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I’ve found a new low-cost royalty-free image resource that is a great alternative to Unsplash! It’s called JumpStory.
OK, so it’s not free like Unsplash. But what you get in return for a low-cost subscription is global insurance. Unsplash can’t guarantee that you won’t get sued for using a photo improperly.
DIYMarketers has a special offer for folks who decide to try JumpStory: Click over to Jumpstory and use the PROMO CODE: FREE3 to get 3 FREE Months of JumpStory!
A Cheaper Alternative to iStock, Shutterstock
You already know that emotions convert better. And the problem with most stock images (other than the insane price) is that they are just “fake” and your audience knows it.
The lower-cost stock images that you’ll find on iStock, Shutterstock or DepositPhotos just don’t do the trick.
Here’s a photo I’ve used in the past for the search term “overwhelmed”:
While it certainly conveys the emotion that you want for high-converting images, it is so contrived that it’s virtually ignored and just taking up space. In other words, it’s not moving your content, story or buyer forward.
Here’s a photo I got from JumpStory for the same term “overwhelmed”
Whether it’s contrived or not, I think it looks less “fake” and is a more powerful communication of the desired emotion.
In fact, the unique, authentic images at JumpStory perform up to 80% better than ordinary stock photos and videos you find at other sites. JumpStory’s focus on authenticity creates real emotions that really connect.
It’s no secret that most stock photo sites have image libraries that limit representation and aren’t very inclusive. JumpStory has images of real people, showing diverse representations of different body types, age groups, skin colors, and ability levels, without the stiff, unnatural feeling of most stock photos. Their mission to showcase diverse, inclusive images and videos creates content that is more meaningful and more powerful in your marketing.
JumpStory Images Carry Global Insurance
JumpStory’s library only contains images with a CC0 license, or the equivalent international license, so you are free to use the work for any purpose. Business users are also protected by JumpStory’s guarantee, that protects and holds you harmless in case of a copyright lawsuit, as long as you use the images within their terms of service.
Because JumpStory is a platform, rather than a content owner, creators may submit DMCA takedown notices to JumpStory, but their focus on including only CC licensed works makes that highly improbable. The combination of sourcing quality images from known, reputable partners, and offering global liability insurance for business users allows you to use JumpStory images without worrying about copyright claims and liability hassles.
JumpStory’s Advanced Search
JumpStory has millions of authentic, high performing photos, videos, illustrations, vectors, and even audio files and icons. But their advanced search makes it easy to navigate their huge library, finding exactly what you need every time. JumpStory has AI-assisted search, so you always get the best matches for high-quality, high-performing, globally licensed content.
You can also filter search results by orientation, style, color scheme, relevance, people, etc, so you find exactly the images you are looking for. Save the images you like to your own collection, so you can use them any time you want.
JumpStory Provides Curated Collections
If you’re short on time, you can use JumpStory’s convenient Curated Collections feature. They have handpicked collections and categories of thousands of stock photos and graphics, sorted by trends, industries, seasons, lifestyles, locations, and more. With curated collections, you can just click on a pre-selected collection of images related to your topic, whether you are looking for “Back to School,” “Sri Lanka”, “Robotics”, or the latest trending topics.
One of my favorite features is called “Customer Collections”.
With other photo sites you have to search for specific types of images yourself. JumpStory’s custom collections make this super easy for bloggers. Simply click on the “Custom Collections” menu item and you’ll see a series of categories of pre-curated images ready to pick from.
One of my favorite collections that’s a real time-saver is the Marketing Calendar. There, you’ll find collections based on holidays and seasons that you an easily integrate into any of your marketing campaigns whether it’s written content or video.
Use the Personal Assistant to Find Photos For Your Content
Another interesting feature found in JumpStory that I haven’t noticed in alternative platforms is something they call a “Personal Assistant”.
Simply fill out the form, and JumpStory will find just the right image for your marketing campaigns,
Here’s a quick video on how it works:
JumpStory Contains Photo Editing Tools
Another unique feature inside the JumpStory platform is a photo editing tool AND a background removal tool.
It’s no secret that the best way to increase conversions with images is to make them your own. Instead of jumping from one editing tool to another, you can use their photo editing features.
Customize Your Image with Image Editor
Instead of jumping from one photo editing app to another, just customize your image right inside the platform.
Remove Background
To me, the most useful photo editing feature is “remove background”. Up until now, I’ve used LunaPic to remove background images. But JumpStory’s remove background feature is much faster and easier.
Simply upload your image and click on the “remove background” button. That’s all there is to it.
Not Sure What Type of Image to Use? Try the TextMatch Feature
This is another feature I’ve not seen anywhere else. They call it TextMatch.
The idea is to insert a short paragraph of text and the JumpStart AI will find the most relevant images. As I said, it’s still in BETA, so it’s not perfect just yet, but it’s certainly useful.
After playing around with entering longer text and shorter text, I wouldn’t say that it’s quite ready for prime time. But I look forward to seeing how this improves.
The Optimize For Web Feature Will Make You Smile
Compare JumpStory to Your Current Stock Photo Platform
Here’s a handy comparison table that you can use to compare JumpStory to your current stock photo provider.
Using JumpStory with WordPress
If you’re one of the millions of entrepreneurs that use WordPress, JumpStory is even more convenient. Their WordPress plugin allows you to use all of JumpStory’s features without ever leaving the WordPress environment. Search the JumpStory library from your WordPress dashboard, add JumpStory visuals to your WordPress library, and use them across your WordPress site.
This plugin has all of JumpStory’s capabilities within WordPress, so you can also use the image editing tools from your WordPress site, saving you so much time working with stock photos.
Reasons JumpStory is a Great Alternative to UnSplash
I’ve been playing with JumpStory for a few weeks now and I really love it! To be honest, it’s a great alternative to UnSplash and whatever stock photo platforms you’re using.
- Variety of Unique Image: With 25 million images in its library, your content images are sure to stand out. How many times have you seen the same UnSplash images all over the place? When people see the same old image or stock photo, they are more likely to ignore the content. Unique images garner more attention
- Safety and Security: Every photo on JumpStory is ready to use without confusing licensing issues. This is a great alternative to Unsplash for the simple reason that any photo you use from the platform is guaranteed to be licensed and legitimate.
- In-Platform Editing: Other stock photo platforms have editing features inside the platform. But, I find the JumpStory editor easier to use.
- Time-Saving Assistant: If you’re strapped for time, you can submit your request to JumpStory’s assistant and you’ll get a curated packet of photos within 24 hours.
Other Features I Would Love to See
After using the platform for a little while, I’ve come up with a list of features I wouldn’t mind seeing.
- Set Preferences: I use a TON of images in my social media promotions. One of the things I’d like to do is set my preferences for images size.
- Bulk Optimize: I love the “optimize image for web” feature. But, I find that it takes forever to do this with each individual image. I wish I could optimize an entire folder of images and then just drop them into my social campaign.
- Download Entire Folder: One feature I’d love to have is the ability to download an entire folder of images. As it is, you’re downloading one image at a time and this can take a while if you have lots of images.
- Right Click to Download: A related feature request would be to have the right click to download image. Currently you have to click on the image to download, select a size and download. That’s a lot of clicks to get an image.
- Affordable pricing: Of course you can use UnSplash or Pexels for free stock images, but they don’t offer the huge library of unique visuals like JumpStory, and they don’t have liability protection. Among paid sites like Adobe Stock, Shutterstock, iStock, and similar sites, JumpStory is not only more affordable, but it includes advanced search, curated collections, image editing, and even a personal assistant. For all those timesaving features, you simply can’t beat the price.
- WordPress plugin: if you use WordPress, you can use their plugin to access the JumpStory library and work with images within the WordPress dashboard, making it faster and easier to add unique, powerful images to your site.
A Special Offer for DIYMarketers Readers
DIYMarketers has a special offer for folks who decide to try JumpStory: Click over to Jumpstory and use the PROMO CODE: FREE3 to get 3 FREE Months of JumpStory!