Looking to improve your visuals, especially for the vertical, full-screen presentation of the Stories format?

This week, Facebook has provided a set of simple visual creation tips to help brands stand out online. The tips, from Shahnaz Ahmed of Facebook’s ‘Creative Shop’, were originally presented as part of Facebook’s Boost My Business show on Facebook Watch, but Facebook has also now broken out the specific elements into new micro-overview clips.

To re-cap the key points:

• Using a tripod and a ring light (or natural light) to give your photos a professional look
• Adding a prop or two that enhances the photo and brings your brand to life
• Shooting from different angles to create a compelling image
• Using Instagram filters or editing tools to adjust the colors and tones, and make your photo pop while still looking natural
• Adding one or two GIFs to enhance your final image and easily add motion
• Keeping your copy short and including a call to action

These are some good, basic notes, which will definitely help improve your visual presentation. Of course, creativity is not always simple, and what you think looks great may not work as well for your audience. But through experimentation, and using the right techniques, you’ll get closer to finding a visual approach that works for your needs.