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Hey friend,

Pop quiz: Which are you more likely to read—a blog post that looks like a giant wall of text or a post with eye-catching images, infographics, and videos? 

I'm guessing the latter. And you’re not alone.

Research shows that articles with images get 94% more views than those without. Our brains are hardwired to process visuals faster and remember them longer than plain text. So, if you want your blog content to capture attention, drive engagement, and make a lasting impression, upping the ante with strategic visuals is key.

If you’re thinking, “But Renae, I’m not a graphic designer,” I hear you. The good news is that you don’t need to be a Photoshop pro to level up your blog's visual game. Here are some tips from my hard-won experience.

1. Tap free design tools—including generative AI design tools.

Tools like Canva and Adobe Express make it easy to create professional-looking graphics, even if you have zero design experience. They offer templates, drag-and-drop features, extensive stock photo and illustration libraries, and AI image-generative capabilities. Invest a little time in getting familiar with these tools, and you'll be able to whip up images for your posts in minutes.

For instance, if you’re writing a post about "5 Morning Routines of Successful Entrepreneurs," you could create a simple graphic with the title and an engaging stock photo of a sunrise or steaming coffee mug. Visuals like that immediately communicate the post's theme and entice people to click.

And don't forget generative AI tools. The easiest I've found is DALL-E 3, which is now embedded into the paid version of ChatGPT. There's still an issue with the tool being able to create words, though. 

For example, I fed ChatGPT a photo of me and gave it this prompt: Create a photo of me sitting behind a desk with a nameplate on it. The nameplate reads, "Ask me to edit your content." 

You can see the result for yourself:

Don't want to use the paid version of ChatGPT? If you use the Edge browser, you can create images right inside of it using CoPilot. Yes, even the free version!

There are a few other free AI image generators out there, but "free" doesn't always mean free, as most of them want you to sign up. They may give you "free" credits, but those run out fast.

I did find this one though: Perchance. The only thing it seems to require is that you turn off your adblocker. I asked that tool to create the same image, but it failed to show a nameplate on the desk. So I removed the "woman" from the prompt and just asked for the nameplate. 

Ready for a laugh? 

Here's the most readable version it produced.

I've also tried Perchance with prompts that don't require text, like this one: 

A modern house with walls of windows sitting on a mountaintop looking out over gently rolling hills and the tops of clouds. 

Here's one of the images it returned; I cropped out the tops of the hills and sky to make the image better sized for email. 

Not bad!

Perchance also offers a tutorial. When you're first working with AI image generators, it's good to know how to formulate a prompt, so I recommend taking the time to run through a tutorial.

Have fun! And if you're willing, share one (or more) of your creations with me; I'd love to see them!

2. Embrace screenshots and screencast GIFs. 

If you write a tutorial or how-to post, screenshots and GIFs may be your best friends. They allow you to show, not just tell, each step of a process. Tools like Loom, Snagit, and CloudApp make it a breeze to capture your screen and create GIFs or videos.

Let's say you're teaching your audience how to set up a Facebook ad. You could include screenshots of each step in the ad creation process, with arrows and text overlays highlighting important sections. Or even better, record a quick screencast video walking through the process and embed it in your post.

I use a paid tool called ScreenPal, which costs $29 for three years. A great deal! But I recently discovered a free tool for recording screencasts and GIFs — ScreenToGif.com. I used it to create this intriguing GIF 😁

3. Turn quotes and stats into eye-catching visuals. 

Have a powerful quote or fascinating statistic in your post? Turn it into a graphic to make it pop. Simply copy and paste the text into Canva or Express, choose an eye-catching background color or image, and you've got a highly shareable visual asset to drive home your point.

Imagine you're writing about productivity tips and include this stat: "A University of Illinois study found that even brief diversions from a task can dramatically improve your ability to focus on that task for prolonged periods." Turning that into a visual quote card memorably reinforces the insight and makes it more shareworthy on social.

4. Be strategic about image selection and placement. (Jean, this one’s for you!)

When it comes to choosing images for your blog posts, it's all about quality, relevance, and variety. Aim for high-resolution images that visually reinforce your content and add value for the reader.

In terms of quantity, a good rule of thumb is to include an image every 300 to 400 words to break up the text and keep readers engaged. You can also think of it as using one image “per scroll down the page.” So, for a 1,000-word post, you might include 3 to 4 images.

As for types of images… I primarily use photography because I don’t like illustrations, especially like these:

If you use imagery like that on your blog or website—oops! Sorry. It’s just a personal preference. If you like illustrations like that one, by all means, use them.

Although photographs are great, I also recommend mixing photos up with other types of visuals to add interest and better illustrate your points. 

Here are some options.

• Charts and graphs: Perfect for visualizing data and statistics.
• Infographics: Ideal for making complex information more digestible.
• Screenshots: Great for tutorials and how-to posts.
• Illustrations and icons: Useful for conceptual ideas or adding visual metaphors.

The key is choosing visuals that serve a purpose and enhance your message. For example, let's say you're writing a post about the benefits of meditation. You could include:

• A serene photograph of someone meditating to set the tone.
• An infographic illustrating the science-backed benefits of meditation.
• A chart showing statistics on stress reduction from meditation.
• An illustration of the brain to highlight which areas are impacted by meditation.

See how each visual adds a different element and reinforces the post's key points? That's the goal.

When in doubt, ask yourself: Does this image help clarify the concept, engage the reader, or make the information more memorable? If the answer is yes, it's a keeper.

5. Get creative with infographics, GIFs, and memes. 

Infographics are a fantastic way to help readers visualize complex data or processes. GIFs and memes, on the other hand, are perfect for injecting humor and personality into your posts. When you use them strategically, both can be highly effective engagement drivers.

Here's a thought: What if you turned each piece of your cornerstone content into an infographic? That’d be an amazing way to repurpose those pieces into highly shareable assets while making their valuable information more accessible to visual learners.

Bottom line? The goal of visuals is not to decorate. It’s to enrich your content and give your readers a better experience. You can take a strong post to the next level when you use visuals well.

Your action item for today: Look at your last blog post and brainstorm at least one visual element you could add to strengthen the piece. Then get in there and make it happen!

Stay tuned. Next time, I’ll dish about positioning yourself as a thought leader through strategic blogging.

To your blogging brilliance,

Renae :)