Using Unsplash for brand awareness and backlinks

One of my subscribers, Max, works for a paddle board startup.

They had some nice images from photoshoots. So he made an account on Unsplash (the photo discovery platform) and uploaded them.

Five months later the images have 6M views. And 24k downloads.

Pretty neat brand awareness!

Here's where it gets interesting.

Max realised if people were downloading the images they’d also be being used on websites.

So he uploads each one to Google Images. And finds 50 websites using Tower Paddle Boards photos.

Now, Unsplash images are free to use. There’s no obligation to link. But ask politely and people are happy to help.

So, Max sends the following email to each website.

So far eight have replied. And four added backlinks.

To quote Max:

Four links isn’t exactly monumental, but as a company built through SEO, it's so critical.

The best part is it's sustainable.

Next month Max's images will be used on a new bunch of sites. He can send another bunch of emails. And pick up another bunch of links.

— Harry