On the weekend I gave a little talk at the Kidspot Voices of 2015 Masterclass and shared a few tips and tools for creating visual content with some fellow bloggers, many of whom I consider good friends.
I was nervous. It showed. That said, I'm pleased I stepped out of my comfort zone and did it. I've already had a bunch of messages from folks who listen to my speech and are getting results from some of my suggestions. That makes all that adrenaline worthwhile.
Here are some tips from my talk, plus a few extras because we're buddies....
consult a guru
If you're searching for a visual content guru, look no further than Donna Moritz. Donna writes a blog called Socially Sorted which is brimming with helpful content on visual social media and content strategy. Not only did she win Best Business Blog in 2014, she’s generous with her knowledge and she’s from my neck of the woods, so its really no wonder she’s fabulous!
be seen
If you’re sharing content on facebook, your number one priority should be to stop your readers from scrolling through their feed and interact with your post. Images posted on Facebook grab followers attention and get 87% more interaction than other posts. The perfect sized Facebook image is 940 x 788.
size matters.…
Think of your followers Pinterest news feeds as real estate. To get noticed (and repinned!) your image needs to take up an optimal amount of space - too short and it gets lost amongst the other images, too long and it will appear cropped. The perfect sized Pinterest image is 735 x 1102.
…..but bigger is not always better.
Uploading large images to your site will likely s l o w your site’s load time. Take the time to resize your images your images before you upload them. Picmonkey is a great free (!) tool to use for this.
File type is also worth your attention. Saving photographs as .jpeg files is a great way to compress photos without losing quality. Use .png files for line drawings, text heavy images and iconic graphics to preserve crispness.
For a speedier site save photos as .jpeg files and use .png files for text heavy images & icons.Click To Tweetleave your mark ... or don’t
Whether you brand your social media images is up to you.
I brand content that is likely to become separated from my blog - like free printables and infographics - so that people who are enjoying my content know where to find more.
That said, I’ve found that my followers are less inclined to share Facebook images that I brand. This may or not be true for your crew, so experiment with both and find out how your followers respond.
do you have any visual content tips to share?
what makes you stop scrolling through your Facebook feed?
Sammie @ The Annoyed Thyroid says
I had massive FOMO about the Masterclass full stop but I was especially disappointed about missing out on your pearls of wisdom so I'm so pleased you've shared them here. Yay you!
Cooker and a Looker says
We missed you there Sammie! x
mumabulous says
I have many tips for creating visual content that will appeal to the over 40s bored housewife demographic.
Cooker and a Looker says
Would I be right to assume crumpet has a very high engagement rate Mumabs?
MrsDplus3 says
I wish I'd watched your talk too. Great tips. I must admit I'm not very good at re-sizing my images for pinterest - I get lazy and I must fix that!! Another app I love for visials is Party Party xx
Amanda Smyth says
I downloaded it today Robyn. I'll have a play on the weekend. Thanks for the tip.
Emily @ Have A Laugh On Me says
SUCH a great post/speech my friend. I can't wait to get the time to give these new sites a go! Might even get in to Pinterest - you never know!!
Amanda Smyth says
and pigs might fly Em! The day I see you on Pinterest I'll eat my handcrafted-felted-from-homgrown-alpaca-wool hat!
Caz Filmer says
You did a great job Saturday Amanda. I got a lot out of your talk. You are a very engaging public speaker. Nice one 🙂
Amanda Smyth says
Thanks Caz. I won't give up my day job! 🙂
claireyhewitt01 says
There is power in great photos. I dislike branded/marked photos and probably do share them much less, without even knowing it.
Amanda Smyth says
Me too Claire. I liken it to that quote "Imagine what you could achieve if you didn't care who got the credit". I'd much rather people see the things I create than worry about branding.
claireyhewitt01 says
That's a great quote - worthy of a photo/caption post!
nicolethebuilderswife says
These are excellent tips, as was your speech on Saturday, thank you so much for sharing! xx
Amanda Smyth says
Thanks Nicole. I'm thrilled I got to meet you on the weekend. You're a treasure. x
routinequeen says
I loved your presentation last weekend Amanda, for someone who says they were nervous you did an awesome job and I certainly learnt some great tips from you so thanks for having the courage to get up there and share with the rest of us!
Amanda Smyth says
Thanks for saying that. I'm glad you got something helpful out of it. 🙂
Donna says
Thanks for the shout out (how did I miss this) - love your visuals!... and your sassy sense of humour that comes with them!