How Images Can Make or Break Your Steemit Post – Learn to Produce Content Like a Pro
Look at this picture, it's a fucking awesome underwater tiger.
If you have been on #Steemit for any amount of time now, you are probably starting to grasp the importance of including engaging images or gifs in your content. This isn't unique to Steemit, in fact, images are perhaps the most important aspect of digital media creation. I work in digital media and marketing for a living as the editor of one of the web's top technical blogs, so let me take you through why the images in your posts are essential to getting views and upvotes.
What's the big deal?
I mean, it's just an image right, what people really care about is my hard hitting linguistically impressive word usage!
Nope...
You see, we live in an instant gratification world where we read headlines, look at fancy images and pretty much decide how we feel about something in the first seconds we see it. If want to get into digital media, this is key to understand.
Here are some key things you need to focus on in your image selection and post creation to get readers.
1. Nostalgia
Look at this image, do you feel oddly... happy? I mean all of us relate to this right? It's only the most quintessential styrofoam cup design of the 90s! When viewers see something like this, it tugs at their heartstrings. Nostalgia is one of the most effective ways to get people engaged, if you can.
2. Make sure your image use makes sense
This is by far one of the best images of a light bulb ever, but what the fuck does it have to do with this post? Absolutely nothing. Don't just input images because they make sense, add images because they give your #content value.
3. Originality
Using stock photos is great and all, but I mean, EVERYONE uses the same damn stock photos. When I scroll through the new section of Steemit and see multiple posts using the same image, I cant help but...
People want new and exciting not old and boring.
4. Not using images is intimidating
When I open a post and see paragraph after paragraph, I get freaking scared man. I mean, I have to invest some serious time into reading this and I don't even get to look at any cool pictures? I get paid to read things for a living and it's still scary. Deep down inside we all just want to be kids again and read picture books.
5. Images easily break up content
If your content doesn't break down crying and start eating gallons of ice cream at a time when you're done with it, you're not using enough images. People like to be strewn along through a story, images are some of the most effective ways to continue stories without having to say a word.
Here's what you should take away:
Use images that relate to your content and engage with your audience. If your viewers don't read anything of your post, at least make sure they are visually engaged. As much as you may like to think people read every word you right in a post, they don't. They probably just came for the cool pictures.
So what do you say when you think about not using images in your post?
" As much as you may like to think people read every word you right in a post, they don't." - exactly. you deserve an up vote :)
Thanks! I think that's the biggest misconception around writing in general. Everyone likes to think that they are special, that their content is worth it. Maybe to them, it is, but people just want to find value in a post, decide if they want to upvote or not, then move on to the next one. No one has time to read ever single word.
Very useful post! Thank you!
I think images and other forms of visual content are crucial for online content today! Text will always be important but there is so much of it, it becomes more and more difficult to follow all of it... :-)
Thank you :) As we shift to an even more visual world, images, videos, and gifs are becoming THE most important aspect of any content.
Great post! Now the real question is where to get the great images from?
If you care about sourcing, Creative Commons is a great outlet. However, if you just want an image quick, Google will do. I will say, learning the correct search terms to find a certain image you are looking for takes some serious skill.