UNITED KINGDOMThere are a tonne of different tools and resources out there to help you up your social media game. Here, I’ve compiled a few of my favourites to get you started…
This post was sponsored by Design Bundles but all words and opinions are my own, as always!
Social media. It feels like we can’t live without it nowadays, right? I suppose that holds especially true for me, as social media is exactly how I earn my pennies. As well as running my own blog and occasionally posting sponsored content on my own channels, I’m also a freelance social media manager, so have a handful of clients I need to curate content for too.
Needless to say, my social media game needs to be strong.
And whilst navigating the big wide world of social media and everything it entails, I’ve settled into using a number of resources to up my social media game!
And now I’m going to share them with you…
(Side note: every single one of these apps/websites can be used entirely free of charge, but some offer paid subscriptions. For transparency, I do currently pay for each and every one I’ve listed, because I genuinely do love them. 😇)
For creating social media graphics
When it comes to making social media assets – especially for my clients – I always want to make sure I completely stick to branding. Colours, fonts, shapes, spacing – there’s a tonne to think about.
Canva is an amazing website that helps me do just that. You can sign up for free to access hundreds of amazing templates that can be edited (and will make your life a whoooole lot easier), and if you really wanna take your branding game to the next level, you can opt for a paid version. A paid version will allow you to save all of your branding in one place, so at the click of a button you’ll have the colour palette you need and the fonts you need.
You can even import any imagery or graphics of your own you might have to really customise your assets. If you browse a website like Design Bundles, you’ll find an offering of SVGs that you can buy and download. Import them to Canva and you’ll soon have a whole host of incredible options for creating social media graphics.
For creating Instagram stories
I’ll admit it – I’m an absolute sucker for uploading Instagram stories of just about anything and everything. Snaps from my most recent adventure, a edgy shot of my morning coffee, a quick snapshot of whatever game I’m playing, a particularly flattering selfie I took – you name it, it’ll be there.
But I like to make sure my stories look good. And that’s where Storyluxe and Unfold come in. These apps essentially do the same thing: offer a range of beautiful Instagram story templates for you to pop your photos into. With film frames, scrapbook effects, doodle frames and minimalist options, you’re bound to find a layout you love. (And you’ll probably have people sliding into your DMs asking how you create such beautiful stories, just like I do!)
Both of these apps can be downloaded totally free of charge, but the paid versions unlock a whole lot more. (And are totally worth it, in my humble opinion!)
For editing photographs
It’s all well and good capturing a beautiful image on camera, but if you really want to take your photos to the next level, a simple bit of editing will really make them stand out.
App stores are no stranger to photo editing apps. There are tonne out there with differing filters, tools and interfaces, so you won’t struggle to find one that suits you. For me, I stick to VSCO and Adobe Lightroom.
Both of these apps can be downloaded for free, but once again you’ll have access to a whole lot more if you opt for paid subscriptions. There are a range of filters, more in depth editing tools like curves and colour correction, the ability to add effects such as grain or vignette. Once you’ve mastered these apps, you’ll find a style you love and be a photo editing whizz in no time.
The added bonus of editing your photos each and every time is the consistent look and style it gives your imagery. Really professional stuff, that. 😎
For creating videos
Reels, TikTok, YouTube, Insta stories – there are so many opportunities to show off video content nowadays. But if you’re anything like me, the idea of sitting down for hours at a time to edit videos is not appealing in the slightest. I want something quick and easy that I could do simple edits on the go with.
And that’s where InShot comes in.
This nifty app can simply be downloaded to your phone so that you can easily edit videos on the go. It has a range of transitions you can use, a catalogue of music to accompany your videography, doodles and animations you can layer on top, and the ability to add text and captions if you need them. And yes – it is FREE. (Though, again, you can pay to subscribe for more features!)
For finding royalty-free images
As much as I love taking my own imagery to splash across social media, sometimes it’s not always possible. Work and life and whatever else can have a habit of stealing away my time. Luckily, there are three websites that really help me out in this situation…
Pixabay, Unsplash and Pexels have an incredible amount of royalty free images you can download and use free of charge, all submitted my photographers from around the world. Whether you need a beautiful shot of a morning coffee, an inspiring shot of a city from around the world, or even some saucy imagery (yes – they’re on there!), these website will have you covered.
I hope you find as much use from these tools and resources as I do! Do you use any others? What would you recommend?