How to Make a Slideshow on TikTok (Step by Step)

A TikTok slideshow is a post made of photos. People swipe from one photo to the next, like a short story. TikTok also calls it a photo post or photo mode. Some people call it a carousel.

Slideshows are great for small businesses. You do not have to film. You do not have to talk to a camera. You need a few good photos and a few short lines of text.

How to make a slideshow on TikTok in 5 steps

1. 1

   Tap the + button

   Open TikTok and tap + at the bottom of the screen.

2. 2

   Tap Upload and pick your photos

   Tap Upload (bottom right). Open the photos tab and tap each photo in the order you want. You can pick up to 35 photos. 5 to 9 is a good number for a business post.

3. 3

   Make sure it is a photo post

   Tap Next. If TikTok shows a choice between photo and video, pick photo. Now people can swipe through your photos one by one.

4. 4

   Add text and sound

   Tap Text to write on a photo. Tap Add sound to pick music. Keep the music quiet and simple. The words do the work. On a business account the list you get is the Commercial Sounds library, so the song you heard elsewhere may not be there.

5. 5

   Write the caption and post

   Tap Next. Add a title, a short caption and 3 to 5 hashtags. Tap Post.

How to add text to a TikTok slideshow

Text is what turns a pile of photos into a story. In photo mode, the text you add sits on the photo you are looking at. Swipe to the next photo to add text there.

1. On the edit screen, tap Text.
2. Type your line. Keep it under 12 words.
3. Pick a bold, easy-to-read font. Add a background color if the photo is busy.
4. Drag the text to the middle of the photo. The top and bottom get covered by TikTok buttons and the caption.
5. Swipe to the next photo and repeat.

What makes a business slideshow get views

Most slideshows fail on the first photo. People decide in about one second if they will swipe. So the first slide matters more than all the others.

1. Put a hook on slide 1

A hook is a short line that makes people curious. "5 mistakes that cost you buyers" works better than "Tips for selling your home". See our list of TikTok hooks for small businesses.

2. One idea per slide

Each slide should say one thing. If a slide needs two sentences, split it into two slides.

3. Use real, bright photos

Bright photos stop the scroll better than dark ones. Photos of people beat photos of logos. A before-and-after works well here too, see social media for hair salons for how a salon builds a whole slideshow around one, or TikTok for plumbers for a cleared drain or a fixed water heater. Agents can build the same thing from listing photos, see open house social media post ideas.

4. End with one clear ask

The last slide should tell people what to do: follow, save, visit your website, or book a call. Pick one. Then write the caption, and put your tags at the end of it: TikTok only allows 5, so see how many hashtags to use on TikTok for business for which 5 to pick.

5. Copy formats that already work

Look at slideshows in your niche that got lots of views. Copy the shape, not the words: the type of hook, the number of slides, the way the story moves.

How many slides should a TikTok slideshow have?

For a business post, 5 to 9 slides is a good range. Fewer than 4 feels thin. More than 10 and people stop swiping before the end, so they never see your ask. If you are tagging products from a TikTok Shop, TikTok publishes its own numbers for that format in the faceless TikTok Shop guide.

Slideshow or video?

Do both if you can. Slideshows are faster to make, easy to save and easy to read with the sound off. Videos can feel more personal. If you are short on time, slideshows are the easiest way to post every day, including on a single big date like Small Business Saturday.