TikTok slideshows · 5 min read
TikTok slideshow templates: 12 text-only formats you can copy
Below are twelve text-only slide templates for TikTok photo posts: list, would you rather, myth and fact, before and after, mistakes, steps, tier ranking, quiz, story, resource dump, this versus that and unpopular opinion. Each one shows its slides with slots in curly braces that you replace with your topic.
Updated · Published by Fyslide
How do you use these templates?
These are wording structures, not graphics. Layout, fonts and colors come from the tool you design in. What you get here is the order of the slides and what each one must do. Anything in {curly braces} is a slot for your own text.
- Pick the template that matches your material, using the table below.
- Fill every slot with one short line. If a slot needs two sentences, the slide is doing too much.
- Keep the same text position on every slide, so the series feels like one object.
- Read the hook slide alone. If it only makes sense with slide two, rewrite it.
TikTok's Creator Academy (opens in a new tab) advises cropping all photos in a post to the same ratio, and these templates assume one ratio throughout. The slideshow size guide covers which one to choose.
Which of the twelve fits your topic?
| Template | Use it when | Slides |
|---|---|---|
| Numbered list | You have parallel items | Items plus 2 |
| Would you rather | You want comments and have a clear audience | 6 to 8 |
| Myth and fact | A common belief in your niche is wrong | 5 to 7 |
| Before and after | A change has a visible result | 4 to 5 |
| Mistakes | You learned something the hard way | 5 to 7 |
| Step by step | The viewer can follow along | Steps plus 2 |
| Tier ranking | You can judge items against each other | 6 to 7 |
| Quiz | The viewer can place themselves in a type | 5 to 6 |
| Story | There is a moment worth telling | 5 to 7 |
| Resource dump | You curate links, tools or places | 5 to 8 |
| This versus that | The viewer must choose between two things | 4 to 5 |
| Unpopular opinion | You hold a defensible, specific view | 4 to 5 |
The mock-ups show the first, a middle and the last slide of each format; repeat the middle slide until you reach the slide count in the table.
The twelve templates
1. Numbered list
Best for tips, tools and picks. The listicle guide goes deeper on item counts and the number in the hook.
- 1/5
{N} {things} for {audience}
- 2/5
1 {Item name} {What it changes for the viewer}
- 3/5
2 {Item name} {What it changes for the viewer}
- 4/5
{N} {Item name} {What it changes for the viewer}
- 5/5
Which one would you try first?
Closing ask: a question that takes one word to answer
2. Would you rather
Each slide is one decision. See would you rather slideshows for dilemma rules and ten finished examples.
- 1/4
Would you rather {topic} dilemmas
Cover: promise the number and the pace
- 2/4
Would you rather {Option A} or {Option B}?
One dilemma, both sides with a cost
- 3/4
Would you rather {Option A} or {Option B}?
- 4/4
Tell me your A or B for each in the comments
Closing prompt
3. Myth and fact
Works when your niche has a belief that deserves a correction.
- 1/5
Myth: "{common belief}"
Put the belief in quotation marks
- 2/5
Fact: {correction in one line} {one-line reason}
- 3/5
Myth: "{second belief}"
- 4/5
Fact: {correction} {reason}
- 5/5
Which of these did you believe?
Honest question, not a challenge
4. Before and after
Needs a real change you can describe in plain words.
- 1/5
Before: {starting state}
State the problem without drama
- 2/5
The one change: {what you did}
- 3/5
After: {result you can see}
- 4/5
It took {time}. Want the steps?
Replace {time} with your real number; never invent one
- 5/5
Save this for when you start.
5. Mistakes
First-person mistakes read as honest. Generic ones read as filler.
- 1/5
{N} {topic} mistakes I stopped making
- 2/5
Mistake: {what you did} Instead: {what works}
- 3/5
Mistake: {what you did} Instead: {what works}
- 4/5
Mistake: {what you did} Instead: {what works}
- 5/5
The fix that helped most: {fix}
Gives the closing slide a point of its own
6. Step by step
One action per slide, in the order a person would do them.
- 1/5
How to {outcome} in {N} steps
- 2/5
Step 1 {Action} {What to look for}
- 3/5
Step 2 {Action} {What to look for}
- 4/5
Step 3 {Action} {What to look for}
- 5/5
Done when {sign that it worked}
A finish line, so the viewer can check themselves
7. Tier ranking
Rank things you have judged. Say why in a few words, since the ranking is the opinion.
- 1/6
{Things} ranked, best to worst
- 2/6
S tier: {item} {Verdict in five words}
- 3/6
A tier: {item} {Verdict in five words}
- 4/6
B tier: {item} {Verdict in five words}
- 5/6
C tier: {item} {Verdict in five words}
- 6/6
Disagree? Tell me which one to move.
Invites a fight over one item, not a general reaction
8. Quiz
Three outcomes are enough. Keep each result short and kind.
- 1/6
Pick a letter: your {topic} type
Hook: the viewer acts before swiping
- 2/6
A: {choice} B: {choice} C: {choice}
Options on one slide
- 3/6
If you picked A: {result in one line}
- 4/6
If you picked B: {result in one line}
- 5/6
If you picked C: {result in one line}
- 6/6
What did you get?
Closing ask
9. Story
Use one scene per slide and stop once the point has landed.
- 1/5
{The moment that sets the scene}
- 2/5
{What went wrong or surprised you}
- 3/5
{What you tried}
- 4/5
{What happened}
- 5/5
What I would tell {someone in your old position} now: {lesson}
The lesson goes last
10. Resource dump
Curated things people want to save: tools, places, sources.
- 1/5
{N} {free or useful resources} for {goal}
- 2/5
{Resource} Use it for: {purpose}
- 3/5
{Resource} Use it for: {purpose}
- 4/5
{Resource} Use it for: {purpose}
- 5/5
Save this so you can find it later.
A reason to keep the post
11. This versus that
Two options, an honest verdict, no fence-sitting.
- 1/4
{Option A} or {Option B}?
- 2/4
{Option A} Best for: {use} Skip it if: {limit}
- 3/4
{Option B} Best for: {use} Skip it if: {limit}
- 4/4
My pick for {situation}: {choice} What is yours?
12. Unpopular opinion
State the view, give reasons, admit where it might fail.
- 1/5
Unpopular opinion: {specific view about your topic}
Specific beats shocking
- 2/5
Why I think so: {reason one}
- 3/5
{Reason two or a small example}
- 4/5
Where I could be wrong: {honest limit}
The line that makes the opinion credible
- 5/5
Agree or disagree?
What caption goes with a template?
A caption adds context to the cover's promise and gives one clear action. As of November 2026, TikTok's Creator Academy (opens in a new tab) says a post can have up to 4,000 characters, so length is not the constraint. Focus is.
{One line of context the cover could not fit}
{The question you want answered, or one extra tip}
{One action: save, comment or follow}
{A few hashtags, if you use them}More caption patterns live in TikTok slideshow captions, and slideshow ideas lists topics to pour into these slots.
How do you reuse a template across many posts?
Keep the structure fixed and change only the slots. That is also the way to batch: one template, ten topics. Fyslide drafts the slide texts with the AI you connect, up to ten slideshows from one topic in one job. If you like a format you saw elsewhere, a design can be built from screenshots of it with a vision-capable AI, as the guide to designs from screenshots explains. Write your own wording, though. Copying another creator's text is not the same as copying a structure.
Sources
- Unleash Your Creativity: Tell Stories with Photos on TikTok, TikTok Creator Academy, 2026-07-03. Checked November 5, 2026.
- Fyslide FAQ, Fyslide. Checked November 5, 2026.