{"id":906,"date":"2015-05-07T09:05:09","date_gmt":"2015-05-07T09:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.shareasimage.com\/?p=906"},"modified":"2019-04-09T19:16:58","modified_gmt":"2019-04-10T00:16:58","slug":"images-go-viral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getstencil.com\/blog\/images-go-viral\/","title":{"rendered":"What Makes Your Images Go Viral?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What makes an image go viral?<\/p>\n

Well, that\u2019s a question we spend a lot of time thinking about here. Because, as you know, we see images as more than just padding on a news feed:<\/p>\n

We see them as a powerful way to connect.<\/em><\/p>\n

And one of the best ways to connect with new people? Social shares.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

But knowing how<\/em> to create a shareable image, one that can go viral, for your niche<\/strong> is a lot easier said than done. Or, at least it was. Until now.<\/p>\n

In this article I\u2019m going to show you the five parts <\/strong>that make up shareable images, and how you can apply them to your own images today.<\/p>\n

The 5 Parts Of A Highly Shareable Image<\/h2>\n

Shareable images can be broken down into five simple components: <\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Originality<\/li>\n
  2. Quality<\/li>\n
  3. Relevance<\/li>\n
  4. Emotion<\/li>\n
  5. Content<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    All of which are needed to create an image that is powerful enough to not just convince your fans to share, but to convince the people your fans know to share it too.<\/p>\n

    Here\u2019s each one of them broken down, and how you can use them:<\/p>\n

     #1: Originality<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    The Internet is home to the serial skimmer:<\/p>\n

    People who don\u2019t really<\/em> read what\u2019s in front of them. They just skim and wait for something to catch their eye. Like, how you approach your TV Guide on a Sunday morning.<\/p>\n

    And \u2013 like that TV guide \u2013 if you\u2019ve seen something before, you just gloss over it and pay no attention. Because it isn\u2019t original, and it isn\u2019t eye catching.<\/p>\n

    Which means:<\/p>\n

    The more original<\/strong> your images are, the more likely they are to be seen.<\/p>\n

    Meme\u2019s are a great example. The first time you saw your favourite Meme (mine below) you stopped, looked at it and probably even saved the image to your phone.<\/p>\n

    \"Okay,
    Okay, I admit it, I’m a grammar geek.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    But, when you saw it for the 100th <\/sup>time, you probably didn\u2019t even chuckle. You just skimmed over it.<\/p>\n

    Don\u2019t let your <\/strong>images suffer the same fate:<\/p>\n

    Stop following design trends, and start experimenting with original<\/strong> ideas. It\u2019s a risk, but so is trying to go viral, and it\u2019s going to pay off in the long run. <\/strong><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    #2: Quality<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    The quality of your images matters. Why?<\/p>\n

    Because nobody likes to look bad. They don\u2019t want to share a poor quality, grainy image that isn\u2019t nice to look at. They have high standards for their own feed, after all.<\/p>\n

    So you need to make sure that your images are of the highest quality you can.<\/p>\n

    \"It's
    It’s hard to argue with the quality over at Unsplash!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Now, these don\u2019t have to be super-high-resolution photo\u2019s. But, they need to look like they weren\u2019t taken with a clip-on camera for an old cell phone.<\/p>\n

    Another factor in image quality is simplicity:<\/p>\n

    Simplicity in design is really powerful.<\/a> And the less clutter there is in your photo, the better quality the image looks.<\/p>\n

    There\u2019s a lot of background colour and noise here, which makes the focus of the image hard to make out \u2013 making the quality poorer:<\/p>\n

    \"Messy.<\/a>
    Messy. Takes more than a few seconds to figure out.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    But, remove the background noise and keep it simple, and you have a cleaner looking image that pops<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

    \"the<\/a>
    the clearer the image, the more powerful the message.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    <\/h2>\n

    #3: Relevance<\/h2>\n

    Relevance falls under two categories<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Niche:<\/strong> Does the image fit your niche?<\/li>\n
    2. Timing: <\/strong>Does the image fit with what\u2019s happening right now?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      And, if you want to increase your shares, you can play on either of them depending on where you are in the year, and what\u2019s going on in your niche.<\/p>\n

      But, you niche should always <\/strong>come first. Why?<\/p>\n

      Because if the images doesn\u2019t<\/em> fit your niche, then you\u2019re not serving your audience. If you run a comic book store, and you\u2019re tweeting images of expensive watches \u2013 you\u2019re not providing relevant content.<\/p>\n

      Unless, that is, it\u2019s tied well to something that\u2019s happening in your niche. Using the above example; if Rolex started making Marvel watches \u2013 that would suddenly fit the niche and serve part of your audience.<\/p>\n

      Public holidays are a great way to stay relevant, too:<\/p>\n