Welcome to Day 5 of your 7-Day Content Repurposing Challenge!
Today you’re going to take the post you picked in Day 1 and convert it into an Infographic.
Why Create an Infographic?
An infographic communicates the content of your blog post in one meaningful, solution-oriented image. Our brains process images 60,000 times faster than text, and 65% of people are visual learners. (Source)
People who follow directions with text AND illustrations do 323% better than those who follow directions without illustrations. (Source) This gives new meaning to the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words.”
Did you know? Infographics are shared 3 times more than any other type of content. (Source)
What makes a great infographic? In order to make the most out of your infographic, make sure it:
- Solves a problem.
- Is educational and entertaining.
- Has a short and eye-catching headline.
- Is easy to read, and the content is clear and easy to understand.
- Has a simple design that maximizes white space.
- Includes statistics. Consider using charts and graphs to reduce text.
- Cites sources.
Now let’s create your infographic.
Step 1. Outline the Main Points of Your Blog Post.
When creating your outline, ask yourself:
- “What question does my blog post answer?”
- “What key points are the solution?”
Step 2. Sketch a Basic Layout.
Sketch out the flow of your idea by creating a basic layout. Depending on how you work best, you can either sketch your layout on paper or using design software.
Think about any introductory text you’ll use to explain the infographic, steps that are involved, and a concluding sentence to wrap things up.
Step 3. Build Your Infographic.
Use a design tool like Canva or Piktochart to create the infographic using one of their templates, or for more experienced designers, you can create a design from scratch.
If you use PowerPoint, set the size of the slide first on the Design tab. PowerPoint’s Smart Art feature is an easy way to create simple, pre-designed infographics for tips or other text and images. It’s also easy to use for adding shapes.
To kickstart your creativity and get a variety of ideas for infographic layouts, explore a site like Visual.ly, Infographic Reviews, or Reddit.
Success Tip: A commonly used infographic size is 800 x 2,000 pixels. The width should be between 650 and 800 pixels, so that it fits in a blog post, and the amount of content you have determines how long the infographic should be. The length should not exceed 8,000 pixels.
Remember that any text you include should be easy to read on mobile devices, so keep it as large as possible.
Step 4. Finalize the Design.
Make sure the final design matches your branding. Your final infographic should include:
- Your logo
- Your brand colors
- A link to your blog post or main website
- Cited sources
Step 5. Upload and Share to Other Social Media.
Share your new infographic to your brand’s social media channels: Facebook, Pinterest, SlideShare, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.
You can also share your infographic on sites like:
Step 6. Add to Blog Post.
Embed the infographic into your blog. For an infographic that summarizes your content, consider putting it towards the bottom of your post.
If you’ve ended up with an infographic that’s sufficiently different from your original post, consider creating a new blog post with the infographic as the main content. In that case, add a little introduction before the graphic, and a conclusion and call to action after it.
Next Steps
You now have an awesome infographic to share with your audience!
Make sure you’ve completed today’s worksheet before you move on to Day 6 of the challenge tomorrow. You’re getting closer to the challenge finish line.
Don’t forget, if you have any questions, reply to today’s challenge email or head over to our Challenge Facebook Group and post it there.
Worksheet Activities:
- Outline the main points of your blog post by identifying the question your blog post answers and the key points it covers. Include an introductory sentence and concluding sentence.
- Sketch the basic layout of your infographic using pen and paper
- Put together the copy you’ll use in your infographic in a separate doc
- Note down any statistic information you’ll use, with sources
- Complete the ‘Elements of a visually engaging infographic’ checklist
- Complete the ‘Where to Share’ checklist, sharing in as many places as possible.