Shutterstock
Details:
URL: http://submit.shutterstock.com
Industry: Microstock Agency
What are they looking for: Royalty Free Stock Photos, Editorial Stock Photos, Royalty Free Illustrations and Royalty Free Video Footage
Pay: Commission
Alexa rating: 1,306
Shutterstock is one of the top microstock websites you can submit to. The majority of the money that you’ll make with Shutterstock is by selling your work through their subscription service. The commission for these sales is pretty low, but you will sell your content often enough to make up for it. Shutterstock has more recently started selling individual photos as well. This system is new for them, but is catching on quickly. The most profitable sale is their Extended Liscense (or EL) sale, worth 28 bucks a pop for photos. You won’t sell an EL often, but regardless, they’ll make you smile.
Submitting to Shutterstock
In my experience, Shutterstock has one of the most difficult initial review processes for new submitters, surpassed only by Istock. To get accepted to Shutterstock you must initially upload ten images for review. Seven or more images must pass the review process for you to be allowed to become a member of Shutterstock. If you do not pass the review process, none of your images will be accepted and you will be asked to wait 30 days before trying again. During this time you may still visit the Shutterstock submitters forums to seek assistance and advise. To help ensure that you pass on your first attempt, choose only your best works and make sure that they are all unique. Don’t use the same subject matter unless the photos is drastically different, also don’t use the same model if you can help it. Once you’ve passed the review stage, then you can upload sets of the same person or place. Shutterstock is also extremely picky when it comes to jpg noise. Make sure any noise is fixed in post production before submitting.
Cool Shutterstock Features
Here is a small list of things that make Shutterstock a money maker for submitters
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Once you’ve become a member, there is no upload limit. You can upload as man images or as much video footage as you like. My only suggestion is to submit them in small batches. The reviewers seems to get unhappy when they receive huge batches at once. If I have 20 photos to upload for a day, I will upload them in two batches of ten. I find I get a better approval rating doing this, as stupid as it sounds.
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Shutterstock submitter forums is the best photography community I have ever found. They are a wealth of information. It is worth becoming a member just to be able to read and be a part of these forums.
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Shutterstock is quick to review your material and start selling it. Some sites can take weeks just to look at your work. Shutterstock is normally quick to processes submitted works, unless hugely burdened.
Like most microstock agencies, Shutterstock has a referral program. If you have found this article helpul and plan on looking into Shutterstock, please consider using my referral link below:
