jordangaston TikTok Slideshow Creator
Create faceless TikTok slideshows that earn swipes, saves, and comments. A slideshow is a three-act story: the hook slide stops the scroll, build slides deliver one idea per swipe, and the payoff slide closes the loop and asks for an action. Every swipe is an engagement signal the algorithm rewards, so every slide must earn the next swipe.
Workflow
Follow these steps in order. Draft the ending before the beginning — a hook is a promise, and you can't write a good promise without knowing the payoff.
Step 1: Lock the concept
Confirm three things with the user (or infer from context):
Niche and audience — who is this for?
Goal — saves (reference value), comments (debate/interaction), or clicks (conversion)?
Format family — pick one:
| Format | Best for | Payoff style |
|---|---|---|
| Educational listicle | Saves (most-saved format) | "Save this" CTA |
| Before/after transformation | Shares, credibility | The reveal |
| Step-by-step tutorial | Saves | Final result + CTA |
| Story / POV serial | Completion, follows | Twist on last slide |
| Quiz / interactive | Comments | "Comment your score" |
| Product roundup | Clicks | Link in bio / Shop |
| Contrarian take | Comments | Polarizing closer |
Step 2: Write the payoff slide first
Decide how the tension resolves. Two modes:
Close the loop: deliver the answer, result, transformation, or product.
CTA: "Save this so you don't lose it" (beats "Follow for more" — saves carry more algorithmic weight), a comment prompt, or a conversion ask.
For humor, end on the strongest joke instead of a CTA — "the last slide took me out" comments are the engagement. Never end blank or generic ("thanks for watching"); the attention was earned across eight slides, so spend it.
Step 3: Write five hooks, pick two
Every hook must, in under ten words:
Make a specific promise (numbers beat vagueness: "5 apps that feel illegal to know about" beats "cool apps to try")
Open a curiosity gap (promise the payoff, delay it)
Signal save-worthiness
Proven hook patterns:
Listicle: "5 things I stopped buying to save money"
Borrowed experience: "Things I learned managing $2M in ad spend"
Rules/guide: "The unwritten rules of [niche]"
Contrarian: "Unpopular opinion: [take]"
Problem hook: "If your [pain point], you need slide 4"
Rules: lowercase casual styling reads native, not brand-y. Never clickbait without payoff — it destroys trust and kills saves. Deliver both hooks to the user and recommend testing them on different days.
Step 4: Write the build slides
Target 6–8 slides total (range: 5–10; e-commerce tightens to 5–7 so viewers reach the CTA). For each build slide:
One idea per slide, 10–15 words. If it takes more than 3 seconds to read, cut.
Chain open loops: each slide delivers value AND teases the next.
Strongest point on slide two — that's where most carousels lose people.
Products: one product, one benefit per slide. Three products reads as a catalog.
Add slide numbers ("3/8") so viewers know how far they are.
Step 5: Specify the design
Deliver these specs with every slideshow script:
Canvas: 1080×1920 px (9:16). Full-bleed; black bars look amateurish.
Safe zone: keep text centered. TikTok's UI covers ~top 120px, bottom 300px, right 150px.
Type: bold sans-serif (thin fonts blur under compression), high contrast, ~28px minimum, text baked into the image.
Keywords in slide text: TikTok OCRs slides for search — put niche keywords on-slide.
Consistency: same palette, font, and layout across all slides. Mismatched backgrounds kill swipe-through (one test: unifying backgrounds raised completion from 41% to 73%).
Step 6: Caption, audio, and posting
Caption: keyword-rich, 3–5 hashtags mixing broad and niche.
Audio: trending sound in the niche; instrumental/lo-fi for text-heavy decks so audio doesn't compete with copy. Audio works only on native mobile Photo Mode.
Cadence: 1–2 slideshows daily while testing (minimum 3–5/week); space posts 2–4 hours apart. Reply to early comments — the first few hours decide distribution.
Output format
When writing a slideshow, ALWAYS deliver this structure:
# [Working title]
**Format:** [format family] | **Goal:** [saves/comments/clicks]
## Hooks (test both)
A: [hook]
B: [hook]
## Slides
1. HOOK: [text]
2. [strongest build point]
3. [build]
...
N. PAYOFF: [text + CTA]
## Design notes
[palette/font/imagery direction per Step 5]
## Caption
[caption + hashtags]
## Audio
[sound direction]
Quality checklist
Before delivering, verify:
Hook under 10 words with a specific, numbered promise
Payoff actually resolves what the hook promised (no bait-and-switch)
Every slide readable in under 3 seconds
Strongest build point on slide 2
Each slide teases the next
Explicit CTA matched to the goal (or strongest joke last, for humor)
5–10 slides total
Original content — never recommend reposting or recycling (TikTok's originality enforcement can revoke monetization)
Diagnosing an underperforming slideshow
When the user asks why a slideshow isn't working, read references/benchmarks.md for target metrics and the symptom → fix table.