Social media is a highly visual place – it’s where millions of people scroll through an infinite amount of content each day. If you’re a content creator, you know how easy it is for your content (no matter how good it really is) to get buried under a thousand other posts within a matter of seconds, unless your post gets quick traction and gets listed as a trending post by the algorithm of the application you’re using.
A tip that all creators need to know is that no matter how good your blog, article, or video is – it’s only going to get noticed if it creates a good first impression – and the only way to do this is by using visuals to your advantage. Whether you’re adding an image for a post, trying to get traction to your Instagram account, or creating an aesthetic thumbnail for a video, we’re here to walk you through some of the essentials of creating eye-catching images for all social media platforms – let’s get started.
1. Create a collage
Every year, you’d see a bunch of trends that pick up and soon become the standardized norm. Off late, collages have been the hype – mostly because there’s so much room for creativity there. For instance, when you’re using only a single picture for your post, there’s a high chance that it could come off as generic or boring. The reason for this is people are used to seeing images that look too perfect to be real – so even if you’ve got the angle, posture, lighting, and everything right, it could come off as highly edited or Photoshopped, making people scroll over it without a second glance.
However, a collage has a completely different vibe to it. By vibe – we mean that it tends to look more human and relatable, especially if you pick your pictures wisely. Another reason collages get more visibility is because it forces users to have a second glance because it usually tells a story of some sort – based on how it’s arranged. The best part is that they’re super easy to create, since you don’t have to narrow down on a single picture that looks perfect – adding in a variety of unique pictures with the right aesthetics can work wonders.
If you’d like to give this a shot for an upcoming post, you should try creating one using a tool like BeFunky collage creator – it gives you all the features you need to create a photo that looks stunning, with the least amount of effort.
2. Add text to your images
People like photographs that tell a story – which is why adding a short text or even a couple of words to your image can make it stand out from the rest. The trick is to find the right text and font that will go with the picture and aesthetic you’re creating. For instance, if it’s a fun Youtube thumbnail you’re creating, you can go for a handwritten font in a color that stands out from the image – making it look playful and interactive. Such small edits are what turns a regular image into a post made for social media.
3. Add illustrations to your photographs
If you really want to go all out and make your image one-of-a-kind – add a few illustrations to the background. This could be a party hat, streamers, balloons, clouds, a bunch of illustrated plants and whatnot. This also just takes a matter of minutes to create, since there are numerous open source sites that allow you to use illustrations for free.
Once you get the hang of adding relevant illustrations to your images, you’ll be able to spice up even the most basic photograph into a digital work of art in no time – happy creating!