Shutterstock is a microstock photography website that specializes in providing stock images that are royalty-free. Buyers purchase a subscription which allows them to look through an huge online image library with over 6 million images and download whatever they want. Photographers, illustrators or videographers upload their work to Shutterstock and earn money whenever their content is downloaded by buyers.
One of the most popular microstock sites, Shutterstock is a great way for photographers to make money and is highly recommended by many professionals and amateurs. If you're new to Shutterstock or a current Shutterstock user, these 5 tips will help to improve your earning potential and get more of your pictures downloaded. Let's get started.
1. Use the Right Keywords.
One of the most important points about submitting work to microstock libraries is the ability to be found easily by the buyer. You want to be found on Shutterstock when a user browses through the library so pay extra attention to make sure that you use the right keywords for your images. Never upload something and leave it alone with a generic title, nobody will be able to find you. But don't stuff your photo with lots of irrelevant keywords, this will cause your photo to be deleted by the admins and your account might fall into bad standing. If you have the time, put the keywords and descriptions in your EXIF data as well since Shutterstock can use it to auto-input it. And batch upload whenever possible, don't waste time uploading images one by one, since that isn't as productive.
2. Learn to Cater to Buyer Demands
Look at what images are selling well (being downloaded) and start proactively taking photographs of these sort or creating illustrations in this field. Add and tag them with the right keywords and you'll find yourself getting more downloads fast. Judging demand is an important skill and as you use Shutterstock more often, You'll develop an instinct for what works and what doesn't.
3. Increase Your Portfolio Size
This is one of the most important points in making money using Shutterstock. You must keep on increasing the size of your portfolio on a constant basis. Don't stop uploading images. Make it a habit to upload new stuff every 3 days or so (at minimum). How much money you make depends on the size of your portfolio. Know one thing: As long as your images are on Shutterstock, they stand a chance of making money. If they are in your hard drive, its not going to help. Generally speaking, the more images you have in your Shutterstock portfolio, the better. Everything that is already online stands a chance of being discovered by buyers. A lot of mistakes made by new users is that they are consistent in the development of their portfolio. They upload a set of images and leave their Shutterstock account alone for a month or so. This is the wrong way to go about it.
4. Link to and Promote Your Portfolio
If you're a photographer or illustrator, you should have a website of your own. This is a place where you can include contact information and a brief introduction to yourself or your work. It's also a great place for you to link to your Shutterstock portfolio. While you can sell images from your site directly, you might not want the hassle of doing so. This is where linking to your Shutterstock portfolio will help. Let the prospective customer browse through your portfolio using Shutterstock's interface and decide what suits his or her needs. This is very useful if you're interested in picking up some quick sales. Put links to your Shutterstock portfolio in your email signatures or in the forums you participate in. This will help you to pick up a few sales.
5. Learn from other Shutterstock users.
Making money from Shutterstock isn't difficult but it can be daunting for new users who are not familiar with how the system works. I would recommend visiting the Shutterstock forums where a lot of the regulars hang out. Upload your pictures and ask for their critique or suggestions on how to improve. You'll not only learn a lot about ways to shoot better pictures (or draw better) but you'll also get an idea of what they think is sellable on Shutterstock. It's important to interact with other photographers/illustrators and you'll gain a good understanding of what works or not in the microstock field.
Ultimately, microstock photography is a commercial venture. Buyers are not always looking for that perfect artistic shot: they only want images they can immediately use for their website, ad campaign or business etc. So bear that in mind and learn to provide material that appeals to buyers. Hopefully these 5 tips will give you an idea of how to get started!
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