How-To Create An Infographic Using PowerPoint or Keynote (Infographic) (2024)

31 Oct How-To Create An Infographic Using PowerPoint or Keynote [Infographic]

Want to learn how to plan, publish and promote viral infographics?

Good, you’re in the right place.

But let’smake something clear…If you’re thinking:

• “I’m not a natural designer.”
• “I’ve never made an infographic before.”
• “Infographics won’t work for my industry.”

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You’re not alone. Most people have theseexcusesthoughts…

Get rid of those limiting beliefsright now!

Ever makea presentation in PowerPoint or Keynote?Great… You can make an infographic.Plus, in step #5I’ll reveal myEPIC design hackthat will turn even the biggest newbie into instant pro!

So let’s dive right in… Here are my7 essential stepsfor creating infographics thatgo viral.

Bonus:Click hereto get my 20-point infographic creation PDF swipe file and a complete infographic “teardown” video.

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Step 1: Choose topic and collect content.

If you’ve already got a blog and some content under your belt, the best place to find a topic is tolook at your most popular content from the past.

Head over to Google Analytics or the analytics dashboard in your marketing automation software / CMSand pull up your most popular pagesfrom the last 6-12 months:

From there you’ll be able tosee which topics your readers are already most interested in.

It’s a smart idea tomatch your infographics to the topic of your most popular blog posts.

Why?

• First,you’ll be able to content from those blog posts in your infographic to fast-track your project.
• Second,you already know your audience is interested in those topics.

For example…

One of the clients I work with owns an interior design firm and her blog has some great content on it.

But the most popular blog post month after month was her article on“questions to ask when interviewing an interior designer.”

So we decided to use that content and create an infographic around that topic:

Becauseall of the content was already written,all we had to do was come up with the design!

Alright, so what if you don’t have a lot of content to work with?

I recommend that you head over toGoogle Trends,Google’s Keyword Planner,BuzzSumoand/orHubspot’s Keyword Tooltoresearch what’s being searched for and shared most often.

If you’ve never used Google Trends, then you’re in for a treat.

You can use this tool tosee what topics are trending and most popularRIGHT NOW.

Plus, you cansee how popular a topic was in the past and then compare that to other topics.

For example…

Check out the popularity of “infographics” vs. “magazine ads”from 2004 – 2016:

Sorry magazine ads…

So how do youguarantee your topic will be a home run?

UseGoogle’s or Hubspot’s Keyword Plannertosee the exact number of people who search for specific keywords and topicsso you can instantly gauge the popularity of a topic.

But since we’re talking about creatingVIRALinfographics in this post…

…don’t forget to also research your topic inBuzzSumoso you canfind the most shared topics and content onlineto confirmpeople will actually share your infographic.

As analternative option, you could alsospeak with your sales and customer service teamsto uncover FAQs and customer pain points.

Once you’ve got a topic, it’s time to do some research…

One of the best parts about infographics is thatyou don’t have to write much copy by yourself.

Almost every single infographic onlineincludes quotes, data and resources from other people and brands…

But first, open up an app likeEvernoteandstart writing down everything you personally know about the topic you’re covering, plus every sub-topic you want to cover.

After you’ve got your own notes down, head over toGoogle Searchand start the research process.

For example,type in phrases like:

• “best (my topic) articles”
• “(my topic) statistics”
• “(my topic) quotes”
• “(my topic) blogs”
• “(my topic) infographics”

This will give you dozens of great resources to pull ideasand data from that you can include in your infographic.

Once you find some information you like, justcopy and paste it into your note taking app…

Don’t forget tosave the website address (URL) for each resource you cite.

Lastly, It’s important that you remember this is an infographic, not a blog post…

That means you shouldonly collect the most important, focused data and resources. Ignore all the gritty details and “fluff.”

Action items for step #1:

• Choose and validate a topic for your infographic
• Collect and cite important resources you’ll quote

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Step 2: Create and re-size a blank presentation.

This step issuper easy…

All you need to do here iscreate a blank presentation deckin either PowerPoint or Keynote and resize it to the shape/size of an infographic.

Personally, I prefer Keynote. But rest assured thatevery single tool you need to make infographics are available in both PowerPoint and Keynote.

Let’s start with PowerPoint…

Click“Design”then“Slide Size”to resize your deck:

6.5 x 50 inches in the maximum size in PowerPoint.

For Keynote, go to the“Document”options, click“Slide Size”to resize your deck:

900 x 6000 points in the maximum size in Keynote.

Don’t agonize over getting the “perfect” heightfor your infographic…

Just give yourself enough space to work with. You’ll learn how to crop and optimize your infographic in step #6.

Action items for step #2:

• Create a blank presentation in PowerPoint or Keynote
• Resize the deck to an infographic-friendly size

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Step 3: Wireframe each section using shapes.

Both PowerPoint and Keynote have“Shape”tools which will allow you to create (you guessed it) shapes:

PowerPoint has more options for shapes than Keynote as you can see above.

In this step our goal will be touse those shapes to create a “wireframe”and layouteach section you’ll need for your infographic.

Here are the basic areas / sectionsthat you’ll need to create:

• Header / Title Area
• Introduction
• Body / Main Argument
• Conclusion
• “Brought to you by…” Section
• Cited Resources

In most cases, each of these sections on every infographic will remain relatively the same.

The only exception is the“Body / Main Argument”section, whichwillvary depending on your goal for the infographic.

For example…

A comparison infographic would need to have adifferent“wireframe” and layout than a timeline infographic to effectively illustrate your point:

That’s why it’s smart (like with any creative project) tostart with the end in mind…

The creation process will be a lot easier if you canpicture an outcome and work towards that.

I’ve seen far too many infographics fail becausethey focus too much on fancy designinstead of creating a solid wireframe and layoutthat compliments their topic.

Let’s be clear…

The “design” ishow your information looks. But the “layout” ishow your information is organized and presented.

The layout is far more importantthan any fancy design elements.

So, what if you don’t know what type of layouts you need? Where should you start?

My #1 favorite place for infographic inspiration isPinterest.

You’ll findendless layout ideas and wireframe examplesthat you could easily use to guide you while you create your infographic wireframe:

First,you’ll want touse rectangles and borders to define large areasof your infographic like in the example below:

Don’t worry about the colors just yet, we’ll get to those in the next step.

Next,using a combination of rectangles, squares, circles, triangles and lines,create your subsections:

When creating your wireframe and layouts, there’stwo important design rules to consider:

• First,you need to make sure there is enoughwhite spaceso your infographic is easy to read.
• Second,you need tocreate hierarchywith your most important content and sections at the top.

If you’re still having an issue creating your layouts here’s what to do:

Add some wireframes to a blank presentation deck anduse the “Shapes” tool totrace layoutsuntil you get the hang of it. Easy right?

Last note:If you’re usingKeynote, once you’re happy with your wireframe, I recommend that you “Lock” the shapes in place, that way when you’re adding in content later, you don’t accidentally screw up the layout:

You’ve been warned!

Action items for step #3:

• Find layout inspiration onPinterest
• Use the “Shapes” tool to create your wireframe
• Create infographic sub-sections using shapes

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Step 4: Choose a color and typography pallette.

Now with your snazzy new wireframe, you’re ready tochoose colors and fonts.

Let’s talk colors first…

A color palette is one of the mostsubtle, yet crucialaspects of any creative project.(especially for marketing)

Your color palette willset the tone for your infographic and tie visual elements together.

When designing an infographic, I like tochoose 2 different color sets.

Thefirst color setis thebackground(s).

I usesoft, subtle colorsfor my backgrounds so I can draw attention to important elements with brighter colors.

Here’s a few examples:

Of course the flip side of that is to use bold background colors. Buteven with white text, it can make the graphic difficult to read. Either way, here’s some solid examples:

Thesecond set of colorsyou choose will serve as yourprimary palette.

These can be brighter and more eye-catching.

“Flat” colors are very popular for infographics. Here’s a few examples:

It’s a smart idea tochoose a palette that compliments your brand’s style.

You can use a tool likeAdobe Colorto build a pallet around any color you’d like.

If you don’t want to build your own palette, I recommend that you check outColour Loversforendless inspirationcreated by other people:

Make sure that you’re not choosing too many colorsas that can create “disconnect” between important areas of your infographic and overwhelm readers.

If all else fails,usingdifferent shades of same coloris always a safe bet.

By the way, feel free toswipe any of the colors from abovefor your project…

Just drag and drop the color swatch (or any other image for that matter) into your infographic thenuse the “eyedropper” toolto grab the color you want:

Once you’ve got a nice color palette, it’s time tochoose afont combination.

The first thing you should do isavoid fancy or intricate fonts.

(Even if it compliments your brand.)

Why?

After you resize the infographic to a “web-friendly” size,those types of text can be extremely difficult to read.

Instead,stick witheasy-to-read fontslike Arial, Open Sans, Courier and Verdana…

When choosing a typography combination,you cancombine two fonts, or use variations of the same font.

Check out the 2 examples below:

Make sure that you’re not using any fonts below 16 ptsas it becomes extremely difficult to read once you resize your infographic in step #6.

There isone exceptionwhen it comes to the fonts however…

You don’t have to match your header’s title with the rest of your typography.

You cantake a bit more creative libertywith that area of the infographic.

For example, check out thesegreat headers that grab your attentionimmediately witheye-catching typography:

Want someincredible fontsfor your title, sub-headers and body text that you candownload and use forfree?

Check outGoogle FontsandDaFontto browse, compare and download different fonts.

You can alsocheck out this awesome article with pre-made font combinationsto spark some ideas…

Action items for step #4:

• Choose a background color scheme
• Choose a primary color scheme
• Select an easy-to-read typography combo

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Step 5: Add in your content, charts and visuals.

Now it time to take all the resources you collected in step #1 andextract the most focused, actionable content for your infographic.

Start byadding in your sub-headers and body textto the wireframe you created in step #3:

Make sure that your copy isshort and to-the-pointlike the example above.

Also, you need to include links to every resource you cited at the bottom of the infographic:

Okay so after you’ve added your copy, it’s time tobring your words to life.

How?

Use strong visual elementsthat instantly get your point across by “showing” not “telling” your readers:

The way I see it,you’ve got 2 options…

You could make every single visual by yourself…

But even if you’re a “natural” designer that can bedifficultandtime-consuming.

Or, you could use mybest kept infographic design hack:

Purchase community-made visual assetsfrom online marketplaces.

Websites likeGraphic River,Creative MarketandFlat Iconsell visual assets made by professional designers that you can purchase and use in your projects.

For example…

Check out this sleek icon set you couldpurchase and use on any of your infographics:

And that’s just one example!

There are dozens of other icons sets, illustrations, header images and more that you can use togive your infographic a more professional look and feel immediately.

On the other hand…

If you’re like me, once in awhile you might want tomake your own visuals from scratch.

For example, one day I couldn’t find a decent “flat style” illustrationof a fire pit to save my life…

So I decided to use the “Shapes” tool in Keynote to“build” my own firepit.

Check out how I made it:

(Like that mini teardown example?Don’t forget the full step-by-step teardown video included in the bonus area at the end of this post.)

Now I realize that I might upset some people when I say this… But too bad:

Data is not a requirement of a viral infographic.

Of course data makes itincredibly easyto prove your point by usingindisputable numbers.

But I’ve seen dozens of infographic go viral that don’t include a single graph or piece of data…

Infographics have evolved.Get over it.

That being said…

When you choose to include data in your infographic, there are some important things to consider.

Basically, there are2 ways to display your data.

First, the traditional way would be to use charts and graphs.

Try tokeep your graphs simple, “clean” and focused…

Don’t include an unnecessary data anddraw attention to the important data:

Thesecond wayto display your data is to use“data visualization.”

For example, you could use a set of 10 “smartphone” icons where 7 are colored and 3 are greyed out to represent the fact that 70% of Americans own a smartphone:

(That’s not some random example, that’s a real stat. Crazy right?)

Or you coulduse aunique illustrationlike a ship race to visualize your data:

Just remember:

Regardless of what type of infographic you’re creating,make sure that you’re using highly-engaging visuals and data visualizationstobring your content and data to life!

Action items for step #5:

• Summarize and add in your copy
• Add strong supporting visuals to “show” not “tell”
• Use charts and visualizations to bring data to life

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Step 6: Export, optimize and upload.

Once you’re happy with your infographic, it’s time to get it ready for the world wide web!

Thefirst thingyou need to do isexport the “presentation deck”that you’re working on to a PDF.

In PowerPoint, just click on“File”then“Export”from your menu bar.

In Keynote, you do the same thing, except you choose“PDF…”from the menu bar.

Now that you have a PDF version of your infographic, you need tooptimize the file size for fast loading online, without sacrificing quality or readability.

Like I mentioned in step #2, there’s a good chance your infographic won’t fit perfectly into the resized PowerPoint or Keynote deck…

Here’s a simple solution…

Open a photo editing tool(it doesn’t have to be PhotoShop)thencrop and/or stitch together your PDF(s) to get the perfect height.

Next,resize your infographic to be between 700 and 900 pixels wide.

Again, this willpreserve the quality of the imagewhile making the file’s size as small as possible.

Also, I recommend using a tool likeOptimizillatocompress and optimize your infographic even further.

Try to get the final file size to beless than 5 MB.

Lastly,the final infographic photo file should be aPNGorJPGbecause those are both universal image file formats.

Alrighty moving on…

The next thing you need to do iscreate a home for your infographicon your website.

Create a new page or blog post with aunique URLthat you’ll upload and add the infographic image to.

This is important because when the infographic is shared around the internet, you want to make sure all the links point back to you so youget more traffic and shares.

Okay, so if you followed along up until now thenyou’ve got all the tools you need to create a professional-looking infographic.

Butthere’s still a few more thingsyou’ll need to do if you want your infographic to go viral.

Continue reading on to the last step to find out…

Action items for step #6:

• Export infographic to a PDF
• Crop and/or “stitch” together your PDF(s)
• Resize to 700-900 pixels wide
• Upload to a new website page or blog post

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Step 7: Go viral with strategic promotion.

Okayreal talk…

InfographicsDO NOTgo viral by accident.

Even if you’ve got the best infographic in the world…

…if you simply click “Publish” then call it a day,don’t be surprised when no one sees or shares your infographic.

Instead,strategically promotingyour infographic byidentifying theRIGHTpeople and theRIGHTwebsitescan get your infographic in front of thousands of people fast.

But before we do that, you’ll want to make sure tooptimize your infographic for search engines…

SEO won’t necessarily help your infographic go viral but it’sextremely beneficialbecause it will helpincrease your search engine rankingswhich meansmorefree traffic to your website.

Check outthis infographic by Backlinkoto help guide you while you’re optimizing your infographic(s) for search engines:

After that’s done, here are the next 3 things you should do

Pay close attentionbecause these 3 steps are crucial…

#1: Find websites and blogs that share similar infographics.

For example, if I had just published an infographic on email marketing, I would go to Google at type in:

“Email marketing infographic”

What you’re looking for arewebsites and blogs that havepublished similar infographicsmade by other people.

That way, you know without a doubtthey will be interested in sharing your infographictoo as long as it’s good.

It’s important to note thatin my experience, people who publish their own infographics don’t normally like to publish other people’s infographics on their websites.

Of course that’s not always the case…

But to be honest,I’m the same way… I won’t post an infographic on my blog unless I personally made it.

So, after you’ve got a decent list of websites who you think will be willing to share your infographic, it’stime for someemail outreach.

First, start byidentifying the authorsfrom each of the websites who published similar infographics.

You can usually find the author’s name in the article’s byline:

Once you’ve got a list of authors, use a tool likeViola NorbertorContentMarketer.ioto find email addresses so you can startsendingpersonalemails.

If you want to learnhow the pros do email outreach,check out this article my friend Emil Shour did with Brian Dean at Backlinko.

Part of that case study highlights the“Pre-Outreach”and“Content Roadshow”strategies he used to generate buzz for his content.

For example, check out Emil’s2-step approachto email outreach…

Instead of doing what most people do and asking for a backlink or share right away(1-step approach)check out what he did instead:

And because he wasn’t being pushy, he get’s responses like this from people asking to send his content over(2-step approach):

See the difference?

Now I’ll be the first to admit thatemail outreach is not the most exciting part about infographic marketing…

But it’scrucial if you want to go viral.

Plus, thelong-term benefits from the relationships you’ll buildwith influencers and bloggers willbecome invaluabledown the road.

#2:Identify influencers who share similar infographics.

The best tool to find these influencers isBuzzSumo.

Just type in a topic or copy/paste a specific link to pull up content that issorted by number of social media shares.

For example if I was doing an infographic on gardening, I’d type in“gardening infographic”into BuzzSumo…

Next, I would go through the results one by one andclick“View Sharers”on any infographics that are similar to mine:

This will give you a list of the people who have shared that infographic…

This is helpful becauseyou can sort by number of followers to identify influencerswith a large number of followers who have shared infographics that are similar to yours.

Like in the last step, find their email address and start reaching out one-by-one.

Aside fromViola NorbertandContentMarketer.io,anotherclever way to find someone’semail address is tosubscribe to their blog…

The welcome email and all future emails should come from an address that you can respond to.

As an alternative, if you can’t find someone’s email address,you can always use Twitter to reach out publically:

Sam Hurley has hundreds of thousands of followers but still responded and shared my content:

See how I used the same 2-step outreach approach like the email example from above?

• Step 1:Ask if they want to see it
• Step 2:If they say yes, send the link

Not being pushy is the keyto getting responses and getting your content shared.

Last thing:

Sending a friendly thank you when influencers share your content is a smart idea so you can“get on their radar.”

That way next time you have a piece of content and reach out to that influencer, you’ll be familiar and have a higher chance of getting a response.

#3: Submit your infographic to infographic directories.

These directories are basicallywebsites that curate infographics for other people to see.

Some of them (like SlideShare) getmillions of viewsper month…

They arethe perfect place to get your infographic discoveredby people who might want to share it on their website.

There are dozens of these directories though…

So instead of manually doing each one by yourself I recommend usingFivvertopay someone to do it for you.

You don’t need to have someone submit your content to 50+ directories. Just stick with the people who only add it to the top 10-30 infographic directories:

Alright here’s thelast set of things you should doto promote your infographic…

Like any piece of new content you’d create, you shouldshare throughout all of your marketing channels.

Here’s a few examples:

• Share with your email lists
• Schedule multiple social media posts
• Paid ads / remarketing ads
• Add links to infographic on relevant website pages
• Share with industry partners
• Send to influencers/bloggers who’ve shared your content in the past
• Share with any brand or person you mentioned in your content

Action items for step #7:

• Optimize your infographic for search engines
• Share infographic with the RIGHT bloggers and influencers
• Promote through all your digital marketing channels

Alright folks, that wraps up the7 primary steps I use to create viral infographics.

Be sure tobookmark this article(I know it was long)so you cancome back and refer to it at any timeduring the infographic creation and promotion process.

Feel free todrop me a line in the comment sectionif you’ve got a specific question and I’ll be happy to answer!

Need more help? Here are few bonuses to guide you along.

I want to make itridiculously easyfor you to create a viral infographic so I’m giving you severalbonus resourcesto help:

• First,I put together a PDF“swipe file”with my entire20-stepinfographic creation checklist
• Second,I’ve included a“teardown” videowhere you can watch me reverse engineer anentire infographic (backstage pass to how I make infographics)

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To get theresources,enter the bonus area by signing up here.