Make catchy screenshots to grow on 𝕏

If done right, visuals get you heaps of attention on 𝕏.

And when you’re building in public, there’s much worth sharing.

Let’s review the best practices for attention-grabbing screenshots with the Stripe example below.

Estimated reading time: 2 min 47 sec

1. Zoom, even too much

The width of a tweet is smaller than 500 pixels (13.2 centimeters or the length of a pen).

Compared to your computer screen, the content will be less readable. People won’t click and zoom.

Ditch everything that’s not crucial. Zoom until you can’t.

2. Center the most important information

The further away from the center, the less people will notice.

Information at the edges of the screenshots is usually ignored.

3. Explain when necessary 

Screenshots that don’t convey any meaning get lost in the void. Use clear and visual explanations for people to understand your message.

• Use arrows to tell people where to look

• Underline to showcase information

• Write text to explain the meaning

Screenshot tools like CleanShotX or Xnapper have features to help you do this without design skills.

4. Favor square and portrait format 

It gets more real estate on the 𝕏 feed.

If you’re working on a laptop, resize your window as a mobile before taking a screenshot. The format will be more suitable for a tweet.

Avoid backgrounds

Colorful/gradient backgrounds in screenshots are a bit overrated.

• They distract from the actual content.

• They reduce readability and make the image cramped.

• Fancy backgrounds aren't meaningful for analytics or bill screenshots.

I only add backgrounds to success screenshots with minimal content, like revenue or followers milestones.

My rule of thumb for anything I create (websites, videos, tweets): Convey meaning within 2 seconds.

I hope the best practices above will help you get more attention. Tag me when you tweet, and I’ll check if it can be improved. Have a great weekend!

— Marc