Social Media Image Considerations

Imagery on social media is critical to your post’s engagement, as your audience likely uses images to decide which stories are worth reading. Here are a few tips to make sure your image is the most effective it can be:

• Make sure your image is striking, but also related to the story. No one likes click bait, and it can reduce your credibility. It’s also important to include diversity across the different images you use.
• No matter the channel, always use Alt Text. This will allow your users with visual disabilities to still consume the content in the image. If your image has words or other graphics, make sure those are included in the Alt Text. If not, then simply describe the image you're using. For example, for the image below, a good Alt Text could be “Female student stands outside on the campus mall, wearing a University of Minnesota-themed mask and T-shirt, and smiles at the camera while pointing at her mask.”
  
• LinkedIn crops your images slightly. This can be especially important to note when the image includes words or other graphics. Always check the image after it publishes to make sure it wasn’t cropped too far. Example:
  

For questions or to learn more about communications best practices or tips on social media, contact Jacob Spaulding or check out University Relations resources, which include best practices and tips for social media.