cover-design

Original：🇺🇸 English

Translated

Use when designing Xiaohongshu post thumbnails or first images, creating eye-catching cover images, improving click-through rates, or A/B testing cover designs

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Sourcevivy-yi/xiaohongshu-skills

Added on2026-03-11

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npx skill4agent add vivy-yi/xiaohongshu-skills cover-design

SKILL.md Content

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Cover Design (封面设计)

Overview

Cover design is creating compelling first images (thumbnails) that grab attention in feed, entice users to click, and set expectations for your content - the single most important factor for content discovery on Xiaohongshu.

When to Use

Use when:

Creating cover image for carousel posts
Designing video thumbnails
Optimizing click-through rates
A/B testing cover designs
Improving content visibility

Do NOT use when:

Editing full photo set (use xingtu-tool)
Designing complex graphics (use canva-tool)

Core Pattern

Before (boring cover):

❌ Plain product photo
❌ Small or no text
❌ Low contrast
❌ Doesn't stand out in feed
❌ Unclear what content is about

After (click-worthy cover):

✅ Bold headline text
✅ High contrast colors
✅ Clear subject or product
✅ Intriguing or promising
✅ Sets clear expectations

5 Cover Design Elements:

Hook Text - Bold headline (3-5 words)
Visual - High-quality image or subject
Colors - High contrast, eye-catching
Composition - Clear focal point
Branding - Consistent style

Quick Reference

Cover Type	Text Style	Color Scheme	Best For
Tutorial	"How to..." / "5 Ways"	Bright, warm	Educational
Review	Product + verdict	Clean, professional	Trust
Listicle	"7 Things..."	Colorful, fun	Curiosity
Before-After	Split comparison	Dramatic contrast	Transformation
Secret/Tip	"Nobody tells you..."	Mysterious, dark	Curiosity

Implementation

Step 1: Write Hook Headline

Effective hooks:

Number: "5个..."
Promise: "让我...的方法"
Curiosity: "没想到..."
Negative: "别再...了"
Question: "你知道吗...?"

Examples:

✅ "学生党必看: 5个平价好物"
✅ "坚持30天,变化惊呆"
✅ "这个习惯毁了皮肤"

Step 2: Choose or Create Visual

Visual options:

Product photo (clean background)
Portrait (face to camera)
Before/after side-by-side
Flat lay or overhead shot
Lifestyle action shot

Requirements:

High resolution (1080x1440+)
Good lighting (bright or dramatic)
Clear subject (not cluttered)
Vertical format (3:4 or 4:5)

Step 3: Add Text Overlay

Text principles:

Size: Large (30%+ of image height)
Font: Bold, sans-serif
Color: White text with black outline OR black text with white glow
Position: Top or center third
Contrast: High contrast against background

Tools:

Xingtu (醒图) - Text templates
Canva - Custom design
Meitu (美图秀秀) - Quick text

Step 4: Apply Color and Effects

Color strategies:

Warm tones: Coral, orange, yellow (energetic)
Cool tones: Blue, teal, purple (calm, professional)
High contrast: Bright against dark background

Effects (subtle):

Slight vignette (focus center)
Color boost (vibrant colors)
Brightness +10 to +15

Avoid:

Heavy filters that distort reality
Too many effects (cluttered)
Low contrast (hard to read)

Step 5: Test and Iterate

A/B test variations:

Different headline text
Different colors
Different layouts
Different images

Measure: Click-through rate (views/impressions)

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Text too small	Use large, bold text
Low contrast	High contrast = readable
Too much text	3-5 words max
Cluttered design	Keep simple, clear focal point
Misleading cover	Cover must match content

Real-World Impact

Great covers: 2-3x click-through rate Poor covers: <100 views despite great content

Key metric: Cover is 80% of content success.

Related Skills:

REQUIRED: graphic-content-creation (cover is first image)
REQUIRED: title-writing (cover text = headline)
xingtu-tool (add text overlays)
canva-tool (design custom covers)