📸 Envisioning your images

Since the 1800s, photos have allowed us to capture memories, share information, and engage in artistic expression. When combining the power of pictures with your wonderful words, you can boost reader engagement and spark excitement tenfold. This week's newsletter is about why using media to enhance your content is so essential, where to find free photos, and how to choose the right images for your publication. Let's go!

In this week's issue 📨

• The importance of images
• How to choose effective photos
• Copyright-free media

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Worth a thousand words

Why are images so important? Try imagining popular sites like IMDB, Wikipedia, or Facebook without images. No Face, just Book. How boring would that be? The internet is all about engagement, and without the presence of media to stimulate your eyes, heart, and mind, our online society wouldn't be where it is today.

The team at EMB Global explains why using images on your site is so crucial and how they benefit your business.

‣ If your publication has quality content mixed with visually appealing and educational media, this results in more clicks and conversions. Use images that stand out from your peers so your uniqueness shines through. Getting readers hooked on your content is key, and you can use media to help you do it.

‣ Site visitors will have an easier time connecting with your content if they see an image that sparks the right emotions. Your media should help you tell whatever story you're trying to tell, and when your subscribers see themselves in your journey, they'll not only attach to your words but also to who you are as a creator.

‣ When using images, be sure to give them a relevant file name, title, and description to increase search engine optimization. The better your SEO, the more traffic your site gets. Also, pay attention to image size for optimal loading speed. (Images on Ghost are automatically resized and optimized.)

‣ Images give your site visitors something satisfying to look at and click on while perusing your content. You can use media to guide your readers to where you need them to go to get the full experience for your publication, so where you place your images and how they complement your content matters. Grab, guide, and go.

‣ The best media keeps your subscribers coming back for more. Combining the right image with the right words creates an excitement they won't forget. Think of the websites you visit consistently and how they make you feel. Making your imagery distinctive, informative, and exciting is powerful.

‣ The quality and style of your images reflect your expertise within your niche. Presenting yourself at a high standard builds trust among your target audience and keeps your word-of-mouth marketing strong. If you have low-quality images, site visitors will assume your content is too.

Interesting stories & ideas 📚

• AI browser wars – Platformer
• The workload fairytale – Cal Newport
• Refining your creative style – The Creative Independent
• The only newsletter guide – The Human Project
• Does your content suck? – Please Advise

Pic of the litter

We're visual creatures. In fact, the majority of people are visual learners, so using images in your content is much more engaging. Choosing the right images for your publication can determine how site visitors visualize your entire existence, so it's important to make immersive imagery one of your publishing pillars.

Sherry Holub, content writer for JVM Design, walks us through choosing the right images for your website.

Personalize

• Images used on your site and within your content speak for your brand. Rarely do you want to just throw in a stock image and call it a day. Think about what you stand for, your publication's personality, and your entire brand's vibe. Are those aspects being portrayed in the images you've chosen?
• If you've got the budget, consider hiring a photographer to give your publication the professionalism it deserves. Authentic images are what site visitors look at most, and when your readers know you're real, this creates confidence among your audience. In a world full of AI, genuine images matter.

Quality

• Another aspect of professionally shot or edited photos is the level of quality compared to photos you edit yourself. If you've got an eye for photo editing and money is tight, have at it! Otherwise, consider recruiting a professional photo editor to ensure your audience sees exactly what you want them to.
• Stock photography can be a time saver, but don't overload your site with it. Your content is made with your unique perspective, and the images you choose should mirror that. Don't pick photos that are obviously staged, feature outdated tech, or are deceptive. Your subscribers will pick up on it right away.

Emotions

• When choosing an image, what feelings does it invoke, and does it align with the same emotions your content carries? Each visual you put on your site should be purposeful so that you get the right reactions from your readers. Your words and your images should connect to paint a complete picture.
• If you can't fully capture the feel of your content with images, try capturing the spirit of your subscribers instead. What images would best represent your readers in a real way? What would they like to see, and what do they respond to emotionally? Put yourself in their shoes.

Design

• Not only do the right images matter, but where you place them on your site is just as essential. For example, feature images or infographics like charts and graphs, placed within a page, post, or newsletter, can add a crucial visual queue that keeps readers reading. Experiment to see what clicks.
• If you've had the same website theme or color scheme for a bit, don't be shy about switching things up. Trends and technology move lightning fast these days, so design decisions you made just a few years ago might be getting a bit stale. Consider asking your subscribers for feedback on what is or isn't clicking.

License to post

You're ready to pick the right images for your website, but how do you find them? It's not always as easy as using a search engine and saving whatever images you see. Many photos online are owned by other creatives, so it's wise to ensure that whatever pics you're using for your publication are safe to post. So, how do you find royalty-free pics that you can use willy-nilly?

Will Stevens, digital marketer for GoDaddy, shares where you can find free, high-quality images for your site.

#1 ISO Republic grants images and videos under a Creative Commons CC0 licence. This allows you to use and modify their media for commercial projects.

#2 Pixabay offers over 5 million stock photos, videos, and music files for free or commercial use, complete with a sensational search function.

#3 Negative Space has a decent amount of quality stock images that are CC0. You can filter by category, tag, and even photo color.

#4 Unsplash offers thousands of high-quality images for commercial and non-commercial purposes. If you're using Ghost, check out our Unsplash integration.

#5 Pexels showcases images and videos that are free to use for any purpose. Just be careful not to make it look like someone from Pexels endorses your product.

#6 Flickr is still going strong, but there are copyright restrictions on many of the photos. Some are limited to non-commercial use, and some are rights reserved.

#7 PicJumbo provides a decent amount of free stock photos. They also offer lifetime access to their premium subscription for a one-time payment.

#8 Wikimedia Commons has over 120 million freely usable media files, but not all are in the public domain. Some aren't permitted for commercial use.

Curator's pick ✍️

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