5 Ways To Make Your Visual Content More Stunning

Unless you’ve been living under a rock with no wifi, you’re well aware of how the internet has exploded into one big scrapbook.

Instagram and Pinterest have grown at astronomic rates precisely because they allow people to easily create, curate and share pictures–something we’ve been doing since we were 9 months old! Facebook too has placed more importance on pictures, with cover images, full screen viewing, and newsfeed preferrences.

So photos are huge. But simply posting photos is not enough. You have to post awesome photos that get people’s attention!

Here are five tips for creating photos that are stunning:

1. Show People Doing Something

Forget the chummy picture of volunteers with their arms around each other. There’s no story in that. Instead take pictures of them doing what they do best.

2. Get People Angry

The New York Times found that anger, awe and anxiety are the top emotions associated with sharing. Create images that get people angry, like this one from the Humane Society of the United States:

3. Use Words

Many times a picture needs a few words to help the viewer along in the story, like in this photo from the Trevor Project. One of my favorite iPhone apps for adding text to pictures is Over by Potluck which allows you to easily add text to photos, like so:

4. Use Your Fans

Encourage your fans and followers to share their stories in the form of pictures. Create a photo contest, or just pay attention when they post photos to your Facebook Page. A little pinch of recognition goes a long way in building community.

5. Show a Beginning, Middle, and End

Create a series of photos that show a beginning, middle, and end. For example, a Boston bomber amputee who goes way beyond healing to feeling like he’s Wolverine. You can post these these photos one by one, or create a single image that includes entire story (ideally you would do both).

Let Your Heart Be Your Guide

You and I are storytellers by nature, so our best tool for creating great visual content lies within our hearts, where only the best stories reside. Tune into yours and listen carefully.

What’s your best tip for creating great visual content?