Let's be honest, I'm not a designer.

I got my degree in Econ, the least creative field.

But I have created 1000s of visuals over the past few years.

So how did I do it?

By using these 7 simple tips non-designers can use to look like a PRO.
1️⃣ Leave white space around your design elements

To make your designs look more professional, leave negative space around your design elements.

This gives your content, text, graphs & more some room to breathe.

Not only will this look better, it will help with readability.
2️⃣ Use a clear text hierarchy

This might sound scary to some people, but it's not!

Basically, just make sure your main headers are larger than the subheaders & those are larger than the body text.

A clear text hierarchy will allow readers to move through visuals with ease.
3️⃣ Use image frames

If you want to use images in your designs, use an image frame or border to help them integrate seamlessly with the other design elements.

Also make sure the shape or border ACTUALLY fits the theme of your design, like in the example below.
4️⃣ Don't overcomplicate things

Sometimes it's best to just keep things simple.

This is especially important when it comes to clear communication.

For example, you don't need to create a complicated graph if you only want someone to focus on one statistic.
5️⃣ Keep everything consistent

Whenever I'm giving design feedback, the first thing I look for is consistency.

Did they use the same fonts, layout & color palette throughout?

If not, readers will focus on those inconsistencies & it will make your content harder to consume.
6️⃣ Embrace neutral colors

Not every part of your visual has to use a color from your brand palette.

Instead use whites, blacks & grays to make your colors pop.

Sometimes, less is more. Especially if your visual has some written content or data.
7️⃣ Use a template

I will be the first to admit I love a good template.

A REAL designer has done all the heavy lifting for you.

Just be sure to follow the tips above once you start editing the template!

Otherwise, even a great template can't help you communicate effectively.
As you can see, with a few simple tips...

Basically anyone can be a designer!

So start creating today!

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More from @RyanMcCready1

Feb 10
With 2 simple tools, Ahrefs drives:

🔎 520k organic sessions
💰 $320k in traffic value

That's more than their entire blog!

How is this possible?

It's actually pretty simple.

Let's break it down.

🧵
Over the past few years, @Ahrefs has been giving away their best tools for free.

They have used that strategy to build a $10M content moat & an unmatched acquisition channel.
With just 13 of these SEO tools...

They drive around $858k in traffic value each month.

And rank on 532k diverse keywords!
Read 26 tweets
Feb 9
TikTok has one of the best simple growth/engagement loops I've ever seen.

And it took me way too long to realize it.

Mini 🧵
So when you share a link to a TikTok on another platform.

TikTok will notify YOU when that video is viewed.

And will show the TikTok username of the person you shared it with.

(Image from Reddit)
Now you can easily follow that person with a few clicks.

And BOOM.

Never have to share a TikTok with outside of the TikTok app.

It's genius!
Read 5 tweets
Feb 8
Ahrefs has a VERY complicated product.

Yet, they are able to show immediate value to new users.

And likely push them to sign up.

All in about 10 seconds...thousands of times each day.

How?

With 13 simple tools.

🧵
There’s no hiding the fact that I love when brands use simple tools as an acquisition channel.

I have even written a teardown on how the Shopify Business Name Generator dominates an entire content cluster. Image
But Ahrefs takes it to another level with their collection of free SEO tools.

I have never seen a SaaS brand succeed with so many tools.

Maybe one or two, but not 10+ free tools! Image
Read 11 tweets
Feb 3
LinkedIn News team puts on a copywriting master class each & every day.

Millions of people see it every day, but don't realize how brilliant it is.

Here are 4 ways to copy their copywriting formula.

🧵
Every headline they publish in that little News section is perfectly written & positioned.

I mean it took me using the platform for 5+ years before I even saw it!
Each of those headlines follows a few simple rules.

That literally any copywriter can use:

1️⃣ Embrace intentional vagueness
2️⃣ Cut the unnecessary words
3️⃣ Bury the interesting metric or data point
4️⃣ Lead with the big name or brand
Read 19 tweets
Feb 1
Does your brand still create listicles?

Zapier does.

And they have used them to drive 5M+ organic sessions this year.

From just ~100 listicles...

Let's break it down.

🧵
Yes, I said listicles.

Zapier has built an SEO moat that drives over 455k sessions per month & ranks on 287k keywords with ~100 listicles. Image
From the best note-taking apps to the best URL shorteners, Zapier has a listicle ready for a curious searcher. Image
Read 15 tweets
Jan 7
A lot of people have been saying that PR is dead.

That content marketing is the future.

But @bolt would probably disagree.

They used a combo of both to get mentioned in basically EVERY major publication this week.

Let me show you how.

🧵
Just in the last few days, Bolt has been mentioned in:

- Business Insider
- Fast Company
- Forbes
- People
- SFGate
- CNBC

And a ton more! ImageImageImageImage
This single share from Fast Company received 1000+ engagements!

And there were hundreds of other publications & users sharing it this week. Image
Read 12 tweets

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