swipe
  

🚨We haven't tested this in paid ads yet, but if you're thinking about organic content or want to experiment, there's a lot to learn from how these are being built. And if you do try it in paid ads, come back and tell us how it went 🤗