Visuals Tell the Story: How Great Photos of Your Prize Will Build Buzz and Generate Donations
One of the most important aspects of your TapKat sweepstakes fundraiser are the photos you include, so choose well!
Images don’t just show the audience what the prize is, they tell a story about how the winner will feel when he or she takes it home.
Not only that, but when you include photos of your nonprofit in action (which is highly recommended), your audience will get a visceral understanding of the positive impact they personally have when contributing to your campaign.
A series of top-notch, colorful, bright images will inspire donors to participate in your sweepstakes, and serve as powerful assets to boost the reach of your campaign, potentially far beyond your current list of donors.
Building your donor base — while collecting donations — is the name of the game, and the right images will make it that much easier.
Collecting really stellar images can feel overwhelming. You might be wondering…
Where do I get amazing photos of my prize?
How do I make sure I have permission to use them?
What makes a really great image in the first place?
Today, we’ll answer these questions so you can feel confident selecting great images for your campaign that will entice, enthrall and elicit donations from your base.
Show, Don’t Tell
Humans are incredibly visual creatures. Unlike other animals who may rely heavily on their auditory senses (like dogs), research at 3M Corporation concluded that human beings process visuals 60,000 times faster than text.
With a quick glance, we pick up visual cues that inform our daily decision-making processes whether we’re conscious of it or not.
This is why TapKat heavily features an image slider at the top of the sweepstakes page. When your donors land on the site, they’ll instantly get an impression of the prize: what it is, and whether they want it. Let’s make a good first impression!
In short, great images accomplish the following:
Clearly and accurately depict the prize
Capture the allure of the prize
Help the viewer visualize how great it would be if they won.
Some very successful TapKat sweepstakes have added text overlay on their images, like the Colorado Trails Preservation Alliance. Their sweepstakes campaign successfully raised $112,000 using images like this one:
Notice that the text compliments the image visually, and encourages the donor to enter the sweepstakes.
Adding a text overlay can be done easily using a free online program like Canva.com, or by hiring a graphic designer to do it for you. We suggest visiting Fiverr.com to find an affordable freelancer.
Choose Images That Make You Want to Enter the TapKat Sweepstakes
Sometimes campaign managers underestimate the power of their images and post something that isn’t necessarily the most effective choice. We understand that running a nonprofit can be overwhelming, so let’s simplify this aspect of the fundraising process.
Here’s a basic guiding principle when selecting photos: Choose images that would make you want to enter.
Check out this photo from Fort Collins Cat Rescue’s recent campaign for a winning trip to San Francisco and Sonoma, California. Have you ever wanted to drive down Lombard Street so badly?
The heightened colors and idealistic portrayal of San Francisco and Sonoma make this sweepstakes campaign a winner — and it was, generating hundreds of dollars beyond their goal.
Where to Source Images for Your TapKat Sweepstakes Site
Pulling photos from a Google image search isn’t the best way to source your images, since many are protected by copyright laws.
However, there are some excellent and inexpensive ways to find great images, especially if your prize is an experience, such as a trip to Hawaii:
Unsplash has a wide range of royalty-free images
If booking through a travel agency, ask them to provide images
If you source your prize through Philantopia, they will provide images that check all the boxes.
If your prize is a specific item, such as a motorcycle, car or camper, reach out to the prize provider to ask for images.
If your prize comes from a dealership/manufacturer…
They will almost always have beautiful, professionally-shot images on hand. Be sure to ask permission before uploading them to your TapKat sweepstakes.
If your prize comes from a private owner…
Ask if they have any images! Or, they may be willing to take photos for you with their smartphone.
If your prize is handy…
Speaking of smartphones, if the prize is handy, go ahead and snap your own photos. Just make sure you have great lighting and limit distractions in the background.
If you really want to make a splash…
Hire a professional photographer to make the prize images pop.
No matter which avenue you choose, make sure the final images always meet this criteria: if the picture doesn't make you want to enter the drawing… you need to get a better picture!
How to Choose and Prepare Your Images
When you’re logged in to your TapKat dashboard, uploading your images is easy. You will need:
4-6 excellent images of your prize
1-2 images of your nonprofit in action
Make sure that your images are in a horizontal, or landscape, orientation. This way, they will showcase your organization and the prize most effectively on the TapKat campaign page.
Select photos of your nonprofit in action that clearly demonstrate what you do and who you serve. If you raise money for shelter pets, let’s see some adorable adoptables in the images! If you work with kids, show us the smiles! If you preserve nature, sprawling images of pristine forestry will do the trick.
Images for the slider should be sized at 1200 x 675 pixels. If you’re not sure how to do this, our smart editing tool will automatically crop and reformat your images to the correct size when you import them.
With everything on your plate, sourcing great images can sometimes feel like the last thing you want to do, when in reality, it is one of the most important aspects of your campaign.
If you’re ready to get your fundraising campaign started and generate more money for your nonprofit, click here to sign up now.
