Are Your Stock Photos Too…Stock Photo-y? Here’s How to Fix It!
Let’s face it. We all judge books by their covers. And usually, it works out pretty well for us — which is why we keep judging them by their covers. You know exactly what you’re getting when you look at the cover of a romance novel or a Sue Grafton mystery. You know what to expect when you pick up a Garfield book off the shelf.
Same goes for the stock photos you use in your marketing content. Whether it’s a featured image for a blog article or an image in a social media post, your audience will judge your content by the image. It’s critical that you pick a good stock photo if you want to attract new eyeballs.
Are your images piquing people’s interests, or falling flat with your audience? Here’s a few can’t-miss guidelines to find the best stock images for your marketing.
One quick note: NEVER use any marketing images that you don’t have permission to use. Even if you buy your stock images, they’re licensed for certain kinds of uses and not for others. It is not okay to fudge on those permissions — to do so is the equivalent of theft, and your company can be forced to take down stock photos you don’t have the rights to use.
Stand out from the Crowd
The number one thing you want is a stock image that will stand out. It should be attractive and engaging — eye-catching enough that someone scrolling through their LinkedIn or Twitter feed will stop and look. A good image makes people want to click through to discover what you have to say.
But a gorgeous image isn’t enough. If everyone is using that image, it won’t stand out. Same thing if it rehashes an overused motif, like the whole heart-shaped hands thing, or the series of seedlings representing financial growth. Avoid anything trendy at all costs!
Please don’t use overused image motifs like this worn-out concept!
Another interest-killer is if you’re constantly using images that look alike. In this case, you’re competing against yourself for attention, because every blog article or social media post looks the same. How will your audience know you’ve got something new to say if all your featured images are saying the same thing?
Finally (and hopefully I don’t have to actually say this…but I will), the stock photos you use for marketing shouldn’t look like stock photos. Even though everyone assumes that you’re using stock photos in your marketing content, you don’t want to bring it to mind. Only use truly artistic and top-quality images. Because the stock photo you choose will represent your company. If the image looks generic, your brand will, too.
Which leads us to the next point!
Fit Your Brand
Your brand has a certain personality. Your content should reflect that personality in the voice and tone you use. Just as your content gives your brand a certain voice, the stock images you use give your brand a certain look.
Think of it like the dress style of your brand. Is your company a Levi’s kind of company, or a Versace kind of brand? Maybe you’re more of a Carhartt business.
Choose stock images that reflect the personality of your brand. For Good Gnus, I select bold, fun images that are unexpected and unique. But none of my clients use images like mine. One company only uses photos that show people in a specific industry that are interacting with one another. Another rarely uses images with people at all. For some clients, the images are inspirational while others are very pragmatic.
I haven’t used this stock photo yet, but I want to!
Like the saying goes, you do you.
Fit the Topic
Whether your images are photos of people, abstract concepts, or technology, they should connect in some way with the topic of your article or post.
It doesn’t have to be a one-to-one correlation — maybe you want to convey a feeling, or you want to play on metaphor.
In my article on reducing bounce rates, I used a high-speed image of a tennis ball bouncing off a clay tennis court. For an article on making your calls to action irresistible, I chose a stock photo of a woman stuffing her face with beignets (you know, because she found the pastries irresistible).
In general, I try to avoid images that fit the topic a bit too perfectly. If I’m writing about cybersecurity for a client, I don’t like to use images of a hacker wearing a hoodie at a keyboard. Not only is that an overused trope, but it’s just a bit too on the nose. Those kinds of images don’t arouse curiosity or get your audience thinking.
Use the Right Size
Okay, now some technical guidelines for using stock images. There’s nothing worse than posting an image on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter, only to have it cropped badly or stretched strangely. It makes your company look incompetent and it’s just plain annoying (it’s best not to annoy your audience if you can avoid it).
You can avoid cropping problems and distorted stock images by knowing the right image size for each social media platform. Here are the image sizes I use, which are recommended by various marketing industry leaders — at least, for 2021 (sizes can change every once in a while, when a platform gets an updated look).
- LinkedIn posts: 1200 x 627
- Twitter posts: 1024 x 512
- Facebook posts: 1200 x 1200
- Instagram posts: 1080 x 1080
Other image sizes you should know:
- YouTube channel art: 2560 x 1440
- Email header: 600 x 300
- Presentation: 1024 x 768
- Presentation (wide): 1920 x 1080
- Business card: 1050 x 600
Top Stock Image Sites
No doubt you’re asking yourself, “This is awesome stuff, Bill, but where can I find gorgeous stock photos for my marketing content, and can I get them for free?” Great question (although really that’s two questions)!
There are many terrific stock photo sites, and some of them are totally free. Here are my top picks, but there are many others that could be added to the list.
Shutterstock. This is my go-to source of choice, because the images are generally top quality and the subscription price is very affordable. You can start at 10 images per month for just $29/month.
iStock by Getty Images. This would be my first choice, because their premium package gives you even better photos than Shutterstock. But the pricing is a little higher to get that package. Pricing starts at $29/month for 10 images (Basic) or $70/month for 10 (premium).
Gratisography. Fun, off-beat images you won’t find anywhere else. I often use these for the Good Gnus blog. Best of all, they’re totally free!
Unsplash. Free images that are a bit more artistic — which means it may be a little harder to find the right image for your marketing content.
Picography. Also free and artsy. Gorgeous images. For some reason, these images always remind me of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
Pixabay. Free images that, frankly, tend to look a bit more like your stereotypical stock image. But they’re free.
StockSnap.io. Similar to Pixabay.
Picjumbo. Nice-looking free images that don’t look like stock images. Not as artsy as some other sites, but they definitely have an artist’s touch.
Whatever you do, DON’T grab images off of Google. Like I said at the top of the article, it’s unethical and it’s just not cool.
Okay, so go back to your blog articles and recent social media posts. Take a look at your images with fresh eyes. How do they stack up against these best practices? If they miss the mark, start replacing them with better images using the guidelines above.
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