How to Create a Facebook Ad with Multiple Images

A single image can be powerful, but sometimes it just isn't enough to tell your whole story. When you want to showcase multiple products, highlight different features, or walk a customer through a step-by-step process, you need more visual real estate. Facebook’s multi-image ad formats are built for exactly that. This guide will walk you through creating compelling ads with multiple images, focusing on the versatile Carousel and Collection formats, and share some best practices to make them perform.

Why Use Multiple Images in Your Facebook Ads?

Before jumping into Ads Manager, it’s worth understanding why multi-image ads are so effective. They aren’t just about showing off more stuff, they’re about creating a more engaging and informative experience for your audience.

• Tell a More Complete Story: Use multiple images to create a narrative. You can show a product from different angles, demonstrate how a service works, or share a customer testimonial that unfolds across several frames.
• Showcase a Range of Products: This is a massive benefit for e-commerce brands. Instead of creating ten different ads for ten products, you can bundle them into a single, swipeable ad that lets users browse your inventory without ever leaving their feed.
• Highlight Multiple Features or Benefits: Does your software have four key features that solve a customer's problem? Dedicate one image to each feature, explaining the benefit in the headline. This breaks down complex information into digestible, visual chunks.
• Increase Engagement and Time on Ad: The simple act of swiping creates an interactive experience. When users are actively engaged with your ad, they spend more time with your brand, which often leads to higher click-through rates (CTR) and better ad recall.

Understanding Facebook's Key Multi-Image Formats

Facebook offers a couple of excellent formats designed specifically for using multiple visuals. The two most popular and powerful are Carousel and Collection.

The Carousel Ad

Think of the carousel format as a row of interactive, swipeable cards. Each card can have its own unique image, video, headline, description, and link. It's incredibly versatile and works well for almost any marketing objective, from brand awareness to direct sales.

Best for:

• Showcasing 2-10 different products.
• Walking through a step-by-step guide or "how-to."
• Detailing the multiple features of a single product or service.
• Telling a compelling brand story in sequential frames.

The Collection Ad

The collection format is a mobile-first e-commerce powerhouse. It typically features a primary cover image or video, followed by a grid of several smaller product images pulled directly from your Shopify or Facebook product catalog. When a user taps on the ad, it opens an "Instant Experience" - a fullscreen, fast-loading storefront where they can browse and shop more products without leaving the Facebook app.

Best for:

• E-commerce stores with an established product catalog.
• Driving mobile sales and product discovery.
• Creating a rich, app-like browsing experience.

How to Create a Facebook Carousel Ad: A Step-by-Step Guide

Let’s walk through setting up a carousel ad, the most common multi-image format. We’ll assume you’ve already set up your Facebook Business Page and have an Ads Manager account ready to go.

Step 1: Open Ads Manager and Create a New Campaign

Navigate to your Facebook Ads Manager. Click the green "+ Create" button to start a new campaign. First, you'll need to choose a campaign objective. Carousel ads work well with most objectives, but they’re particularly effective for:

• Sales: To drive purchases or conversions on your website.
• Leads: To collect info from people interested in your business.
• Engagement: To get more likes, shares, or event responses.
• Traffic: To send people from Facebook to your website or blog.

After selecting your objective, give your campaign a descriptive name and click "Continue."

Step 2: Set Up Your Ad Set

The "Ad Set" level is where you define your targeting, budget, and ad placements. This is a huge topic on its own, but here are the key decisions you'll make:

• Budget & Schedule: How much you want to spend (daily or lifetime) and for how long.
• Audience: Who you want to see your ad. You can target based on location, demographics, interests, and behaviors. You can also use Custom Audiences to retarget people who have visited your website or engaged with your page.
• Placements: Where your ad will appear. Advantage+ placements is usually the best option, allowing Facebook’s algorithm to show your ad where it's most likely to perform well, like Facebook Feed, Instagram Feed, Stories, and more.

Step 3: At the Ad Level, Select the Carousel Format

Now for the fun part. In the "Ad Setup" section, you’ll see an option for “Format.” Choose Carousel. This will transform the ad preview to show the interactive, multi-card layout.

Step 4: Build Your Carousel Cards

You can add between 2 and 10 cards to your carousel. You have the option to add them manually or pull them dynamically from a product catalog.

To manually build your carousel:

1. Click the container for the first card.
2. Click "Add Image" or "Add Video" to upload your creative. The recommended image size is 1080x1080 pixels (a 1:1 square ratio) for feed placements.
3. Write a unique Headline for that card (e.g., the product name).
4. Add a short Description for more context (optional, but recommended).
5. Enter the specific Website URL where you want to send people who click that card. This is powerful because each card can link to a different page.

Repeat this process for each card you want to add. As you build, you can rearrange the cards by dragging and dropping them.

Pro Tip: Facebook gives you an option to "Automatically show the best performing cards first." This can be useful if your cards are standalone (like showcasing different products), as Facebook’s algorithm will feature the most popular card first. However, if you’re telling a specific sequential story, you should uncheck this box to maintain the order you've created.

Step 5: Add Primary Text and Call to Action

Above the carousel cards, you'll see a field for Primary Text. This is the main ad copy that appears above your images. It’s your chance to provide overall context, introduce your message, and convince users to engage with your carousel.

Finally, select a Call to Action (CTA) button that will appear on each card. Choose the one that best matches your goal, like "Shop Now," "Learn More," or "Sign Up."

Step 6: Review and Publish

Use the ad preview on the right to see how your carousel will look across different placements (e.g., mobile feed vs. desktop). Once everything looks good, hit the green "Publish" button. Your ad will go into review and should start running shortly after approval.

Best Practices for High-Performing Multi-Image Ads

Creating the ad is only half the battle. To make sure it actually brings you results, follow these proven tips.

Tell a Cohesive Story

Whether you’re showing off products or features, make sure your cards work together. Use the first image to grab attention, the middle cards to provide information or options, and the final card to prompt a clear action.

Use High-Quality, Consistent Visuals

Your ad is a reflection of your brand. Use high-resolution, eye-catching images or videos. Stick to a consistent visual style, color palette, and branding across all cards to create a professional and unified look.

Make the First Swipe Crucial

The first card is your hook. If it's not interesting, no one will swipe to see the rest. Use your most compelling image or a text overlay that poses a question to pique curiosity and encourage that first swipe.

Lead Them to a Clear Destination

Ensure that the URL on each card directs users to a relevant page. If a card shows a red sweater, link it directly to the red sweater's product page, not your homepage. Reducing friction increases conversions.

Test, Measure, and Optimize

Don't just set it and forget it. Test different combinations of images, headlines, and calls to action. Use Facebook Ads Manager’s reporting to see which cards get the most clicks and which ads drive the most conversions, then optimize based on that data.

Final Thoughts

Creating a Facebook ad with multiple images is a fantastic way to break through the noise of the newsfeed, offering a more interactive and informative experience. By using carousel and collection ads, you can showcase your products, explain your services, and tell engaging stories that drive real results for your business.

Once your beautiful multi-image ads are up and running, the next crucial step is making sense of their performance. Trying to connect your Facebook Ad results with data from Google Analytics and your sales platform (like Shopify or Salesforce) often involves hours of downloading CSV files and wrestling with spreadsheets. We built Graphed to eliminate that headache. Just connect your accounts, and you can ask simple questions in plain English - like "Which Facebook carousel ad drove the most Shopify sales last month?" - and get instant, real-time dashboards that show you the full picture.