Have you ever tried to use a photo for a social media post or a blog post and it said “editorial only”? If so, you’ve come across the perfect blog post. We’re here to explain what “editorial only” means and how you can use them or find alternatives to using them. 

What “Editorial Only” Means

Editorial only photos are pictures that tend to include design logos. Say that you were making a social media post talking about how to create the perfect post on Instagram to generate a lot of views. Maybe you would want to use a picture of Instagram’s logo for your picture for the post. In order to use that picture, there are some requirements. 

Editorial only photos require special licenses to use the photo and they’re used typically to illustrate news, events, or subjects of public interest. They cannot be used for commercial uses such as advertising a product.

Under the scenario given above, you would most likely not be able to use an “editorial only” photo as the subject of the post isn’t necessarily informing the public of news or an event. It’s best to use an alternative.

Alternatives to Using “Editorial Only” Photos

There are so many different alternatives to choose from depending on what the content of your post is. 

Commercial stock photography is perfect for when you’re trying to promote/advertise a product. You can use websites like Shutterstock or Adobe Stock to access photos for commercial use. Please note that you will still need a license to access these photos, but they’re not hard or expensive to obtain like the “editorial only” photos.

As AI is growing, more and more people have been using AI generated images for their marketing and social media posts. Using AI allows you to generate pictures just from you typing a description of what you would want the picture to be and the AI will generate it for you. However, it’s important to understand the use and potential restrictions of using AI generated pictures for commercial uses.