Instagram Story Ideas + Free Templates

instagram story ideas

Instagram Stories have become a high-engaging wildly successful social media tool over the past few years. Users love it, and Instagram and Facebook have invested a ton into it— more stickers, music, and the expansion of Stories to Facebook.

So every business knows that they need Instagram Stories for marketing. But with many brands posting over three times a day on Stories alone, that very idea becomes incredibly overwhelming.

You need to come up with a lot of ideas, and you need to create a lot of visual content to meet that number.

Planning ahead is the best thing you can do to stay on top of this, while using templates to speed up the creation process.

So, are you looking for high-performing and easy-to-execute Instagram Story ideas? Let’s take a look at seven of our favorites and some free Instagram Story templates that can get you started. [continue reading…]

12 Cool Shapes to Try in Your Designs Today

cool shapes

Whether you’re making graphics for your social media, blog or website, finding unique elements to use in your graphics can sometimes be a chore. That’s where cool unique shapes come in. A nicely placed vector can transform a graphic into something magical. Vectors are fully scalable, high-quality shapes that can be used in basically any style of design. Adding some cool shapes in a fresh color palette can be the lynchpin to take your design to the next level.

In this post, we’ll be sharing some of our favorite cool shapes we’ve been enjoying lately. Whether you’re running the socials for your work account or just your personal account, you’ll definitely want to incorporate these unique (sometimes weird) shapes into your content. Let’s jump in together! [continue reading…]

Branding Inspiration to Help Your Business Stand Out

branding inspiration

When the floors need to be cleaned, I don’t ask my husband to “mop” the house; I ask him to “Swiffer” the house.

We don’t actually even use a Swiffer; we have a similar product from OXO with refillable cleaning jugs and washable cleaning pads.

That’s the power of branding.

Branding is an essential part of building and establishing any kind of business, and knowing how to create a strong brand can be what sets you apart from the rest of your competitors.

In this post, we’re going to go over the basics of branding, as well as take a look at some branding inspiration that can help you get started with creating a stand-out brand of your own! [continue reading…]

Email Banner Size: What You Need to Know

email banner size

Email is likely the way you keep in touch with your most loyal subscribers. That means it’s important to make sure that your email newsletters, including email banner size, look great and keep their attention.

Setting up your email marketing for the first time or tweaking your design ahead of a new promo or lead magnet launch? You’re going to need a strong email banner that plays well with your brand, is easily visible and legible on both desktop and mobile screens, and helps to move your subscribers into action.

Including the right email banner size in your newsletters is key to making each send look its very best–which can only help your chances of boosting that conversion rate. In this post, we’re going over everything you need to know about email banner size, so let’s get into it. [continue reading…]

How to Get Your Own Hexagonal Twitter Profile Picture

hexagonal twitter profile picture

As you’re scrolling through Twitter, you may notice that some things look a little different than you’re used to. Some users, in particular, now have hexagonal Twitter profile pictures.

Twitter is a popular social networking platform that’s characterized by short, pithy, text-based posts. Users can also share images and videos on Twitter.

In the past, Twitter has only ever offered users a circular profile picture. This noticeable departure from the norm has some users wondering how they can get their (digital) hands on a hexagonal avatar.

So is it possible to make your own profile picture in this new style? Do you need a special user status on Twitter, like a blue checkmark, in order to get it?

As of right now, there’s only one way to get a hexagonal Twitter profile picture. Want to know how? Read on. [continue reading…]

6 Company Newsletter Ideas for Your Next Email Campaign

company newsletter ideas

Email newsletters are an essential part of any content marketing strategy.

Businesses and entrepreneurs often keep up with their customers and internal staff via monthly email newsletters. If you create content for your business or the company you work for, then you’re likely familiar with creating email blasts and newsletters on a regular basis.

Depending on how often you schedule your company newsletter out to your subscribers, you’ll likely need plenty of creative ideas and content for each send. Creative content includes not only written copy for each section of your newsletter but also eye-catching images.

Most email marketing software includes image tools that allow you to place graphics into your email newsletters, including email headers. It’s important to represent your brand well not only through high-quality copy, but also with engaging graphics.

A well-designed email newsletter header will visually align with your brand while also communicating important information your audience needs to know. Using attention-grabbing images will help showcase your newest product launch, offer your customers a discount on their next order, or announce any upcoming special events.

Looking for fresh ideas for your email marketing, plus the images that go with each send? We’ve assembled some prompts for you today, along with a few of our favorite graphic examples from Snappa.

Ready to get started? Let’s jump into it. [continue reading…]

The Ultimate Guide to Nextdoor Image Sizes 

nextdoor image sizes

If you’re using Nextdoor to keep up with what’s happening in your neighborhood and local community, chances are you want your friends and neighbors to easily recognize you.

Easy personal or brand recognition means using the ideal Nextdoor image sizes on your profile or business page. If you own a local business and want to get your name out there, you’ll need to have great-looking visuals to go with it.

Ready to get started? Let’s take a look at the different types of Nextdoor images and their sizes. [continue reading…]

How to Hide Your Instagram Likes

how to hide your instagram likes

Visible validation is a major driving force for most users. In other words, it’s all about the likes.

We know that psychologically, users can become addicted to the thrill of having content that’s “liked” quickly.

And we also know that users are going to take notice of content that’s accrued a ton of likes on social media, too; partially because the algorithms give that content a boost, and partly because social proof is powerful (#FOMO).

And yet despite this, Instagram has recently given accounts the option to hide their likes.

*Cue the sound of a car screeching to a stop.*

Yup. We said hiding the likes.

While it seems like this may defeat the purpose of an engagement-heavy social media platform, this is a feature that users are asking about. In this post, we’re going to show you how you can hide your posts’ likes on Instagram, why some users may want to, and why we recommend that most brands don’t. [continue reading…]

11 Graphic Design Tips to Create Images Like a Pro

graphic design tips

From the colors and images you select, to the overall mood, creating images like a pro is a bit more involved than you might realize. There are many elements at play in a professional-looking graphic design. Luckily, it’s possible to learn the skills it takes to create sharp, eye-catching graphics.

In this post, we’re sharing some effective graphic design tips to help you get started on your journey of creating images that will revamp your online presence and snag your audience’s attention. [continue reading…]

What Logo Size is Best: The Best Logo Sizes for Different Platforms 

best logo size

It’s always a good idea to use a consistent logo across your entire online presence, including your website, social media sites, and online directories. A clean, well-designed logo will help boost your brand recognition, ultimately making your overall marketing strategy more effective.

While using one logo is the way to go, you’ll likely need variations on it in all different shapes and sizes. That’s because every platform that makes up your online presence has slightly different logo size requirements.

[continue reading…]