Searching for an image and saving the first good result is the commonest way for a small account to end up with a copyright complaint. Rules differ from country to country, so this is a way of thinking, not legal advice.
Start with your own
Photographs you took and graphics you made are yours to use, and they are the safest choice. They are also the only ones that look like you. An ordinary phone picture of your own work beats a stock image of somebody else’s.
Where other images come from
- Public-domain and dedicated-to-the-public (CC0) images: you may use them without asking, though a credit is a kindness.
- Creative Commons images with conditions: most require you to credit the author, and some forbid commercial use or changes. Read the exact licence.
- Stock libraries, free or paid, each with its own licence. Check that it covers social media and commercial use.
- Pictures sent to you by customers or partners: get permission in writing and say where you will use them.
What not to do
- Do not save an image from a search or from another account and post it as your own.
- Do not assume that a credit makes it all right. Credit is not permission.
- Do not assume that deleting it later undoes it.
Keep a note
For every image you did not make, write down where it came from, the licence and the date. A one-line entry in a spreadsheet is enough, and it is the first thing you will want if somebody challenges you.
A word on AI images
Pictures made with an image generator carry their own questions about ownership and about saying how they were made. Our article on AI images covers them.
If you cannot say where a picture came from and what licence it is under, do not post it.