Think before you post

When you’re creating content that aims to grab your audience’s attention...

...not any ol’ photo will do.

For many speakers, authors, trainers and consultants, the idea of creating content is a massive chore. 

And by massive chore, what I really mean to say is that it’s a pain in the ass. 

I completely understand the sentiment :) 

As a result, when they’re looking to pair an image with the story they’ve written, they’ll simply grab a flattering portrait of themselves and call it a day. 

While sometimes that approach ends up working out in the end, what happens more commonly is that they’ll use a photo that doesn’t connect in some way, shape or form to the story they wrote. 

The visual says one thing while the words tell a completely different story. 

When you’re creating content that captures your audience’s attention, the visuals and the story MUST work well together in order to create maximum impact. 

As a result, your photos need to visually punctuate the sentiment of the story - stories that span across your entire online presence, from the copy on your website to the articles and posts you write.

So, how do you do that?

Well, the first step is to identify the sentiment of the story you’ve just written. 

Inspiration? Anger/rant? Motivation? Disgust? Humor? Melancholy? Surprise? Trust? Confident? Education? Vulnerability? Joy? Calm? Kindness? A combination?

Identify the emotion conveyed behind the words and then take a peek at your image content portfolio. 

The next step is to find images that align with the emotional sentiment of the words. You determine that by reading the expression conveyed through your eyes, eyebrows, mouth and body language. 

Before you start sifting through hundreds of photos and your head explodes from the mind-numbing activity, think more critically about the type of image that makes sense to pair with this particular story. 

In the same way that you select images to incorporate into your slide deck, think about the message your sharing in words and how that can be translated visually:

Should I be working on a computer? Thinking to myself as I look into the distance? Holding a cup of coffee in my hand? Writing in my journal? Reading a book? Working virtually with a team? Consulting with a client in person? Or, should I simply be looking into the camera with a smile on my face?

One word of caution - DON’T simply choose the first photo that you think works. 

Give yourself some time to thumb through a large portion of photos first in order to see all of your options at once. Pair it down to 3-5 photos that can do the job. 

And once you’re down to that point, the next step is to revisit your social media feeds and see what you’ve been posting recently. Pick the type of photo from the final options that you HAVEN’T posted in a while. 

For example, if you’ve posted three consecutive lifestyle portraits of you working on a computer, pick

This gives you a chance to create visual variety so that you’re not stuck in a loop of posting the same type of images over and over again, keeping the feed fresh and interesting. 

While this process is not exactly brain surgery, it is an important step in understanding the process of complimenting your powerful stories of transformation with images that convey a similar emotion. 

And, in the noisy online landscape in which we all live and play, we need all the help we can get to make sure we stand out enough to be discovered by those who need us most. 

It’s magical when that happens, right? :)

For more information on all things visual storytelling, I invite you to sign up for my newsletter, where I talk about this kinda stuff until I’m blue in the face :) Sign up here and I’ll make sure to send you a free goodie in the process :)