Images can have a huge impact on your content marketing. People love images and are way more likely to click and share social media posts if they contain an eye-catching and relevant image.
Content with relevant images gets 94% more views than content without relevant images. Click To TweetIf you’re looking for free images for your blog, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. If you want to use images you find online, you need to look for content that:
- Is in the public domain
- Is royalty-free
- Has a Creative Commons license
All of these situations indicate images and pictures you can freely use on your website or blog. But how do you find them? Check out these websites that are similar to Shutterstock to find images and pictures you can legally use.
Disclosure: Links in this post (and anywhere on The Savvy Solopreneur) may be affiliate links. Find out what that means here.
I absolutely love this stock photo site, and although it’s a paid subscription site, I get free images from it, delivered straight to my inbox, every month. Simply sign up for the free newsletter, and you’ll get access to a free image library and more free sample images every month.
If I want a special set of images, say for a product campaign, I may buy a bundle from here (they’re excellent value), but the free images I get each month from here and the sites below, are often enough for all my blogging and social media needs. You can sign up for the free photo library here.
This is another paid stock photo site that sends out free sample images every month, and they’re always super high quality and seriously useful. Again, you’ll have to sign up for the newsletter, but that in itself is worth getting as you’ll get regular tips on branding and visual marketing to help you grow your blog and business. Grab your fist batch of free stock images here.
She Bold is also a paid subscription site, that offers a library of over 1000 images, with new packages added regularly, and custom photography too. The freebies? You’ll get them when you subscribe. 30 FREE beautiful, bold, feminine styled stock images, and a few more free images are sent out each month in the newsletter.
This site is popular with bloggers everywhere. That is because most of the images listed here can be used without having to give attribution to the source. Sign-up is free, and you also receive access to a growing list of vectors and art illustrations. Pixabay.com is where you need to go.
I love the range and variety of pictures at Unsplash. While Ivory Mix and Pixistock are my go-to sites for styled stock photos, such as the beautiful flatlays I use regularly for things like my Instagram feed, Unsplash is where I go to get cool travel and lifestyle pics I use for things like my Medium articles. They just seem to have very high quality pics and a lot of variety.
You don’t have to attribute the pics to Unsplash (or to a particular photographer) but if you want to, they make it easy for you with copy & paste attribution. I like this as it makes it easy to credit the photographers for their work (I’m very aware that talented photographers tend to give away their pics in order to generate more attention – and work – in the future). So when you use a pic from here it’s easy to attribute it, like this (the text underneath is just copy & paste, with links intact).
Photo by EveryGirlBoss.com on Unsplash
Creative market are a paid stock photography site, but I’ve included them here because I just subscribed to their newsletter and got a package of free, classy, stock photos and some extra graphics. Their offerings change regularly, but they give subscribers a package of six new design goods (graphics, images, fonts and templates) every month, so it’s worth considering signing up.
One more thought…
If you have just a little money to invest each month, another affordable – and super efficient – way to get hold of images you can use on your blog is to subscribe to a PLR membership that includes images. White Label Perks packages, for example, come with ten social media friendly images in each monthly package. BUT they also come with pre-written blog posts, social media blurbs and content upgrades. They basically offer a monthly ‘blog in a box’ package! Check out the details here.
Important:
Always check usage rights carefully before posting any images. It IS illegal to just re-post any old pic you find, and while many photographers and organizations may politely ask to remove or pay for the misused image, some will go to the trouble of suing you. Also check whether you are allowed to modify the images you download. I love making stock images unique and branding them with my URL and blog name (easy to do using simple online tools like PicMonkey) but always make sure you have the right to modify the image.
Before you go…
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Never heard any of this! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Great list! I’ve never heard of Morgue File or Ivory Mix; thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing! Some awesome websites with great imagery