When it comes to Blog Post Images, you know that you need to have them! You’ve heard the saying “A picture is worth a thousand words”. I’m sure there are quite a few pictures out there like that, but when it comes to a blog post, that isn’t always the case. When determining which image to you, you want to make sure your posts are visually appealing and attention grabbing. Good pictures are a great way to accomplish that.
A Picture Can Draw Readers In
A picture will draw readers in and make them read your blog posts. Don’t believe me? Have a look at some of the major news sites, big blogs or even your Facebook feed. It’s the pictures that grab your attention in combination with the post title.
Try to find an image that tells the story of your post. The image should tell at a glance (with the help of the post title) what the blog post is all about. Of course you’re not limited to just one image. If it fits the topic, grab a few to illustrate what you’re talking about or show step-by-step progress.
You Need Pictures For Social Media Shares
We talked about Facebook already and how important images are there to grab your reader’s attention. But it doesn’t stop there. Think about other social sites your audience participates in. It doesn’t matter if it’s Pinterest, Instagram or even Twitter. Good blog post images will stand out and draw people in. Without it, your chances to get the click and more importantly the read and interaction on your blog are slim.
But it doesn’t stop there. As you get traffic to your post, those readers will be more likely to share your post on social media if it has a good image or two. Of course making it easy to share with social media buttons doesn’t hurt either.
But Where Do You Get Those Blog Post Images?
Now that I have you convinced that you need good images, the next question is, of course, where do you find them? You have a couple of different options when it comes to getting pictures.
1) You Can Take Them Yourself – If you’re a decent photographer and can find the subject matter you need, by all means go ahead and take your own images. Photography equipment aside, this is the cheapest and most authentic option. You can do what ever you want with those images since you took them. This is a great source for your blog post images. The downside is that it takes time to set up, take the picture, process it after and get it in a format you can use you on your blog.
2) You Can Hire Someone Else To Take Them For You – This is where things can get pricey. But you might get lucky and find a couple of college kids with decent cell phone cameras that can get you the shots you need for a little beer money.
3) Get Some Stock Photos – The most time and cost effective method for most of us is to buy stock photography. Sites like MorgueFile.com provides free images, and iStockPhoto.com and Depositphoto.com will sell you the right to use an image on your blog post for around $2. And since they are huge sites that connect you to thousands of photographers, you can find images on just about any subject with just a few keystrokes.
By the way – when you are using images, just ask yourself, Are You Stealing Images? before you use them.
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Hi Paul
Some useful tips on images – I agree with you when you say “ask yourself are you stealing them” as many people automatically assume if the appear on google etc… they are free to use
All the best
Barry
Many times people feel that if they find it on the internet, it must be ok to use… That is DEFINITELY not the case! Thanks, Barry!
I don’t use a lot of images as I don’t know the legality of using them. This probably makes my reviews and features less colourful, but at least I don’t run the risk of being illegal.
Would you recommend Getty?
I heard something about them, that they sometimes do a web crawl for their images, so you need to be able to prove you bought it.
Many of the companies, like Getty Images, go searching for images to ensure that you purchased a license. If you didn’t, they will go after you and charge you a huge fine… so always use images legally!
As long as you get them legally, you should be fine, Nick! Hold onto the licensing agreement they provide and there should be no problems.
Since I’m always taking photos, I usually use my own.
That is always the safest thing to do, Martha!
Hi Paul! My website, Weebly, that also hosts my blog offers pics for $5 and some for free. But I didn’t know that iStockPhoto now offers them for $2, which is even better. I may check them out again.
Great job Jeanine! We should talk about switching you over from Weebly… 😉
Love your information. I generally have been using my own or some that my daughter has taken. I have purchased a few from Canva. I like what they have to offer. For $1, I can edit and ad my title right that.
I LOVE Canva (http://canva.com) – I use it all the time.
I recently hired a photographer to take still photos and to make a slide show for me. I learned that her business has shrunk significantly with the onset of photo proliferation online (and screen shot grabs) in combination with people taking pretty good/good enough photos with their mobile phones. She’s very sensitive to people “stealing” photos, and has personal experience with Getty doing a web crawl for unauthorized use. So yes, it’s important to source photos appropriately and respect (pay for) other professionals for their work. Thanks again for this helpful and useful post, Paul!
I agree completely! Check out this post I wrote – Are You Stealing Images