The Swipe File
Capture examples of communication that work — the act of collecting trains your eye.
- Difficulty
- Starter
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 87%
A swipe file is a running, low-friction collection of inspiration you can refer back to — well-articulated phrases, smart things people said, effective copy, strategy docs, or designs. Common among marketers, it's underused elsewhere. Most of the value comes not from re-reading it but from the act of capture, which trains you to notice what's working around you.
Origin
Kao borrows the marketer's 'swipe file' concept and applies it to communication; she keeps an Apple Notes file called 'smart things people have said.'
Core principles
- 01The capture itself delivers most of the value — it makes you alert to effective communication
- 02A messy backend is fine; simplicity keeps the habit alive
- 03When you notice something effective, also ask why it worked and whether you can borrow it
- 04Without capture, you notice something good and immediately move on, losing it
How to run it
- 1
Create one low-friction capture file
Open a single notes file (Kao uses Apple Notes on her home screen) as the home for anything effective you encounter.
Pro tip No tagging, no rows, no metadata — just paste it in. Keep the process as simple as possible.
- 2
Capture whatever strikes you as effective
Add phrases, quotes, screenshots of designs, strategy docs, or conversion flows that were well-articulated, strategic, or worked well.
- 3
Ask why it worked
When you add something, briefly note why it was effective and whether it's a pattern you can reuse.
Pro tip You can later go back and break down the structure or argument of what you saved.
In the wild
Kao maintains an Apple Notes file where she pastes phrases and words that sounded well-articulated, intelligent, or strategic. She rarely rereads it, but the act of adding trains her to be more alert to effective communication in the moment.
→ Heightened alertness to borrowable communication patterns, even without frequent review.
Common mistakes
Over-engineering the system
Elaborate tagging and organization add friction that kills the habit; a messy single file that you actually use beats a pristine one you abandon.
Is it for you?
Best for
Anyone deliberately improving their writing, speaking, or design who wants to learn from strong examples around them.
Not ideal for
People who won't sustain even a lightweight capture habit and would treat it as another abandoned system.
From the transcript
“swipe file is collecting inspiration that you can refer back to later on”
“I have a file an Apple notes file called smart things people have said”
“even the act of adding it to my swipe file, I've already gotten value from it because it's training me to be more alert to…”
“my backend system is super messy and it's fine”
From the episode
Become a better communicator: Specific frameworks to improve your clarity, influence, and impact
Wes Kao (coach, entrepreneur, advisor)