Blogging has quickly become a brilliant way for people to express how they are feeling, to reach out to others, to talk about their new ventures and to bring traffic to their website. For businesses, a blog is a way of talking to your customers, to inform them of what you do and offer and to show that you are the expert in that field. But are you getting the clicks you are worthy of? The title is often the biggest reason for somebody to click through and read your post but what about your featured image? Do you even add one? If not, you should be.
Featured Images…
Images are what your potential reader will see first as they scroll through their social media newsfeed. With time being limited and newsfeeds being filled with all types of posts, you need your post to stand out on the screen to prevent them from just scrolling on by. Think about what captures your attention when you are looking. It’s no different. Yes, you may have written a stunning piece and included detailed information on your subject, added valuable links and beautiful pictures but they won’t know this until they click, so making sure you spend time creating a quality featured image is extremely important.
Let’s look at a few examples:
If you are going to use your own images you need to make sure they are clear, bright and in focus.
This photo would be great if you had an artistic style blog or wanted to talk about photography but if you are trying to show your child jumping up for the bubbles it just looks a mess. Working on your photography skills could be one sure way of improving your images and with a little time and practise, this is completely achievable. If, however, you don’t have that time and you want an instant answer, you can easily download free stock images from a number of sites online as well as from Presbee’s own stock images.
How much more professional does this look? There is even room on here for text, website details, side note on how much the outfit would cost etc. Take a look:
This was made quickly and easily with Presbee’s blog header option in their brand new design section. With more time I could have added background colour to the text, chosen additional images from their large selection, played around a bit with the font and sizing, added charts/graphs if required and so much more… It really is a design thing and that design is up to you!
Why add text?
Text on your featured image is a way of telling your potential reader what they will be finding out about if they click. You may want to include the title to have it seen more quickly, you may want to entice them with an offer, you may want to have a play on words, anything that you think will work. This is your gateway to your blog being read. If your title doesn’t make them want to click (it should, it really should, but that’s another blog post in itself!) then the image needs to.
Here’s another example:
I have written a piece about time management whilst working from home. This image fits that nicely because I have carefully selected one with a watch and admin type items. But it’s a bit bare. It won’t tell the reader what to expect from the post and for all they know, I could be selling them these stationary items so they will probably just scroll on by without reading the title or snippet below.
My solution?
This:
I have my title, I have a subheading to entice somebody in and I have a website address. Everything the reader needs to know about you and what your blog is about. I have also chosen bright colours to grab their attention. Colours are so important in both leisure and business. We make such snap judgements without even realising. I’ve covered more on how colours affect communication here.
A true reflection…
Your featured image reflects on you and what may be written in that blog. Poor images will give the indication of poor writing, sorry but it’s true. You may be a beautiful writer, you may have the most amazing story, you may be completely inspirational but some may never know this. People want to be drawn in, they need to be if you want those views.
In a fast-paced social media world, you have to stand out.
Protect your Intellectual Property.