Grab your tea or coffee...and pull up a chair, friends. Today, I'm going to share top tips regarding using other people's images in your blogs....a big part of blogging etiquette.

This is an older post I’ve updated a little bit.

So, first, what is good blogging etiquette with respect to using another designer's images?

ONE:

Ask written permission from the designer, whose work you admire, if you can use one of their images.

TWO:

Make sure YOU, as the blogger, take the responsibility to ask the designer if they own the right to give you permission to use that image.

Some of you who are newer designers/bloggers may not realize that the designer/other blogger you are requesting permission from doesn’t own the right to give you permission to use the image you’re requesting. You could find yourself in an unwanted lawsuit, because you didn’t know that, so always ask:

“Do you have permission from your photographer to let me use this image? “

In this way, we also protect the livelihoods of our photographer friends.

And a tip: If you are a designer/retailer/manufacturer reading this post: always try to buy copyright from your photographer and get it in writing that you own copyright. This is the only way to absolutely protect yourself from future lawsuits.

And if you don’t own copyright or can’t afford to buy it, always get it spelled out in writing in your agreements with your photographers - before the photoshoot - where you have the right to use the image and who you have permission to give the image to, should a request come in for it. Every serious digital or print magazine that might want to publish your work will ask you to give them a copy of your photographer’s permission, in writing.

( And if you missed our most popular post: #GetPublished, Our 5 Top Tips For Great Photoshoots That Help You Get Your Work Published More Often, where we used images, with permission, from Laura Schwartz Muller of FourPointDesignBuild, click here to read that, after you finish reading this.

THREE:

Always place a live link, (know in blogging lingo as *proper attribution*) back to that designer's website or blog, so they get the SEO (Google search engine optimization) juice from your blog.

This live link from one blog to another is what’s known as a backlink. High quality backlinks from one highly ranked site with great content to another helps you build your SEO > your blog’s ability to rank higher in the search engines when consumers are searching for your services or products.

It is always a nice idea to ask the designer, when you are getting their permission to use their photo, where on their site they would like your live link to point to: their blog, their home page, etc.

A DIGRESSION

A live link can point to anywhere! Maybe the designer whose images you’re featuring wants it to point to their email opt in giveaway...especially if they have that on a separate landing page, with its own separate URL.

Have you ever thought of doing that? Creating a landing page just for your email opt in giveaway, so you can track how much traffic lands there when you advertise your email opt in?

Also, if you have created a separate landing page for your email opt in, you can put a live link to that landing page in you Instagram bio. A special landing page also gives you the opportunity to put front and center your priority call to actions, including signing up for your newsletter, your blog, scheduling a discovery call, etc.

BACK TO POINT THREE

Placing a live link in your post next to or below an image that says, *SOURCE* or *PINTEREST* or *XYX magazine*, is not considered proper attribution. I see so many well known bloggers and designers doing this and to me, it indicates laziness.

You can use Google's Reverse Image Search functionality to find the designer of any image you like. It may take a little time, but if you read the small snippet of metadata below each image you find on Google, you will eventually find the actual source.

FOUR

Okay. Now, let's talk about affiliate product links. Unless you ask the designer (and photographer) in writing if it is ALSO okay to place affiliate product links on items in their image, it is not good blogging etiquette to do that. 

Why? Well, would you want someone making money off of your design work, and/or photography work, without your permission? Probably not, right? 

What happens when you do this, anyway? You create a lack of trust amongst your fellow bloggers within the blogging community and don't encourage their goodwill. 

And you may say to yourself, "I don't care what my fellow bloggers think...and I am willing to deal with whatever copyright issues are thrown at me from photographers."  And that’s okay and you’re right…but just remember….both brands and your fellow designers/bloggers are noticing and fewer opportunities will come your way as a result.

And if you want to avoid all of those issues?

Buy the copyright to your photos from your photographers, and get it, in writing, that you own full copyright.

Remember: even if you pay a photographer to take images for you, they own copyright, unless it’s in writing that you own copyright.

FIVE

WHEN IS IT OK TO USE OTHER PEOPLE'S IMAGES FOR AFFILIATE PRODUCT LINKING?

The only time when it is okay to use images that are not yours or that you don’t have written permission to use for purposes of putting affiliate links behind them, is when those images come from a manufacturer's own site (although once in a great while even this can be problematic, because small or newer mfgs. don’t always realize they need to purchase copyright from their photographers, so they don’t have usage rights in writing) or when you are getting photos from a free resource or a site where you are paying to get a subscription for images, like Adobe Stock Photos.

If the mfg. has the image on their own site, and your affiliate link links to a product from that manufacturer, you are supporting the sale of the manufacturer's own products. Manufacturers appreciate that.

For instance, below you will see the covers of 4 of the 4 page mini-magazines that we have designed for four of our Savour Partnership clients.

In 3 of 4 of these magazines, there are affiliate links, but the images used for these links (that our clients curated and selected) came only from the manufacturers's own sites, and link back to that manufacturer, so that our clients are supporting the sale of that manufacturer's products. 

In addition, all of the design work in these mini-magazines is the work of our own clients, so they are not using anyone else's images to support their ability to make passive income from their curated product selections, backed by affiliate links, that are in their mini-magazines, that live on their websites and blogs. 

To subscribe to the blogs and social media channels of these clients, please click here.

I hope this post helps clear up any confusion you have re: the use of other people's images, (#OPI) and if you all have any questions about other aspect of blogging etiquette, please ask them in the comments, or over in our Facebook Group, http://facebook.com/groups/designwealth, and I will be happy to answer them for you. 

One last thought...that applies to blogging, too.

And one more top tip for you! The images I used in this post that are not my own came from the site, www.unsplash.com, where all the gorgeous images are yours to use, for free. Another to use? www.pexel.com.

And if you want to find even more images, and don’t mind paying for a subscription service? Try Adobe Stock Photo. By using Adobe Stock Photo, you are also supporting the photographers who make a living by uploading their photos to that site.

And if you have other free sites that you like for finding images, please leave that information in the comments,

And, lastly...if you think other bloggers/designers/creatives you know, would find this post helpful, please consider pinning the image below and sharing this post with them.

Thank you!

Leslie Carothers
Chief Energizing Officer
The Kaleidoscope Partnership + co-owner, Savour Partnership

www.savourpartnership.com
www.instagram.com/savourpartnership
www.facebook.com/savourpartnership