β€œIf we’re free from the burden of trying to be completely original, we can stop trying to make something out of nothing, and we can embrace influence instead of running away from it.” - Austin Kleon, Steal like an artist

A big part of my Twitter content is inspired by other people's content.

I stash everything that looks interesting on my Twitter bookmarks and go there when in need of inspiration.

In today's article, I recap the best-saved tweets from 2020 (for me at least) and what you can steal from each one

Let's dive in!

Yearly chart by @jakobgreenfeld

What to steal: the idea and the design

Create a chart with the key moments of your growth. It's a great reflective exercise for you and it can be a great learning experience for your audience.

I did my own spin on this one!

Let's collaborate by @aaraalto

What to steal: the idea.

Creating a blank piece of content (could be a sentence, a design, a video...) that your audience can later use it's a brilliant move.

Keep it simple so people can do their own spin fast. If it's going to take too much of their time they might not want to do it.

Contrast by @jackbutcher

What to steal: the style

Use it to emphasize the contrast between two ideas.

Advice to first time info product creators by @dvassallo

What to steal: the insight

This tweet was one of the sparks for me writing the Twitter Thief ($1,3k revenue says it was a good idea)

Cold email formula by @phil_jacobson

What to steal: the formula

Cold emailing is the one skill that can 2x your earnings if you are a freelance or applying to a job offer.

How to be a better writer by @JamesClear

What to steal: the insight

A world class writer giving free writing lessons.

Snake styling by @Shopify

What to steal: the style

Sometimes the only way to break through the timeline noise is to be a bit playful with your style.

Ranked by @uxblake

What to steal: the style

This is a great way to visually rank something. The green emojis really stand out on the timeline

Steps with emojis by @lennysan

What to steal: using emojis to emphasize your message

Great example on how to properly use emojis to double down on your message.

Progression by @gumroad

What to steal: the style

Perfect to emphasize a process and the possible outcomes.

Sentence repeat by @orangebook_

What to steal: the wording style

Use the same way to start each sentence creates an easy to follow visual pattern.

Levels of X by @vanschneider

What to steal: the style

Use it to represent the different levels of anything visually.

3 steps to X by @jackbutcher

What to steal: the idea and style

Use it to describe something that can be done in 3 steps. Keep it simple and impactful. Number each step too.

Tweet workflow by @dickiebush


What to steal: the workflow

Choose 4-5 topics you want to write and 4-5 principles to combine with. Assign a number to each and generate random connections. It will spark your creativity!

The 5 letters by @david_perell

What to steal: the idea

Think about a topic, a process, a skill... Now think about 5 words that can be used to describe it. Use always words that start with the same letter, it creates an attractive tweet format.

How to find what you love by @JamesClear

What to steal: the process

James gives a clear framework to find what you love.

Multimention by @mkobach

What to steal: the idea and format

Multimention tweets always work well. Don't abuse it though!

5 rules for better tweets by @mkobach

What to steal: the insight

Matthew, a Twitter pro, gives a free lesson on good tweeting.

The build up by @shl

What to steal: the format

Use this format to build up to a conclusion. Use the blank space for better visual effect.

And that's it! These are all the tweets I kept in my stash this year and that have inspired a LOT of my own content.

I'll do a similar post soon but with threads, so keep an eye for it!

Get more

If you found this article interesting, you could check me out on Twitter. I try to post valuable stuff all the time!

If you want to learn more, you could take a look at this other articles about Twitter and marketing.

And, if you feel like checking out The Twitter Thief, my Twitter ebook, you can do it here. Guaranteed you will get some value out of it!