Here at Turtl, we strive to make the content creation process easy and timely. We acknowledge what it takes to produce content that is stand-out and also something to be proud of. The behind-the-scenes work prior to publishing a Doc may feel overwhelming at times. You may ask yourself: Should I choose another layout? Could another widget be added to the page? Did I check the mobile view? We've compiled the three top tips to bear in mind for each aspect of the content creation process.
Getting started on your Doc
Tip: Read this interview with our very own head of the Content creation team for some great tips on how to get inspired and keep your designs fresh and editorial-looking.
Check the theme
Make sure you're always working with the correct and most up-to-date brand theme. This should be "default" in the Doc settings or selected from the "Branding" dropdown when creating new Docs. If your brand works with multiple themes, get to know each one as if trying on a new item of clothing – see how you can style it up!
Create a wireframe
If you're using a Column layout, place all your copy in the Doc and create a logical page flow. Group content into chapters where possible (to reduce clicks) and use page breaks to define natural page splits. Try doing all of the above before you start committing to layouts!
Alternatively, if you have an existing piece of content in a PDF or a Google Doc, Word, Google slide, PowerPoint format, or on a webpage, which you can convert into PDF, you can use our tool for converting PDFs to Turtl Docs.
If you have an existing PDF but do not have access to the above tool, you may find these tips useful.
Pro tip: Keep the number of Content pages per chapter below 20 to avoid performance issues.
Plan for widgets
While at the wireframe stage, loosely place potential widgets and plan for the placement of sign-up forms. This is your chance to re-imagine your source material (flat PDFs, we're looking at you), instead of re-creating it like-for-like.
Key takeaway: If this isn't your first rodeo creating Turtl Docs, see if there's anything you can learn from past projects' analytics. Were readers dropping off at longer chapters? More engaged with interactivity than not? Implement this kind of feedback into your wireframe.
Extract high-quality resources
Text
Use a text cleaner to remove unwanted formatting, such as line and paragraph breaks.
Save time on copying and pasting by downloading a PDF plug-in to extract large chunks of text from a PDF in one go.
The above two points are irrelevant if using our tool for converting PDFs to Turtl Docs.
Images
We recommend: | Try to avoid: |
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Tip: If you’re interested, Turtl’s in-house Content Studio team would be more than happy to support you with image-sourcing projects either via your Customer Success Manager or via our email professional-services@turtl.co.
You can commission our content creation team to fill out your image library with high-quality imagery related to your content.
Videos
Source it: Videos, GIFs, or even cinemagraphs – use motion to remind your reader they're far from a PDF. Pexels is a handy, free video resource.
Trim it: Downloaded a video to use on a Title page? Load up QuickTime (probably pre-installed on your machine) and follow the steps in the GIF below to trim to around 10 seconds.
Set the still: On the Title page, click on the first icon above the "Background" section and use the slider to select your still image. On the cover, this image will pull through on the sharing thumbnail so it's key.
Key takeaway: Aim for under 2MB for best optimization – Turtl won't let you upload videos larger than 10MB.
Designing Title and Content pages
Please refer to the Title page best practices and Content page best practices articles.
Subbing and typesetting
Use letter spacing: Shake off unwanted orphans and widows with letterspacing. Hold "control" + "alt/option" and use your left and right keys.
Find and replace: Use the search function in the Contents menu as a "find" function to highlight and (manually) replace words or terms when making blanket edits throughout a Doc.
Review text sizing: Take stock of your text sizes – use large text and extra large headings sparingly and review across different screen sizes. Try for consistent heading styles throughout.
Key takeaway: As much as we love line spacing, it's easy to get carried away. Never go beyond -0.030em or 0.030em unless it's for stylistic purposes!
Want to know more about letter spacing? Click here to learn more.
Master mobile view
Hide and show: Hide images on Content pages (often those that are portrait orientation) that take up too much real estate on mobile.
Resize icons to fit: Make use of our brilliant feature in the mobile settings that allows you to resize icons independently of the desktop view.
Mobile road test: While the live mobile preview is a Turtl luxury, it isn't 100% accurate due to all the varying screen sizes out there – always cross-reference with your phone or tablet.
Key takeaway: Download the QR Code extension below to fast-track viewing draft Docs on your phone. Simply open the draft, hit the QR extension and scan.
Click here to download the QR Code Extension.
Finish up with QA
1. Banish blank space: Keep an eye out for rogue spaces/returns between widgets or at the end of Content pages – these will show up on mobile.
2. Try comments: We love the comment function. It's the best way to collaborate on Docs internally, provide feedback, and also leave notes to self.
3. Apply labels: As your Doc moves through the workflow or approvals process, utilize labels to make it clear what stage of sign-off you're at. Think "With stakeholders for review", "Design amends in progress"...
Key takeaway: QA is a key part of our internal processes – leaving comments is a huge help for progressing user skills, and helping to democratize design in Turtl.