Considering that Tweets with images receive 150% more retweets than those without an image, and Facebook posts with images see more than double the engagement of those without images, it’s clear that having a steady stream of high-quality photos to use with your social media posts is beyond important.

Most businesses turn to stock photos to fill this need, which can be a source of beautiful visual content that can help increase engagement and reach your social media goals.

Before diving into the best places to find stock photos, we should discuss the matter of Copyright.

There are many different types of licenses that different images are subject to. If you’re unfamiliar with image copyright, you may want to get acquainted with the following terms:

 

Public Domain

 

Images under Public Domain are free to use for commercial or personal purposes, without crediting the photographer or asking for permission. These images are not protected by copyright, and can therefore also be modified to suit your preferences.

 

Creative Commons

 

Creative Commons is a set of image licenses that have different requirements for use. Some of these are listed below, but you can find a full detailed list here.

 

Attribution

 

Allows you to copy, distribute and display copyrighted work as long as you give credit to the creator of the work.

 

Non-Commercial

 

Allows you to copy, distribute and display copyrighted work only as long as it is for non-commercial use.

 

No Derivative Works

 

Allows you to copy, distribute and display copyrighted work in its exact, unaltered form.

 

Share Alike

 

Allows you to share derivative works only under the same license as the original work.

 

Royalty-free

 

These are photos that are sold at a flat rate, no matter what purpose you’re using it for.

 

Rights Managed

 

These are one-time use images, which require that if you want to use the photo for more than the specified purpose, you will need to purchase it again.

 

Finding Stock Photos

 

Free Stock Photo Options

 

  1. Unsplash
  2. StockSnap.io
  3. Negative Space
  4. Death to Stock
  5. Picjumbo

 

Paid Stock Photo Options

 

  1. Shutterstock
  2. Getty Images
  3. Fotolia
  4. iStock
  5. SuperStoc

 

Where do you find high-quality stock images to be used online?