6 Awesome Websites For Free Stock Videos

Take a scroll through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and you will notice that video content is dominating.  In 2017 alone, social media video advertising grew by 130%. In fact, social media platforms actually prefer video content over plain text or photos. Video content also is beneficial for your website and blog! Videos increase time spent by a user on a website and can increase sales.  74% of users who watched an explainer video to better understand a product or a service ended up buying the product or service after watching the video.

Your business should be taking advantage of this and creating video content, however, we know it can be a bit intimidating especially if you do not know where to start.  The good news is that there are now many sites where you can find free stock videos, which you can then edit with text and upload! Using stock videos will allow you to create content without the hassle (and cost) of a large production. While this won’t replace personalized videos – like product/service explainer videos or product tutorials etc – it is still a great start so that you can build a video library for attention-grabbing purposes on social media.

We have compiled a list of 6 awesome websites for free stock videos (Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license) – and we are sharing them with you today, so you can start creating amazing video content!

Copyright & Usage

When using stock videos please make sure you pay attention to the websites/videos copyright rules. You should get familiar with different copyright or license requirements and how they apply to each picture or website.  You do not want to get in trouble with the copyright Gods.

For Creative Commons copyright licenses – visit this website.

This article also has some good content regarding online images copyright and fair use laws.

What You Will Need

In order to create your video content, you will need video editing software (like Camtasia or iMovie). You can also search the Microsoft store or Google for free video editing software. Just keep in mind that most of the time,  free software may add a watermark on your finished product.

Where To Find Stock Videos

Vidsplay

Vidsplay offers completely free stock footage. Vidsplay grants non-exclusive rights to use and download their video material without the need to pay royalties for each use.

Pixabay

All videos (and images) on Pixabay are released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required.

Pexels

Pexels began as a free photo site but has since added a large library of free HD stock videos.

Their collection is also under the CC0 license, so you can edit and use the videos for personal or commercial purposes without asking for permission or linking back to the original source.

Videvo

The main license you will find that applies to stock files on Videvo is the Royalty-Free license. This allows you to download a clip and use this clip in as many projects as you like, forever. There is also no need to credit the author with Royalty-Free licenses, although a credit is always appreciated.

Another commonly used license we use is Creative Commons 3.0. This allows you to use the clip for free, forever, and you must also credit the author in your project.

Splitshire

Splitshire was created by  Daniel Nanescu, a web designer, who wanted to offer his photos and videos free for personal and commercial use. The photos and videos on the site were all created by one person, which makes them more unique than content from other stock sites.

The videos are primarily drone footage of beautiful outdoor scenes, and you can download them by clicking on the title below each video. You’re free to use them across all your social media channels, but you can’t sell them or use them in projects with inappropriate content such as violence, racism, or discrimination.

Distill

Distill offers a collection of carefully curated stock footage, made for creatives by creatives. Once you submit your email address,  you will get 10 free videos delivered to your inbox every 10 days. Since the clips have been handpicked by a team of creatives, you’re guaranteed to get video footage that will help you stand out on social.

Time to create

Feeling unsure about what to create? Take some time to look at other businesses, brands and influencers are creating for ideas. Do not copy them – however, let it inspire you. Remember – you can create a video as simple as an inspirational quote, short story, testimonials etc!

Have fun with it and make sure to tag us on social media or leave a link of your video in the comments below so we can see what you have created!