With multiple trending social media sites such as Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok, it’s not surprising how impactful and powerful visual storytelling is. Visual content is easier to digest and often more engaging and fun.
Here are six powerful rules to follow for visual storytelling:
#1: Don’t Rely On Words
You’ve likely heard it before, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” A common adage used to express just how powerful visual content can be in a matter of seconds. In other words, visuals make complex issues or multiple ideas easier to understand and learn. Meaning it’s easier to learn by seeing it versus reading or hearing it. Show your audience what you want them to know and only use words when necessary.
#2: Keep It Moving
Keep the story moving with visuals that enhance your stories and your audience’s imagination. Find the perfect pace that works for your goals and audience. The last thing you want to do is make it too fast or shaky and make the audience sick or want to look away.
#3: Make It Scannable
Don’t be too distracting unless you need it to make a point or add to your story. The reason visual stories are so appealing is that they are entertaining and easy to digest.
#6 Use Storyboards to Ensure Consistency
Storyboards are a way to visualize each scene or shot of your story without creating the full video. It’s used during the planning process after a script and story arcs have been developed to refine it further and ensure consistency between each shot.
Storyboards can save you time and frustration as you continue to draft your story. It’s much easier and more affordable to create a new storyboard than to rehire someone to remake your video, infographic, or other visual formats you choose to tell your story.
#5: Apply the Rule of Thirds
A powerful rule often used in the filming industry to make your audience focus on a certain object or scene. The rule says that if you take a screen and divide it into thirds with lines, two horizontal and two perpendiculars, the points where the lines meet are where your eyes will focus. This filming style is used to control what your audience sees and can add depth or importance to certain characters or things.
#6: Add People Specifically Your Audience
While abstract art is beautiful, they are not always relatable. Adding a human touch makes your audience more curious and attracted to your story. Creating a visual that makes it obvious to the viewer that the start could be them takes that concept to the next level.
There are always exceptions to the rules, and some are meant to be broken if it makes sense to your overall theme or objectives. However, always keep these rules in mind if you want to create a visual story that connects and inspires people to build a thriving and successful business.
Over the next 60 days, we will be talking exclusively about becoming a better storyteller so you can work on increasing your audience engagement.
It’s a fact that the human brain is wired or attracted to stories. This is because stories are how the human brain learns, grows, and remembers things. Through stories, you can better remember important events and communicate or connect with your peers and audience. And, more importantly, through stories, you gain audience engagement and the action required to run a successful and sustainable business.
Let’s be honest, we know that you’re unlikely to follow us through the entire series, so here’s a little cheat for you – the entire series of articles as an ebook – our gift – no strings attached. If you’re ready to catch up on some summer reading that will actually propel your business forward then this is for you.
DOWNLOAD THE FREE E-BOOK: Become a Good Storyteller to Increase Audience Engagement
