May’s Stock Photo Fail of the Month

Here at McCauley Marketing Services, we spend a lot of time sorting through stock photos. Finding the right image to accompany a blog, social media post, newsletter, or other project can be a great way to capture the attention of whomever it is that you want to engage with your content. Though stock image libraries are virtually limitless. Every once in a while a truly bizarre or ridiculous photo can find its way into your stock image search. We call these “stock photo fails”.

This month’s example comes courtesy of Shutterstock. While searching for a photo to pair with a blog about fat transfer injections, we entered the search term “fat transfer”. While we eventually found what we were looking for, we were also quickly introduced to this guy:

A pig and his barrow is certainly a very literal (if not totally incorrect) interpretation of our search term. While he’s certainly not hurting anyone, this picture would still be a tough sell for our fat transfer blog. The trick to weeding out bad results and finding the right images is to be as specific as you can while searching. Otherwise you may end up spending way more time than you intended digging through a never-ending maze of pictures that aren’t quite right.

With that out of the way, here are a few other suggestions for anyone trying to choose the perfect stock photo:

• Find a picture that can capture your reader’s attention. Whether it’s an article on a social media platform or a print advertisement in a magazine, odds are the first thing your reader is going to notice is the image attached to your content. Think of the photo as the hook and your copywriting as the line reeling the audience in. So find something a little-eye catching if you can.
• Don’t be afraid to get creative. Though our swine friend above may not have been a fit for our blog, choosing a slightly out-of-the-box (though still relevant) image can be a great way to show your readers that you have a sense of humor. Just keep it tasteful and keep your subject in mind.

Don’t forget to be aware of the legal permissions attached to whatever image you ultimately select. Generally speaking, there’s no such thing as a free photo. As amusing as a stock photo fail can be, it’s not going to help your marketing content find its audience. If you would prefer to leave the searching to the pros, contant McCauley Marketing Services today to schedule a consultation. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for more marketing tips and information.