More Pictures I’ve Seen on Medium About One Hundred Times
Avoid using these if you want your story to stand out.
I’ve been on Medium for a while now (almost 2 years), and I’ve made it a habit to spend a good part of my day here, both as a writer and as a reader.
After all this time, the one thing that catches my attention more than anything are still the pictures people chose to use on their stories.
When a story catches my eye, the first thing I see is the picture, the title being the second.
That makes a big difference in how I choose what to click on, because if I see a picture I’ve seen before, my brain immediately assumes I’ve read that story already, so I instantly skip it.
And that’s just one of the reasons why you should make an effort to choose unique pictures to illustrate your Medium story: people might skip it because they think they’ve read it before.
For my first list of Pictures I’ve Seen on Medium About a Hundred Times, check the story below:
There’s nothing wrong with using a picture someone has used before, it happens. But the more you’re familiar with the pictures people have been using, and the more you avoid repeating the most common ones, the more your work will stand out.
Here are a few pictures that have been used to exhaustion:
The upset girlfriend on sunset
This is a favorite of writers who write about heartbreak, cheating and breakups.
The dancing couple
I’ve used this one on my most clapped story ever, The 7 Signs Of A Mature Love. It was October 2018, and by then I had never seen this picture used on Medium before. It’s possible someone had used it before I did, but I had never seen it.
Now, it has become a common one on stories about love and relationships, and I have seen it around a lot.
The playful couple
Another overused couple picture.
The couple at the Grand Canyon
This one is also quite famous. I’m pretty sure I’ve used it as well.
To stand out, think outside the box
When I started on Medium, my “thing” was using pictures of birds. Then, I changed my style to something a bit less unique, but I still try to find pictures I’ve never seen before to illustrate my stories.
Yes, it’s possible that I end up choosing a picture someone else has used before, but I make an effort to avoid that instead of picking the first half-decent picture the Unsplash search suggests.
It may not be obvious how choosing a unique picture benefits your story, after all, the words are what count, right? Well, not exclusively. Just answer this question: would you like your readers to skip your story thinking they’ve ready it before just because they recognize the picture?
Act according to your answer.
