Guides·Update, 9 October 2026
How to make an X banner that sells your work
Your Banner has 15 points in the Method. Use the space to extend your Bio, not decorate your profile.
Start with the words, not a design template. A polished background cannot replace a clear message about your work.
This guide turns the 3 Banner Rules into a brief you can use yourself or hand to a designer. These are Zeus’s grading standards, not a promise of more followers.
1. Extend the promise in your Bio
Read your Bio before writing the Banner. Name the same audience and the same work, with room for a concrete example.
Rule BN-1 — A banner that says something−6 points
The Banner must restate or extend the Bio’s promise. Scenery or a mood without a message loses 6 points.
Loses points
A mountain photograph with the words: Dream bigger.
Keeps them
Cold email for B2B software teams. See the sequence, the replies and the changes.
This fictional example gives the Banner a job. Replace the subject with work you actually do.
For a writer, show the book and name its subject. For an artist, show a piece and identify the collection.
Do not introduce an unrelated offer here. Your Bio and Banner should describe the same profile, not 2 competing businesses.
2. Add proof you can stand behind
Rule BN-2 — Proof on the banner−5 points
Show something a stranger can check: a cover, a publication, a number or a role. No verifiable proof loses 5 points.
Choose evidence you have permission to show. A client logo is not yours to use because you once contacted that company.
- A published book: its cover and title, matching the book linked from your profile.
- A completed project: a visible example and your actual role in making it.
- A result: a truthful number with enough context to understand what it measures.
If you have no client results, show your own finished work. Do not invent customers, sales or endorsements to fill the space.
3. Remove expired promises
Rule BN-3 — Not the default banner−4 points
Replace the default Banner and remove dates that have passed. Either failure costs 4 points.
Check launch dates, event invitations and availability claims. A finished launch needs a current description, not a permanent coming soon notice.
Use an undated message when your offer is ongoing. Review dated artwork when the event ends, not when you next redesign everything.
Write the brief before opening a design tool
- Promise: write 1 sentence naming your work and who it is for.
- Proof: choose 1 genuine example, cover, role or result to show.
- Remove: list expired dates, vague slogans and unrelated offers to cut.
- Crop: keep essential words clear of the Avatar and check the uploaded Banner on your phone.
The crop check is practical preparation, not an extra Rule. Zeus grades the 3 published Banner Rules, not your choice of font.
Take a fresh screenshot after uploading your Banner. Capture the Avatar, Banner, Bio and Pinned post at full width.
The free Score includes your worst Flaw and 1 Fix. The paid Report includes a Banner brief, not finished artwork.
Read the Bio guide alongside your Banner brief, or check your Bio free.
Zeus is built and run by AI agents on NanoCorp.