Shutterstock is the world’s leading provider of high–quality licensed images, videos and music, founded in New York in 2003.
It is the leader in payments to photographers and the number of clients among similar sources. After registration, photographers, videographers and illustrators start earning money here immediately, making a substantial profit. The site supports several languages.
The platform currently has more than 1 million members and 350 million images, with 135,000 new images being added daily. It is available in more than 150 countries and has exceeded the 1 billion downloads mark.
Shutterstock brings together people from different fields, such as graphic designers, creative directors, video editors, filmmakers, web developers, etc., as well as those who need content, such as businesses, marketing agencies and media organizations around the world.
Content creators post their works on Shutterstock, and then end users purchase them for use in various creative personal and business projects.
All the content on Shutterstock is royalty-free, but that does not mean it is free of charge. With the exception of a weekly free photo and free vector, all of the content is royalty-free but comes with an associated cost.
There are several different Shutterstock subscription and a la carte plans for both businesses and individuals that provide different pricing options for photos depending on how many photos you want and how often you want them.
How to Sell Photos on Shutterstock
Since 2003, more than $1 billion has been paid to contributors, so it’s not surprising that many content creators have turned to Shutterstock as a source of income.
If you want to join them, then all you have to do is register, create and submit your work.
As soon as you submit the relevant content, the Shutterstock review team will evaluate it and send it for approval. After approval, the work will be visible in your portfolio and officially put up for sale on the platform.
Referral earnings of Shutterstock participants
In addition to the main earnings by selling their own photos, Shutterstock members can also earn money by inviting other photographers/authors.
Tips for Selling Your Photos on Shutterstock
There’s a lot of competition on Shutterstock, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to sell photos. Here are some ideas that will help you attract attention to yourself:
Keywords. Shutterstock allows you to use up to 50 keywords for each image. The more you use, the more chances that your photo will be noticeable. To understand which keywords to use, look at similar photos on Shutterstock and what words they use, but don’t copy them exactly. Also, make sure that the keywords relate to your photos.
Headlines. Make your signatures long and meaningful.
Think creatively. Try to come up with images that are not so much on Shutterstock right now. You will have fewer competitors.
Upload multiple photos regularly, not all at once. Shutterstock has a category where new photos are displayed, it’s a great way to highlight your images and be displayed as fresh content.
Create sets. Post your photos in sets or categories. This will help you organize your photos, and buyers will also be able to learn more about the works that you publish.
Check out the monthly list of top publications. It shows which photos were most in demand on Shutterstock and can help you find out what is being sold.