When you read the newspaper, where does your eye immediately go first? How about when you’re flipping through a magazine? What causes you to stop flipping and stay on a page longer? Now think about your online searching. What is always at the top of the best websites that captures your attention the longest?
If you answered “a photo” for any of the above questions, you read print and online media like a majority of your peers.
When it comes to using photos for content marketing, a good action photo that matches your headline can make all the difference in the world in getting your brand journalism article placed and read by consumers.
In fact, the content marketing world is embracing photos in a big way with the increasing use of listicles, which contain very little text and rely mostly on photos to communicate information. Listicles are basically content organized as lists that feature eye-catching photos to draw in and keep readers engaged. Interested in getting your content marketing platform to perform better and thinking photos might help you out? Check out these recommendations on picking the best photo for your campaign:
Quality image
In this digital world, a blurry photo doesn’t cut the cake with consumers. They expect your company and your product to be professional, so make certain that the image you use is high resolution and in focus.
Subject
Your boss loves the photo of the product against a blank white backdrop because it has the product name bold and center. However, it looks like an ad, which is exactly what consumers will think as they’re flipping pages. And consumers don’t connect with an ad. What they do connect with is an image of someone like them, doing something in relation to the product or even maybe using the product. For example, a young kid playing on the computer will resonate much better with moms and dads than a screen shot of said computer program.
Connection to the article
Even if you have an excellent action shot, it won’t keep readers glued to your content if it doesn’t match the rest of the article or listicle. For example, the cutest photo in the world of a puppy will draw eyes. But readers won’t go on to read about your cleaning product if the headline next to the puppy photo is all about spring cleaning, and doesn’t mention anything about pet messes.
We know that photos help branded journalism out in a big way. But that’s only if the right photo is chosen for the article or listicle. For more ideas about making your content marketing campaign stronger and maximizing your distribution, download the Mastering the Modern Mat Release Ebook.
