Perfect Pinterest Picture

Like I know pinterest. Maybe I’m too pintolerant, too much of a pidiot, or all round pimperious.

Still, a cunning start-up gained wonderful PR for itself across our screeniverse this week. And (thanks to wired) I was grateful for their ‘scientific’ assessment of what made for the most easily shared images on this “pinboard-style photo-sharing website”.

As I cannot condone breaching copyright, here’s a square thumbnail of their example of the ‘ideal’ image, linking to the taker’s website so you can see it in all its glory.

Yeah. I know. How can a pic of a cucumber, tomato and onion salad, in a small pink bowl with flowers on no less, next to green-handled cutlery on a light grey wooden table be so potentially viral-ready?

Well, apparently there are six traits it boasts which aid this;

• no human faces
• little background
• multiple colours
• lots of red
• moderate light and colour
• portrait style

So naturally, I wondered if these half-dozen translated to something that could be similarly shared across a prospect organisation.

First, putting the horse before the cart, I realised that there must be a reason for said pic.

Is there a single message you’d like to remind your closest pal clientside of after a meeting or presentation? Can you put it in as few words as possible? Almost numbers-only even?

The obvious line would be to re-state a wondrous benefit. You could also reassure that some major project will easier get off the ground with your support, or even better, a key business goal would get closer.

If there is, what imagery could go with it? Have you a pic of something in their office, factory, depot, warehouse? It could be as cheeky as the tray with drinks and biccies from your last meeting.

I realise you must be careful taking pics inside the workplace of others, but I have loads from offices I’ve visited. These are sometimes bizarre, from the view out of a particular window, to wacky coffee mugs and brand new sexy kettles.

By way of example, at the foot of this post is one of where I signed in at one lovely client. (I ask permission to take because I like to do super-tailored slides for any future presentation with them, and no-one’s ever minded as my subject matters are pretty innocuous).

You can even prep your ‘champ’ and get an unobtrusive pic of their reception area, someone’s cubicle, lunchtime snack, so long as you know what the message is you’re trying to find a unique image for.

This is a pretty out-there tactic, I appreciate. You’d certainly be different. In the new selling days we’re in, at the very least, if you did this after more than one meeting, then a visual history of why you’re perfect for each other could evolve.

It’s a bit of work, and totally untested as yet, but if it is true as the researchers say, that people “are increasingly communicating using images rather than words” nowadays, then perhaps there’s an idea here to productively play with.

And in any case, there’s something about producing a single portrait ‘slide’ that states a key message for people to see on their phones that mischievously appeals to me…