Wide shot - establishes the scene. Medium shot - gives more intimacy, focuses on one subject. Close-up - for emotion and direct connection to what is being said or done. Providing quality photos and video for social media What is social media and what does CARE use it for? Social media is an online channel where people can interact, tell stories and share information in real time. CARE is active on nine social media channels, primarily on and , where we share stories, photos and videos about our life-changing work around the world, as well as important information about the issues related to global poverty. On Twitter, messages are limited to 140 characters, so we share tidbits of information and links to pages on our website, important articles or photos and videos that showcase our work or bring important issues to light. On Facebook and Twitter, we engage daily with supporters who have questions about the work that we do. Our social connections contact us about a number of reasons – often just to say “thank you” for the work we do – and we do our best to send a personal response to everyone who reaches out. Currently, CARE has a social media reach of more than 721,500 connections, and it is growing every day. Our connections are based all over the world, giving you a unique opportunity to make the work that you’re doing go viral. What makes a good social media photo or video? Photos and videos that elicit a response on social media are emotional and personal. Our constituents on social media have chosen to connect with us because these channels are a place to provide “insider information” – i.e. the stories and images that might not make the national news. It’s a place where people come to feel connected to our work. Think of it more as a conversation you’d have with your friends than a press release you’d write on your website. For example, this is a photo of a toy truck made of garbage that CARE USA’s Paul Towne took while visiting CARE programs in Rwanda. While this isn’t a beautiful photo that you’d want to hang up in your home, it tells an important story about what life is like for the people CARE serves. It’s an intimate detail rather than the bigger picture. And, coupled with the caption, it elicits an emotional response because you can’t help but picture the children who love this toy because they’ve never had anything else to play with.
The caption reads: This is the only "toy" kids in a Rwandan day care program have to play with. Their mothers made it for them out of trash from the local dump. When this was photographed, the children were scooping sand from the ground with an empty cigarette package. 10 mothers bring their children to this in-home day care program. The mothers take turns caring for the children while the others work in the fields. This keeps the children safe while allowing their mothers to earn an income. So, your photo or video and accompanying caption should: Tell an emotional and personal story in less than 200 words. If you’re sending in a video, it should be less than three minutes. Showcase an intimate component of CARE’s work. If someone who didn’t know much about CARE came to the field, what would surprise or impress them? Often it’s the small details that make people feel the most connected – not the numbers and big picture summaries. Rather than a photo of just a person or a place, your photo should pique someone’s interest and make them ask, “What is going on and why should I care?” Photos or videos of people in action or unusual looking objects or scenes often accomplish this most successfully. Make sure to tie your story back to CARE. If it represents a component of a CARE program, what is it? If it represents a larger issue, what is CARE doing in your country to help? Feel free to share your impressions. Use the word “I” – tell us what you think about the picture you are presenting. Direct quotes from country office staff are a great way to connect a foreign audience to the work we’re doing. Be easy to understand. Remember, our social media followers are not your colleagues. They will not understand the complicated aspects of your work, so keep it simple. A good test is to ask yourself if your teenage self would understand what you’re writing. If not, start again. Grab your attention right away. On social media, we are competing with thousands of other people and organizations to get people’s attention. Even if your photo has a cool story to tell, if it isn’t attention-grabbing, people won’t click to learn more. Frequently Asked Questions Q: Who can enter the contest?