Where to Find Post Images that Aren’t Boring

Where to find post images that aren’t boring is essential because every single published post needs at least one image. Images move people. A picture speaks a thousand words. People expect pictures. A post with an image looks more professional. You need to find post images for every blog you publish.

Where to You Find Post Images

I’m not a designer or photographer, yet I post images for four blog posts every week. I concluded that images don’t have to be perfect. People are tired of seeing the same stock photos over and over, and if they’re not the same photo—they feel the same. People prefer real to staged images. Here are a few of the strategies I use.

Repeat headers

I’ve shared Top Ten lists, FAQs, Tech Talk, and other posts on a regular basis. The designer created headers for each. I reuse them every time I post under those titles. For example, for one organization I write for, I interview employees. I use a Team Talk header as the featured image. I may also add secondary images within the post.

Free photos

I currently use two free photo apps. I’ve used others in the past. Some disappeared. Some changed. So, rather than linking to any free photo services here, my best advice is to Google free photos, note what’s currently available, and then play with a few of them to find one or two you like.

Use your smartphone

Smartphones take great photos, and how much more real can you get? I take a lot of photos and never thought about using them for a blog until one day, I needed a photo of a butterfly. So, I had a close-up shot of a butterfly I’d taken in my flower garden. I sent it to one of my marketing teammates, who ran it through a few edits—and it worked! I thanked him for the edits, to which he replied, “It didn’t take much. You could’ve done it.” He showed me what he’d done, and he was right. I could’ve done that, and you can too.

Several photo editing apps are available; I like Instagram’s photo editing features and crop photos in WordPress.

I’ve learned to take advantage of opportunities. When I see an interesting or unusual shot, I take it regardless of whether I have a post in mind. I’ve photographed an old multi-colored brick wall, an “Open” flag flapping in the wind, old signs, and more. I’ve used many of these photos, and occasionally, the photo inspires a blog post.

Recycle images

As of this writing, I’ve published more than 2000 posts. It hit me that using 2000 images, each used only once, was a waste of resources. I began researching past images and often found previously used images that were appropriate for new posts. I don’t always use them, but they’re another viable resource.

What About Paid Services?

I use a paid service provided by an organization I write for. Too often, I’ve found stock photos that are overworked, predictable, and boring. (Maybe I needed to look harder.) Using other resources such as free photo apps doesn’t mean you won’t be predictable and boring—it means you won’t pay someone to be boring, and you may be surprised at what you can find and create that is new, fresh, and intriguing. How do you find images for your blog?

 How Can I Help?

Let me know if I can offer any help or advice. If this post struck a nerve, you might want to check out my book, How to Stay Ahead of Your Business Blog Forever. The book is full of action plans to create a blogging/writing system that works for you.

If you enjoyed this, you might also like, What Makes a Blog Attractive to Readers?

Featured Image by Brian Cragun from Pixabay 

(I’ve used this image before.)

 

 

 

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