How to Repurpose Stock Content for Social Media Accounts and Grab Attention

How to Repurpose Stock Content for Social Media Accounts and Grab Attention

When it comes to social media, uploading posts is a key. Although people try to create unique and eye-catching visuals for their social media posts, not all users (including nano-influencers or small businesses) can show off their creativity and make something original.

At the same time, the demand for visuals is big. Thus, many users think about relying on professionally-made photos. Simply put, most businesses and influencers have thought about using stock content at least once.

Stock content covers all aspects you could think of, from sunsets, doctors in an operating room, wildlife, and any topic under the sun. It is not only images but illustrations, drawings, audio, and videos. When used right, stock content saves you time and money and it is at your own convenience.

Continuously creating and producing original content can get expensive and tiring. It's a great shortcut that millions of people use and is very much acceptable and common practice amongst content creators.

The question is: how to repurpose stock content for social media to customize these common visuals and grab the attention. And the answer is here, in this post!

Who May Want to Use Stock Content on Social Media?

But before we dig into creative ways on repurposing stock content, let's find out whether you may want to find these professionally-looking generic visuals that match your idea and pay a fee for using these images to upload them to your social media profile.

The short answer is anyone.

No matter what is your purpose of creating content for social media, whether you market your products or you establish yourself as an influencer, stock content such as images or videos allows you to get a quick, easy, free image that will help emphasize and give a visual understanding of the covered topic. Thus, the following categories of social media users may want to use stock content:

  • Influencers
  • Businesses
  • Common users

Once you focus on social media ideas that require a bright visual, stock content allows you to find the right content to use for your posts. You may want to have a more significant impact with your content, and adding audio and visuals helps to catch people's attention. Anyone from big businesses to online shops, everyone interested in creating great content uses stock content.

Where to Find Stock Content on the Web?

Any search engine you use will help you find stock content, from videos to graphic illustrations and images.

Using Google, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and others, a quick web search with the topic will get you many websites that offer stock content. Alternatively, you can search the web and use the tab for images and videos that appear at the top of the search page for available content. IG tools are also a way to get stock content to use on the app.

But if you want to browse websites that are dedicated to stock content, you can check out Unsplash where you can find hundreds of free images.

Or you can also use a website like DepositPhotos or ShutterStock that aim at producing high-quality stock content.

In short, a quick search online or on various apps created to have a repository of stock images or videos are available, some at a cost, others free.

1. Create a Brand Visual Identity with Stock Images


Stock images come in complete types: from vectors, illustrations, drawings, pictures, and digital designs. These stock images are in the billions because the variety has been endless.

When using stock content for your business profile, you can choose specific colors that match your brand identity or even use some elements of royalty-free visuals to create your own brand identity.

In doing so, you can coordinate the colors of your brand to match those with the stock images and create a harmonious color palette that presents your brand well.

For example, you can find a stock image that matches your brand style, add your brand text, logo, or products to make it a custom visual for social media, just like in the example from Lulu:

Brand identity is highly important to create an impression on your target audience. The brand identity creates identifiers that people can quickly and accurately identify as your business with a simple glance. It's the brand's voice.

2. Find Vector Images for Your Infographic Posts


Vector images are digitally created images and graphic effects that can create an exciting look for your posts.


Instead of presenting a boring table with numbers on Microsoft Word, add your brand's colors and personality using vector images.

The best part about this is that you can stay on brand, and whenever your infographic ideas are shared across different platforms, they can be easily identified. Vector images are graphics made to catch your attention enough for you to have a glance. You can get as creative as you need to by editing the vectors to suit your tastes while still staying on brand.

3. Include Eye-Grabbing Elements in Photo Collages

Using different images that tie in with your brands' image helps send out a clear communication of what exactly you are about.

Make a collage of images that complement each other, be it in color or the theme; it should make sense and be balanced in terms of the sizes of images used. Having a collage is not all you can do; add elements such as graphics, frames, borders, and such to make the collage interesting. A few words, too, can be added if they will add to the purpose of the collage. Don't let any additions take away the main focus of the collage.

Any inspiration needed? Check out this Instagram post from Sellfy! It looks cool, right?

4. Enrich Your Videos with Stock Background Music


Stock content includes audio and video as well, not just images. If you have videos with narrations or voiceovers, it's essential to have a background audio to help create the right mood and emotions you are targeting.

Background audio is able to create feelings and emotions more than the actual information. It also helps a person better understand the message and react in a more predictable way in terms of their emotions. If it is energy, melancholy, or a lovey-dovey feeling, audio is able to carry these feelings well. It's also known that people respond more to emotions. So add music to your content and see how people will engage with your content.

5. Use Stock Images as Background for Quotes


Quotes have always been a good idea for any business or influencer. It's more likely that you have seen inspirational quotes with beautiful images in the background.

Most of the time, the image is more inspiring and eye-catching than the wise words written in front of it. This is actually one of the most common reasons people use stock images. Stock content, such as video clips and background audio, is used to create short videos for platforms such as YouTube or Instagram. Creating a quick inspirational quote can be done in very few minutes and still have that impact. Many people do this because it works and is effective.


6. Enhance Social Media Texts with Relevant Visuals

Not only do people have short attention spans of 8 seconds, but most of them are also visual learners who perceive visual information better. This means that using visuals in your texts is a proven way to grab their attention. When you need to add flair and attractive visual elements, you can always browse relevant categories and find stock content.

To make your texts more readable or at least get people's attention to pause and read, adding relevant images to the post goes a long way. A person is more likely to stop and read your post because the visuals you used caught their attention. Make sure the content you create is in line with your content and the intentions of the message. Avoid using irrelevant content, as this can be found as annoying, clickbait, or distracting from the intended purpose.

A good example of this strategy is below:

There is nothing new under the sun. No matter how hard you try, there will always be something similar to the aesthetics you use for your brands.

But if you want the content you're creating to be as unique as possible and avoid feeling that you're using a cookie-cutter type of content, there are platforms that stock beautiful and unique content at a small fee. The fact that you will spend a few coins for it will go a long way. It will be permanently on your rotation and less likely to be found commonly used. Many people opt for those that are free, and that's okay too.

In Short


The whole point of stock content is to be able to have variety without limit. Daily new stock content is being uploaded, so repeating any design for your brand is unlikely unless it is something you choose. Stock Content allows you the freedom to do the more pressing matters and not having to worry about details such as images or audio. It is also a quick and easy solution compared to actually producing these images or videos by yourself.

A ready-made and well-packaged stock content of any topic is always received positively by the audience. It removes the space for mediocrity and errors you may have made if you were to attempt to produce all the content. Stock content looks professional and well done which in turn will make your brand look well put together. The brand's look is the face and the more attractive the better. Moreover, you can repurpose stock content to add something new and unique, stand out from the crowd, and grab the attention of your audience.