If you’re making blog posts or any other content on your site, you will want it to be shared on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social networks. In some cases, you can write high quality content and it will naturally get shared by readers. Most of the time, however, you can boost the engagement factor, and help encourage people to share your posts with the use of image. Images can also help to boost your SEO, which will bring in more traffic (and some of them will share your content too).
The big question, however, is what type of images will help get you the most shares for your site. According to a recent study by QuickSprout, the type of images used can have a huge impact. Read through the following types of images in order of best to worst for generating shares.
#1 Shared Image Type: Custom Animated Graphics
The best way to get your page shared is to start using animated graphics. One of the most effective types of animated graphic is the animated infographic. Whatever you use, however, it needs to fit well with the content on your page. If you’re writing about tigers, for example, consider making a custom anitmated tiger jumping out of the grass.
According to the study, animated graphics got 551 tweets and 680 likes on average. Obviously this number will vary depending on the overall traffic of your site, but it is a great option for your site.
#2 Shared Image Type: Hand-Drawn Images
Drawing your own hand drawn pictures for your site is a great way to generate shares. Of course, you have to be a good artist to do this, or you can always hire one. The big benefit to a hand drawn graphic is that it will be done perfectly to compliment the other content on the page.
In the study, this type of image got 318 tweets and 489 Facebook like’s. Depending on how long it takes you to draw up a nice graphic, get it on your computer and then add it to your site, this may be an excellent option.
#3 Shared Image Type: Infographics
The next best option is to use infographics. These are not only a great way to share information in an easy to read and understand way, but they also produce a lot of great sharing opportunities. Of course, inforgraphics aren’t the best option in every case, but when it fits, they can be extremely effective.
On average, and infographic will get shared 276 times on Twitter and 262 times on Facebook. Given the fact that infographics are easier to create than ever before with easy to use online tools, this may be a great option for you to consider.
#4 Shared Image Type: Charts & Graphs
Creating charts, graphs and other data sharing images isn’t nearly as effective for sharing as some of the other options above, but it certainly has its place. When the most important thing is getting your readers to understand the information you are writing about, charts and graphs can be ideal.
Even though they don’t get shared as much as other types, they are still a good choice. They get, on average, 165 tweets and 93 Facebook likes.
#5 Shared Image Type: Stock Photos
If you’re just looking to add in a nice looking image that will compliment your photo, but you don’t want to spend too much time or money to have it made, you can always turn to stock pictures. These won’t get shared nearly as much as other types, but sometimes that’s not a big deal. They are the ideal choice for those times when you are just putting out good quality content to fill your site.
The study found that these types of images got shared 152 times on twitter, and 83 times on Facebook for the typical post.
#6 Shared Image Type: Screen Shots
Taking screen shots is a great option for providing detailed, step by step instructions where you want the reader to know exactly what they will see. The downside to this, however, is that in most cases the reader won’t be interested in sharing the content. It is very focused and user specific. Of course, that can generate excellent engagement and reader loyalty, so don’t count this image type out.
When we’re talking just about sharing, however, this isn’t a great option. It got 119 Tweets, and 46 Facebook likes on average.
#7 Shared Image Type: Royalty Free
These images are completely free and easy to use. While that makes them great for some situations, they won’t perform well when it comes to getting shared. This is likely because they are usually pretty generic and not of the same high quality standards that other images get.
Royalty free images average 59 tweets and 13 Facebook shares.
You can see the full report HERE.
