Workflow: Create and Publish a Social Media Post

Goal

Produce a finished, on-brand social media post from scratch and export it ready to publish. This workflow strings together templates, elements, brand kit, smart checks, and export.

Before you start

• Have your brand kit set up (colors, fonts, logo). If you haven't, see Uploading Assets and Building a Brand Kit first.
• Know the channel and size you're posting to (for example, a 1080 × 1080 Instagram square).

Steps

1. Start from a template

1. Open StretchDesign and go to the Templates gallery.
2. Filter by a relevant category and pick a layout close to what you want.
3. Choose Use this template. It opens as a new design.
4. Rename it descriptively — for example, Spring Sale — IG Square.

2. Set the canvas size

If the template isn't already your target size, note it now — you'll finalize with Magic Resize later, or recreate at the right size if you're early. For a native square post, aim for 1080 × 1080.

3. Make it yours

1. Double-click the headline and replace it with your message — 20% Off — This Weekend.
2. Update the supporting text and any body copy.
3. From Uploads, drag in your product photo (into a frame for a clean crop).
4. Add your logo from Uploads or the Brand Kit panel.

4. Apply your brand

1. Open the Brand Kit panel.
2. Apply brand colors to the background and text.
3. Set headings and body to your brand fonts.
4. Use Position to center and align elements cleanly.

5. Add a call to action

1. Add a button-style shape with clear CTA text (Shop now).
2. Optionally add a QR code pointing to the sale page for print/cross-channel use.

6. Quality-check it

1. Run a design quality check. Fix anything flagged — commonly low-contrast text or an element near the canvas edge.
2. Run a brand check against your brand kit and correct any off-brand color or font.

7. Create channel variants (optional)

Use Magic Resize to produce a story (1080 × 1920) and a landscape (1200 × 675) version, saving each as a new design. Nudge elements to suit each new shape.

8. Export and publish

1. Export the square as PNG (transparency-friendly, web-ready).
2. Set the design's status to published so the team knows it's final.
3. Post the exported file to your channel.

Realistic example

Marketing needs a weekend-sale post across three channels. You start from a bold sale template, swap in the offer copy and a hero product photo in a frame, apply the brand's navy-and-coral palette and headline font, and add a Shop now button plus a QR to the sale page. A quality check catches a faint subhead (you darken it); a brand check confirms the palette. Magic Resize spins up story and landscape variants saved as new designs. You export all three as PNG, mark them published, and hand them off — start to finish in well under an hour.

Tips

• Templates + brand kit is the fastest route to a consistent, on-brand result.
• Always run the quality and brand checks before exporting — they catch the mistakes people notice most.
• Build the square master first, then Magic Resize into other formats rather than designing each from scratch.
• Keep all channel variants findable by naming them with the size, e.g. Spring Sale — IG Story (1080×1920).

Troubleshooting

The resized story looks empty at the top and bottom. Magic Resize scales your existing layout; use the extra space by nudging or enlarging elements to fit the taller canvas.

A check tool isn't available. Quality/brand checks and Magic Resize rely on the design engine your admin enables — ask them to turn it on, and finish the manual steps in the meantime.

My export looks off-brand. Re-run the brand check; it pinpoints the specific colors or fonts that don't match your kit.