Image, Title, Head Shot, Teaser - Social Media in A Nutshell

Setting Up the Perfect Social Media Post to Maximize Eyeballs and Clicks

Riveting, alluring, compelling images capture eyeballs

I asked my daughter, the artist, if she would send me the most alluring, riveting, eye catching image she could find or create.  I challenge you to come up with one that is any more likely to grab your eye than this one. 

I wanted such a shot to use as an example of how to get folks to pay attention to your social media content.  I could be wrong, but most folks who bother to put something up want others to read and comment.  Many want way more than that.  They want fans, connections, repins, and followers.  And then, of course, orders.

News Stream on LinkedIn - Images Are Critical

I post about 60 updates to LinkedIn, Google+, and Twitter each week by hand.  Others on my team handle the Facebook, and Pinterest.  After several weeks of this daily exercise, I noted what maybe is obvious to everyone else, and just took me a little longer.  When scrolling down a news stream, I really notice cool pictures, I sometimes notice interest-grabbing headlines, and I occasionally stop because I recognize the face of someone whose content I like.  In that order.

As a writer, this really messed me up.  I want folks to notice my scintillating prose.  But as I learned the hard way many moons ago, sometimes you can't get an audience for the story if you don't have a great title.  And in the book and magazine business, you need to have a compelling image to go with the title.  So too in the social media sphere.

The issue doesn't stop with these news streams, either.  Look to the left and you will see that the most recent and most popular posts offerings all have thumbnail images to grab your attention.  Now look at the bottom of the post and recommended posts also have those thumbnails.  You want to use Pinterest or Google Images to increase your visibility even more.  Now your headline and teaser is of no help at all. 

So, the key take-away from all of this is that you should probably be spending more time selecting pictures for the top of the page on your blog or to capture attention if your are posting directly to the social media update.  However, the picture only stops the viewer, it doesn't create the action.  That is up to your headline and teaser. 

You may or may not be aware that I have another blog that is 100% devoted to content creation.  All kinds of content.  Find that blog at http://ContentMarketingforGoogle.blogspot.com