The Santa Barbara Web Design and Marketing Blog

Welcome back! I’m your Santa Barbara Web Guy, here with decades of marketing and web design experience, and today we're going to dig deep into one of the most vital (and often misunderstood) habits of world-class marketers and creators: swiping great ideas.

Let’s get clear from the get-go—when marketers talk about "stealing," they don’t mean plagiarizing or copying anyone’s work verbatim. The art, skill, and tradition of “creative swiping” is as old as advertising itself. It's about learning from the best, recognizing what grabs attention, and then reimagining, improving, or remixing those ideas into something uniquely your own. It’s about standing on the shoulders of giants.

But how can you ethically (and effectively) swipe great ideas? How do you use this method to become a better marketer, web designer, or content creator? Let's break down what this process looks like in practical, step-by-step detail so you can bring more creativity, efficiency, and results to your digital marketing journey.

The Truth About "Stealing" in Marketing

Even the creative minds behind history’s most successful campaigns didn’t always invent their breakthroughs from scratch. They studied what came before, took notes, dissected the patterns, and layered their own spin onto concepts that already worked. And this is not unique to marketing—artists, musicians, designers, and inventors have all benefitted from building on what they admire.

As the legendary designer Paul Rand once said, “Don’t try to be original. Just try to be good.” In the world of marketing, good often starts by being a great observer of what’s already working.

What IS a Swipe File?

The term “swipe file” might sound a bit sneaky, but it’s a totally legitimate tool in every successful marketer’s playbook. A swipe file is simply a collection of marketing ideas, ads, emails, headlines, landing pages, and visuals that grab your attention for the right reasons. These are materials that made you stop scrolling, open an email, or click “Learn More”—in other words, campaigns that worked.

Swipe files are both inspiration and research. They’re where you go when you need a jumping-off point for your own project. They can be digital (folders, bookmarking tools, or note-taking apps) or physical (binders, print-outs, or notebooks). The most important thing is to make it easy to both save and retrieve ideas whenever you’re planning a new campaign or piece of content.

The Everyday Practice of Swiping Great Ideas

1. Become a Collector

Start paying attention to the marketing that stops you in your tracks. Say you get 100 emails a day—a realistic number for most people, especially business owners or marketers. Of those, probably 60–80 are marketing emails: promotions, newsletters, and sales pitches. Of those, how many do you actually open? Which subject lines cause you to pause, click, or even read further?

Don’t just act on instinct. Capture those moments. Create a folder in your email account labeled “Swipe File” and move those compelling emails there. Take screenshots of attention-grabbing ads and save them to a cloud folder. Bookmark web pages with striking landing page designs.

2. Get Specific

It’s not enough to simply save things blindly. Make notes about why each piece caught your attention. Was it the compelling subject line, the bold visual, the funny copy, or the irresistible offer? Did the layout make you want to keep reading? Did the testimonial seem authentic and powerful? The more detail you add to your notes, the more valuable that swipe file becomes when it’s time to create.

3. Don’t Just Copy—Learn, Remix, and Improve

This can’t be stressed enough: swiping is not copying. Direct plagiarism is both unethical and ineffective. What you want to do is uncover the structure, strategy, or principle that made something work and then apply it in your own voice, for your audience, and your goals.

If a certain type of testimonial makes a web page more convincing, don’t copy the words—think about how they were used. If an email subject line got you to click, think about the hook or promise it made. What emotion or curiosity did it tap into?

4. Build On What Works

There’s nothing wrong with a “template” approach when you’re just getting started. Let’s say you see a web page for a service exactly like yours—and it’s full of clear sections: a headline, a problem statement, a testimonial, an offer, a FAQ, and a call to action. Use that structure as your template, but fill in each piece with your own story, proof, and products. Over time, as you gain confidence, you’ll develop your own formats and approaches—but starting with something proven gives you a major head start.

5. Make It a Habit

World-class marketers never stop swiping (or learning). The marketing landscape moves fast. Trends shift. Attention spans shrink. The only way to keep your content fresh and effective is to constantly study what’s working—whether that’s a new social media meme, an innovative email format, or an emerging design style.

So, whenever you come across something that genuinely captivates you, pause and ask yourself, “How can I use a version of this in my work?”

Where to Find Swipe-Worthy Examples

- Emails: Sign up for industry newsletters, retailers, SaaS tools, and content creators. Pay attention to both big brands and small businesses that market creatively.

- Websites & Landing Pages: Regularly browse award-winning web design galleries such as Awwwards, Best Website Gallery, or One Page Love. Note layouts, visuals, CTAs, and the copywriting styles that work.

- Social Media: Follow brands that excel at engagement. What kind of posts go viral? What video titles, graphics, or hashtags do they use? How do they tell stories or spark conversation?

- Print Ads: And yes, even offline! Magazines, billboards, direct mail, and packaging design can all provide ideas that translate to digital.

- Ad Libraries: Many platforms (like Facebook) have searchable ad libraries where you can see what active ads competitors or leading brands are running.

- Books and Courses: Don’t hesitate to “swipe” frameworks from marketing books or seminars. Often, the “swipe” is as much about adopting a new mindset or technique as it is about duplicating a specific ad.

How a Swipe File Transforms Your Marketing

Imagine you’re sitting down to write your next promotional email. Instead of staring at a blank cursor, you open your swipe file. There’s a folder packed with subject lines that made you open emails; another with body copy that “sold” well; a third with sharp, persuasive calls-to-action. With these resources, you’re primed for inspiration, and you can compose something effective much more quickly.

Or, say you’re planning a redesign of your business homepage. You browse through your collection of screenshots: navigation bars you love, layouts that organize information clearly, headline formulas that connect, testimonial arrangements that build trust. Now, you can communicate your vision to a designer or DIY the project with confidence, knowing you’re replicating best practices while still being authentic to your brand.

Your swipe file speeds up your creative process, helps you avoid common pitfalls, and even improves your copywriting and design skills as you build your “pattern recognition” muscles—identifying what consistently works and why.

The Rulebook: Swiping Is Guided By Ethics

Marketers who build long, successful careers in this industry know that trust and originality matter. So here are the guardrails to keep you on track:

- Never copy someone’s proprietary content, such as testimonials, photos, creative copy, or unique selling propositions.

- Do study structures, formulas, layouts, and frameworks (headline styles, ad sequencing, email triggers).

- Always reword, rewrite, and customize ideas to fit your product, voice, and audience.

- Credit inspiration where appropriate, especially if you are deeply influenced by a creative concept or strategy (for instance, citing a marketing framework).

Tools for Building Your Swipe File

Here are a few tried-and-true tools to help you collect, organize, and use marketing inspiration without letting it become digital clutter:

- Evernote or Notion: Ideal for organizing clippings, screenshots, and notes with tagging and categorization.

- Google Keep/Drive: Handy for collecting inspiration on the go. Make folders for different formats—emails, ads, web layouts, etc.

- Pocket: Save articles, websites, and posts to read and review later.

- Trello or Asana: Drag-and-drop organization for marketing examples by theme or project.

- Physical Binder: For the tactile among us, nothing beats flipping through a binder of award-winning direct mailers, print ads, or even magazine clippings.

- Dedicated Instagram or Pinterest Folders: Quickly save ads, reels, or post designs that stand out to curated folders.

- Browser Extensions: Tools like “Awesome Screenshot,” “Nimbus Capture,” or “Evernote Web Clipper” let you instantly save visuals and notes without breaking your browsing flow.

Advanced Swiping: Analyzing and Deconstructing

Let’s take swiping a step further. It isn’t just about collecting—it’s about understanding why something is effective. Get in the habit of asking:

- What’s the emotional trigger? Humor, curiosity, fear, urgency, excitement?

- How does the layout support the message? Is the call to action prominent? Are key benefits above the fold?

- What’s unique about this approach? Is it the tone? The headline? The story being told?

- What would I change or improve? The real magic comes from adding your own twist.

By moving beyond surface-level copying to in-depth analysis, you start building a sharp “marketer’s eye.” This makes you less reliant on the swipe file over time, as you internalize the principles and make them second nature.

Swiping & Creativity in the AI Era

With the rise of AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, Jasper, and Copy.ai, building and using swipe files has entered a new realm. Not only can these tools help generate content ideas based on the patterns you find in your swipe file, but they can also help you analyze what’s trending across thousands of emails or web pages at once.

Use your swipe file as a “teacher” or reference point for your AI tools. For example, you can prompt ChatGPT: “Based on these subject lines [paste in your favorites], generate new subject lines for my auto repair business.” Or “Using these 3 landing pages as a structure, outline a new homepage for my interior design firm.”

But remember: Even the best AI lacks your lived experience, your brand voice, and your audience insights. Use AI and swiping as creative allies, not as substitutes for your own critical thinking and originality.

Building Your Swipe File: Getting Started Today

Let’s put this into action. Here’s a quick plan:

1. Pick your inspiration sources: Subscribe to the top 5 newsletters or brands in your niche.

2. Create your first swipe file folder: Either digitally (in Google Drive, Notion, Evernote, etc.) or physically.

3. Save your first 10 examples: As you open emails, see ads, or scroll social, stop when you feel a moment of interest or urge to engage—and save that content.

4. Add notes: Jot down why it worked for you—was it the message, the design, the story?

5. Set a weekly reminder: Once a week, add at least 3 new items to your swipe file and review at least 2 old ones for fresh ideas.

Final Thoughts: Swiping as a Creative Superpower

Stealing like an artist—or a marketer—is about acknowledging there’s very little that’s truly “new” under the sun, but there is always room for improvement, personalization, and innovation. By actively building a swipe file and learning from the best, you’ll speed up your creative process, reduce frustration, and consistently land on ideas that convert.

So the next time you find yourself stuck or uninspired, turn to your swipe file. Let it nudge you in a fresh direction. And always remember, the goal isn’t to copy, but to learn, adapt, and innovate—taking what’s great and making it unmistakably yours.

Until next time, keep observing, keep learning, and never be afraid to “steal like a marketer.” If you have any questions about building a swipe file, about automating your inspiration process with modern tools, or about digital marketing in general, leave your questions in the comments below. As your Santa Barbara Web Guy, I’m here to help you unlock your creative and marketing potential, one great (swiped) idea at a time.

Take care—and happy swiping!