#tweetsmart

Chapter 7. Photo Caption Contest

Tweet this Project

People love eye candy, brain teasers, lighthearted competition, and belly laughs. This next project combines all those elements into one engaging Twitter project: a photo caption contest. This is a great project because it provides you with plenty of opportunities for both driving web traffic and targeted product promotion—all while having a great time with your followers.

To start this project you’ll need a photo. The photo you choose will determine the goals of your project.

If you’re pressed for time and would just like to run a quick and lighthearted caption contest, you can grab any old image off the web that appeals to your audience—a chef making a funny face, an upside-down puppy, a sneaker in a mud puddle. If you spend some time combing Google Images or Flickr or iStockphoto, you’ll be able to find a curious or funny image to use.

If you’ve got some time to play with—and a camera at your disposal—I recommend taking some time to create your own photo. This photo could be a shot of one of your products in a curious setting, or your CEO making a funny face, or a manipulated image of King Kong sitting on top of your office building. This image should, in a fun way, incorporate your topic, products, company, location, or brand. Take the extra time to make it stand out—it will only help you with referrals.

Once you’ve found your photo, post it to your blog with a write-up of the contest rules. The rules are up ...