9 Work From Home Tips We All Need for 2024

work from home tips

Working from home used to be considered a luxury, reserved largely for lucky workers in select positions or freelancers.

After COVID-19, however, that’s no longer the case. 76% of workers say they now have a preference for working from home, and two years into the pandemic, 59% of workers who say they can work from home are doing so.

Whether you’re a freelancer, business owner, or a conventional employee, working from home in many positions is becoming the standard instead of the exception.

Speaking from experience, working from home is an exceptional perk. I’ve been doing it since I started freelancing in 2014, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

I have flexibility in my day for doctor’s appointments, lunch with my husband, or going to the gym.

There’s no commute time, and I can spend the day working in loungewear with my dogs around me. And as someone with a chronic illness, I’m typically able to keep working even when I don’t feel well; that wouldn’t be the case with an in-office job.

There are, however, hardships to working from home. For many, it’s been a sometimes bumpy transition, with challenges like poor internet access or home equipment, difficulty collaborating with a team, and even kids barging in on important Zoom calls.

So how can remote work be effective, productive, and enjoyable? In this post, we’re going to look at nine work-from-home tips that we all need, backed by science and tested by your friendly neighborhood freelancer! [continue reading…]

How to Start a YouTube Channel with Strong Visuals (2024 Update)

how to start a youtube channel

Considering starting a YouTube channel?

You should!

Whether you want to create a brand around a YouTube channel or create a YouTube channel centered around an existing brand, we think it’s a great idea.

YouTube is an outstanding and invaluable marketing platform, and it’s the second-most-used search engine on the market today, second only to Google. It also allows you to create long-form content in a place where users are actively looking for it, which is a huge advantage.

Whether you want to showcase product demos, educate potential clients, or even just share client testimonials, a YouTube channel is the perfect place.

So, in this post, we’re going to make the process easy by sharing how to start a YouTube channel. We’re going to go over the planning stage, the setup process, and some tips for content ideation and creation.

Let’s get started!

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The Perfect Instagram Story Dimensions (2024 Update)

Instagram story dimensions

Instagram continues to revolutionize the social media realm with its photo and video sharing capabilities. The implementation of the Instagram story is one of the platform’s biggest hits and still remains very relevant with all of the new features being released.

With Instagram stories, you can update your followers on what you’re doing at any given moment. You can post Instagram stories in the form of a short video or a vertical photo, which disappears in 24 hours. You can keep track of who views your Instagram stories and you can even add your story as an IG story highlight to the front of your Instagram profile.

We’re starting to see more and more brands using Instagram stories and we’re here to show you the best Instagram story size, so that your videos and images appear properly on the app.

Here are some of the best practices, along with the perfect Instagram story dimensions to help you create professional and compelling Instagram stories.

Bonus: Create Instagram stories in less than 60 seconds with our free Instagram story templates.

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The Advantage of Using Simple Backgrounds in Your Designs (2024 Update)

simple background design

Have you ever noticed that a lot of professional designs use simple backgrounds?

Simple backgrounds are a great direction for your social media and site images because they provide a clean slate to showcase your message to your followers.

Need some background inspiration for your next visual design? Let’s take a look at 6 examples of simple background designs you can use on your website or in your marketing campaign. [continue reading…]

The Perfect Twitch Banner Size & Channel Best Practices (2024 Update)

twitch banner size

There’s no question that Twitch TV is a dominant force in the online live streaming industry. With over 100+ million monthly unique users and over 25 000 Twitch partner channels, Twitch has become the go-to platform for e-sports streaming.

Twitch has made live streaming way more accessible than it was years ago and gamers of all ages are creating Twitch channels worldwide to showcase their gameplay. To really stand out from the other Twitch channels, it is important to have the right Twitch banner size, profile picture, but more importantly professional looking visuals that will help your channel stand out from the rest. 

We have compiled all the right Twitch TV sizes and channel best practices that will take your Twitch channel to the next level! [continue reading…]

Best FREE Fonts for 2024

best free fonts for 2022

Did you know that there is such a thing as open-source, free-for-commercial-use fonts available online?

This is a huge asset to brands who want to use unique fonts to create a distinct, branded look that doesn’t just blend in with all the rest. You can use these unique fonts without needing to pay a designer a hefty fee while still making sure that you stand out from most of the competition—especially if the competition still uses the bland default fonts from their word processing software!

And here’s the best news: You can import these fonts into your design tools, including Snappa, so that you can use them to take your branded visuals to the next level.

Want to take a look at some of the best fonts you can take advantage of for your business? Let’s take a look at the best free fonts that are available for commercial use online today. [continue reading…]

How to Design the Perfect Header Images for Your Social Media (2024 Update)

header images

Let’s face it: header images are crucial to social media success.

Back in the good ol’ days, brands only really needed to worry about one image on social media: their profile picture. Images were used in posts, but not often, and header images either didn’t exist yet or weren’t popular.

We’ve come a long way since then, and header images are now a must-have for all businesses and organizations using social media. Profiles look downright empty without them, and the last thing you want your audience to say when they visit your page is “Wow, they’re not really trying all that hard.”

Designing the perfect cover photos for social media isn’t all that difficult with the right tools and ideas in place. In this post, we’ll take you step-by-step through the process so that you can immediately give your profiles a visual and branding boost. [continue reading…]

The Perfect Facebook Cover Photo Size & Best Practices (2024 Update)

facebook cover photo size

Facebook cover photos are a perfect example of how social media marketing is different than just regular social media usage. A great personal cover photo can be anything that we think looks great on profile; our business cover photos need to do much more.

A Page’s Facebook cover photo needs to be branded and represent our business. It also must be high-quality and perfectly optimized for display; this means knowing the perfect Facebook cover photo size.

This post is going to take a look at the perfect Facebook cover photo size and best cover photo practices to help your images represent your business exactly how you want. [continue reading…]

The Ideal YouTube Banner Size & Best Practices (2024 Update)

Video is hot right now, and since it’s going to stay that way for the foreseeable future, YouTube is a fantastic platform that more businesses should be using.

While most businesses have optimized their Facebook Pages and Instagram profiles, a lot of small businesses neglect their YouTube accounts if they even actually have them. Fortunately, making your YouTube banner look incredible isn’t too difficult. The first step towards making your channel look great (and legitimate) is with high-quality YouTube channel art.

In this post, we’re going to discuss everything that has to do with these banners, including best YouTube banner sizes, examples, and practices. [continue reading…]

31 Business & Marketing Podcasts to Listen to in 2024

Business and marketing podcasts

To continue to thrive in the business and marketing world, we all know that it’s essential to prioritize continual learning. Stagnation is not an option if you want to even maintain success, let alone build on it. There are some truly exceptional resources out available that make this task easier, especially when it comes to business and marketing podcasts.

Regardless of what you specialize in, there are a number of business and marketing podcasts that everyone can learn from. These are the 31 business & marketing podcasts you need to listen to in 2024.

If you’d like to discover even more podcasts beyond our own list of favourites, check out the Outbrain marketing podcasts hub!

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