Photography
Shutterstock Stock Photography Income Reveal
The Good, Bad & Ugly: Everything that you need to know.
The idea that you can sell your images digitally multiple times in itself is a revolutionary side hustle, or so I thought at the time.
I first came across the stock photography side hustles through a video published on Youtube by Nicole Glass, a photographer who has been successfully selling her images since 2017.
Although she made only 0.25c in her first month, she did not give up until she was making 3 figures monthly on the site only a year later.
She has a series of videos talking about everything that you need to know regarding selecting, uploading, and marketing your images and videos to make consistent passive income.
Takeaway:
- Whatever side hustle you want to pursue if you do not have the budget to hire a coach, find free inspiration from youtube, where successful people can serve as your ‘mentors’ without the extra expense.
- Comment on their videos and ask questions. Lots of YouTubers are lovely and will respond to you and give you advice.
When and Why Did I Start Stock Photography?
I joined Shutterstock on the 27th of December 2018. I had just recently come back from a 3-year stay in Australia.
I was motivated to get back into online work, where I worked on my herbal business during the day and juggled face-to-face tutoring primary school students in the afternoon. You can imagine how busy it was.
I was craving a peaceful and gentle transition to online work, and what better way than uploading the images from Australia at the comfort of my home while getting paid to do so.
After binging on hours of youtube videos by Nicole as well as many others, I decided to dive in by submitting my application to Shutterstock.
Takeaway:
- Take your time to research the platforms that you can join.
- Make a realistic goal before you get started. Create mini-goals and hold yourself accountable. This is something that I did not do, which I know now would have made a significant difference in my overall success on the platform.
Why Shutterstock?
Although there were other platforms such as iStock (formally known as GettyImages), Adobe Stock, and Dreamstime, Shutterstock was easy to use and has other benefits, including:
- Active for over 15 years
- Allowed for the sale of images, music, and stock videos
- Paid over $500 million to their sellers.
- Allows the sellers to keep their copyright protected.
- Gives credit to the photographer, even after the purchase.
- Maximizes efficiency and productivity: allows for multiple uploads of up to 50 images at the same time. This is a must when you are working with a large number of photos.
- Uploaded images can stay for up to one week in the drafts which gives you a chance to edit them before submitting them for approval.
- Great keyword suggestion which helps you filter out the best keywords to use to help your image get found. Uses AI to identify what your image or video is about and suggests keywords that can be added at a click of a button.
- Has an app to be used for sellers which allows them to review their earnings and upload images and videos from the phone.
I did try uploading the same images to Dreamstime and iStockPhoto and had no sales, confirming to me that I made the right decision by focusing on Shutterstock.
Takeaway:
- Focus on one platform at a time for a minimum of 3 months.
- Don’t spread yourself too thin uploading on many platforms and expecting great results.
The Results
In one sitting, I uploaded 75 pictures to the platform. Pictures included some Finnish nature scenery taken during summer trips, herbs, and random pictures of Australia.
- 44 images got approved while 31 images got declined because of angle, lighting, and sizing issues.
- I used a regular camera on my phone and resized my images to make sure they are all 5000px x 5000px. I resized using Canva premium, which I use for my other side hustles.
- I made my first sale within one month. To my surprise, I sold two digital downloads of the elderberry syrup herb mixture (pictured first in the image below) I made as part of my herbal business in Australia. I had randomly taken this image to showcase it on the Facebook account and show it behind the scenes to customers. This has become my bestseller since I posted it on the platform.
- I made a total of 12 sales during my first 4 months on the platform.
- I started on Shutterstock on a casual basis and was juggling other platforms including wordpress, youtube and etsy at the time. It was more like a guessing game to see if it will bring actual sales. I wasn't expecting a lot since I invested minimal time.
Takeaway:
- Start uploading images as soon you join the platform.
- The more you upload and get declined the faster you learn from your mistakes and familiarise yourself with what images work best and the right sizing and angle needed.
What did I use to Promote My Work?
When you sell anything online, its important that you take promotion and marketing into your own hands. Yes, the platform does have active daily buyers, but your image is sitting among 200+ million images.
- I used free methods to promote my images from time to time, at least consistently in the first 2 months.
- I pinned my images on my Pinterest account.
- Linked my Shutterstock portfolio link on Youtube for my audience to see.
- I also posted some of my best images on Facebook, to get the word out there from time to time.
Takeaway: Use free promotional methods to let family, friends and followers know you are selling on Shutterstock. You never know who will buy from you.
The Good?
- The platform is easy to use and understand.
- Saves time: allows you to download, edit and submit over 50 images at a time.
- Wonderful keyword suggestion allowing you to submit 50 keywords for each image.
- Fast approval time: all my images got approved with 2 days and the ones that got denied came back with an explanation as to why. Super helpful when it comes to correcting and resubmitting later on.
- Wide variety of categories allows you to submit images and videos in many topics.
- Allows sellers to easily promote their work on social media.
The Bad?
- Need to be consistent in uploading many images if you want to be successful on the platform.
- You need to take marketing your images seriously but being consistent in at least one social media platform.
The Ugly?
- Insanely low pay for the number of times the images got downloaded/purchased (0.25c per purchase).
- You need to have a vast portfolio featuring high quality images about different topics. One of the biggest mistakes I did is focusing on nature, which is a very populated niche.
Next Steps
I would like to continue in uploading my images on the Shutterstock platform.
- I do believe that the platform has a big potential for success, but one mistake I did is not being consistent.
- Consistency is the key to success when it comes to building a good side hustle. Consistency both uploading and promotion of my work.
- My aim is to upload and publish a minimum of 50 images per month.
- Diversify my images: Upload less nature scenery and more to do with daily life and trending topics.
- Dive into model photography for freinds and family as this can have a great potential for success.
- I will also place my images in Creative Fabrica, a great alternative to shutterstock that will pay its sellers in three ways.
Take-Aways
- You do not need to be a professional photographer to succeed on the platform, but you do need a great high quality camera on your phone and the right mindset to succeed.
- Be consistent in uploading good quality images.
- Focus on two platforms to promote your work.
- Diversify your portfolio and implement model photography, stock videos and embark on trending topics.
Resources
- Link to Portfolio
- Sign up as an Artist
- Canva Premium
- Sell your stock images in Creative Fabrica.
A few of my other side hustles :
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About The Author
Noor is a second-year business student at Tredu. She is also studying for Diploma in International Smart Industry at Tampere University. She is passionate about marketing and content creation. She recently launched herYouTube channel specializing in holistic healing.
