The Subtle Art of Choosing Your Photos on Medium
Aesthetics lead to more success on more than just Instagram
First impressions are crucial in the world of business, entertainment, and anywhere across the board. What I am currently seeing throughout Medium is writers utilizing the same bland images and picking ineffective ones.
If you’re reading this, then you most likely care about growing your audience and have dreams of being one of Medium’s top-earning authors.
I am aware that this platform isn’t Instagram. Otherwise, pictures would mean everything. Images are pleasing to look at and sometimes offer thought-provoking messages.
To take your Medium game to the next level, continue reading.
Be Picky with Your Images
Ever since I started using Medium, I made the early mistakes of using copyright images and have been removed from Medium’s paywall for those simple mistakes. Don’t do what I did.
There is an abundance of images that users can find online using sites other than Unsplash. Other sites you can find images on include:
- Pexels
- Pixabay
- The Gender Spectrum
Explore the sites listed above because they will allow you to tap into a more diverse set of images you can then use to captivate your readers.
When Searching for Images Try these Tactics
In the search bar, the choice is yours. You can look up simple images, sure, anyone here can. But if you want to find the quality images, you’ve got to think outside the box.
If your article, for example, speaks on writing, you could search “writing, typing, or productivity.” But what I would recommend is trying something different.
Search up “bottom view writing,” “side view typing,” “writing in a coffee shop,” or even “journaling on a park bench.”
Images that include people generally perform well and come across as more intimate with readers.
I love images of people that are taken from unique angles. You can find these images by searching “high angle person,” “low angle person,” “person in nature,” and many more.
You would be surprised that no matter how specific the images you’re seeking, they do exist.
As with writers on Medium, artists and photographers are always finding new ways to share their perspectives and points of view in alternate directions.
Don’t Settle for Less. You Deserve Better
There are images on the platform that we have all seen more than once. Although the images are quality and thought-provoking, they’re overused and recycled.
It doesn’t hurt to be the first to utilize an image from a small artist or photographer. Oftentimes that’s where the goldmine of photos I find.
Individual artists tap into specific niches and specific lightings that are especially aesthetic. Take all the time you need to find images you connect with the most.
Select the image that is most satisfying to you and would resonate most with your audience.
If you aren’t delighted with the images you find, there are at least a hundred other images you haven’t noticed yet that are perfect for your article.
Look at top writers such as Ryan Fan, Tim Denning, Jessica Wildfire, and Anthony Moore. Every one of them utilizes thought-provoking images that bring you in. Readers give in to the beauty of moments when spicy titles line right up with a gorgeous photo.
Your article images account for only a portion of the way your Medium career performs. But if you can utilize the fundamentals in writing a quality article and choosing stellar pictures, it will open up plenty more doors for you.
Following these guidelines, you will get more features on the Medium homepage, approved articles in publications, and overall attention.
First impressions are vital, choose a spicy image, and your readers will be grateful you gave them a reason to click.