Social media is like a digital Times Square - bright lights, flashy signs, and everyone screams for attention. You’ve got about two seconds (or less) to convince someone that your content deserves a spot in their scroll-happy thumbs’ itinerary. Blink, and you’re yesterday's news.
This doesn’t mean you don’t stand a chance. You just need to know how to make your content stand out. For instance, visual content is the king nowadays, with 94% more views than content that’s just text.
In this blog post, we’re spilling all the secrets that will allow even a non-designer to create graphics that get clicks. Stay tuned until the end, and we’ll also share a few tools that won’t drain your wallet.
Why Good Graphics = Better Engagement
There’s a reason why YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are in the top five most popular social media platforms. Their focus is on visual content, mainly videos. Even Instagram, known as one of the best platforms for sharing images, has recently made space for video content, especially short-form (dubbed as the most engaging by around 66% of users).
But here’s the thing: it’s not just any visual content that gets results. Graphics designed for social media must convey a message, grab attention, and trigger emotion or curiosity. You need that special element that connects with the audience and encourages them to learn more.
It’s not about aesthetics and using the most popular content formats. Good social media graphics have to find a way to use visual elements to communicate a message that stops users in their tracks.
What Makes Social Media Graphics “Click-Worthy”?
Clear and concise messaging, intriguing visuals, and good storytelling are some of the elements that grab users’ attention. But you don’t want just any users interacting with your posts.
Say you run an e-commerce store. Your main goal is to attract potential buyers so you can, eventually, turn clicks into sales. This is why your social media graphics must follow a well-designed marketing strategy that fits your branding for the store.
Here are some of the elements that will help you achieve just that:
Emotional & Curiosity Triggers
Humans are emotional beings, which is why all good marketing campaigns contain emotional triggers.
Take a look at what the big brands are doing. For instance, Nike is focused on being inspiring and motivational. Their “Just do it!” The slogan is simple, clear, and loaded with positive emotions. On the other hand, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) plays with more complex emotions like the fear of losing our planet.
To make sure their message is clear and loud, their #lastselfie campaign was run on Snapchat. The campaign promoted images of endangered species, and due to the platform’s features, these images vanished after 10 seconds. Now, that’s a masterful use of social media content!
This is also why rage bait and negative content receive so much attention. But if you want to develop a long-lasting brand, negativity is not the best path. Instead, look into your audience’s search intent and learn which emotions trigger their curiosity and the desire to engage.
Strong, Benefit-Driven Copy
Your graphic needs a copy that shouts value right away: “Save 50% Today!”, “5-Minute Hacks for Better Sleep”, or something equally enticing. Think benefits over vagueness and give your audience an immediate reason to care.
Clear Messaging that’s Easy to Understand
Don’t make people hunt for where to look, or they’ll leave faster than free samples at Costco. Whether it’s bold text, a vibrant image, or even directional cues (yes, you can use arrows), your design should scream focus here first.
Avoid clutter; every element you include should serve a clear purpose. Less is always better, so learn to make use of white space.
If you don’t have any clever designs or visuals, keep it simple and focus on typography. A well-chosen font and colors can do wonders for your posts in a space where everyone wants to communicate as much as possible.
With a bit of cleverness and imagination, you can use typography to convey some of the most complex messages. Again, if you lack inspiration, just look up some of the great ad campaigns that used simple text to send a clear and relatable message.
Consistency is Important
Even if you don’t want to grow a brand, consistent use of elements creates familiarity with the audience. This way, your followers and users who like your content can tell from a quick glance that a post is yours.
Be consistent in your use of colors, fonts, logos, and other elements without being boringly repetitive. This is how you build trust and recognition over time (plus it just looks professional).
Design Tips That Actually Work (and Don’t Require an MFA)
You don’t need to channel Picasso or graduate from art school to create graphics that grab attention. With a little strategy and a sprinkle of common sense, you can whip up visuals that look pro without pulling your hair out.
Here’s how:
Understand How Contrast Works
Contrast is the secret sauce for eye-catching designs. This is especially true on social media where you only have a few seconds to grab users’ attention. Dark backgrounds with light text, bold color pops against muted tones, and other similar techniques are quite efficient.
The best part? You don’t have to overcomplicate things. Sometimes, a black background with white text will suffice if your message is impactful and the background-to-text ratio is balanced.
Keep Fonts Under Control
As mentioned earlier, typography is a fantastic way to keep things simple while conveying complex messages. Just don’t overdo it with the fonts.
Fonts are like dessert - delicious in moderation but overwhelming if you overdo it. Stick to two or three fonts max (one for headlines, one for body text, and maybe a wildcard).
Mixing Comic Sans with Papyrus is NOT edgy, it’s chaos.
Format Matters
Not all social media platforms play by the same rules. For instance, there are several Instagram formats you can use (Photos, Reels, or Stories) that are not available on other platforms. The vice-versa is also true.
If you’ve ever posted a cropped-off meme or blurry infographic, you already know this pain. Therefore, besides clever designs, the best thing you can do to make sure your graphics stand out is to optimize them for each platform.
Here’s how to size things up without losing your sanity:
- Instagram: 1080 x 1080 px for posts and 1080 x 1920 px for Stories/Reels;
- Facebook: 1200 x 630 px or landscape;
- LinkedIn: 1200 x 627 px (another landscape);
- Pinterest: 1000 x 1500 px for vertical pins;
- X (formerly Twitter): 1600 x 900 px (horizontal).
Tools of the Trade That Won’t Break the Bank
Even if your artistic talent peaked with stick figures in 4th grade, these handy platforms and tools can make your graphics look professional. Even professional designers use some of them to save time and find inspiration.
It’s a bit like how marketing professionals use AI tools to craft presentations that grab the audience’s attention. It’s a faster and easier way to create a polished design that conveys the right message, so why not use it?
Here are some of the design tools you can use for social media graphics:
Canva
This platform is the go-to for marketers, designers, and busy entrepreneurs, and for good reason! With drag-and-drop ease, endless templates, and features like background removal or animation effects, Canva lets anyone whip up stunning graphics in minutes.
You can even convert PNG to JPG for free, without losing quality, which comes in handy when creating materials for different social media platforms.
Adobe Express
Feeling fancy? Adobe Express offers more advanced design capabilities while keeping things user-friendly for non-designers. Plus, its massive library of fonts and stock assets means you’ll never be short on inspiration.
Snappa
Need something quick? Snappa is perfect when deadlines loom large. It has pre-sized templates ready-made for every social platform, so you don’t have to guess dimensions anymore.
Bonus Tricks from the Pros
Sure, easy-to-use tools are great and everything, but your skills (or lack thereof) may limit them. So, it doesn’t hurt to learn some tips and tricks from the pros. We asked around, and these are the most common tips professional designers recommend to beginners.
Add Subtle Movement
Try playing with cinemagraphs, which are still photos with a tiny area of movement. You can also add gentle animations to key elements like text or icons. These tiny elements will make your designs feel alive and command attention.
Use Predefined Templates
Creating a fresh look every single time is overrated (and exhausting). Instead, use branded templates with your fonts, colors, and logo preloaded that you can tweak on repeat. It keeps your feed consistent while saving time and brainpower.
A/B Test Like a Scientist
Don’t guess which graphic will perform better - test it! Create two versions of your visual with small differences (like color or headline) and see which one gets more engagement. You’ll quickly learn what resonates most with your audience.
Wrap Up
Good visuals are your secret weapon for social media success. With the right mix of strategy, design tips, and budget-friendly tools, you can create graphics that stop thumbs mid-scroll and rack up clicks.
So go ahead! Experiment boldly, embrace weirdness, and let your creativity shine!
