A picture is worth a thousand words, especially when it comes to pairing it with your copy.
Scouting out photos and graphics that are easy on the eyes and help enhance your copy, can be a difficult task, and a complete and utter time suck. Not to mention, you’ve seriously got your work cut out for you when it comes to knowing which images you can use (and how to use them) without getting a cease-and-desist letter sent your way.
Sure, you can go the easy, but more expensive route and purchase some stale stock images or graphics from those typical sites every time you’re ready to push out more content. But, in doing so, you’ll most likely make it feel stiff and lifeless to your reader. While, the whole point of your copy is to provide information, increase brand awareness, loyalty, grow conversion rates, and show the human side of your business.
Think you’ll be able to tackle all of that with hilarious cliché-ridden images of happy and organized corporate people or those displaying freakishly unnatural emotions? Most likely, the answer is no. A big, fat N-O.
Or, maybe you want to take up a new skill and learn Photoshop to start creating your own images. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that can also be an extremely time consuming route to take. Especially if you have zero design experience.
Luckily, there are many free and affordable high-quality image resources out there to save you a heck of a lot of time, money, and you can legally use without worries. Today, I’m here to share 10 in particular that are at the top of our list for you to start using ASAP—no attribution (link) required. You’ll be well on your way to better representing your brand with your content’s visuals in no time at all.
But, maybe finding the perfect imagery for your copy isn’t the only headache keeping you up at night. Do you find it takes you more time than you feel is acceptable to actually craft compelling content that sells? It’s a tough skill to master—there’s no doubt about it.
That’s why I’m also going to share a trusted, one-of-a-kind piece of software with you to help get the copywriting job done at the click of a button. Imagine sales letters, video sales letters, email sequences, and more virtually being taken from your heaping pile of to-dos and completed for you. Sounds amazing, right? Stick around below.
Now, let’s familiarize ourselves with some copyright lingo…
You know, so you can avoid stealing and the lawyers without much to do. Many of the sites I’m about to share are free from those sometimes hair-raising copyright restrictions. And, you still might want to do your own research on each site to determine how these visuals can be used. Licensing can change from time to time.
While you’re browsing royalty-free images, however, you’ll come across some lingo you may not be familiar with. So, to help you, here’s a mini dictionary-esque rundown:
- Royalty-Free: This type of license allows you to use an image across multiple content mediums, without having to pay a royalty for each use. You simply pay one time for a particular image. And, you can then place it on your website, in print pieces, blog posts, you name it.
- Creative Commons: The creator of the content waives his or her rights to the piece of work. Thus, allowing it to be used for the common good by others. There are different levels of Creative Commons licensing, and most shared here today are Creative Commons Zero (CC0). This means you can copy, distribute, and modify the work, even for commercial purposes. All without asking permission from the creator or setting a link to the source.
- Attribution: You’re able to use the content however you’d like as long as you give credit to the creator or author/website. Generally, it will be noted next to the image as to how to give credit if necessary.
- Commercial Use: The right to use royalty-free visuals for any legal business purpose.
Feeling a little more relaxed with this slang under your belt? Good. Now that’s out of the way, let’s move on to the fun stuff…
10 Legal, Free Places for Captivating Graphics
1. Pixabay
Here, more than 920,000 free stock photos, vector graphics, and art illustrations are at your fingertips and ready to use under a Creative Commons Zero license—no attribution necessary. Go ahead and save yourself even more time sifting through the site.
Filter your search based on what type of visual you’re looking for, along with the orientation (horizontal or vertical), category (ex. Computer/communication, emotions), image size, and even color. It’s super quick and easy for you to find imagery that aligns with your brand at Pixabay.
2. Unsplash
This site releases a new collection of up to 10 free “do whatever you want,” high-resolution photos every 10 days. Talk about ah-mazing! You can browse by Collection or search for the exact photo you’re looking for based on specific keywords. Bonus—sign up for Unsplash’s newsletter and you’ll never miss a new set of stunning images taken by photographers around the globe.
3. Stocksnap.io
This resource claims it’s “not your typical crappy stock photo site.” So, you know you’re bound to get some good stuff. This site is an impressive vault of stunning images.
They’re curated on a weekly basis from around the web and uploads from select photographers within its network. Again, all clear of copyright restrictions. Guess what? Snappa is the creator of this whole shebang—more on that a little later on.
4. Gratisography
Ryan McGuire, a “multifaceted whimsically creative visual artist,” created this photo collection site. He actually photographs each and every image on this site. Boy, do some (if not all) of them make you smile. Collections from animals, objects, people, and so much more are waiting to be used for your next personal or commercial project.
End up making some cash when using Ryan’s photos in your content? You have the option to thank him by purchasing him a cup of coffee. How clever is he?
5. Burst by Shopify
Created to offer “free photography for entrepreneurs,” you’ll find the crisp and clean visuals you need to fuel your next content piece. Most photos were taken in-house and are broken up into collections centered on trending business niches.
Popular categories range from fitness to fashion, coffee, yoga, travel, food, wine—you name it, this site has it. Jump right in and sign up for the e-newsletter. You’ll get the top new photos sent straight to your inbox each and every week.
6. Picjumbo
Here’s yet another totally free, first-class photo collection site available at your disposal. I know… shocker, right? It’s used by millions of bloggers, designers, and marketers around the world. So, it’s obvious this resource makes it painless for you to find stock photography with a “touch of real life.”
And, if you’re still left wanting more, you have the option to sign up for a premium membership. It’ll give you access to more than 3,000 never-before published images, premium collections released every month, unlimited downloads, and so much more. Pricing varies based on your needs. But, as a blogger, you’re looking at an investment as low as $10 / month.
7. Pexels
Do you wish there was a site that offered a slew of free and ready-to-use photos sourced from multiple stock photography sites and photographers under one roof? Well, this database gives you just that.
Each month, more than 3,000 handpicked, high-resolution images are added to the growing library of more than 30,000. All are easily searchable, making it that much easier to find just what you need to tell your brand’s story.
8. Death to Stock Photos
Once you subscribe, a pack of 10 free and beautiful photos is sent straight to your inbox every month. Each monthly pack is based on a certain category, giving you a variety to choose from to start using for your content pieces and even social media posts.
And, if you’re looking to become a fresh stock photog A-lister, you can sign up for its Premium membership. Instead of new collections sent once a month, you’ll get them at least every other week, in addition to a few other perks.
9. 123RF
With clientele including Apple, Google, Amazon, and more, you’ll pay to use any of this site’s royalty-free stock photos, vector graphics, footage, or audio. But, not as much as you might think.
Visuals are purchased using credits (basically $1 per credit). And most, on average, require 2 credits for the minimum size and resolution. Choose a plan that works best for you and your needs—On Demand or Subscription—and start searching the growing library of more than 75 million creative works.
10. Adobe Stock
When it’s Adobe, you can expect nothing less than a prodigious library of images to work with. This stock image database has grown to more than 55 million royalty-free photos, graphics, and videos provided by top creatives. While it requires a membership to use, it’s extremely affordable, giving you the ability to take your content to the next level.
With plans as low as $29.99/mo. for at least 10 stellar visuals every month, you definitely get a good bang for your buck. But, beware: you might go down a rabbit hole of endless scrolling while exploring assets for your next piece here.
11. Pikwizard
Pikwizard is a new arrival to the market, but already is proving to be a hugely useful resource. There are some really high-quality images on the site, particularly the images with the “free to use” license, as these images wouldn’t look out of place on some of the paid stock photo sites. If you want to see some good examples then try searching the site for “office” or “meeting”.
BONUS:
All these photos and graphics leave you feeling crafty and wanting to create your own visuals with ease? Look no further than Snappa or Canva. These two sites are our favorites, making it a piece of cake for you to design an array of marketing graphics to compliment your copy.
Does the thought of continuously needing to craft copy that sells keep you up at night?
I used to be right there with you. That was, until I started using ScriptDoll. It’s your new software companion dedicated to assisting you with composing persuasive sales content in minutes. Once you create your product portfolio and answer a handful of painless questions, ScriptDoll drops those answers into thoughtfully crafted content scripts that sell—sales letters, email sequences, the list goes on.
Here’s how entrepreneurs like you benefit from using ScriptDoll:
- Increases your productivity level while saving you writing time—simply complete your product portfolio, answer a handful of straightforward questions, and voilà. ScriptDoll turns your answers into enticing, concise copy that drives sales. Best thing is, it’ll free up your time. Fewer hours spent wrestling with the writing process and plenty more spent focusing on what matters most (understanding your customer and offering).
- Helps you avoid sounding like a broken record—new templates are added on a monthly basis, ensuring your audience doesn’t get tired hearing the same thing over and over again. Fresh sales letters, email sequences, video sales scripts, native ads, and much more can be crafted just for you at the touch of a button
- Allows you the opportunity to keep your copywriting in house—there’s no need to spend thousands of dollars outsourcing your video marketing writing to copywriters. ScriptDoll crafts its effective templates thanks to its connections with some serious first-class copywriters around the world!
- Decreases your workload to almost nothing with pre-made product profiles—are you a puppy trainer, dentist, plastic surgeon or graphic designer? If so, you’re in luck because your product profile has already been completed for you. There are many more waiting to be used within the software engine.
Gone are the late nights and early mornings trying to crank out content pieces that get the attention of your audience, making it that much easier to convert them into customers. What’s that sound I hear through the computer screen? You breathing a sigh of relief? I thought so. Go ahead and grab hold of these benefits—ScriptDoll has you covered.
Wave Goodbye to Hours of Writing—Get Your Personalized Copy That Sells Today!
Half the battle of creating content is finding visually appealing, legal-to-use images and graphics to accessorize it, helping the number of views and conversion rates to skyrocket. Finally, you have a list of resources to steer clear from cheesy stock photography. Not to mention, you’re now familiar with a one-of-a-kind tool to add to your marketing arsenal, saving you hours spent writing content for your product or service.
The success stories keep coming from customers using the ScriptDoll Software—relieving them from the struggles of writer’s block while kicking their conversions up a few notches with little to no effort. We hope you’ll join them and look forward to you getting the results you’ve been searching for. They’re ready and waiting for you.
Is there another site you use to find visuals for your copy to add to the list shared here today? If so, let us know in the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you.
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