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Planable is the best client-facing social media tool we've ever used and we've used a lot.
From cat memes to customer conversations, the internet doesn’t clock out. And neither do the comments. Content moderation tools help you stay one step ahead, so your brand can stay cool, calm, and collected (even when the comment section isn’t). Managing multiple...
Jun 2, 2025
Getting noticed on social media is harder than ever. You need fresh, scroll-stopping content, and you need it fast. If you’re a freelancer, a social media marketing specialist juggling multiple clients, or a marketer running communications for an in-house team, you know the struggle is real.
At this point, Canva is your ultimate creative shortcut. You don’t need a design degree to master its handy tools and create branded content that shines on any platform.
In this ultimate guide, I’ll share practical tips on using Canva for social media to help you ditch the design stress and craft killer posts faster than your coffee gets cold.
If you’ve ever lost 20 minutes just trying to line up text for an Instagram carousel, it’s time to welcome Canva into your workflow. Here are a few compelling reasons:
Canva’s social media templates. Drag-and-drop magic. Built-in AI functionality. Canva is crafted for speed. Instead of starting your design from scratch, you can tap into hundreds of pre-made templates and customize them in minutes. Instagram stories, Facebook ads, LinkedIn carousels, TikTok covers… You name it.
Another time-saving point is that you can connect Canva with Planable. Once your design is ready, you can instantly push the post to your content calendar and schedule it for publishing without hassle.
Canva lets you upload your logos, fonts, and color palette so every design stays consistent across all social media platforms. Whether you’re designing a LinkedIn post or tailoring an email banner for an upcoming campaign, your branding stays seamless.
Browsing through Canva’s endless templates can help you brainstorm new ideas. Not sure what to post? Search “trending memes” or “Instagram story ideas” to get a scroll-worthy dose of inspiration.
Canva’s real-time team collaboration lets you tag teammates, leave comments, and edit simultaneously. Just like Google Docs, but prettier.
Content doesn’t exist in isolation. With Canva, you can create and repurpose a post into multiple formats in seconds. Resize a square post for Pinterest. Create an infographic version for LinkedIn. The possibilities (and time saved) can impress you.
If you think you know Canva inside out, think again. The platform is constantly rolling out cool features. At the recent Canva Create 2025 event, the platform unveiled a wave of smart updates designed to make the creative process even faster. Think AI-powered features that help users create interactive charts or code a price calculator with a single prompt.
It’s fair to say that Canva has templates for everything. So, whether you’re planning a full-scale social media campaign or need something quick for today’s feed, the platform is packed with tools to help you create something attention-grabbing.
Staying on-brand shouldn’t take hours, and with Canva’s Brand Kit, it doesn’t. You can upload your brand logos, set your exact color scheme, and lock in your fonts so every design starts consistently. Once your Brand Kit is set up, you can apply your custom styles to every new design.
Head to “Brand” on the left-hand panel of your Canva homepage, then click “Set up your Brand Kit.” Upload your logos, enter your brand fonts and colors, select your brand voice, and more.
Once saved, you’ll find your brand assets neatly organized under the “Styles” tab whenever you’re editing a design.
Сonsistent branding makes your posts instantly recognizable in a crowded feed. When someone sees your Instagram carousel or YouTube banner, they’ll know it’s you before reading a single word.
A LinkedIn header, a Facebook cover, or a YouTube channel banner… Canva surely has pre-sized templates for each. And you don’t need to Google pixel sizes, as the platform gives you a head start with professionally designed and sized templates.
To create a social media banner, find a template that fits your vibe and swap in your brand colors, fonts, and image. When done, click “Download”, select high-res PNG or JPEG, and you’re ready to upload.
And another game-changer here: Canva’s latest Visual Suite 2.0 update made it possible to design multiple formats in a single project. So, there’s no need to bounce between tabs if you need to design similar banners for different platforms.
Let’s be real: Videos are not optional anymore; they’re a necessity for standing out on social media. It doesn’t matter which format you’re creating: Instagram Reels, TikToks, or YouTube Shorts. Canva makes video editing incredibly accessible.
Even if you’ve never touched a timeline before, you can trim clips, add transitions, sync music, and overlay branded elements like logos, lower-thirds, and animated text. All with drag-and-drop simplicity.
Hit the “Video” icon from your homepage panel and choose the format you need. Upload your own clips or grab something from Canva’s extensive media library. Drag everything onto the timeline, animate, and layer in audio. Adjust the timing until it feels right.
Since first impressions always count, well-designed thumbnails can be the difference between a scroll-past and a click. Canva offers a variety of design choices with layered graphics, bold text styles, vibrant backgrounds, and cutout images for that extra pop.
Again, pick a design template from Canva’s library and make it your own. Add a bold background, punchy text, shadows or outlines, and tweak the colors until your thumbnail practically screams, “Click me!”
Not every social media post needs a full-blown design; sometimes, one polished photo does the trick. Canva makes photo editing ridiculously fast, even if you’ve never used a professional editing tool.
Click “Create a design” and upload the image you want to add. From here, you can move down either of the two paths.
Option one: You can opt for quick editing by hitting “Edit image”. From there, you can crop, apply filters, adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, and more. Also, you can use the Background Remover to instantly isolate an object. It’s fast and great for quick touch-ups.
Option two: If you click “Use in a new design”, you have access to even more creative control. You can layer text, add effects, and explore built-in apps like Pixel Enhancer (great for sharpening low-res images) or Photogenic (perfect for quick retouching) for advanced photo edits. Whether you’re going for clean and minimal or bold and stylized, Canva’s got your back.
Product mock-ups are a powerful way to make your offers feel tangible. Canva can help you create professional-looking mock-ups in minutes.
To showcase your product in real-life settings, use Canva’s Mockups App. You can demonstrate your products on a coffee mug, t-shirt, book, or mobile screen. It’s a professional touch that adds credibility and helps your audience visualize your offering.
If you’ve ever seen Duolingo or Ryanair TikToks, you know that humor and memes are part of their social media marketing strategy and the universal language of the internet. Finding high-quality images to create memes used to be a struggle, with most creators stuck using blurry screenshots. Canva’s search bar makes it easy to hop on a viral trend or create niche humor for your audience.
Type “meme” and unlock a trove of trending templates—just plug in your copy, and you’re ready to ride the algorithm wave. Whether you’re poking fun at industry quirks or leaning into dad-joke territory, it’s never been easier to make your audience smile.
Quizzes are a fun way to get your audience involved. We all know the drill: when you spot a “This or That” or “Guess the Product?” quiz on a story or carousel, it’s hard not to tap through.
With Canva, quizzes are a breeze to create. Search for “quiz” in the bar, grab a template, and customize it with your own questions.
If you’re feeling about going interactive, you can use a quiz maker to build experiences people can actually click through. You’ll get engagement, insights, maybe even some leads — all while looking cool and on-trend. What’s not to love?
Data doesn’t have to be dull. Canva’s chart templates let you turn stats into branded data stories with pie charts, bar graphs, and comparison tables. No clunky Excel exports or pixelated screenshots.
You can search “chart” or “graph” or head to the Elements tab to drag and drop one into your design. Enter data manually or connect a Google Sheet. Then, customize it with your brand colors, fonts, and labels.
Apart from being pretty for sharing them in social media posts, such charts are perfect for social media reports. When you need to send updates to your client or pitch results to stakeholders, Canva can make your reports look professional.
And with Canva’s recent update, things get even more exciting: they’re rolling out Canva Sheets and Magic Charts. What does this mean? You can now pull data directly from a sheet and turn it into a chart with a single click. Seriously, it’s that easy.
Don’t let glowing reviews or powerful quotes from your CEO gather dust in a doc. Turn them into eye-catching social posts, or even feature them on digital signage for maximum visibility in your store, office, or event space.
Use Canva’s quote templates to highlight positive feedback in a visually engaging way. Pick a clean layout, drop in your text, and customize according to your brand’s style. In seconds, you’ve got a branded, trustworthy piece of content that instantly boosts social proof.
Flash sale? Product drop? When it’s time to shout it from the digital rooftops, Canva makes it easy to design promos that drive clicks. Just search for a promo-style template, add your discount code, and drop in an urgency phrase like “Limited Time Only” or “Ends Tonight.” Adjust the size to match the platform you’re posting on.
But you may not stop at social. You can also turn your friendly design into a digital poster, perfect for in-store displays, events, or even screens in your office or co-working space.
Your social media kit is your visual elevator pitch. It’s what you share with potential collaborators and brands to show off your vibe and value. A kit typically includes an intro, bio, audience stats, engagement numbers, past brand partnerships, content samples, and contact info.
With Canva, you can design a sleek kit as a one-pager or go with a multi-slide presentation. To get started, search for “media kit” or “press kit” in the template library.
Apply your brand features, contact info, and your brightest highlights so partners and potential clients know exactly who you are and why they should work with you.
Yes, you can use Canva to make any social media post. Choose from thousands of pre-sized templates for every platform, from Instagram and Pinterest to TikTok and YouTube, and customize each design to match your brand voice and audience.
Yes! Canva is an excellent tool for creating Instagram content. Whether it’s stories, reels covers, feed posts, or highlights, Canva offers social media templates and tools that simplify the design process while keeping your aesthetic consistent.
Evelina is the SEO and Growth Manager at Opinion Stage. She has worked on social listening projects for global brands like Nutella, Jaguar, and Marc Jacobs, and now focuses on helping SaaS companies get found, drive organic traffic, and convert visitors into leads.
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