Humans are visual creatures. It would make sense then to include a photo or graphic with every blog post you do. Visual content is social media-friendly, which means it’s easy to share. Using images can help you quickly express your post’s ideas.
But where do you get these images?
First, let me tell you where NOT to get images. NEVER steal or “borrow” an image from another website. Unless you have explicit permission from that particular website’s owner, you are breaking the law by using their photos and graphics. Even if you give the original person credit, you are still breaking the law if you don’t have their express permission. This *includes* Google.
DO NOT USE GOOGLE IMAGES FOR YOUR WEBSITE.
Most people know not to use other people’s images, so apologies for the overkill, but I would hate for any of you guys to get into a legal battle over stealing someone else’s images.
So what can you do instead?
1. Create your own images.
Whip out your smartphone and start practicing. If you have design software like Microsoft Publisher, Photoshop or Powerpoint, you can create your own graphics. Originality is the best way to go.
2. Use stock photos.
Stock photos are images that other photographers and graphic designers have created for others to use. Stock photos are mostly available
FreeImages.com – images are free, but the selection is slim
iStockPhoto – buy credits or get a subscription
DepositPhotos – reasonably priced plans
PhotoDune – purchase images one at a time
3. Use apps and tools to make graphics.
There are many apps and tools specifically designed to help you make graphics for your website and social media. Some of them are:
Canva – create your own graphics, free and premium accounts
Adobe Post – mobile app to create quote images with photos and text
Piktochart – make your own infographics
4. Get permission to use someone else’s stuff.
If you do want to use someone’s stuff, just ask permission first. I usually send the person or organization an email like the sample one below.
I really liked this image on your website/flickr accout/FB page/whatever:
[paste the URL here].
I was wondering if I could have your permission to reuse it on my website. Please let me know what you’d like the credit line to say. I’ll be posting it on [XYZ date].
Thank you so much,
[Your name, your website address]
How do you create your images for blog posts? Are there any resources that *YOU* recommend? Comment below and let us know!
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