Friday, September 28, 2018

Let's Go Places with Word Swag




By Pam Hillman

Last month I shared a blog post titled Memes, Monkeys, and Me: Photo Editing and Graphics Design for Amateurs. This was a refresher on using PicMonkey to create memes and promotional swag for social media mostly on a desktop or laptop computer. But I also promised to bring you a fun post on a cool app that really puts the move on our busy lifestyles.


It’s WordSwag.

If you spend a lot of time waiting in line, at doctor’s offices, or waiting on your order to be delivered to your table, then why not get a jumpstart on your online PR with mobile memes directly from your smart phone?

I’m going to use my latest release, The Road to Magnolia Glen, as an example. Also, for the record, I have an iPhone. 

Most of the terms I use should be interchangeable with other devices, but just in case, I thought I’d mention that up front. 

Also, I did find a few online resources that said Word Swag is available for Androids, but if not, you should be able to search for a compatible photo/text app for your phone.

So… get ready, get set, and let’s go. Here are step-by-step instructions to set up your on-the-go meme making office on your phone or iPad.

Step 1: It goes without saying that you need to install the Word Swag app on your iPhone or iPad. It's free! :) Again, if you have an Android, I can’t advise you on which app to try. Possibly someone else can step in and help us out. Done? Okay! On to Step 2...


------


Step 2: Create an ALBUM on your phone for the project you will be working on. The one we'll be using today is for The Road to Magnolia Glen, which released in June. Save your book cover, reusable templates, and completed memes in this album. You’ll see from the above screenshot several completed memes as well as some blank templates with my Magnolia Glen cover already included for quick reference.

Regarding reusable templates: Generally, book specific backgrounds will be something you've created in PicMonkey where you can create styles and layers. The ones above are a composite of backgrounds from my publisher, my VA, and my own photos.




Step 3: Next, in the NOTES section of your phone, create a PR folder and then copy/paste notes when you find a cool review, or add some quotes from the book during in the final stages of the final edit. You'll be so glad you did this step when the book releases. You can add photos in the Notes section, but I prefer to keep the photos in the albums and the words (quotes, reviews, links) in the Notes section. And finally, if you’re quick and maybe a bit OCD, you can certainly make these memes right then and there, but I’m not always that organized.

Step 4: Are you done? Okay. Let’s keep going. This next part is the fun part! You should have some background templates on your phone AND you have some quotes and reviews that you’ve gathered for when you’re stuck in traffic or scrolling through Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, and you realize that you haven’t posted anything in a while.




Step 5: Either decide which background template you want to use from your ALBUM of choices OR you might want to just use something from Word Swag. That’s your choice. I’m going to use one of my templates with my book cover on it. This can be effective as readers continue to see the same colors and styles over and over with different quotes and/or reviews. Open Word Swag and choose LIBRARY (bottom) if you want to use a photo/jpg from the photos on your phone. Choose FREE PHOTOS (also at the bottom) if you want to use one of Word Swags gazillion choices, which I do quite often. Change the size of your photo or Crop it if you wish, or you can leave it as is. Choose Next.




Step 6: A white box of text will appear on your beautiful image that says “DOUBLE TAP ME TO CHANGE TEXT”. Go ahead. Tap it. Don’t worry that it’s clunky and too big or too small for you image. We’ll fix that.

Step 7: If you don't know what quote or review you plan to use, leave Word Swag open and go to your PR folder in your Notes. Copy, return to Word Swag and paste in one of your amazing quotes or reviews you’ve been compiling for just the right time. Make sure "AUTO LINE BREAKS" is On, and then click Done to return to the page with your image and words.




Step 8: At this point, you can play with the Style, Color, Size, and "arrangement" of your text. Have fun until you get the look you want. :) Scroll back and forth to look at the different font options. And use the dice in the lower right-hand corner to let Word Swag show you all the cool options for each different style.

Step 9: Don’t be afraid to use the “Add + Text” option at the top. My first attempt didn’t fit in the space as neatly as I wanted, so I removed the word “Quinn” and thought … uh … outside the box. :) I loved the result (below). Also, if you look closely, I added another “Quinn” in a darker color for a drop shadow. Just because I could. Last, I wanted to give Kav at Best Reads credit, but there just wasn't room inside the small circle. So, I added a third Text box at the bottom. Looking good. :)

Step 10: Save your work and post to ALL your favorite social media sites.



Tada! My end result for today’s exercise. 

Last, but not least…you don’t have to have templates or quotes from your book or anything to have fun. Pick a photo from Word Swag’s photo library and one of their Custom Quotes. I’ve done this several times and just made fun evergreen memes. The exercise feeds my creative bent.

And that's how you make a meme on the go. :)

Questions? Results? Come on!! It’s easy. Post your work on Instagram or Facebook and let us cheer you on. Use the #Seekerville hashtag. Let’s have some fun.

And... today's post is just in time to let you know that The Road to Magnolia Glen is on sale for $0.99, but it ends soon! So grab your copy now. :)

The Road to Magnolia Glen

19 comments:

  1. Pam, this is so helpful!! Thank you! I have the app but have never used it. You’ve given me the gumption to try it. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Missy, you can start by just picking one of Word Swags pretty pictures (from Pixabay) and one of their quotes if you like. Doesn't even have to specifically about a book, but something fun.

      Delete
  2. Thank you, Pam. I only understood about one word in 10, but you sure sound good saying it. :) Seriously, I do have to get more Tech-Tonic as my career progresses. SO many learning curves. Fortunately I have an adult daughter who can figure out ANYTHING.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kaybee, it was so fun to see you at conference AND congratulations again on winning the Genesis!!! Whoot! We were/are so excited for you!!!

      And... put keep that tech-savvy daughter of yours on tap for your go-to PR gal! :)

      Delete
  3. Hello Pam, I'm amazed at the creative memes that some of my reader friends have made. They are a fun way to promote a book.

    HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Caryl, I agree. Some are amazing and keep something fresh and new all the time. I'm in awe because I'm a bit of a hit and miss with it. :)

      Delete
  4. Pam, thank you! Can't wait to try this out. AMISH CHRISTMAS SECRETS releases MONDAY so I hope to use Word Swag to get the word out. Perfect timing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Congrats on the new release, Debby! Yes, try it. It's a great way to keep some social media PR going without taking time away from your writing desk.

      Delete
  5. One thing I forgot to mention and maybe I'm the last to catch on, but AirDrop is amazing when working between an iphone and a Mac.

    Instead of forwarding, Messaging, or Mailing your creations back and forth, you can use AirDrop to speed things along. If you haven't tried this feature, you will love it.

    Again, I'm not familiar with Androids or PCs, but it's possible that there's a way to do the same thing using those devices.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh, I love a step-by-step tutorial, Pam. Thank you for sharing this.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm thrilled to discover Word Swag! Thank you, Pam - if I can figure this out I should be able to cancel my Canva subscription (which I should cancel anyway because I don't get enough use out of it as it is...). Off to play with words and pictures, for research, of course!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laurie, I'm glad to be of help. But I would like to add that there are some things I cannot do in Word Swag, so I need PicMonkey. I just happened to become familiar/comfortable with PicMonkey before Canva, and I've heard that Canva is similar in scope to PicMonkey.

      PicMonkey and/or Canva and Word Swag (or a similar program) can work well together. Having said that, if you rarely need Canva to create specific templates (like the one I started with above), then you might be able to get by with just Word Swag. Just keep in mind that Word Swag is designed for faster memes and Word Swag pretty much pairs a photo/jpg with their word "templates" for lack of a better description.

      Delete
  8. Oh, this is awesome! I love the meme you created. And your tutorial was very detailed and easy to understand. Thank you!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome, Sherrinda. Glad to be of help. :)

      Delete
  9. This is amazing! I love this idea. Your explanation was so easy to understand - step by step! Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Pam, you've always impressed me, but this post (Lesson) makes me more in awe of you! Thanks so much!

    ReplyDelete
  11. When I go to a doctor's office or a place where I know that I'll be waiting, I will take a book or a cross-word puzzle book. I don't have a smart phone or I would know what you are talking about.
    I volunteer in the church library and have for almost 40 years so if you don't see me reading, I'm either very sick or no longer on this earth.
    Janet E.
    von1janet(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete

If you have trouble leaving a comment, please "clear your internet cache" and try again. You can find this in your browser settings under "clear history."