Episode 267: What is a Swipe File?

---

Show Summary

Rob Cairns talks about swipe files.

Show Highlights:

1. What is a Swipe File?
2. What goes in a Swipe File?
3. Where to get for a Swipe File?

---

Show Notes

Hey everybody, Rob here again.

In today’s podcast I wanted to talk a little bit about swipe files.

What a swipe file is, how I keep a swipe file, and so on.

Swipe file is a really fancy term that marketers like to use for a file of ideas.

People say what do I put in a swipe file?

Well, I typically put all kinds of stuff in.

I might put business ideas, I might put ideas in from my next landing page I’m building.

I could even put in some Twitter ideas about how to grow my social media.

They all belong in this whitefall, because all it is, is a collection of ideas.

And it’s funny.

Swipe files take time to curate, so there’s a number of ways you can do it.

The simplest way?

Open up a Google Doc, open up a Word document, and just add to it.

You can eat, go more sophisticated and use software like OneNote, which is Microsoft notetaking package, or would I prefer an open source version called Joplin, which is a wonderful notetaking package that lets you store.

Your data anywhere you want to store it, so you can choose to sort on Dropbox or Google Drive or OneDrive or wherever you want it, and you could still access it from your phone, your tablet, and so on.

And use a notetaking package to keep those ideas.

And what I would do is when I save stuff to my swag file, I would title it, break it down into groups and tag it appropriately so you can find stuff on a quick search.

Where do I get?

Things that are put in a swipe file.

I’ll give you some secret sauce.

One of the things I like to do when I’m scrolling through Twitter is take screen captures of what people say in their tweets.

If they’re that compelling, those tweets and tweet threads will go in my swipe file to remind me.

This person had a great way of having tools for start up and he might list 20 tools.

So this person had 20 great books that every CEO should read.

And I’ll keep those in this white file so I can go back and reference them, and I might even share that information with others down the road.

So that’s one great way that I curate.

The other way is when I’m reading stuff.

So I’ll be reading stuff now think, geez, this is needs to be kept.

This is really compelling.

Client could use this or throw that in a swipe file.

I’ll take photos to stuff, screenshots of landing pages of websites as ideas.

When I’m building my next landing pager or web page, what I should include that also include in a swipe file?

So I hope you’re getting the idea now.

That’s why I found this a collection of ideas for you to reference down the road.

And the more you build the swipe file it, the more the creative juices get flowing, which is absolutely amazing.

So what I would suggest is build your swipe file today.

Start building it electronically.

That’s the best way.

User notetaking package, OneNote Joplin or.

And another notetaking package, Evernote of your choice.

And tag and label the things.

Appropriately so.

That way you can get at things very easily.

Try it.

Your business will be better off for it.

Rob Caron, CEO, founder and chief creative amazing ideas.

Stunning digital marketing.

Have a great day.

Bye for now.

 

---