Hey Bloggers!  Are you ready to learn how to create amazing infographics for your blog posts with the best infographic tricks?

Enjoy this guest post from Mark Elmo Ellis, who you can learn more about in the author bio at the end of this post.  I know you’ll love it 🙂

There’s ton of valuable information in this post so if you’re short on time, pin it now to read later.

5 Infographic Tricks That’ll Make Your Blog Posts Go Viral

Do you want to know an easy way to keep readers on your blog posts?

Better yet, want to know what’s working for big-time bloggers that dominate their space?

It’s an absolute fact that people are attracted to images.

According to blogging experts, posts with images get 95% more views than posts without.  And 71% of online marketers use graphics as part of their content strategy.

In this post, I’m going to show you how you can create infographics that’ll boost your posts and business.  I’ll also show you how you can promote your infographics so that you’ll get solid traffic and inbound links.

 Use The Trifecta of Infographics Components

Before we get into the tricks of creating viral infographics, we need to talk about key ideas.   There are 3 components that will help your infographics resonate with your readers.  If you fail to use all three, chances are your images will crash and burn.

These key elements are:

• Slant – You must tune your infographic to your audience and what they need, and it must be relevant to the post
• Legend – Your infographic must lead your reader with a story that resonates with them
• Stats – You must give your readers solid evidence that what you’re telling them is real

 If you use all 3 of these parts as a map you’ll be able to create successful infographics on the fly.  Not only that, but you’ll broadcast to your reader that you are a maven in your niche.

Like writing a post, the graphics you create must center on your readers and what they need. Remember, you are not creating art, but delivering information your audience craves.

Complement Your Blog Post

Also, your infographic needs to complement your blog post.  You don’t want an illustration with data on vehicle accidents on a post about roller coasters.

One of the best ways to make your infographic stay on target is to write a headline that matches your post.  If you’re writing a post on top rated cell phones, your infographic headline could read, “Comparing Cell Phone Models”.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you want to keep your infographic focused.  Each and every part of it needs to stay on target with your message.

 

Courtesy of TrustMyPaper

Now that we’ve reviewed the 3 components of creating an infographic, it’s time to look at the tricks that’ll make them shine.

Infographic Trick #1: Use Story Telling for Better Infographics

Not only are readers attracted to images, they are also attracted to stories.  If you can lead your reader through a post with an interesting tale, you’ll have them in the palm of your hand.

One of the best ways to do this is by using interesting characters.  Usually these are characters that are facing an enemy or problem they must overcome.  This is an essential ingredient of storytelling.

If you want evidence of this, you need to look at the work of great copywriters and bloggers.  Most of these writers are experts at telling stories that people can relate to.

So, if you can create characters in the infographic that the audience can relate to you’ll have a killer graphic.

Infographic Trick #2: Use Stats to Create Credibility

A couple of years ago, there was a commercial on TV that poked fun at information on the Internet.  It used the line, “You know everything is true on the Internet.” and it became a famous joke.

The point of it was that anyone can spew out information online; whether it’s true or not is a different story.

Using reliable statistical data will give your infographic credibility with your readers.  And credibility leads to trust ― which will bring your readers back to you again and again.

Here are a couple of guidelines for evaluating online sources:

1. The site does not have errors in grammar, spelling, or punctuation.
2. The material is unbiased politically or socially, and is not trying to sell you on any level.
3. It does not have foul or offensive language.
4. The selected site looks professional and doesn’t use excessive graphics or advertisements.

If you can, use a publication from a library.  Printed material is reliable because publishers can’t afford a bad reputation for printing junk.  However, if you’re looking for reliable data online, here’s a statistic resource from Forbes:  33 Data Sites Anyone Can Use. 

Infographic Trick #3:  Find Hot Topics for Your Infographic

If you’re going to build a post around an infographic, you will need a topic that’ll grab your reader.  Keep in mind that your post and infographic should line up with your site’s mission.

You don’t want a site about Volkswagen Beetles to have posts and infographics on how to raise gerbils.  It’s not a good match.

Finding Topics

While I could list the most popular topics there are, it’s important to focus on the TYPE you need.

There are 4 ways to find topics that your target audience will be interested in.

Spy on Others

You can check out popular posts, videos, graphics, and products by simply going to popular sites and checking out their shares and likes.  For example, you can go to a site like Quora to find out what people are really interested in.

Go to Quora’s home page and type into the search window, “What are the most up-voted answers on Quora?”  The site will provide you with a page that lists the most up-voted posts.

 

It will show you the number of times the post was up-voted as well as when it was posted.  You can scan these pages to find ideas for your topics and you can even read how the posts were written.

Another great way to spy on popular sites is to find the ones that are relevant to your site and subscribe to their RSS feed.

Use Trending Ideas To Create Great Infographics Topics

If you’re serious about blogging, you know you should be keeping pace with trends in your niche. Writing posts and creating infographics based on trending topics should be obvious.

There are a lot of ways of finding what’s hot in your niche; all you have to do is dig a bit.

For example, YouTube has an easy way for you to see which videos are currently trending.  All you have to do is click on the “Trending” link under YouTube’s home link.

 

A list of the current videos will pop up, showing the post date and how many people watched them. You can go through the pages and see if there are any subjects relevant to your blog. You can also mine ideas by looking at them.

If you need to get news that’s hot and fresh, you can always go to Reddit.  Reddit has a link at the top of its page that lets you see topics that are hot.

Like YouTube, if you click on the link that says “top” you’ll be able to see what people are currently interested in.

Reddit will give you the number of people that have viewed the posts and how many comments made. High numbers on these posts show what’s hot and you can use these topics and ideas for your infographics.

Use Topics that are Evergreen

These are topics that are popular and stay that way year after year.  Good examples of evergreen topics are:

• How to use Google’s search engine
• The best way to plant roses
• Places where you can buy imported coffee

These are sure bets because they address ideas that people use or look for consistently over time.

Find Controversial Topics

If you know about a controversial subject that people are passionate about, you have a good topic for an infographic.

An easy way to find these kinds of topics is to use the site ProCon.Org.  This site has a listing of top controversial topics.  By scrolling the home page you can look at the top subjects.

You can click on the main link of any topic and it will take you to a page of top pro and con arguments on the subject.

If you click on the link on the left, it will take you to a page that displays the pro and con arguments on the subject. Clicking on the “Top Pros and Cons Quotes” link will send you to a page where you can see all the comments on the page.

 

As I said before, using this site is a great way to mine ideas that are controversial.

Note: One thing you should try to do is avoid choosing sides on an argument.  If you decide to take a stand on a subject you can expect to lose some readers. The best practice is to present the evidence as plainly as possible and let the readers decide.

Infographic Trick #4: Build Your Infographic Using the Copywriter’s Method

Since I ‘m a copywriter, I relate everything to my craft. When writing, I think of all of the most important elements of a sales letter.

I know that you may get overwhelmed with this layout, so I broke down each section.

Headline Complex

This includes the pre-head, headline, and post-head.  Here’s what each one entails:

Pre-head: Not used much with most infographics, but it may help draw attention.  This is written in an italicized font that is larger than the body text, and it is just above the headline.

With this part, you’ll focus on what your reader is looking for.  It will help them determine whether or not your information is relevant to them.

Headline: You’ll want to use a large font in the brightest colors from your pallet. Just like advertising copy and blog posts, it is the most important part of your infographic.  Whenever I write a post or create an infographic, I like to use this headline formula:

C+B = I

or

Curiosity plus Benefit = Interest

You don’t have to use this formula all of the time. If you can write a short and simple headline that will generate interest, then do so. Writing short, simple headlines is important because people like to scan rather than read.

Here are some examples of great infographic headlines:

• 25 Secrets for Creating Viral Infographics Today!
• Geek vs. Nerd
• Why Vacations are a Must
• How to Avoid (And Possibly Cure) a Hangover
• 13 Reasons Why Your Brain Craves Infographics
• History of #Hashtags
• What is a Responsive Website?

Post-head: This is where you’ll tell a little bit more about what your infographic is about.  These are quite common in most infographics, and they help clarify the topic and headline.

A good post-headline teases the reader as to what the information in the graphic is about.  Remember, if you can keep your reader curious you’ll be better off.

Here’s an example of a headline and its post-head:

Main Body

Copywriters write body copy following a formula that sells. With infographics, you are trying to generate interest by providing an excellent reference.

Your infographic must answer questions and provide solutions to your reader.  The body is where you’ll answer the question of what your title was all about.

Here’s a step by step method of planning the main body of your infographic:

Step 1:  Write out the questions of what your infographic will answer.

Let’s pretend you’re going to create a graphic explaining the benefits of using an electric bicycle (e-bike).  You should list as many questions about this subject as you can.

Here are a few examples:

Question ― What are the main benefits of riding an e-bike?

Answer ― Gas savings, better health, fun, social interaction, mileage saving on car.

Question ―  What are some of the barriers to riding an electric bicycle?

Answer ― Weather, dogs, no bike paths, lack of recharging stations.

Question ― What are the best types of e-bikes to buy?

Answer ― Provide a list of e-bikes currently on the market.

Question ― How much do e-bikes cost?

Answer ― Give a comparison chart of the different kinds.

Step 2: Once you have these questions in place, you can go to trusted resources to find out the answers. Follow the guidelines I’ve provided earlier in this post and you should be able to find them.

Here some of the resources I found on electric bicycles:

League of American Bicyclists ― Electric Bicycles: Public Perceptions & Policy

Science Direct ― Using Naturalistic Data to Assess E-Cyclist Behavior

Statista ― Estimated sales of electric bicycles in the United States

Step 3: Once you have your questions and the data to answer them, you can decide on what type of layout to use.

 

Step 4: Use an online infographic maker.

You can use a program like Adobe Photoshop or Corel’s PaintShop Pro. I have found that takes too much time.  The best way to do build an infographic is to use an online service.

My two favorite online programs are Canva and Venngage.

Both of these online programs are excellent, and you can create professional graphics for your blog posts quickly.

I use Canva to create professional looking brochures for my clients.  It has photographic images that I like to use for that reason.  It also has vector icons that will help you build an infographic.

 

I think the easier of the two sites is Venngage.

This site is wonderful because it’s very simple to use.  Here’s a video I made that shows you how to get started with it:

 

 

As you can see, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to create great graphics for your blog.  Once you have your main body in place, you need one more section.

Call to Action

If you want to get more traction from your infographic, have a Call to Action (CTA) at the end.  By posting your URL you’ll help the reader take the next step.

You can also leave a message like, “Please contact us to find out more…”

Infographic Trick #5: Promote Your Infographics Successfully

For every hour you spend creating an infographic, or a blog post, you should spend an hour promoting it.  Promoting your infographic is just as important as creating it.  (Actually, it’s possibly more important!)

Here’s a list of things you can do to get your infographic into the eyes of readers:

Use it in a blog post – This sounds obvious, but it bears repeating.

Promote with share buttons – Using share buttons on your site, ask your readers to share your infographic.

Turn it into an e-book – You can turn your infographic into a .pdf file and share it with people you know on social media sites.

Tweet it out – Use twitter and tweet about your infographic and the post you put it in.

Show parts of it Google Plus or Facebook – This is an easy way to get your graphic seen on social media sites.  A partial view of your infographic will look better than posting a full version.

Subject and headline – Make sure that these are keyword researched and that they tantalize readers.

Use forums and groups – Promoting your infographic on a forum or group can be tricky.  Make sure you follow their guidelines.  Well established posting sites will be picky, while a group on LinkedIn might be more accessible.

Publish on Instagram, Flickr, and Pinterest – These sites will let you promote any images you have on your blog.  So, why not promote your infographics?

Use answer sites like Quora – Look for questions that you can reference your infographic with or combine it with an answer.

Send it to other bloggers – If you find a blog that has a subject that fits your infographic, pitch it to the owner.

Send it out in an email – If you know someone who could benefit from your infographic, send it to them in an email. You can also send this out to your entire mailing list.

Use different versions – If you can save your infographic, you can easily redesign it by adding holiday graphics and colors to it.

Contact influencers – Connect with people who are experts in your niche and see if they would like to use your infographic in a post.

Put it on Shorter Posts – Write a shorter post and share it on your Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

Send it out over time – Who said that you can only use your infographic once?  You can use it over and over again.  After your initial launch, you can send it out at least 3 times a year.

Conclusion

Using infographics is a great way to get solid traffic.  If you follow the guidelines I’ve provided in this post ― you’ll save yourself a lot of effort!

If you have used infographics in the past or have and comments or questions, we’d love to hear from you!

Please leave your comments and questions in the comment section below.  We will be happy to respond as soon as possible.

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Mark Elmo Ellis is a copywriter and blogger focused on writing high conversion copy for professional coaches and educational organizations. He is co-owner of Warrior Wealth Solutions which is an organization dedicated to helping military and law enforcement veterans start their own businesses. Check out his blog at ElmoCopy, and get a free copy of his 200+ page book, “Blog Profiting Secrets”.  You’ll also gain access to his 20 free blogging videos where he answers a host of questions on how to start and write for your own blog. Mark’s tutorials and book are sure to help you raise the bar on your own site’s content and help you take your business to the next level!