Goal: To gain the maximum amount of traction in Pinterest you’ll need to determine how best to become an artist that uses photography as your medium & your product as your subject. Again,
Photography as your medium – your product as your subject.”
Basically you want to become a visual curator. How do you do that? Let me mention the very best photography lesson I ever received. Ready,
Really good pictures are the result of a good lens, more than the result of a good camera”
Now, it’s true that exceptional photography is the result of a good photographer, using ageless composition techniques, and using a great camera & lens. But you don’t need to be at that level to impress people. So don’t stress. Get a good solid set-up and start learning. Okay, let share the second best photography lesson I ever received. Ready,
Really good photographers are not obsessed with the subject, they’re obsessed with the light surrounding the subject. They focus on the lighting more than anything else.”
Jason’s 5 Layers Of Visual Style:
Wondering what I’d suggest for creating an effective visual style? Here are my 5 layers…
Composition: You’ve probably heard of the concept of the golden mean. It’s a method of finding proper proportion in a picture. Google it!
Color: Some companies are masters at using color in their advertising. Target comes to mind. You can almost tell a target commercial instantly by their use of white & red. Of course in Pinterest, some people are building boards that are simply focused on a color pallet, so it would be wise for you to shoot your product in all sorts of various colors, in a visually effective way of course.
Focus: Sometimes artistry can be created by the depth of field and focus created in an image. This is a simple effect with a 50mm 1.8 lens. You want to zoom in and zoom in again, then look at the options available for good composition.
Setting: Some product marketers have deliberately tied their product to a place or season. A few examples that come to mind are the Anheuser Busch Clydesdales – winter time use is the norm, although they’ve branched out in recent years. Corona is another example. They are associated with the beach. Can you find a place or theme to associate your product with?
Light: To find good light, go outside, and turn off that flash.
Alignment with core brand elements: The wisest marketing effort you can go through is to take the time to identify your core messages/themes/concepts. Then use pictures & video to convey those themes. A great example is Apple’s Think Different Campaign. It features a simple concept, “Think Different” with a narration that was obsessed over. Steve Jobs literally criticized and critiqued every word. You’ll notice the phrase isn’t “Think Differently”, it’s “Think Different”. That was a deliberate choice, and it meant something to the company. It aligned with one of their core concepts of simplicity. Removing an “ly” was a statement in that regard. And the images were chosen with as much precision and care. We should all do the same.
As with most technical skills, there are tons of resources online to help you master your photography efforts. Youtube provides a fantastic set of photography tips & tutorials.
Ps. Don’t forget to download your free copy of our Ultimate Pinterest Marketing Guide:
marketingonpinterest.com 