What is a swipe file? (and why you need to create one)

Heard people talking about referring to their swipe but don’t know what a swipe file actually is? If you are creating content then you need a swipe file. A swipe file will not only make your content better, but will help you create it in less time (and we all want that right?). Keep on reading to find out what a swipe file, why they are beneficial for business owners, marketers and content creators, and learn how to create your very own swipe file.

 

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WHAT IS A SWIPE FILE?

A swipe file is a collection of great marketing and advertising examples. You can have a swipe file for virtually anything, but swipe files are often created for emails subject lines, headlines, social media posts, digital adverts and pages.

Now a swipe file is usually created digitally, but the idea of a swipe file has been around longer than the internet. Traditionally, swipe files were used by copywriters who would cut out great examples of marketing they saw and then created a physical folder that they would stick all of the cut-out examples in.

 

 

WHY IS HAVING A SWIPE FILE USEFUL?

1. A swipe file provides inspiration when you are short on ideas
   Have you ever sat down to create some content and had absolutely no idea what to do? This isn’t about shaming you. It happens to most people, including myself. Having a swipe file is a great way to quickly be able to inspire yourself and quickly start creating the piece of desired content.
2. A swipe file provides great examples when you need them
   Another reason why a swipe file is helpful is because it allows you to see great examples when you need them. Maybe you are sitting down to write a sales page for your new service and you think to yourself I saw this great sales page before and try and remember who it is, do some googling and before you know it you’ve lost half an hour. Having a swipe files means you can easily be able to reference great examples of the type of content you are creating at the moment you need it.

 

 

WHAT TYPE OF SWIPE FILES CAN YOU CREATE?

Technically you can create swipe files for virtually anything, however, here are some common swipe files that I have created for myself and clients.

 

Headline swipe file
Learning to write great headlines are key. Whether you are creating YouTube videos, podcast episodes, blog posts or social media posts you need to get good at writing headlines. Headlines are essentially for hooking people in and consuming the rest of your content. Create a swipe file of great headlines you see anywhere and start looking out for patterns.

 

Email subject line swipe file
There is no point having a great sales email that is never opened because of a rubbish subject line. Just like headlines, it is vital that you learn how to write good email subject lines. Keep an eye on your inbox and start collecting all of the email subject lines that make you want to open the email.

 

Landing pages & sales pages swipe file
If you are spending time and money to drive traffic to a landing page or sales page then you want to ensure that it is effective. Most people aren’t born with this type of copywriting skills, but by building up a swipe file you start to understand how to format the page, what sections need to be included and get some inspiration for what to write too.

 

Digital advert swipe files
Even if you aren’t using adverts in your business right now it is a good idea to create a swipe file for adverts this could be from Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest or a banner advert on a website. Maybe you love the creative or the copy that is with it. Either way, add them to your swipe file.

 

Social media swipe files
Content creation on social media platforms is increasing and creating cut-through is getting harder. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to social media posts that get your attention and also those that seem to perform well. Just like in the digital adverts file it may be that the creative and / or the copy is effective.

 

HOW TO CREATE A SWIPE FILE

As mentioned previously a swipe file is a collection of examples so you need to have somewhere to easily collect your examples. Traditionally these were physical (and I still have folders full of adverts that I pulled out of magazines and newspapers), but nowadays most people keep a digital What you use to collect your examples doesn’t matter as long as you can easily save and refer back to them. Some options are:

• Folder on your computer (or Google Drive etc)
• Evernote
• Pinterest
• Email folder

 

There you have it! You now know what a swipe file is and how to create your own. Before you skip away excited to create your swipe file and improve your content creation, I want to remind you of one thing – your swipe file for inspiration and not for copying. You can use something as a starting point, but don’t completely rip someone else off.

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Getting inspiration for creating content is just one part of the process you need to go through in order to create content that positions you as an expert, builds an audience and creates new clients.

If you would like some help creating a content marketing strategy that allows you to consistently create content that converts then book an Intensive Strategy Day.