The Ultimate Guide to Using Stock Photos of People in Marketing

Today, visual materials determine how successful your marketing campaign or content will be. High-quality photos of people can help you convey emotion, tell a story, and connect with your audience. Yet, it's getting harder and harder to captivate the attention of your audience amidst the sea of content being produced every day. 

People’s attention spans are shrinking, and competition is fiercer than ever. That’s why you need to know how to stand out by using stock images of people in your content. With eight practical tips, this guide will teach you how to choose authentic images that resonate with your target audience. Keep reading to learn more!

Dos and don'ts for using stock images of people in your marketing materials

1. Avoid cheesy stock photos of people

When browsing pictures of people on Depositphotos, don’t fall for cheesy photos—the ones that scream low effort, inauthenticity, and lackluster. If you can see that the person in the photo is trying too hard, so can your audience. 

Instead, opt for images that are authentic, diverse, and relatable. Stock content platforms like Depositphotos often have curated collections with handpicked visuals. They contain trendy and original images that are ready to be used for a variety of creative projects. 

2. Choose natural-looking images

A good rule of thumb is to choose photographs of people who show real emotions, natural poses, and realistic behaviors. Over-enthusiastic or over-posed images can come across as forced and insincere, turning your audience away.

To prevent your audience from bouncing from your content, opt for images that feel genuine. Say no to cliched photography concepts from the 2000s, such as cheesy stock images of business people shaking hands, people laughing into the camera while cooking alone, or women shopping with exaggerated smiles.

3. Do not use unrealistic scenarios

Do you know what’s worse than unnatural images? Unrealistic scenarios. People may just skip over a staged picture of someone with fake emotions without paying attention. However, unrealistic scenarios can upset customers and create negative associations with your business.  

For example, stock photos present many stereotypes about bosses. You can see pictures of a boss surrounded by five people, demanding to answer two or three calls and sign papers. But does this happen in real life? Most likely not. In reality, bosses are often busy but not so overworked.

4. Consider your target audience

Do not pick a random stock photo of a person for your project. Make sure it represents your audience and is relevant to the content and context of your marketing message. This way, your audience will be able to relate to the image more easily, improving the impact of your message. 

For better results, use A/B testing or split testing. This is a research method where you compare two versions of a marketing asset to see which one performs better. With real-time feedback, A/B testing allows you to enhance content engagement, reduce bounce rates, and boost conversion rates.

5. Do not overuse popular images of people

Steer clear of using overly popular images that have been widely used by other brands. They can make your content look generic. Instead, try to find original stock photos of people that can help your message stand out. 

Let’s say you own a fitness-related business. Another photo of a supermodel training will not attract attention. But if you use a picture of a mother who can easily pick up her kids after following your workout plan, it might resonate more. Potential customers will be able to better relate to the image and see the real-life benefits of your product or service.

6. Pick high-quality visuals

This rule may seem obvious, but it is worth highlighting: always pick high-quality visuals for your content. High-quality means crisp and clear images that are well-lit and visually appealing. 

Although visual content always generates 94% more views than text-only marketing, low-quality images can make your materials look unprofessional and damage your brand’s credibility. This fact is also supported by the Cornell Tech study that found a correlation between picture quality and online sales performance. Increased image quality leads to increased sales. 

7. Do not overdo the editing

Excessive editing can make images look unnatural, and as you know from the previous points, unnatural pictures can turn customers away. Besides, authenticity is a trend. Therefore, it's important to strike a balance between editing for quality and keeping images authentic.

Photos with visible pores, post-acne marks, wrinkles, freckles, stretch marks, gray hair, and other aspects that people perceive as flaws can actually be more appealing to customers. All because they can relate to the model's appearance and see themselves in the product being advertised.

8. Pay attention to licensing

Last but not least is the licensing of stock photos of people; it can save you from legal issues in the future. Never use stock images without proper licensing, as this can lead to costly legal disputes. 

Always read the license agreement and make sure you have the right to use a specific image. For example, some types of licenses allow images to only be used in certain media or for a certain period of time.

Final thoughts 

These are the basic rules for using stock images of people in your marketing materials, creative projects, and advertising campaigns. However, when it comes to effective use of stock images, the sky's the limit. The next step might be learning the psychology of colors in your marketing visuals and how they can impact your audience's impression of your business. There’s always more to learn.