How to turn a blog post into an infographic
By the InfographicHQ team · · Updated
To turn a blog post into an infographic, do not shrink the whole post. Pick the one part that has a shape, usually a list, a process or a comparison, and rewrite it as short parallel points of about 170 words. Let the image send readers back to the post for everything else.
A 1,500-word post becomes a good infographic by losing 1,300 words, not by shrinking them.
The six steps
- Find the part of the post that has a shape.
- Write the one-sentence takeaway.
- Rewrite it as short parallel points.
- Check every line against the post.
- Choose the layout the content already has.
- Publish the image and link back to the post.
1. Find the part of the post that has a shape
Use the section you would draw on a whiteboard: a list, a process, a schedule or a comparison.
- A list: six mistakes, five principles, four questions to ask.
- A process: the steps, in order, that get from a starting point to a result.
- A schedule: what happens in week one, month one and quarter one.
- A comparison: two options and how they differ.
If the post has subheadings, they are the strongest candidate. A well-structured post with five sections is already an outline for a five-card infographic. If the post is one long argument with no such section, the takeaway itself can be the infographic: the claim as the title, the three reasons as the cards.
2. Write the one-sentence takeaway
The takeaway is the single sentence the image should leave behind. It becomes the title or the closing line. It is also the test for everything else: a point that does not support that sentence belongs in the article, not in the image.
3. Rewrite it as short parallel points
Rewrite each point so it stands on its own, because infographic text is read in fragments and in any order.
- Article: "Once you have done that, it is worth checking whether the metrics you chose earlier still reflect what the team is trying to achieve."
- Infographic: "Recheck metrics against goals."
Give every section the same skeleton, a short heading, one framing line and two or three points, and keep the whole body to about 170 words. Read more: How to structure an infographic and How many words should an infographic have?
4. Check every line against the post
Compare every line with the post, and do not strengthen a claim while shortening it. "Can reduce costs" must not become "Reduces costs". If the post cites a number, carry the number across exactly and keep the source in the article the image points to. If you are summarising somebody else's article, credit them in the caption and do not present their framework as your own.
5. Choose the layout the content already has
The layout follows the shape of the section you chose.
| In the post | Layout |
|---|---|
| A list or a set of tips | Stacked list or grid |
| A process or a schedule | Timeline or roadmap |
| Two options | Comparison |
| Ranked levels | Pyramid |
| A loop that repeats | Cycle |
Read more: 10 infographic layouts and when to use each.
6. Publish the image and link back to the post
Post the image where the readers are, and link back to the post.
- Inside the post itself, near the top, as a summary for skimmers.
- On LinkedIn, where a tall 4:5 image takes up more of a phone screen than a wide one. Put the link to the post in the caption or the first comment.
- In your newsletter, as the visual for the issue that links to the post.
- In a slide deck, as the one-slide version of the argument.
Add alt text that states the takeaway, because a screen reader cannot read lettering that is part of a picture. How to make a LinkedIn infographic covers posting and alt text.
Can AI turn a blog post into an infographic?
Yes. InfographicHQ is an AI infographic maker that turns the text of a blog post into a finished 4:5 infographic in about a minute. Paste the post, or the section you chose. It writes a title, a subtitle, a few sections and a closing line, cut to the word limit, and you can read and change every word before anything is drawn.
| What you give it | Where | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Pasted text | The free form and the app | Up to 24,000 characters, about 4,000 words |
| A PDF, Word or PowerPoint file | The free form (under its topic box) and the app (Upload, then File) | .docx and .pptx, up to 60 MB, read in your browser |
| A link to the post | The app, once you are signed in | Public pages only |
A longer paste keeps its first part. Long posts work best when you paste the section you chose, since the outline can only be as focused as what you give it.
You can see an example about turning one blog post into a month of posts, read about infographics for marketers or how to turn a PDF into an infographic, or try it free with a post you have already written.
Common questions
What if the post is too long for one image?
Make two infographics, or on the InfographicHQ Pro plan download the infographic as a LinkedIn carousel with a slide for each card.
