{"id":852,"date":"2015-04-09T08:20:08","date_gmt":"2015-04-09T08:20:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.shareasimage.com\/?p=852"},"modified":"2019-04-09T19:19:29","modified_gmt":"2019-04-10T00:19:29","slug":"viral-blog-image","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getstencil.com\/blog\/viral-blog-image\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Killer Steps To Create A Viral Blog Image"},"content":{"rendered":"

So, you\u2019ve just written an awesome<\/strong> article.<\/p>\n

The content is perfect. You\u2019ve formatted it to look like Michelangelo himself designed it. And you just can\u2019t wait to get it online. It’s already shaping up to be the perfect viral blog post.<\/p>\n

But, before you can feel the sweet release of hitting the submit <\/em>button you\u2019ve got one final job left to do. You need to find your featured image.<\/p>\n

Damn. That\u2019s where it all starts to unravel, right?<\/p>\n

Compared to the rest of your post, you don\u2019t feel like giving this anywhere<\/strong> near the same amount of attention. You\u2019re happy to say, \u201cYeah, that\u2019ll do!\u201d and slap it on there.<\/p>\n

But by doing that, you\u2019re doing that awesome blog post a disservice. You\u2019re throwing away almost 40 times more social shares<\/a><\/strong> and missing out on making this your most viral blog post ever<\/strong>, than if you\u2019d taken a little more time and chosen the right<\/em> image.<\/p>\n

So in this article I\u2019m going to show you some simple steps that will get you from wasted <\/em>image, to beautiful viral blog post in just a couple of minutes.<\/p>\n

Step #1: Sourcing Your Images (For Free)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Internet is crawling with amazing images. But a lot of them you just can\u2019t use. That means knowing where<\/strong> to look for these images can save you a lot of time, effort and letters of complaint from angry Tumblr users.<\/p>\n

And if you can get those images for free? Man, that\u2019s even better.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the only three places we recommend looking for your images:<\/p>\n

#1 \u2013 Compfight<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"compfight\"<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

Compfight is basically Google for Flickr. You search an image or keyword, and it\u2019s bound to find it.<\/p>\n

To narrow this down to own free<\/strong> images, select the \u2018creative commons\u2019 tab from the side panel.<\/p>\n

\"Screen<\/a><\/p>\n

That will show you only the images that you can use on your post, as long as you give a little nod to the photographer at the bottom.<\/p>\n

#2: Unsplash<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

 \"Screen<\/a><\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n

Unsplash is my favourite place to find high-resolution photos for free. This is art in its purest form, and you can do whatever you want with the images once you download them.<\/p>\n

#3: Share As Image PRO<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

 \"Screen<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

All of the images on Share As Image Pro are free for you to use. That means for $8 a month you get over 1000<\/strong> high-res images for absolutely free. There are no $1 hidden charges on top.<\/p>\n

And with everything all in one place you can get 84% more click through\u2019s and shares<\/a> in half the time<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Step #2: Choosing The Right Image<\/strong><\/h2>\n

What makes the right<\/em> image? It\u2019s not always just the one you think looks good.<\/p>\n

In fact, it comes down to three elements:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Image Quality: <\/strong>Does it look<\/em> good? It\u2019s a simple question, but if your image is grainy, pixelated and misshapen, you\u2019re not going to attract any attention.This is a little bit of a balancing act, because the higher the resolution, the slower it is to load. I\u2019d suggest playing around with a few images on your own theme and seeing what loads at the right speed.If it looks clear and crisp, and loads in a second or two, you\u2019re onto a winner.<\/li>\n
  2. Relevance:<\/strong> Does it fit your blog? An occasional off-topic<\/em> picture wont hurt you. But try to stay consistent with your brand. Your bespoke furniture blog doesn\u2019t really need a picture of a baby in a cape.<\/li>\n
  3. Image Size: <\/strong>You should aim to get your image \u2013 or use WordPress to resize it \u2013 as close to 500x500px as possible. This means it\u2019s easily adaptable to all browsers and screen sizes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Unless you\u2019re really good \u2013 like the guys over at Dappered.com<\/a> \u2013 I wouldn\u2019t recommend taking your own photos for your featured image. Inside the post feel free to do whatever.<\/p>\n

    But if you don’t know the difference between a fish-eye and telescopic lens, leave it to the pros.<\/p>\n

    Step Three: Adding The Perfect Text<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Your image doesn\u2019t need<\/em> text.<\/p>\n

    But, we find that it\u2019s really effective if you do add it. You just need to look at the fact that Infographics are 40x more likely to get shared<\/a> to see that even just a little text goes a long way.<\/p>\n

    There are four components to having the best text possible on your image:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Emotion: <\/strong>It should make your reader feel something, even if it\u2019s just by grabbing their attention.<\/li>\n
    2. Relevance:<\/strong> Just like the image itself, the text needs to fit what you\u2019re saying.<\/li>\n
    3. Relatable:<\/strong> Like good observational comedy, it should be something the reader can relate to \u2013 that\u2019s relevant to your topic.<\/li>\n
    4. Easy to read:<\/strong> If they can\u2019t make it out, what good is it?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Whilst I can\u2019t<\/em> really<\/em> help you with the last three component, I can<\/strong> show you how to make your image that bit more emotional\u2026<\/p>\n

      Making Your Text Emotional<\/strong><\/h4>\n

      There are two emotions you really want to build this around \u2013 and they come from scientifically research principles of sharing, by Jonah Berger<\/a> \u2013 Shock and Awe.<\/p>\n

      If you can scare someone, or make them feel incredible, you\u2019re on the right tracks. To keep it simple, focus on these two styles:<\/p>\n