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tag:business.tutsplus.com,2005:/posts Envato Tuts+ Business 2017-11-21T13:55:19Z tag:business.tutsplus.com,2005:PostPresenter/cms-29841 How to Make a Photo Transparent in PowerPoint Quickly
You can fade a photo in PowerPoint to be partially transparent with a bit of a workaround trick. Let's learn how in this quick video.

We also have a helpful complement to this tutorial. Download our FREE eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations. Grab it now before you read on.

How to Create a PowerPoint Transparent Picture

Watch this short tutorial screencast or follow the quick steps below.

1. Draw a Shape

Start by drawing a shape.

Instead of just inserting an image, let's start off by drawing a shape on the Insert tab. I'll grab a rectangle shape, and then click and drag over the slide to draw a box to put an image inside of.

2. Choose a Fill for Your Image

Now I'm going to right-click on the shape and choose Format Shape to open up some additional options. On the right side, let's open up the Fill option.

Open the PowerPoint Fill option.

 Now we'll go ahead and choose Picture Fill here. This fills the box with an image of our choice.

3. Insert the Image

I'll click on File and then browse to the image that I want to use as the background.

Insert the photo you want to make transparent.

I'll click to insert the image. Now, our shape is replaced with the image. If your picture is stretched or doesn't fit the square properly, you could tick this box that says Tile picture as texture.

4. Make a Photo Transparent in PowerPoint

Finally, let's add the transparency effect. Just pull the transparency effect slider up to fade the image into the background.

Use the Transparency slider to make a photo transparent in PowerPoint.

You could pull the image further to the right for more transparency when needed. It takes a bit of a trick, but you can add image transparency right inside of PowerPoint.

Finishing Up!

Creating a transparent photo in PowerPoint is a good way to a bit of design flair to your presentation.

More PowerPoint Tutorial and Template Resources

Learn more in our PowerPoint tutorials and quick video tutorials on Envato Tuts+. We have an assortment of PowerPoint material to help you make better presentations:

Microsoft PowerPoint

What Is Microsoft PowerPoint? How to Start Using It (Now)

Andrew Childress

Microsoft PowerPoint

How to Quickly Add Pictures to PowerPoint in 60 Seconds

Andrew Childress

Microsoft PowerPoint

How to Flip a Picture in PowerPoint in 60 Seconds

Andrew Childress

You can also find great PowerPoint presentation templates with premium designs on GraphicRiver or Envato Elements. Or, browse through our selection of the best Microsoft PowerPoint designs:

Microsoft PowerPoint

17+ Best PowerPoint Template Designs for 2017

Sean Hodge

Make Great Presentations (Free PDF eBook Download)

 We also have the perfect companion to this tutorial, which will walk you through the complete presentation process. Learn how to write your presentation, design it like a pro, and prepare it to present powerfully.

It's available for free with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter.

 2017-11-21T13:55:19.000Z 2017-11-21T13:55:19.000Z Andrew Childress tag:business.tutsplus.com,2005:PostPresenter/cms-30021 Start Saving With These Early Cyber Monday Deals
At Envato this year, Cyber Monday lasts a whole week. You can get 50% off selected items on Envato Market, or save a whopping $120 on an annual Envato Elements subscription, any time between now and next Wednesday, 29 November.

So if you're looking for Photoshop actions, WordPress themes, stock photos, video footage, music or a wide array of other creative digital products, you can snag some impressive savings. Just visit the Cyber Monday Sale page to get the full details and start saving.

50% Off 500 Envato Market Items

For the Cyber Monday sale on Envato Market, 500 popular items have been marked with special 50% reductions.

So you can build a new site with top themes, add functionality with code, design with stunning add-ons and templates, or bring your projects to life with audio and video files. All at half the normal price.

You can browse all the discounted items on the sale page.

Save $120 on an Envato Elements Annual Subscription

If you just want one or two specific items, the Envato Market sale above is the one for you. But if you regularly use fonts, graphic templates, WordPress themes and other creative assets, an Envato Elements subscription is the best deal in town.

For $228 (the equivalent of $19 a month), you get a whole year of unlimited downloads from the huge library of 400,000+ stock photos, WordPress themes and plugins, icons, fonts, presentation templates, and much more.

And on top of that, you also get free access to unlimited Tuts+ courses and eBooks. So it's the perfect way to improve your skills while having access to all the digital assets you'll need for your creative projects throughout the year. It's an investment that will pay off many times over.

Don't Miss Out!

Remember, all of these deals end on 29 November, at 2 pm AEDT (Australian Eastern Daylight Time). Yes, that's Australian time, so if you're in Europe, America or other points east, you should make sure you've done all your shopping by Tuesday, 28 November at the latest. After that, the prices go back to normal.

You can find more details on all of these deals and links to the discounted items on the Envato Cyber Monday Sale page. So head over there to stock up on all the digital assets you'll need for the coming year, at unbeatable prices.

 2017-11-21T13:32:49.353Z 2017-11-21T13:32:49.353Z Andrew Blackman tag:business.tutsplus.com,2005:PostPresenter/cms-29886 10 PowerPoint Presentation Tips: To Make Good PPT Slides (Quickly)
In this tutorial, I'm going to share ten quick PowerPoint presentation tips that will help you improve your PowerPoint presentations. You'll see a combination of features you might not know about, and get tips on changing your slide design to make your content shine.

Guide to Making Great Presentations (Free eBook Download)

Also, take what you learn from this tutorial further. Be sure to download our free eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations. In it, learn the complete presentation process of how to write your presentation effectively, design it like a pro, and more.

How to Make a Good PowerPoint Presentation (Watch & Learn)

This screencast is a speed round of my very favorite PowerPoint tricks. I'll walk you through ten of my favorite features or design steps to create a better presentation.

Keep reading for an illustrated version of these tips that you can use to improve your PowerPoint presentations.

1. Use a Custom Theme

Above all, I consistently use custom PowerPoint themes. Microsoft has built-in themes that you can use for free, sure. But the premium themes that are on Envato Elements are a major step-up from PowerPoint's built-in themes.

Envato Elements is an all-you-can-download creative subscription.

When you subscribe to Envato Elements, you'll have access to unlimited downloads of all the PowerPoint themes. Right now, Envato Elements has 711 PowerPoint themes and that number is always growing.

The reason that these themes are so useful is because they contain ideas. They're more than just a set of colors and font choices. Instead, they come loaded with ideas for slide designs. You can drop your own content in the placeholders to skip the hard work of recreating each presentation from scratch.

2. Use the Built-in Slide Layouts

Inside of PowerPoint themes, you'll find layouts, which are custom slide designs. Most themes will include a selection of content layouts that you can use as a starting point for your own slide designs.

Use the built-in Slide Layouts from the Home > Layout drop-down to choose a starting point for your PowerPoint slide.

Layouts are like a starting point for your PowerPoint slides. They contain combinations of placeholders for text boxes, images, and more. Instead of clicking and drawing individual objects onto the slide, use one of these layouts to start your slide off.

3. Align Text Consistently

When you're working with text on your slide, it helps to ensure that it aligns consistently. Keeping your text aligned in the same orientation really makes a slide look clean.

In the example below, I have basically three text boxes: a headline, a paragraph, and a list of bulleted points. Notice that all of this text is aligned left consistently.

All of the main text elements on this slide are aligned consistently to the left edge of their box.

Aligning text was an "aha" moment that I learned when I started studying slide design. It's one of those steps that makes a slide look much neater and professional, so keep it in mind when designing.

4. Make Your Exports User-Friendly

No matter how great your slides look, you need to think about how your user will use the presentation file.

Any of these are likely scenarios if you are regularly sending presentations to other users:

The viewer may not have PowerPoint installed on their computer.

The recipient may be using a totally different version of PowerPoint that renders the presentation differently.

Maybe you don't want the user to be able to make any edits or see your notes in the presentation file.

PowerPoint presentations can be exported as PDFs to ensure better compatibility.

In this case, my favorite tip is to export the presentation as a PDF. To do that, go to File > Export > Create PDF, and then save your presentation as a PDF. This is sure to help most of your users see the presentation just the way you intended.

5. Try a Different Color Scheme

Many PowerPoint themes have more than one color scheme that you can apply to your presentation. On the Design tab, click on the drop-down next to Themes to try out a different color scheme.

The Design > Themes drop-down contains a variety of color schemes you can apply.

Typically, these will restyle your entire presentation. Premium themes that you might get from Envato Elements, for example, may have multiple versions inside the original presentation zip file.

6. Edit Slide Masters for Consistency

The slide master controls the design for your PowerPoint slide. Instead of making the same change to each and every slide, you can apply a change to a slide master and it will affect all of the slides that use the same master.

In this example, I've applied a logo to the slide master to make sure it's in the same spot and size on multiple slides in my presentation.

It's ideal to apply a logo to the slide master itself, for example. This will keep the logo the same size and in the same position on each and every slide.

To do that, go to View > Slide Master. On the right side, you're likely to see a variety of slide masters that control designs for multiple slides. Drop the elements that you want to remain consistent onto one of the slide masters.

7. Use the Alignment Feature

Slides look better when the objects on them are in line with one another. There's a certain visual rhythm that occurs when objects line up in the center or along certain boundary lines.

In this screenshot, you can see some faint red and white lines that help line up elements equidistant form the top and bottom of the slide.

When you start dragging objects on your slide, you'll see guiding lines that pop up. These are very intuitive, and you'll likely notice that they help you line up your objects. You might seem them pop up when you have a box that's equidistant between two other objects on the slide, for example.

This is one of the best tricks for improving the look of your PowerPoint slide. Spend some time making sure that your key elements line up cohesively.

8. Use Stock Assets

Earlier, I mentioned using Envato Elements to grab PowerPoint themes. But there's more that comes with an Envato Elements subscription for presentations.

That includes a wide variety of stock photos, graphics, and custom designed fonts that you can use in your presentation. Instead of reusing the same stock photo or clip art, Envato Elements has everything you need to supplement a presentation.

Envato Elements has a litany of stock photos and other assets you can incorporate in your presentation.

Again, Envato Elements is the perfect subscription if you build presentations. It's a one-stop shop that you can use to fill content.

9. Reduce Your Content

There's nothing that makes an audience tune out faster than being overloaded with slide content. Sometimes we try to make so many points that the audience misses all of them due to information overload.

Less is truly more. When you eliminate the weaker points of your presentation, the audience's attention will follow your key points accordingly.

It seems like cheating, but one of the best steps that you can take for your slide is to simply reduce the number of items that are on it. Convert some of your typed points to things you'll speak verbally. Remember: a PowerPoint slide deck is an aid, not the presentation itself.

10. Rethink Your Slide Order

Sometimes, I find that my presentations are out of order. I might spend too much time explaining my decision before I get to the conclusion.

In these cases, I like to use Slide Sorter View to re-sequence the slides in my presentation. To access this view, go to View > Slide Sorter on PowerPoint's ribbon.

Rearrange slides in the Slide Sorter view by dragging and dropping the thumbnails for each slide into the desired order.

From Slide Sorter view, you have a top-down view of all the slides in your presentation deck. It sometimes becomes obvious that the slides can be reordered into a better sequence from this view.

To do that, just drag and drop the thumbnails into the order you want. When you return to Normal view, the slides will be in the resequenced order you set here.

Need Help? Grab Our Making Great Presentations eBook (Free)

We have the perfect compliment to this tutorial. You can find more information in our new eBook on making great presentations. Download this PDF eBook now for FREE with your subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter.

It will help you master the presentation process, from: initial creative ideas, through to writing, design, and delivering with impact.

Recap & Keep Learning

These quick PowerPoint Presentation tips are some of my favorite ways to rapidly improve a presentation. Keeping them in mind while you build a presentation can help you build a deck you'll be confident about presenting.

Check out these tutorials to keep learning more about PowerPoint. These tutorials will give you more ideas for fixing up your slides efficiently:

Microsoft PowerPoint

How to Make Animated PowerPoint Presentations With Templates

Andrew Childress

Microsoft PowerPoint

How to Make Creative PowerPoint Presentations (With Unique Ideas)

Andrew Childress

Microsoft PowerPoint

How to Add Text to PowerPoint & Make Amazing Text Effects

Andrew Childress

What do you want to know about PowerPoint? Which PowerPoint tips helped you improve your presentation the most? Let me know in the comments below.

 2017-11-21T12:55:49.000Z 2017-11-21T12:55:49.000Z Andrew Childress tag:business.tutsplus.com,2005:PostPresenter/cms-29733 How to End Your PowerPoint Presentation With a Strong Close
The majority of presentations are forgotten as soon as the audience leaves the room. If you're going to invest the time and energy into giving a presentation, then you want to leave the audience with something to remember.

Presentations

10 Creative Presentation Ideas: That Will Inspire Your Audience to Action

Julia Melymbrose

In this tutorial, I'll share ideas for how to end your PowerPoint presentation powerfully. Depending on the type of talk that you're giving, there is a tried and true technique that will bring it to a strong close.

This tutorial will help you nail the finish of your presentation and leave your audience with a lasting impression. I'll also show you do's and don'ts for finishing your presentation with attractive final concluding slides. Let's dive in.

Guide to Making Great Presentations (Free eBook Download)

Before you read on, be sure to grab our free eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations. It will help you master the presentation process, from: initial idea, through to writing, design, and delivering with impact.

4 Types of Presentations - That Conclude Differently

To finish a presentation strong, it helps to start by thinking about your presentation's goal. Your actions have to align with the goal of the presentation to succeed. How you'll approach a persuasive conclusion is different than an inspirational speech conclusion, for example.

For the purpose of this tutorial, I propose that there are essentially four main categories that you can divide presentations into. You could sub-divide these into more specific categories, but I think these basic groups are a useful way to think about your presentation and the approach to take:

 Persuasive Presentations - A persuasive presentation is designed to share your point of view and influence the views of your audience.

 Informative Presentations - Informative presentations share facts and ideas about a subject, and are less prescriptive than a persuasive presentation.

 Decision Driven Presentations - In a decision driven presentation, you're in the spotlight to provide a recommendation or plan to your audience. These often take place in the work environment.

 Introductory Presentations - These are also very popular in the business world. Maybe this is your chance to introduce your company to potential investors, customers, or a future employee.

Let's talk about specific approaches for each of these presentation types. Throughout this tutorial, I'm going to use the Motagua PowerPoint theme to create closing slides. This presentation has plenty of ideas for attractive slides and is easy to work with.

I think of PowerPoint themes like Motagua as the ultimate shortcut to creating a great presentation; use one of these templates and add your own content to save countless hours of design work.

You can grab Motagua or other popular PowerPoint themes from GraphicRiver. Buy any of these themes once and use it as many times as you want for your projects. Or, head over to Envato Elements for a special offer that gives you unlimited access to creative resources, such as: presentation templates, web themes, photos, and more.

Browse through the best trending designs from both of these sites:

Microsoft PowerPoint

17+ Best PowerPoint Template Designs for 2017

Sean Hodge

Let's look into more detail on concluding each presentation type strongly, from closing strategies to ideas on mastering your final PowerPoint slide. That way, you'll know the best way to end your PowerPoint presentation—regardless of it's type and your goals.

1. Persuasive Presentations

Persuasive presentations are designed to change your audience's mind or to impart your viewpoint on them. Maybe you've had to give one of these presentations as part of a school presentation, designed to influence your classmates on a hot-button issue.

Presentations

How to Make a Persuasive PowerPoint Presentation

Celine Roque

There are many techniques to persuade an audience, ranging from connecting emotionally with the audience to presenting pure facts. Great presentations will contain a combination of all of these to appeal to a broad audience.

Here's one idea for a persuasive conclusion: give the audience a key chart or graph that reinforces your idea.

In the example below, let's pretend that the presentation would persuade an audience member to invest in our company. The growth shown in the chart would lead most investors to join our funding round.

Here's one idea for a persuasive closer: one last chart or graph with facts about the future of your company could be the key to persuading a potential investor.

A closing slide for a persuasive speech is the ace up your sleeve. Save one last key point and present it with a chart or graph to win over the data-driven members of your audience.

2. Informative Presentations

Informative presentations are designed to share fact-driven information. Your goal is to present a new idea in a memorable way that the audience will remember.

For an informative presentation, the closing slide should recap the information that you've shared. It's a good chance to illustrate a concept with a graphic or key bullet points.

For informative presentations, a final slide to recap the key idea is helpful to share with your audience.

It's also a great idea to share the slides from an informative presentation with your audience via email or post them online. If you've taught an important skill, the audience can use this as reference material.

SlideShare

How to Create Top SlideShare Presentations With PowerPoint

Laura Spencer

3. Decision Driven Presentations

For a decision driven presentation, your audience is waiting to hear your big recommendation. You should use the final slide in your PowerPoint presentation to make a recommendation so that your project or idea can proceed.

This is an example of a simple decision driven presentation, with one simple and straightforward recommendation to the audience.

You can use the closing slide to make your recommendation clear. It's fine to use the supporting points to mention why you arrived at that conclusion, but focus on having a singular recommendation and be prepared to defend it.

4. Introductory Presentations

An introductory presentation is often used in business to help build trust and establish a relationship with an audience. Remember, the introductory presentation is your best chance to make a first impression. Whether you're pitching your business or asking people to join your company, the last slide can be the first step in the business relationship.

Maybe you aren't quite ready to give a full sales pitch. Instead, this is your first point of contact to start explaining your business.

A contact slide is an ideal choice for an introductory presentation to help keep the conversation going.

To end your introductory presentation, I think it's a great idea to give the audience a means to follow-up with a Contact slide. If you think of an introductory presentation as the start of a conversation, you should give the audience the chance to continue that conversation.

Final PowerPoint Slide Styles to Avoid

When you're preparing to close out your PowerPoint presentation, there are certain strategic steps that you'll want to avoid. There are also final PowerPoint presentation slide styles that aren't on target for closing strongly. You need both the right closing technique and final slide design to work together. Let's take a look at what not to do for each of the key presentation types:

1. Persuasive Discussions

For persuasive presentations, the strategy should change. For these presentations, don't simply restate the points that you've already made.

You need to give a new angle or a new perspective that could win the audience over. Your last slide should support the presentation's overall perspective, but shouldn't simply rehash the original points.

In a persuasive presentation, make sure that your final slide isn't a simple recap of your original points. The audience may resent having heard the same ideas repeatedly and find them less believable.

2. Informative Presentations

Information presentations often lead to a discussion with the audience, often called a "Q&A session." If your presentation is meant to be an open discussion, it can be tempting to throw up an "Any questions?" slide for the last part of your deck.

However, if this is the only step you take to spark a conversation, your audience is unlikely to engage. I've seen many presentations breeze past this stage so quickly that no one works up the courage to ask a question.

This is a good looking slide, but it's not enough to actually elicit questions from the audience; instead, provide an inspiring slide with important information that teaches your audience.

For a more complete round-up on soliciting questions at the end of your presentation, check out the tutorial below.

Microsoft PowerPoint

How to Make an "Any Questions" Final PowerPoint Slide (PPT)

Andrew Childress

3. Decision Driven Presentations

You've been asked to share your findings and make a recommendation in the form of a decision driven presentation. The information that you share will help guide a decision maker or give you the feedback you need to proceed.

In these situations, I think it's important to not overwhelm the audience with too many options. Sometimes, presenters have a tendency to give every possible option for a team to take. Make sure you avoid this in your final presentation slide.

In decision driven presentations, presenting too many options to the decision making team is overwhelming.

That shouldn't be the goal of a persuasive presentation. It's fine to present multiple ideas, but the presentation should ultimately culminate in a singular, decisive recommendation in the final slide in a PowerPoint presentation.

4. Introductory Presentations

An introductory presentation seeks to build familiarity with the audience. For this type of presentation, there's one key step to avoid: don't try to close a deal too quickly.

If this is your first interaction with an audience, don't even think about using a closing slide like this! You need time to build trust with the audience before making the sale.

Marketing and teaching potential customers about your business is a process, and it's one that takes time. The final slide shouldn't contain graphics or requests that the audience buy from you or engage you right away.

Asking for a purchase or commitment at the end of an introductory presentation could be seen as off putting and ultimately harm your chances of gaining customers.

3 Quick Tips to End Your PowerPoint Presentation Strong

You've learned that the final PowerPoint slide design can be a powerful way to end your presentation. Also, we've dived into a number of problematic ways to end your presentation, which you should avoid.

Now let's now jump into a few important tips on how to end a PowerPoint presentation so that it's memorable and makes an impact:

1. Be Clear, Concise, and On Message

A strong presentation closing brings your key message to the forefront and aligns with your objective. You want to distill your final message down to a single memorable point or small set of points. That way the audience can easily walk away with your most important ideas on their mind.

Microsoft PowerPoint

37 Effective PowerPoint Presentation Tips

Brad Smith

2. Use the Best Final PowerPoint Slide

Depending on the type of presentation you're delivering your final slide will differ.

Make sure you're using a powerful final PowerPoint graphic slide to showcase your concluding information. Or, transition into an easy to read Contact Us or Any Questions slide.

If you're unsure which slide fits your presentation type best, re-read the sections above. Don't miss out on those graphic examples of best last slides for various PowerPoint presentation types.

 3. Include a Call to Action With Appeal

Depending on your goal, you may want to motivate the audience to ask a question or take an immediate action on the information you're presenting. Make sure your final slide helps motivate the audience to do that.

Your final points need to align with your argument and give them a good reason to take action. Be clear on what you're trying to accomplish with your presentation, and bring it forward in your final slide.

Also, make sure you practice delivering your conclusion. You want to put your notes aside, make eye-contact with the audience, and engage with emotion as you wrap up.

Learn more presentation strategies, so you not only open with interest, but close memorably:

Presentations

How to Start a Presentation Strong and End Powerfully

Julia Melymbrose

Recap & Keep Learning More PowerPoint Presentation Skills

This tutorial can serve as your guide for ending a presentation with a compelling finish. The last 30 seconds of your presentation may be the difference between changing your audience's mind and your presentation being forgotten.

Giving presentations is a skill. That means that you can learn and improve your ability giving presentations over time. Try out some of the presentations below to ease the process of building a presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint:

Microsoft PowerPoint

How to Collaborate as a Team on PowerPoint (PPT) Presentations

Andrew Childress

Microsoft PowerPoint

How to Add Text to PowerPoint & Make Amazing Text Effects

Andrew Childress

Microsoft PowerPoint

How to Work With Images in PowerPoint (Complete Guide)

Andrew Childress

Need Help? Grab Our Making Great Presentations eBook (Free)

You can find more information in our new eBook on making great presentations. Download this PDF eBook now for FREE with your subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter.

It will help you master the presentation process, from: initial creative ideas, through to writing, design, and delivering with impact.

What is the part of the presentation that you find most challenging? Do you think it's harder to get started, or wrap up a speaking engagement? Let me know in the comments below.

 2017-11-20T12:55:44.000Z 2017-11-20T12:55:44.000Z Andrew Childress tag:business.tutsplus.com,2005:PostPresenter/cms-26277 15+ Best WordPress Portfolio Themes for Creatives
Whether you're a photographer, a painter, or a web designer, one thing remains a constant: You need a portfolio. After all, portfolios are the time-tested, best way to give potential clients a look into your work history and methodology.

I'll give you an example. A photographer needs a portfolio to display his best work with categories for featuring different types of photos like black and white or nature-themed. Likewise, a web designer needs a creative portfolio that can be used to show off her latest client projects and even provide space to write about the development process.

Portfolios can take on many shapes and many styles. But the important commonality here is that they are, in fact, important. If you want to ensure your work resonates with its target audience, and pick up a few new clients or customers, you can use WordPress portfolio themes to build a stunning representation for your work on the web.

Useful WordPress Portfolio Theme Features

While the best portfolio themes can vary widely in presentation style, they often include a similar feature set. Getting familiar with what is offered aids in the decision-making process. It let's you know what to expect in a solid portfolio theme purchase and allows you to quickly compare creative options. A few popular features include:

Dedicated portfolio page layouts. These give you the ability to customize the look of your portfolio without having to dig into code.

Masonry, grid, and list options. Because varied presentation options are the spice of life and can help maintain visitor interest.

Portfolio item descriptions. This lets you describe each project and give visitors insight into how you work.

Slideshows. Adding an interactive element can pique visitor interest.

Parallax sliders and backgrounds. More smooth moving parts create visual interest and support for your work.

Video backgrounds. Inclusion of video backgrounds can help engage visitors if you're taking a storytelling approach to displaying your portfolio pieces.

Galleries. Act as a nice supplement to portfolios and let you display more than one image or video per portfolio piece.

These are just a sampling of what many creative WordPress portfolio themes include. Your mileage may vary. But now you have a better appreciation of what to expect as you begin browsing through the many WordPress portfolio themes currently available on ThemeForest and Envato Elements.

The WordPress themes included here are some of the very best options for creating a portfolio out there right now. And best of all, these are the top sellers, the themes that many people have already tried and loved.

Envato Elements

Envato Elements allows you to download unlimited WordPress themes for beautiful creative websites, all for a single monthly fee ($19 per month, with an annual subscription). If you create a lot of sites, this option is perfect for you.

Let's look at a couple before we roundup our ThemeForest examples.

1. Adios

Firstly, check out the beautiful Adios template below. It's really striking, fully responsive and retina ready, and it comes with these features, among many others:

Solid typography

Visual Composer page builder

26 custom shortcodes

Advanced portfolio layouts, including masonry and classic options

Portfolio filtering

Adios | Portfolio WordPress Theme

2. Osmos

Osmos is a wonderfully minimalist portfolio theme, getting out of the way and letting your work do the talking. Whitespace and typography play a big part in what's behind Osmos, and as it hooks directly into your Adobe Typekit account you can enjoy full control over its typographic features. It also comes packaged with several plugins which you'd otherwise have to pay for:

Visual Composer Compatible (Save $34)

ACF Professional Compatible (Save $18)

IconsMind Included (Save $59)

LayerSlider (Save $22)

Osmos - Minimalist Portfolio WordPress Theme

3. Freelo WP

Freelo has a neat, gentle aesthetic–perfect for anyone who needs an organised and friendly portfolio to show off their work (be that design, illustration, photography, videography, whatever). It comes with all manner of layout options, depending on the portfolio you're looking for, and a lovely full-screen search input when the little magnifying glass is clicked–joy!

Freelo WP - Creative WordPress Portfolio Theme

4. Sprint

Sprint is another pleasantly minimalistic theme (something common amongst portfolios, because heavy styling is frankly out of place). Its header and masonry grid are a solid choice, though there are other portfolio layouts to try.

And the footer has just the right balance of style and function:

Sprint - Minimal WordPress Portfolio

Now, if a subscription is not for you, and you're looking for individual creative WordPress themes, read on for the full selection of the best examples from Envato Market.

Best Portfolio WordPress Themes, to Display Your Creative Work Online

With a good understanding of what makes up the very best portfolio WordPress themes available for creatives of all types, we can move on to the theme showcase. Here you'll find 15 of the very best (and the best-selling) portfolio themes money can buy:

5. Illustrator

I love a good niche theme, and this one is perfect if your niche is illustration. Tailored to the needs of illustrators, artists, photographers, animators and so on, this theme showcases portfolio collections and individual pieces equally well.

The screenshot below shows the masonry layout, but there are fourteen other homepage arrangements to choose from, as well as a wide range of page templates to make the most of your work.

Illustrator - A Portfolio Theme for Illustrators, Designers, and Artists

6. Argenta

With clean lines and demo'd with cool, calming photography, Argenta is a new theme (February 2017) for creatives in search of that stylish solution. It comes wrapped up with Visual Composer, Revolution Slider, and ACF (advanced custom fields) Pro, a range of portfolio settings, and a host of navigation layout options.

Argenta - Multipurpose WordPress Theme

7. Ronneby

If you need to display your creative work online with a robust canvas of options, Ronneby is a great choice! It's dubbed a high-performance WordPress theme and for good reason. It can be used to create just about any kind of site you want, and is certainly up for the task of making a stunning portfolio.

It comes with a versatile set of display options, with over 40 layouts, plenty of portfolio options, numerous demo layouts, and several plugins like Slider Revolution, Visual Composer, and Ultimate Addons for Visual Composer.

This responsive and retina-ready theme includes one-click installation, 8 pre-made headers, Mega Menu options, modern typography, portfolio hover variants, 23 portfolio page types, 48 styled widgets, over 1,700 font icons, and it's WooCommerce-ready. Support and updates are included as well.

Ronneby WP Creative Folio Theme

8. Kalium

The Kalium theme was designed with creative people in mind, offering a host of features for creative professionals that help them get their work in front of prospective clients. It comes with many pre-made demos that can be installed with a single click, saving you a considerable amount of time.

It's packed with numerous plugins that make designing custom layouts a breeze including Visual Composer, Revolution Slider, and LayerSlider. Plus it comes with shortcodes, can be translated, and supports unique portfolio options including hover styles, Dribbble Portfolio integration, and over 30 portfolio types. Other features include over 700 Google Fonts, unlimited skins, over 800 icons, multiple footer styles, and the whole thing is responsive and retina-ready.

This theme packs the features you need to create a stunning portfolio to showcase your creative work!

Kalium - Creative WP Theme for Professionals

9. TheFox

TheFox is a multipurpose WordPress theme that offers plenty of options for creating a stylish portfolio that suits the needs of creatives from all walks. This theme is responsive and super flexible, allowing for numerous customizations to build the perfect site to suit your needs.

It comes with loads of demos, plenty of documentation, support, and a video tutorial for quick setup. Also included are 30 homepage designs, over 250 design details, a robust theme options panel, Visual Composer, Premium Slider, and a shortcode generator. You also get a one-click demo importer, Mega Menu, WooCommerce compatibility, CSS3 animations, unlimited colors, header options, and so much more. A flexible and robust WordPress folio theme to display your best creative work.

TheFox - Creative Multi-Purpose WordPress Theme

10. Unicon

Unicon was made with designers in mind, offering plenty of customization options without bogging down users. It comes with a Drag & Drop Page Builder, a responsive and retina-ready design, 50 Page Builder elements, and one page layouts. It also features multiple headers, sticky headers, Revolution Slider, Mega Menus, one-click setup, over 650 Ultrasharp icons, and over 50 premade layouts. It packs high-quality code, numerous features, free updates, as well as the display options you need to make a rockstar online portfolio!

Unicon - Design-Driven WordPress Portfolio Theme

11. Uncode

Another best-selling WordPress portfolio theme worth checking out is Uncode. This theme is multi-use, so it can be configured to suit just about any purpose. However, it comes packed with loads of portfolio features sure to please creatives of all types: designers, illustrators, photographers, and more. It also includes several high-quality plugins like Visual Composer, Layer Slider, Revolution Slider, and iLightbox.

It's WooCommerce compatible and WPML ready. It comes with 20 homepage layouts, a full admin options panel, grid layouts, over 6 menu styles, and dedicated portfolio and blog templates for total control over your design.

Uncode - Multi-Use WordPress Portfolio Theme

12. Atelier

While the primary focus of the Atelier theme is e-commerce, it's also perfect for portfolios and comes with the features to back up that claim. It comes with 12 demos that can be installed with one click, a minimal design, speed and SEO optimization, and a responsive design.

It also packs in 10 different header types, animated headers, 5 cart animations, multiple product display types, and drag-and-drop page builder. It features Visual Composer compatibility, numerous page types including portfolio and blog. You can make quick use of its shortcodes, RTL support, Mega Menus, and more.

Atelier - Creative Multi-Purpose WordPress Theme

13. Scalia

Scalia is another best-selling WordPress theme that offers multi-concept solutions for businesses, shops, and creatives. This theme's numerous portfolio layouts and gallery options make it a great choice for displaying your creative work. It features five different designs to suit varying tastes and includes 100 unique page templates.

There are 8 blog styles, multiple shop pages, quick finders, and more. It also comes with Visual Composer, Mega Menus, and a responsive design. It's robust and ready to be extended with WPML, sliders, and WooCommerce compatibility.

Scalia - Multi-Concept WordPress Theme for Creatives

14. Borderland

Borderland is a creative WP theme that can be used for a variety of purposes, but we're focusing on its portfolio features today.

It comes with 12 beautiful demos that can be imported with a single click, WooCommerce shop compatibility, Ajax page transitions, Fullscreen Elated Slider, a clients carousel, and a testimonials shortcode.

It features numerous layout options, such as portfolio single templates, portfolio list layouts, hover animation effects, multiple blog layouts, sliders, and custom post formats. You can also put parallax backgrounds, video backgrounds, and a number of additional features to work. Grab this WP theme today to create a stylish portfolio and to standout on the web!

Borderland - A Daring Multi-Concept WordPress Theme

15. PhotoMe

If photography is your outlet of choice, you'll love the PhotoMe theme. It comes jam-packed with over 50 gallery and portfolio layouts, one of which is certain to fit your next project.

It also comes with 8 demos, all of which can be imported with a single click and supports a multitude of options and portfolio templates for customizing your site to best display your work.

This theme supports the Live Customizer, features a responsive layout, comes with a Content Builder, blog templates, and a one page layout. It also packs in Revolution Slider, WooCommerce support, and includes support and documentation. PhotoMe is a feature-rich theme you can use to set up your photography portfolio online!

PhotoMe - Creative Photo Gallery Photography Theme

16. Photography

This is a WP theme that's ideal for photographers and is aptly named Photography theme. This responsive theme comes with 24 demos that can be installed with just one click, dark and light style options, as well as over 70 gallery and portfolio templates—to display your best work.

It also features, infinite scroll, a photo proofing section with password protection, Live Customizer support, a Content Builder, 8 menu layouts. It comes with support, documentation, and professional files to get your photography portfolio started right.

Photography- Photography WordPress Portfolio Theme

17. Kinetika

Kinetika is a fullscreen photography theme that includes numerous gallery and portfolio features that allowa for the creative display of your latest and best works. If you're a photographer or need to display your work at full-screen, then this is a great WordPress portfolio theme to start with.

It includes a promotion box, a portfolio and blog carousel, fullscreen slideshows and videos, and a proofing gallery. You'll also get slideshow text, multiple headers, video page backgrounds, and a fullscreen menu. And it packs in Revolution Slider, WooCommerce compatibility, WPML compatibility, as well as optimization for speed and SEO.

Kinetika - Fullscreen Creative Photography WP Theme

18. Foundry

Foundry is another multipurpose theme that can be used to create a knockout portfolio to impress your clients. The design here is flat, responsive and totally professional, all while being super easy to customize thanks to the inclusion of Visual Composer, and numerous page builder elements.

It also comes with great display options, such as: fullwidth and boxed layouts, ready-to-use demo pages, over 20 homepage designs, coming soon pages, Mega Menus, and multiple menu styles. It has easy to customize components like one-click color changes. It includes features like, page notifications, Google Fonts, WooCommerce compatibility, and well as documentation and video tutorials.

You can have your portfolio online quickly, but also all the WordPress theme features you need to work with as you grow your reputation and expand your folio of professional work.

Foundry - Highly-Flexible Wordpress Portfolio Theme

19. Vigor

The last theme to make our cut of the best-selling portfolio WordPress themes is Vigor. This theme is easy to customize and ideal for creating a compelling portfolio that truly captures attention. If you want your portfolio to stand out online, this is the theme to grab!

It comes with a powerful admin interface, multiple header layouts, Edge Slider, parallax, animations, a masonry gallery, fullscreen menus, Mega Menu, and video backgrounds. As well as great visual display options, like LayerSlider, Visual Composer, portfolio lists, single items, and sliders, a client carousel, and pretty much everything you'd ever need to display your work in-style online.

Vigor - A Fresh WordPress Theme for Creative Folios

How to Make a Portfolio Using Creative WordPress Themes

1. Carefully Install Your Theme

After picking the right theme for your situation, make sure you install it correctly. This means following the theme's included documentation as well as following general theme installation best practices.

It's a good idea to create a child theme for the portfolio WordPress theme you select as well, since this will ensure that the customizations you make won't be deleted when a theme update is released.

2. Use The Theme's Customization Settings

Speaking of customization, it's a fantastic idea to get familiar with how you can customize your chosen theme. Most good themes come with thorough documentation, so be sure to read that to find out all of the little things you can modify or adapt to suit your needs.

Whether it makes use of the theme options panel, Live Customizer, or includes a custom settings screen, familiarize yourself with what's included and make use of it to the greatest extent possible.

3. Optimize Your Portfolio Items

While you're perusing your theme's documentation, you'll likely come across some specifications about how to approach your portfolio items. That is, you should pay attention to the sizing specifications, formats accepted, and your layout options. Then, you can go through all of the items you'd like to feature in your portfolio and optimize them accordingly.

A great portfolio layout won't help you if your items don't fit the format correctly. Everything will look "off." To avoid this, take the appropriate time to resize and format your images. A pristine end result will be worth it.

4. Keep Your Portfolio Up-to-Date

Once your site is up and running with your new WordPress portfolio theme, be certain to keep your portfolio up to date. Set aside some time each month to review your work and see if something new should be included in the lineup. Doing this keeps your site fresh and ensures you're always putting your best face forward.

Pick the Right Portfolio WordPress Theme Now!

Trying to cobble together a portfolio site can feel maddening when starting from scratch. But with a fantastic selection of creative portfolio WordPress themes to choose from, you can't go wrong. With a little research, you're certain to find the perfect theme to suit your personality and to act as your representation on the web. We have a whole lot of choices on ThemeForest, brought to you by the largest global community of creatives.

 2017-11-20T08:23:47.873Z 2017-11-20T08:23:47.873Z Brenda Barron tag:business.tutsplus.com,2005:PostPresenter/cms-29842 How to Quickly Edit a Footer in PowerPoint in 60 Seconds
Footers are for the bottom of your presentation and can show information on each and every slide. In today's tutorial, learn how to quickly edit the footer in your PowerPoint slides.

We also have a helpful compliment to this tutorial. Download our FREE eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations. Grab it now before you read on.

How to Quickly Edit a Footer in PowerPoint

Watch this short tutorial screencast or follow the quick steps that complement this video.

1. Open the Header and Footer PowerPoint Window

Let's go ahead and switch to the Insert tab on PowerPoint ribbon to get started. Now find the text section on the right side of the menu and let's click on Header and Footer.

Header and Footer PowerPoint Window.

2. Set the Date and Time PowerPoint Slide Options

Now the first option that you might want to add is the date and time, which you can add by checking the box for Date and Time. This adds the current date and time to each and every slide automatically. I like to leave the Update Automatically box checked, so that PowerPoint will always have the date I present or print my slides.

Date and Time setting in PowerPoint.

3. Edit Your PowerPoint Footer Slide Information

Next, you can tick the Slide number to add that to each slide and it automatically increases on every slide. Also, click the Footer checkbox so that you can add your very own custom text to each slide's footer. You can type something that you want add to each slide. And lastly, I like to check the option to Don't show on title slide, to not show any of these things on the very first slide.

Edit PowerPoint footer automatically.

4. Now Your PowerPoint Slides Will Show the Changes

When you press Apply to All, you'll notice that each slide has the data we add. You can see as we change slides that each slide automatically adapts the slide number.

PowerPoint slide footer with edits applied.

Finishing Up!

These PowerPoint slide settings are a great way to automatically add information to every slides footer without manual work.

More PowerPoint Tutorial and Template Resources

Learn more in our PowerPoint tutorials and quick video tutorials on Envato Tuts+. We have an assortment of PowerPoint material to help you make better presentations:

Microsoft PowerPoint

How to Make Professional PowerPoint Presentations (With Templates)

Andrew Childress

Microsoft PowerPoint

How to Make Slide Layouts in Microsoft PowerPoint

Andrew Childress

Microsoft PowerPoint

How to Change Slide Layouts in PowerPoint in 60 Seconds

Andrew Childress

You can also find great PowerPoint presentation templates with premium designs on GraphicRiver or Envato Elements. Or, browse through our selection of the best Microsoft PowerPoint designs:

Microsoft PowerPoint

17+ Best PowerPoint Template Designs for 2017

Sean Hodge

Make Great Presentations (Free PDF eBook Download)

We also have the perfect compliment to this tutorial, which will walk you through the complete presentation process. Learn how to write your presentation, design it like a pro, and prepare it to present powerfully.

Download our new eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations. It's available for free with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter.

 2017-11-17T15:13:58.684Z 2017-11-17T15:13:58.684Z Andrew Childress tag:business.tutsplus.com,2005:PostPresenter/cms-29944 How to Write a Great LinkedIn Recommendation (+Helpful Examples)
The easiest way to get more LinkedIn recommendations is to learn how to write a good LinkedIn recommendation, so you can start writing some for your current boss and co-workers. After they receive your glowing recommendation, they'll be more inclined to return the favor.

You can write a recommendation on LinkedIn for your first-degree connections, such as coworkers, friends, clients, or anyone you worked with in any capacity.

LinkedIn recommendations are an upgraded version of recommendation letters in many ways. Here are some of the upgrades:

LinkedIn recommendations are available for anyone to see, not just the recommendation's recipient or the person requesting it.

 Like everything online, it will live on forever or as long as the social network is active, unlike traditional recommendation letters that get thrown or deleted.

 LinkedIn recommendations are also easily verified. Whoever reads the recommendations on your LinkedIn account can visit the profile of whoever gave it, and evaluate the source's credibility.

To learn about how to write a traditional letter of recommendation, study:

Careers

How to Write an Excellent Letter of Recommendation (+Templates)

Charley Mendoza

Otherwise, let's jump into today's tutorial.

A LinkedIn Recommendation Reveals a Lot About You

What many people don't realize is that a recommendation says a lot about the person leaving it, not just the recipient.

If you end up hiring a developer recommended by a friend, and that person turned out better than expected, wouldn't your trust of that friend's judgment increase?

Recommending people you've worked with in different capacities gives you good karma and better relations with people from all walks of life. Because of this, your credibility increases with quantity and quality of the recommendations you write.

How to Write a Recommendation on LinkedIn

1. Start with a Powerful Hook

A great recommendation is nothing if it's not read until the end, so start your LinkedIn recommendation with a good hook. Lines like, "Bob is the best…" or "Susan is a valuable team member" are mediocre and commonplace in recommendations so don't use these phrases.

Write about how awesome the person you're recommending is, and be specific about what makes that person unique. But don't just write "the best programmer" or "most reliable video editor" on every recommendation you make. Your recommendations show on your profile page too, so it won't be authentic if those phrases appear on multiple entries.

Good news is there are tons of synonyms for the superlatives above, and there's more than one way to describe a person's talent. Compare the examples below:

Examples

"Sam is a gifted negotiator with a rare combination of patience, spunk, and research skills."

"I'm lucky to have worked with Edmund, a manager who's not only interested in the company's bottom line, but also in his employees' professional growth."

The first example used adjectives and skill to describe the recommendation's recipient, while the second example talks about the recipient's treatment of his employees and to some extent, shows how that unexpected treatment made an impact to the writer.

2. Provide Context for the LinkedIn Recommendation

Remember, LinkedIn recommendations aren't limited to boss-employee relationships. LinkedIn also allows you to write one for your teammate, a manager in another department, and someone you've mentored. So, it's essential to provide context to prevent others from getting confused, or guessing what your professional relationship is with the recipient.

Context also explains what makes you a credible source of the recommendation.

Examples

"I hired Gwenn as a Freelance Website Designer to re-design my website portfolio in 2016."

"Timothy has worked with me as a Marketing Manager for several product launches in XYZ Company for the past three years."

It's also crucial for LinkedIn users to know if you've only worked with the person once or twice, so they'll know your experience with that person's work ethic and performance isn't as in-depth as someone who spent years working with them.

3. Write About the Person's Impact on You or Your Organization

This is where you can add details to explain your claims in the first sentence (hook). You can also use this to describe what the recipient did that was different from your previous boss or other co-workers. For service providers, write about what makes them better than other companies or professionals you've worked with previously.

Consider the following if you're not sure what to write about:

For Subordinates and Coworkers

What tasks were they responsible for? How did these contributions affect the organization?

What skills or tasks are they best at and why?

Is the person considered an expert or go-to resource on a specific topic or task at work?

Can you share one significant challenge this person overcome and its impact on the company?

For Service Providers

Why did you choose this person among other professionals in their industry?

Have you worked with this person multiple times? Why?

Would you recommend that person to your friends if they were looking for similar services?

 Did this person take the time to assist you after your transaction was over? Or did you have to ask someone else to have your questions answered? This question applies to realtors, sales agents, app developers, and anyone selling you a product or service that may need after-sales support.

Continuing With the Example Used Above

"I've seen Timothy go above and beyond in researching promotion and collaboration opportunities with different brands during the three years we worked together. Because of his 'student for life' mindset, he's also eager to learn new marketing techniques, and that's how our team became the forerunner in using Facebook ads and whiteboard videos in product launches for the company."

The statement above describes the recipient's task and a memorable accomplishment that had a major impact on their team.

4. Personal Insight

A LinkedIn recommendation wouldn't be entirely authentic and personalized if you don't mention what the recipient is like as a person. Write a short sentence to describe how the recipient made you feel while working together or certain aspects of their personality that you've observed.

Example

"Sarah is a patient realtor who didn't make me feel like my first real estate purchase was just another sale she had to close to earn her paycheck."

5. End on a Powerful Statement

A LinkedIn recommendation is mainly used to help the recipient get a job or client for his or her business. With a strong call to action, you help the recipient get more clients or job offers, while helping LinkedIn users decide if the recipient is worth hiring.

Examples

"I'm happy with the work Robert did to renovate our kitchen, and I recommend him and his team to others looking for a kitchen upgrade."

"Michael's talent as a video editor made him a valuable member of our team. I'm sure he'll be an asset to the next organization he joins."

Here's an Easy LinkedIn Recommendation Template to Follow

 (Name) is a/an (descriptive phrase you associate with the person). They have worked with me as the (Job Title) at (Company Name) for (number of years), during which (explain your working relationship, colleague, service provider, etc.).They were the (descriptive phrase) on our team when it comes to (expertise or skill), and it's thanks to them that (specific challenge the person overcame or a memorable achievement).

As a (colleague, team member, freelancer, etc.), they(describe the person's attitude at work). I'm happy with the work (Name) did as (job title), and I give them my full recommendation.

LinkedIn Recommendation Sample Based on the Template Above

"Kimberly is a creative teacher with a knack for getting kids to quiet down and listen. She has worked with me as a preschool teacher at Happy Tots Preschool for three years, during which I oversaw her work as the school's administrator. She is the go-to resource for teachers looking for relaxing activities that help kids wind down before nap time, especially when it comes to fuzzy or hyperactive kids. It's thanks to her that nap time, and even lessons after recess for older kids proceed smoothly.

As a member of the faculty, she's always accommodating when talking to parents. I'm happy with the work Kimberly did as a preschool teacher, and I give her my full recommendation."

Need more examples? Check out these examples of good recommendations on LinkedIn.

Below is the recommendation Taylor Jacobson gave the director of the intellectual property (IP) consulting firm he worked with for his company. It's specific because Taylor detailed the kind of support and IP assistance he received from Beacon. He also included a strong conclusion that confirms he's happy with the firm's services.

"I went to Pallavi and her team at Beacon for support with the IP aspects of an early stage software app. I got exactly the hand-holding I needed to understand which forms of protection make the most sense and which details of my applications would be pivotal in my success. Will definitely return for future support"

In the example below, the recommendation clarifies that the recipient only worked with the recommendation writer, Edward Sturm, on a per project arrangement. He also specified the recipient's expertise as a front-end web developer and cited a specific example of what makes him reliable.

"As an SEO, I come into contact with many front-end web developers- and Kobe, when it comes to e-commerce and mobile apps, is one of the best I've met. We've worked together for many clients and aside from his skill, what I appreciate most is how reliable and responsive he is. When it's 3 AM on a Saturday and I need a site wide meta robots tag update, Kobe will answer his phone and implement it. He's great to my clients in service, and always delivers an amazing product.

I happily recommend him here on LinkedIn, and do so in person to my clients whenever I have the opportunity."

4 Easy Tips for Writing a LinkedIn Recommendation

1. Make it Genuine and Personal

You've worked with the recipient of the LinkedIn recommendation, and if you've known each other for a while, you know their personality as well. So, don't write a generic recommendation that reads as if it were written by a stranger.

Write about a specific situation where the recipient went above and beyond their job or an event that highlighted the person's attitude.

Example

"I'm amazed by Anna's ability to make friends with anyone, a skill she uses to full effect when presenting proposals to our clients."

2. Consider the Recipient's Goal

Is the recipient an employee, independent contractor, or business owner? Their employment status affects how they will use your LinkedIn recommendation.

Careers

How LinkedIn Can Help Your Career Stand Out

Terri Williams

3. Keep it Professional

If you don't have anything nice to write, keep it to yourself. LinkedIn's recommendation feature isn't an avenue for people to share their negative reviews. There are other platforms where you can do that, such as Yelp.

4. Keep it Short

LinkedIn recommendations are limited to 3,000 characters, but that doesn't mean you have to max it out. Keep your recommendation between two to three short paragraphs to avoid boring readers.

How to Post a Recommendation on LinkedIn

Now that you've written a compelling recommendation, it's time to learn how to post this on LinkedIn.

1. Go to the profile of the person you want to recommend.

2. Click the ellipsis (More) icon beside the Message button located in the top section of their profile. Click Recommend.

3. Choose the right Relationship and Position at the time option on the pop-up window that appears, and then click Next.

As you can see from the screenshot below, there are many relationship options. So, pick the one that appropriately describes how you worked with the person you're recommending.

The options you'll see at Position at the time are from the recipient's work history on LinkedIn.

4. Paste the LinkedIn recommendation you wrote in the message field. Read it out loud to check if there are any typos or grammar mistakes. Click Send.

Write a Great LinkedIn Recommendation Today

People who receive stellar recommendations are more likely to return the favor. So, if you're looking to improve your LinkedIn profile, build a network, and boost your online credibility, start writing recommendations for your boss, colleagues, and anyone else you can confidently recommend right now.

Discover more Tuts+ tutorials to help you level up your career:

Careers

How to Write an Excellent Letter of Recommendation (+Templates)

Charley Mendoza

Careers

How to Make Your Resume the Perfect Length (+To the Point)

Charley Mendoza

Careers

How to Answer the "What Do You Do for a Living?" Question

Charley Mendoza

What tips do you have to write a great LinkedIn Recommendation? Let us know in the comments below.

 2017-11-17T12:55:01.000Z 2017-11-17T12:55:01.000Z Charley Mendoza tag:business.tutsplus.com,2005:PostPresenter/cms-29777 How to Use 10+ Top SlideShare Digital Marketing Strategies
SlideShare can be a great digital marketing tool for marketing your business or organization. According to SlideShare's own statistics, there are literally millions of professional users who review and upload SlideShare presentations regularly. So, the potential is there to expand your customer reach by uploading one or more SlideShare presentations. But first, you need to develop a good SlideShare marketing plan.

Many SlideShare users upload a single presentation and then do little else to attract viewers to it. While a good presentation may reach some SlideShare viewers, you can reach many more when you use effective SlideShare marketing strategies. It's a good idea to view SlideShare as part of your overall digital marketing efforts.

In this article, we examine SlideShare digital marketing strategies more closely. I'll share over ten digital marketing SlideShare strategies that work. We'll also discuss how you can use SlideShare analytics to measure your SlideShare marketing efforts.

Strategy 1. Target Your SlideShare Audience

If you're trying to reach a specific audience with your SlideShare presentation (such as potential clients), make sure that your presentation includes content that is of interest to your desired reader.

Choose your slideshow topic carefully to engage your viewers. Use language your target SlideShare audience can relate to in your presentation. But also, make sure the presentation is useful for your desired audience. To make your SlideShare presentation useful, include actionable tips readers can easily follow and other information your reader can readily take action on.

Research your presentation carefully. Sharing useless or inaccurate information leaves a bad impression and could prevent a reader from working with your company in the future.

For more information on researching your topic and engaging your audience, download our FREE presentation eBook, The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations.

Strategy 2. Start with a Professional Presentation Template

SlideShare has many presentations uploaded. To ensure that your presentation gets the attention it deserves in this crowded medium, you need to make your presentation design look good. Looking good means using a professionally designed template. A poorly designed SlideShare presentation won't get a second glance.

If you've got the skill, you could design your own PowerPoint template. But designing an attractive presentation template takes time. A better plan is to use a professional presentation template that's made to work with quickly. You'll get a proven slideshow design and you can customize the template to add those elements that are unique to your company.

GraphicRiver has a great selection of professionally designed PowerPoint templates you can purchase and use for your next SlideShare presentation. Or, if you need access to limitless graphics, presentation templates, and creative assets, then head over to Envato Elements. To get an idea of some of the templates available on these sites, take a look at this collection of top PowerPoint templates:

Microsoft PowerPoint

17+ Best PowerPoint Template Designs for 2017

Sean Hodge

Strategy 3. Craft a Powerful Title Slide

The title slide is the first thing your audience sees of your SlideShare presentation. The title slide can determine whether a reader decides to view the rest of your presentation or whether they quit reading. The title slide must draw your viewer in.

Capture your target audience's attention with:

 The right words. Ask a question. Make a shocking statement. Give a deadline. Evoke an emotion. The key is to make the viewer curious or interested enough that a reader clicks through to see the rest of your slides.

 The right images. They say an image is worth a thousand words. When it comes to your slideshow, if you've got the right image that statement is absolutely true. Find the compelling images you need at Envato Elements.

Take your time working on your title slide. It's possibly the most important slide of your entire SlideShare presentation. One of the biggest mistakes presentation authors make is not giving enough thought to a presentation's title slide.

If you're not sure what impression your title slide makes, ask someone (preferably from your target audience). Getting a second opinion can mean the difference between a dull title slide and an engaging one.

The following article addresses headlines for a web page, but many of the same principles are useful for presentation title slides:

Design Theory

Writing and Designing a Killer Headline

Brian Casel

Strategy 4. Include Enticing Details

With a live presentation the time allowed for making your presentation may be limited. You need to make sure that your presentation fits into the allotted time you're given. You also need to hold the audience's attention. And you need to allow extra time to answer audience member's questions. For a live presentation, a shorter presentation often makes sense.

A SlideShare multi-media presentation is different. Your audience can browse through your presentation at their leisure. Readers can also bookmark the presentation and return to it as often as they want. Don't be afraid to make your presentation a little more detailed or a little longer.

SlideShare provides the perfect opportunity for you to include details such as well-designed charts and diagrams in your presentation. If your readers are interested, they can take their time to study your statistics. SlideShare also allows you to upload documents and infographics.

Strategy 5. Make Your SlideShare Presentation Easy to Find

Since SlideShare is an online medium, presentations are discoverable through the search engines. Using search terms in your presentation's title and meta description makes it more likely to appear in the search engine results—which means more viewers for your presentation. Using a keyword in the filename helps to make your presentation search engine friendly.

SlideShare also has its own search tool. To make sure users who are looking for SlideShare presentations within the SlideShare platform find your presentation, choose your Category and Tags carefully. Here's a look at the SlideShare Upload screen, keeping in mind search factors:

The SlideShare Upload screen includes tags and categories.

Notice the Discoverability Score at the bottom of the screen. The score increases as you add discovery elements to your SlideShare upload.

Also, be sure to read through our tutorial, How to Upload Your SlideShare Slides for Use on LinkedIn, for detailed instructions on how to upload a SlideShare presentation.

Strategy 6. Add a Call to Action

An often-overlooked part of a presentation is the call to action. A call to action tells your viewers what to do about the information they just reviewed.

Typical calls to action include an encouragement to make a purchase or a link to your website or a landing page. A call to action can even include a non-commercial purpose, such as directing the reader to fill out a petition or a survey.

Including a call to action slide is important. A compelling call to action helps your presentation get results. For long presentations, include one or more calls to action in the middle of the presentation as well as at the end. The longer the presentation, the more calls to action you should include.

Strategy 7. Include Your SlideShare Presentation on Your Site

If you've got a website or blog, embedding or linking to your SlideShare presentation on your site ensures that your current clients and readers learn of your presentation. Since these individuals are already interested in your business, it's likely that they'll also be interested in your SlideShare (especially if it includes new and useful information).

Strategy 8. Promote Your SlideShare on Social Media

Social media can play a huge part in bringing more viewers to your SlideShare presentation. And since social media posts are often shared, your potential reach from social media is much larger than from just your own followers alone.

It's easy to promote a SlideShare presentation on social media from within SlideShare using its built-in tools. Each presentation includes Social Media Sharing buttons for LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter beneath the presentation:

Use the buttons inside SlideShare to share your presentation to social media.

To share your presentation to one of these social media platforms, click the corresponding button. To share your SlideShare on another social media platform, add the presentation URL to your social media post.

Strategy 9. Reach Out to Influencers

Every field has individuals who stand out. A re-share from one of these influencers can make a huge difference for your SlideShare marketing. Reach out to these influencers through email, social media, or by phone to make the influencer aware that your SlideShare presentation may be of interest to them.

To really capture the attention of an influencer and make them more likely to share your presentation, incorporate the influencer into your slideshow somehow. For example, you could interview the influencer and include quotes from them. Or, you could include a link to their blog in your presentation. Involving the influencer in your presentation increases the likelihood that they'll share it.

If you decide to reach out to an influencer through email, SlideShare has a built-in tool for quickly sharing your presentation. To use it, click the Share button below your presentation. The Share SlideShare screen appears:

Use the Email field to email your SlideShare presentation to someone.

You can use the Email field to automatically send your presentation to someone through email, but this tool doesn't allow for email customization. If you don't know the recipient well, a better approach is to include the link at the bottom of the screen in an email that explains why the influencer might be interested in your slideshow.

Strategy 10. Share Your SlideShare via Your Business Newsletter

Like many businesses, you probably have a newsletter that you use to share information of interest to clients and prospective clients. A good newsletter can strengthen your relationships and build good will for your business.

Since your SlideShare presentation includes useful tips and relevant information, it makes sense to link to your SlideShare in your newsletter. Your newsletter readers will likely be interested in your presentation.

Strategy 11. Use Analytics to Measure Your Success

No digital marketing strategy is complete without a way to measure its success. SlideShare marketing is no different.

Fortunately, SlideShare includes a free analytic tool to help you track how well your presentations are doing.

Here's a peek at the Summary page of the SlideShare Analytics tool:

The SlideShare Analytics tool lets you see how your presentations are performing.

 The links at the top of the screen let you see more details about the following information:

 Views. See how many people have viewed your SlideShare presentations.

 Actions. Shows how many people have liked, commented on, downloaded, or emailed each presentation.

 Viewers. This list shows recent viewers by date, location, and internet service provider (ISP). You can also see how each viewer was referred to your SlideShare presentation and which presentation they saw.

 Export. Use this part of the tool to export the analytics data as a CSV file.

 Social Shares. See how many times your content was shared on LinkedIn or Facebook using the Social Media Sharing buttons.

The information you gather through analytics is useful for planning your future SlideShare presentations, and evolving your marketing strategies further.

Conclusion

You've just learned ten effective digital marketing strategies for your SlideShare presentation. Adding one or more of these strategies to your SlideShare marketing plan can increase the reach of your slideshow and ultimately your business.

You've also learned some basics about SlideShare analytics. We've shown what SlideShare analytics measures. We've also discussed why analytics should be an important part of your SlideShare marketing strategy.

For a more in-depth look at what makes a great SlideShare presentations, along with some killer examples, read this article:

SlideShare

14+ Best PowerPoint SlideShare Presentation Examples

Laura Spencer

To learn even more about SlideShare, take a look at our SlideShare learning guide, How to Make Online Presentations (SlideShare + PowerPoint).

Now that you know how to use SlideShare for business marketing, you're ready to develop your own effective SlideShare marketing plan. Good luck!

Download Our New eBook on Making Great Presentations (Free PDF)

Grab our new eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations. It's available for FREE with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter.

It's the perfect compliment to this tutorial, which will walk you through the complete presentation process. Learn how to write your presentation, design it like a pro, and prepare it to present powerfully.

 2017-11-15T12:55:58.000Z 2017-11-15T12:55:58.000Z Laura Spencer tag:business.tutsplus.com,2005:PostPresenter/cms-29925 Envato Elements Now Includes WordPress Themes & Plugins!
If you work with WordPress, you're in luck—WordPress themes and plugins are now included in an annual Envato Elements subscription. And what's more, you can lock in a special introductory rate for a limited time. Read on for more details.

What's Included

Envato Elements already gives you unlimited downloads from a massive library of 400,000+ photos, graphics, templates, and other creative assets. Plus it gives you free access to more than 1,000 courses and 240 eBooks here on Envato Tuts+.

From today, you'll still get all of that plus a curated collection of beautiful, premium WordPress themes and plugins.

As with everything else on Envato Elements, this is an "all you can eat" deal. You can download as many themes and plugins as you want, with no limits or credits to keep track of. And there's a simple licensing system so that you know you're covered for all of your projects.

Right now, there are over 190 top themes and 130 plugins available to choose from, and you can expect that number to grow as more authors join the platform and existing authors upload more items.

WordPress Themes

There's a wide range of premium themes on offer, whether you're looking for a multipurpose theme suitable for a corporate audience or something more creative that would work for a blog or portfolio site. There are even niche themes for real estate sites, wedding sites and more—and of course, you can find e-commerce themes to help you make sales from your site.

WordPress Plugins

A well-designed theme is a great start, of course, but if you're working with WordPress you'll also need access to premium plugins to add the features and functionality you want.

Envato Elements has you covered here too, with a selection of powerful plugins to help you create booking and scheduling systems, contact forms, responsive menus, social media feeds, and more.

What It Costs

It's important to understand that WordPress themes and plugins are only available with an annual subscription, not a monthly one. Usually, an Envato Elements subscription costs $29 a month, so the annual subscription will be $348 a year ($29 x 12).

However, for a limited time, you can save $120 on your subscription and sign up for just $228 (the equivalent of $19 a month). Remember, for that price you get not only the WordPress themes and plugins but also thousands of photos, fonts, graphics, templates and more. It's a pretty special deal.

So head over to Envato Elements to see what's on offer, and if you like what you see, sign up for an annual subscription to start making unlimited downloads. Don't spend too long thinking about it, though, because this introductory deal won't last forever!

 2017-11-15T08:12:04.521Z 2017-11-15T08:12:04.521Z Andrew Blackman tag:business.tutsplus.com,2005:PostPresenter/cms-29732 What Is Microsoft PowerPoint? How to Start Using It (Now)
Microsoft PowerPoint is a professional tool for making presentations, which has been around for decades. It has a number of features that make it a powerful presentation tool.

In this tutorial, you'll learn about Microsoft PowerPoint's origins and the best version of PowerPoint that fits your needs. You'll also discover tutorial resources to start learning how to use its deep toolset.

We also won't leave you confused on how to make a top-notch presentation with PowerPoint. We've all sat through a boring PowerPoint presentation. It's important to use it the right way, as a visual aid that compliment your ideas.

Guide to Making Great Presentations (Free eBook Download)

Before you read on, be sure to grab our free eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations. It will help you master the presentation process, from: initial idea, through to writing, design, and delivering with impact.

What is PowerPoint & What is it Used For?

Microsoft PowerPoint is the most popular presentation software. You'll find it everywhere from Fortune 500 boardrooms to college classrooms. PowerPoint is a part of Microsoft Office, which also includes apps like Excel and Microsoft Word.

PowerPoint started as a Mac-only app in 1987 and was quickly acquired by Microsoft to help bolster the Office software package. It quickly gained a foothold in the work world as an easy way to put together a slide deck with supporting points.

PowerPoint allows you to create professional presentations using simple drag and drop tools.

Make no mistake: PowerPoint is the market leader, but its widespread usage is more than simply habit. Competitors like Apple's Keynote and Google's Slides have improved to challenge PowerPoint, but Microsoft has responded with updates of its own to maintain its leadership.

Presentations

PowerPoint vs. Keynote vs. Google Slides: What Is the Best Presentation Software?

Laura Spencer

PowerPoint's popularity is largely driven by its ease of use. Most of its features simply involve dragging and dropping content boxes and filling them with your own information. However, PowerPoint also has plenty of deeper features under the hood. I'm yet to find a feature I need missing from the app.

How Can I Learn PowerPoint?

The Tuts+ Business section has an abundance of Microsoft PowerPoint tutorial resources that will help you build your skills and get comfortable using this popular presentation app.

Dive into our PowerPoint beginner tutorials series and our quick-start PowerPoint videos. Or, check out some of my favorite beginner tutorials to start learning more:

Microsoft PowerPoint

How to Make Creative PowerPoint Presentations (With Unique Ideas)

Andrew Childress

Microsoft PowerPoint

What Is Multimedia? +How to Use It in Your PowerPoint Presentations

Andrew Childress

Microsoft PowerPoint

How to Add Text to PowerPoint & Make Amazing Text Effects

Andrew Childress

What PowerPoint Version Should You Use?

Microsoft's business model has changed significantly in recent years. Instead of buying the latest version of Microsoft Office, they now heavily promote Office 365. This is basically a subscription to use all of the Office apps, including PowerPoint.

The advantage of Office 365 is that you'll always have the most up-to-date version of the entire suite of apps. In fact, Microsoft is constantly updating its Office apps and the Office 365 version even includes features that you won't find in the perpetual license version.

For Home users, there are really three unique packages to choose from:

 Office 365 Home - If you're purchasing Office for your household, this package is a great choice. It includes 5 licenses that you can use on your account and is perfect for families.

 Office 365 Personal - This is the least expensive version of Office and includes just 1 license to use.

 Office Home & Student 2016 - This is most similar to the traditional "buy and own" model of Microsoft Office. You'll pay a one-time feel for Office and have it to use indefinitely, but won't be able to access upgrades as Microsoft releases them.

Office 365 subscriptions also include 1 TB (terabyte) of storage space in OneDrive, Microsoft's cloud storage app. Going with an Office 365 subscription is the least expensive way to get access to PowerPoint.

One other key advantage of Office 365 is that it enables additional features on the mobile apps for iOS and Android. You can view and edit documents for free without a subscription, but Office 365 unlocks the full power of the mobile apps.

PowerPoint on the iPad is an example of how far PowerPoint has come; it's basically a fully featured version of PowerPoint that is available for free.

However, if you are a casual user of Office and don't need to stay up-to-date, the "Home & Student 2016" can be a worthwhile option. The value comes down to comparing how long you think you'll keep the version versus the monthly costs of Office 365.

What is PowerPoint Online?

Another option is PowerPoint Online, the totally free version of PowerPoint that you can use inside a web browser. If you've used Google Drive's productivity apps like Docs or Sheets, this is Microsoft's answer.

PowerPoint Online is free to use regardless of the option you choose to license PowerPoint. As long as you make a Microsoft account, you can use PowerPoint Online to build and view presentations.

PowerPoint Online is the free, browser-based version of Microsoft's presentation software and offers most of the features of its desktop counterpart.

Hit this link to check out PowerPoint Online. Even if you use the desktop version of PowerPoint, the Online counterpart represents an easy way to get to your files from any web browser.

For Microsoft, PowerPoint Online signals a big shift. It's the first time that you can access the majority of PowerPoint's features at no cost at all. The company's focus seems to be to hook people into using the product, versus selling one-time licenses to users.

What Are PowerPoint Templates?

PowerPoint Templates (frequently also called "themes") are the quickest way to add style to your presentation and one of the reasons that PowerPoint is so popular.

We're not all graphic designers. And even if you are a talented artist, you likely don't have time to illustrate everything from scratch when you're preparing to present. You should be focusing on the content and message that your audience will hear.

The easiest way to add a design to your slide is to use a template, which lives on PowerPoint's ribbon.

Themes live on PowerPoint's ribbon on the Designs tab and can be applied with one click.

The nice thing about these templates is that they will re-style the entire presentation. They carry with them a set of fonts, color schemes, and slide designs that your entire presentation will adapt to. If you're using a theme that has been coded the right way, it only takes a single click to overhaul the entire presentation.

Here you see the same content, but two themes give this slide a completely different look.

Microsoft's built-in themes are a good enough start, but there are far better alternatives available to use. You can use premium presentation themes that are available through GraphicRiver and Envato Elements to supplant the built-in themes.

GraphicRiver allows you to per pay template, while Elements is a subscription service that allows you to download and use unlimited PowerPoint templates and creative assets—a powerful offer. Discover more great Microsoft PowerPoint template designs from these sites in this curated selection of the best:

Microsoft PowerPoint

17+ Best PowerPoint Template Designs for 2017

Sean Hodge

The themes that you'll find on GraphicRiver and Elements are heads and shoulders above Microsoft's built-in options. These are ready for professional presentations at any level.

Here you can see just a few of the over 200 designs included as part of the Simplicity PPT theme.

Above all, themes from these sites include ideas for your slides. Many times, I know what the slide should contain, but need ideas for how to show the content.

Take, for example, the Simplicity PowerPoint theme. Simplicity comes with over 200 slide design ideas, as well as a variety of color schemes. Buy Simplicity once and use it repeatedly for all of your presentations; there's enough variety for it to be used in many cases.

One note about these custom themes: they don't always appear in PowerPoint's ribbon the way that Microsoft's templates do. They are often packaged as standalone PPTX files that you can open and re-work for your own presentations. However, they lack the flexibility of being applicable to your themes at any time.

Learn how to make great presentations quickly with professional PowerPoint templates:

Microsoft PowerPoint

How to Make Professional PowerPoint Presentations (With Templates)

Andrew Childress

Why Do Many People Dislike PowerPoint?

A number of people decry PowerPoint as a bad tool. Some of that reputation is on the mark, because I think we've all sat through many boring presentations in which the presenter reads directly from the slides.

However, this is also an unfair reputation because PowerPoint can be an excellent aid. Like most tools, it all comes down to how you use it.

Most PowerPoint presentations go south because the presenter uses the slide as a replacement for giving a presentation. The key is that slides should support and reiterate your talking points, rather than serve as a crutch.

Here are some of my most important tips to avoid during your PowerPoint-driven presentation:

 Don't read directly from your slides. PowerPoint slides should have key points that summarize your talking points.

 Don't put too many objects on each slide. This will confuse or distract your audience from your message.

 Don't overdo it with animations, either! You can make objects fly on and off slides, but it will distract from your message.

 Don't speak for too long. No matter how good your slides look, an audience will eventually tune out.

 Don't bury the lede. Reveal the key idea early and spend the rest of the presentation supporting it, instead of making your audience sit through a long talk and find the conclusion at the end.

Discover more helpful PowerPoint presentation tips:

Microsoft PowerPoint

37 Effective PowerPoint Presentation Tips

Brad Smith

Microsoft PowerPoint

10 Simple PowerPoint Animation Tips and Tricks

Sven Lenaerts

How Can You Build Graphics Quickly in PowerPoint?

SmartArt is one of my favorite PowerPoint features, mainly because I'm not a graphic designer. But even for those who are experienced with Photoshop or Illustrator, the SmartArt feature deserves a look.

Basically, SmartArt is the best of both worlds between charts and images. They have the professionally polished look of a designed graphic but maintain the flexibility of a chart. You can add or remove points at any time.

SmartArt is a hybrid of charts and simple text, and remains editable.

You can use SmartArt to build charts and graphics like the one above.

Check out the tutorials below to learn more about using SmartArt to build a variety of graphics, such as timelines, pyramids, hierarchies, and cycles.

Microsoft PowerPoint

How to Make a Flowchart in PowerPoint With Templates

Andrew Childress

Microsoft PowerPoint

How to Get Started With Using SmartArt in PowerPoint

Andrew Childress

Microsoft PowerPoint

How to Make a Timeline in PowerPoint With Templates

Andrew Childress

How Does PowerPoint Make Presentations Easier?

Contrary to popular belief, PowerPoint is much more than a tool to develop presentations. It's also your best friend when you're giving the presentation. Instead of scrambling to prepare note cards or printed versions of your slides to reference, PowerPoint keeps all of those essentials nearby.

Presenter View keeps the most important tools visible, such as the speaker notes and a preview of the upcoming slide.

Presenter View is one of the most powerful features for sharing your PowerPoint presentation. Imagine having all of the most important tools on your screen.

Oftentimes, you'll have two displays while you're giving a presentation: your own laptop or tablet screen, and the screen that you're presenting on. While your audience will see the finished presentation, you'll have your own Presenter View where you can see your notes and upcoming slides.

For a complete tutorial on Presenter View, check out the link below.

Microsoft PowerPoint

How to Present a PowerPoint Slideshow With Presenter View

Andrew Childress

Recap & Learn More About Making Great PowerPoint Presentations

In this tutorial, I shared some of my favorite reasons that I use Microsoft PowerPoint. Whether it's the sheer familiarity or the polish of over 30 years of development, PowerPoint won't be going anywhere soon.

Learn more in our PowerPoint beginner tutorials series or our quick-start PowerPoint videos. You can also get our free eBook now:

Need Help? Grab Our Making Great Presentations eBook (Free)

You can find more information in our new eBook on making great presentations. Download this PDF eBook now for FREE with your subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter.

It will help you master the presentation process, from: initial creative ideas, through to writing, design, and delivering with impact.

Do you use PowerPoint, or one of its competitors? I'm always interested to find out why, so feel free to do so in the comments section below.

 2017-11-14T12:55:32.000Z 2017-11-14T12:55:32.000Z Andrew Childress tag:business.tutsplus.com,2005:PostPresenter/cms-29793 How to Properly Write a Formal Email (That Gets Results)
Do you need to know how to write a formal email? If you're used to writing casual emails to friends and family, you may not know how to write a formal email properly.

Don't worry. You're not alone. Many people struggle with writing a formal email. This article will help.

Formal emails are often called for when you're sending an email to someone you don't know well. A formal email is also the right choice for some business situations. If you're not sure whether to send a formal or informal email, it's usually better to send a formal message.

Are you ready to learn how to write a formal email? (graphic source)

In this article, you'll learn how a formal email differs from an informal email. We'll provide examples of the various parts of an email so you can see the difference between informal and formal email messages. We'll also show you how to properly write a formal email, format a formal email, and send a formal email. Plus, you'll learn how email signature templates can give your formal email more impact.

Get more helpful email tips and professional strategies in our free ebook, The Ultimate Guide to Inbox Zero Mastery.

Now let's get started with learning all about how to write formal emails:

 1. What Is a Formal Email?

A formal email is typically sent to someone you don't know well or to someone who's in authority. Examples of someone who you might send a formal email to include your professor, a public official, or even a company you're doing business with.

If your workplace has a formal environment, use formal emails with your boss and colleagues unless you're told to do otherwise. Many workplaces are moving towards a more casual environment and this often carries over to email communications. If you're not sure what's right for your workplace, ask.

Casual Versus Formal Email: What's the Difference?

A formal email differs from a casual email. A casual email usually goes to a person you know well—often it's someone you're on good terms with such as a friend or family member. When sending a casual email, you don't need to worry as much about structure and tone.

In fact, part of what makes a formal email different from a casual email is the structure. A formal email has a very defined structure, with a definite salutation (the opening part of the email), signature section, opening sentence, and body.

You also use language differently in a formal email than in a casual email. Avoid using abbreviations, contractions, slang, emoticons, and other informal terminology. The tone of a formal email is different as well. An informal email may not even use complete sentences or proper grammar, but a formal email always does.

Here's an example of formal email language:

The meeting is scheduled for December 5th at 9:30 a.m. All students must attend. Your project updates are needed.

Compare the formal language with the informal email language in this email:

Required meeting—Dec 5, 9:30 a.m. Updates needed. See ya there. :)

Both statements share the same information. But the tone of the first is much more formal. Notice the incomplete sentence, slang, and emoticon in the informal example.

 2. Writing a Formal Email

While an informal email can often be sent quickly, writing a formal email typically takes a bit more thought and a bit more time. Careful consideration needs to be given to each email element.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at some common elements of a formal email:

Subject Line

The subject line is what the reader sees in their inbox. If the subject line is misleading or missing information, your email may not get read. The message may even be sent to spam. The more formal your email is, the more detailed your subject line should be. But beware of making your subject line too long.

Here's an example of a formal email subject line:

Required Student Meeting: December 5th, 9:30 a.m.

Compare that subject line with this informal email subject line:

Upcoming Meeting

Notice that the first subject line is more informative and complete. The informal subject line, sent to someone you know well, just barely touches on the topic.

Salutation

The salutation directly addresses the person you're sending the email to. It's always used in formal email messages, but sometimes skipped in informal messages. Here are some examples of formal and informal salutations:

If you're sending the email to a group, address the entire group. Here's an example:

Dear Students,

If you've got the person's name you want to send the email too, it's proper to use their name along with any title the person has. Here's a sample formal salutation for an individual:

Dear Professor Smith,

If you don't know the name of the person you're trying to reach, you should make every effort to discover that information. As a last resort, it's okay (but less effective) to address the email to the title of the person you hope to reach. Here's an example of a formal salutation without a name:

Dear Human Resources Director,

In rare instances where you don't know a person's name or title, it's okay to use this salutation:

To whom it may concern,

Contrast the formal salutation examples with the following informal salutations:

Informal Salutation for a Group

Hey Class!

 Informal Salutation for an Individual

Hello Taylor,

As you can see, the formal and informal salutations are very different.

Introduction

The opening of a formal email often requires the sender to introduce themselves. In contrast, informal emails are sent to someone you know and the introduction isn't needed.

Here's an example of an opening in a formal email:

My name is Jordan Smith. I am the professor of Statistics for XYZ University. This message is for all current students.

In this article, you'll find even more examples of email openings:

Email

How to Start and End a Professional Business Email

Laura Spencer

Body

The body of a formal email typically elaborates on the purpose of the email. Elaboration may not be needed in an informal email. Although the body contains detailed information, it's important to write clearly and concisely in a formal email. Remember your reader isn't familiar with you and may not be familiar with your topic. You don't want your email recipient to misunderstand an important point.

Closing

How you end a formal email is equally important. Since the email closing is the last thing your recipient looks at, your email closing can leave a lasting impression.

A good formal email closing also reminds the reader who you are since it should include your full name, contact information, and title (if appropriate). If you can, use a professional signature template for added impact. (Learn more about signature templates in the next section.)

In contrast, an email closing may be extremely casual for an informal email. In some instances where the recipient is well known to you, you may even omit the email closing.

The most common way to start a formal email closing is with the word "Sincerely." It may be a common closing, but it's also a safe closing.

Here's an example of a formal email closing:

Sincerely,

Jordan Smith
 Professor of Statistics, XYZ College
 [Email address goes here]
 [Phone number goes here]

In these articles, we provide even more examples of formal (and informal) email closings:

Email

How to End a Business Email With a Professional Closing

Laura Spencer

Email

30+ Best Ways to Sign Off Your Email (To Be More Memorable)

Laura Spencer

You now have the information you need to write each section of a formal email. Formal emails are very similar to professional emails, since professional emails are often written in a formal style. The principles that apply to professional emails are also useful for formal emails. Learn how to write an effective professional email in this tutorial:

Writing

How to Write Clear and Professional Emails

David Masters

 3. Formatting and Structuring a Formal Email

While many informal emails are unstructured, how you format and structure your formal email is important. At a minimum, a formal email should contain all of the following elements:

 Subject line. Be specific, but concise. Many experts agree that the ideal subject line is six to ten words long.

 Salutation. Address the recipient by name, if possible. Use honorifics, as appropriate. For example, write Dear Professor Smith, not Hey.

 Body text. This section explains the main message of the email. For a formal email, use proper grammar and complete sentences.

 Signature. Your email closing should be formal, not informal. Use your first and last name. If you're writing on behalf of an organization and you know the title of the person you're sending the email to, use it.

As we mentioned earlier, there are many similarities between a business email and a professional email. This tutorial explains the proper way to structure a business email:

Email

How to Master Proper Business Email Format - and Avoid Professional Disaster

Laura Spencer

Your email font choice is also important when you're formatting a formal email. Although many modern email platforms allow you to use many different fonts, it's best to stick with a common, readable font like Verdana, Calibri, Times New Roman or Georgia. Helvetica and Arial are common sans-serif fonts you could use as well.

Avoid novelty fonts like Comic Sans, handwriting fonts like Bradley Hand, and script fonts like Brush Script. Remember that if you choose an unusual font for your formal email, that font may not be supported by some email platforms.

Also, stick to one or two fonts in your formal email. Using too many different fonts can make your email look too casual. Too many fonts may even make your formal email less readable.

 4. Sending a Formal Email

Once you've written and formatted your formal email, you're almost ready to send your message. But before you press that Send button, review your email carefully. Look for:

Spelling errors

Mistakes in a name

Typos

Grammatical errors

Remember, a sloppy email full of mistakes makes a bad impression.

Also, pay attention to the email address you're using to send the email if you want to be taken seriously. Many of us created email addresses when we younger that aren't appropriate for formal emails. If you can get it, your email address for formal emails should be a variation of your name without any extra characters.

Here are some examples of appropriate and inappropriate email address:

Email Address #1

 email@example.com

Save this type of email address for casual emails to your family and friends.

Email Address #2

email@example.com

This email address can be used for formal and professional emails.

Note: These email addresses used here and throughout this article are for example purposes only. They aren't intended to represent real email addresses.

If you're a student or writing on behalf of an organization, it's a good idea to use the email provided by your educational institution or the organization you're representing. Most colleges, for example, provide their students with email addresses in the format:

 email@example.com

 5. Using Templates for a Formal Email

One way to add extra impact to your formal email is to use a professionally designed signature template. A signature template adds graphic interest to your email. A signature template also includes your complete contact information.

Here's an example of an email closing with a professionally designed signature template:

Here is an example of a formal email closing with a signature template.

Note: The previous example uses the 1127 Email Signature template from Envato's GraphicRiver, which is a good source for professional email templates like the one used in the example above.

Notice the difference that a quality template makes. For more great examples of email signature templates, review the article:

Email

12+ Professional Email Signature Templates: With Unique Designs

Sean Hodge

Conclusion

You may not have much experience writing formal emails, but if you need to write one it's important to do it right. Writing a formal email isn't difficult when you know what to do.

A formal email is quite different from an informal one. There's a proper structure, formatting, and tone that you should use for a formal email.

Now that we've explained what you need to know about formal emails, you're ready to write, format and send your own formal email. Good luck!

In addition to writing great emails, it's also important to keep on top of your email inbox.

Download Our New Email Management eBook (FREE)

Learn all about professional email management strategies in our free eBook, The Ultimate Guide to Inbox Zero Mastery.

We'll show you how to get started with Inbox Zero, how to implement it, and how to adopt healthy email habits. Grab it for FREE with your subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter.

 2017-11-13T13:17:51.320Z 2017-11-13T13:17:51.320Z Laura Spencer tag:business.tutsplus.com,2005:PostPresenter/cms-29817 How to Email Your Resume Professionally (Quick Guide)
You may think you know how to email a resume to a potential employer. But consider this, if the email with your resume is constantly filtered out or ignored, your chances of being considered for the job are gone.

Employers often receive hundreds of resumes in response to a single ad. Resumes are often sorted (and eliminated) by an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) before they ever reach a human. That's why it's important to know how to email your resume in a way that gets it in front of a hiring manager.

Do you know how to email your resume and cover letter to help land a new position? (graphic source)

There are steps you can take to make your resume email stand out from the rest. In this article, we'll explore emailing a resume for a job in depth. We'll look at every aspect of the process, including what to say when emailing a resume and how to properly attach a resume to an email.

 1. Create a Professional Resume & Cover Letter

How your resume and cover letter looks is important. An attractive design can mean the difference between a resume that gets a second look and a resume that's passed over. This is especially true if you know a human will be reviewing your resume.

Get a Pro Resume Template

The fastest way to get a professional looking resume that's sure to make a good first impression is to use a professionally-designed resume template and matching cover letter. With a resume template, the design work is already done. All you need to do is plug in your information and it's ready to use.

You may wonder where to find a professionally designed resume template and cover letter. At GraphicRiver you'll find a good selection of professional resume templates or browse through this curated list:

Resumes

20+ Professional MS Word Resume Templates - With Simple Designs

Marc Schenker

Gather All Your Information

Once you've selected a resume template, you're ready to begin the resume-writing process. This tutorial explains what you'll need to get started:

Resumes

How to Make a Resume

Laura Spencer

Some of the specific information you'll need includes past job titles, past employers, and years employed, as well as records of any education programs you've completed. Once you've gathered the information you need, you're ready to put it into the resume template.

Consider Your Resume Length

Resume length is a controversial subject. Most resume experts agree that a resume should be kept short. Unless you've got many years of work experience, one page is probably long enough.

While you may be tempted to list complete details for every position you've ever held, keep in mind that most HR professionals decide very quickly whether to move your application forward in the hiring process. It's in your best interest to edit out any irrelevant details.

For a complete discussion of resume length, read this Envato Tuts+ tutorial:

Careers

How to Make Your Resume the Perfect Length (+To the Point)

Charley Mendoza

 2. Customize Your Resume and Cover Letter

A common resume mistake is to send the exact same resume and cover letter with every job application. Don't make this mistake. Instead, tailor your resume to each position you're applying to.

How Do You Tailor Your Resume to a Position?

Start by reading the job description carefully. Then, look at your own experience and find the parts of your experience that match the job description. The matching experience is what you want to highlight in your resume.

For example, you're applying to be a web designer. Your previous job was as an administrative assistant at a web design company. In that job, you answered phone calls and sent out invoices. But, you were also responsible for making updates to current clients' websites. In addition, your employer paid for you to take web design classes. The parts of your experience you'd focus on from your current job would be that you updated client websites and completed web design classes.

It also helps if you're specific. So, if you can, provide numbers and details of your experience.

When applying for the web design position, you might describe your former position like this:

 Administrative Assistant. Anytown Consulting (2014 to present). Responsibilities included updating 42 client websites monthly. Completed six web design classes at ABC University.

In contrast, if you were applying for another administrative assistant positions, you would focus more on the administrative aspect of your current position. The description of your former position might look something like this:

Administrative Assistant. Anytown Consulting (2014 to present). Responsibilities included supporting six full-time web designers in a busy office. Also updated client sites as needed. Completed web design classes at ABC University.

Be Sure to Customize Your Cover Letter as Well

Follow through with the customization in your cover letter. Think of your cover letter as another chance to explain why your experience is relevant to the job. Again, use the job description as a guide.

Here's a sample of what to write in an email when sending a resume. This example explains why the administrative assistant position is relevant to the web design job:

In my administrative assistant role at Anytown Consulting, I became familiar with the field of web design. I learned to update client websites. I also enrolled in and completed web design classes at ABC University. I believe my experience at Anytown Consulting, in combination with my education, has prepared me for a full-time role as a web designer with your company.

For even more effective cover letter samples, review this tutorial:

Careers

22 Email Cover Letter Tips: With Easy to Follow Samples

Charley Mendoza

3. Double-Check Your Resume Carefully

Mistakes in your resume make you look bad. So, double-check your resume carefully to avoid the following:

 Spelling Errors. Any spelling error is bad, but be especially careful about the spelling of company names. Using the wrong name for a company may make it hard to check your information.

 Grammar Errors. Poor grammar makes your resume and cover letter look sloppy. If grammar isn't your thing, consider having someone proofread them for you.

 Inaccurate Information. Make sure your years of employment and graduation dates are up-to-date.

If your authoring tool has a built-in spell check tool, use it. But don't stop there. While spell check tools catch some mistakes, many of them fail to catch improper word usage. So, be sure to read through your resume and cover letter carefully.

Typos can really derail a resume. For example, I remember reviewing a resume for a writer. They had listed 1897 as their college graduation date, when it should've been 1997. Naturally, the mistake in the date made the writer look careless.

4. Avoid the Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

The sad truth is that many resumes never make it to a human. They're weeded out by Applicant Tracking Software (ATS). You can improve your chances of making it through the ATS by using keywords and key phrases and by formatting your resume specifically for the ATS. Learn more in these tutorials:

Resumes

Best Resume Format: The Ultimate Guide to PDF vs Word

Laura Spencer

Resumes

How to Make Your Resume Better With Keywords & Phrases

Charley Mendoza

But, the best way to make sure a human sees your resume is to give it directly to a human. This tactic bypasses the ATS and can ensure that your resume gets the attention it deserves.

Send Your Resume to a Company Contact

To give your resume to a human, start by looking for a contact who works in the company where you're applying. A good place to look for contacts is in your LinkedIn profile. If you find a contact within the company, you can use LinkedIn's own messaging system to ask them if they would be willing to deliver your resume to the hiring manager.

Your note could look something like this:

Hi Jane Doe,

Remember when we both worked at Anytown consulting? It's been a few years, but I'll never forget your work on the NOP project. That was quite a project.

I notice that you now work at XYZ consulting. I'm applying for a position as an associate there and I was wondering if you would be willing to recommend me for the position and deliver my resume to the hiring manager?

If you could help me, I'd really appreciate it. I've attached my current resume to this email.

Best wishes,

Avery Smith

Note: Some companies offer a referral bonus to employees for qualified candidates they refer. So not only are they doing you a favor by referring you, you could also be doing them a favor as well.

Finding Company Contacts on LInkedIn

If you don't know a contact within the company, you still may be able to find the name of the hiring manager on LinkedIn. Once you've got a name, invite them to be a connection first—this lets them see your profile and acquaint themselves with your qualifications.

Meanwhile, apply for the position through the conventional means, then send the hiring manager a short note (remember, these people are busy) mentioning your interest in working for the company. Quickly explain that you applied for the position and why you feel you're qualified.

With any luck, the hiring manager will respond and start a conversation with you. If your LinkedIn profile looks good, they may search for your resume in the pool of applicants or ask you to send it directly to them. Either way, you've met your goal of getting your resume in front of a real person.

For guidance on how to set up a professional LinkedIn profile, study this article:

Online Profile

How to Set Up Your LinkedIn Profile: A Freelancer's Guide

David Masters

 5. Use a Professional Email Address

The email address you use for job applications and to send out your resume can make a bad impression. If you're like many of us, you may have created an email years ago when you were in school. Unfortunately, some of those student usernames may give a potential employer the wrong impression.

The best email addresses use a well-known email service (such as Gmail) and a variation of your first and last name. Alternately, if you've got a personal professional website, it's acceptable to use that email. Again, use your first and last name as the user name.

Here's are examples of professional and unprofessional email addresses.

Unprofessional Email Address

firstname.lastname@example.com

Professional Email Address

firstname.lastname@example.com

 6. How to Attach a Resume to Email

Now that you've created a professional resume, you're ready to submit it to a company. If you're responding to a job posting, follow the instructions carefully. If you're sending the resume to an individual, you'll likely be using email.

Be careful about the time you choose to send your resume email. An email sent on a Friday, or late in the day (just before closing) is less likely to be read.

Most email services make it easy to attach a document. Here's how to attach a resume to email using two common email service providers:

How to Attach a Resume With Gmail

Here's how to email cover letter and resume in Gmail:

1. Start a new email by clicking the Compose button.

2. Type the email, including the recipient's email address and subject line.

Use the Attach icon to attach a resume to an email in Gmail.

3. Click the Attach Files icon (it looks like a paper clip) on the bottom of the screen.

4. From the File Upload screen, attach the file that contains your resume and cover letter.

After you've attached your resume to your email in Gmail you can send it.

5. Click the Open button at the bottom of the File Upload screen. The resume is attached to the email.

6. Click the Send button in the left of your message to send the email with your resume.

Learn more about getting started working with Gmail:

Email

Learn How to Use Gmail: 10+ Top Tutorials for Beginners

Laura Spencer

How to Attach a Resume With MS Outlook

Here's how to email cover letter and resume in MS Outlook:

1. Click the New Email button in the upper left corner to start a new email.

2. Type the email, including the recipient's email address and subject line.

Use the Attach File icon to attach your resume to an email in MS Outlook.

3. Click the Attach File icon (it looks like a paper clip) on the top of the screen.

4. Click the Browse this PC option and navigate to where you've got your resume file stored.

After you've attached your resume and cover letter, you can send the email.

5. Click the Open button at the bottom of the Insert File screen. The resume is attached to the email.

6. Click the Send button in the top left of your message to send it.

Learn more about whether Gmail or Outlook is better to use:

Gmail

Gmail vs Outlook: What's the Best (Free) Email Service?

Laura Spencer

 7. Follow Up

Once you've sent your resume via email, it's important to follow up. If you haven't heard from your contact after a day or two, send a follow up email. It's possible they never received your emailed resume, or they may have questions for you.

If all goes well, you may find yourself negotiating a salary for your new position. If that happens, you'll need the information in this tutorial:

Careers

How to Negotiate Your Salary via Email (With Killer Tips + Examples)

Charley Mendoza

Conclusion

You've just learned how to email a resume so that the hiring manager notices. Your chances of finding employment are much better when you use your professional network to direct your resume to the right person.

We've also discussed some techniques that'll keep you from making a bad first impression, such as using a professional resume template and sending your information from a professional email address.

To learn even more about creating a standout resume, study our series of tutorials on resumes, How to Create a Great Resume (Ultimate Guide).

Good luck in your job search and landing a great position!

 2017-11-11T12:55:53.000Z 2017-11-11T12:55:53.000Z Laura Spencer