How to Get Started with Shutterstock and Earn Money from Selling Photos and Videos

Shutterstock is one of the largest platforms for selling photos, videos, illustrations, and digital content online. Whether you're a professional photographer, a hobbyist, or even a designer, you can join Shutterstock's large community and start selling your creative works to earn a steady income. In this article, we'll explain how to sign up on Shutterstock and how to earn money by selling your digital content.

1. Create an Account on Shutterstock

The first step is to sign up on the Shutterstock website. You can visit the link Shutterstock Contributor to create a contributor account.

• Sign up: Fill out the required details such as name, email, and password.
• Verify your account: You'll need to verify your email address to activate your account.

2. Prepare Your Content

After signing up, you can start uploading your content. Shutterstock accepts a wide variety of content, including:

• Photographs: Images should be high quality and meet the platform's standards.
• Videos: You can also upload video clips you've created.
• Illustrations and Designs: If you're a graphic designer or illustrator, you can upload your artwork as well.

Tips for Improving Your Chances of Success on Shutterstock:

• Use good lighting: Bright, well-lit images tend to sell better.
• Focus on popular themes: Such as business, travel, nature, and technology.
• Ensure you have ownership rights: Make sure you own the intellectual property rights to the content you upload, whether it's images or videos.

3. Uploading Content and Naming Files

When uploading your content, you'll need to add a detailed description, relevant keywords (tags), and the appropriate categories for each image or video. This helps buyers easily find your work.

• Write a good description: Make sure the description accurately reflects the content.
• Use relevant keywords: Choose keywords that reflect the main themes of the image or video. Be thorough but specific.

4. Content Review by Shutterstock

After you upload your content, it will be reviewed by Shutterstock's team to ensure it meets their technical and legal standards. Make sure your images and videos are free of quality issues or copyright violations.

• Quality review: Ensure that your images are high quality and free from noise or distortion.
• Copyright review: Make sure you own the rights to all elements in the image (e.g., people, trademarks).

5. Earning Money from Content Sales

Once your content is accepted, it will appear in the Shutterstock library and be available for purchase by buyers. You will earn a commission for each download of your content, which varies based on several factors, such as content type and the number of downloads.

• Commissions: Commissions typically start at 15% and can go up to 40% or higher, depending on your sales level.
• Monthly earnings: You can track your earnings through your account dashboard. The more sales you make, the higher the percentage of earnings you will receive.

6. Tips for Increasing Your Earnings on Shutterstock

• Upload content regularly: The more images or videos you upload, the higher your chances of making a sale.
• Focus on trending topics: Make sure to upload content that caters to current market demands, like business, food, and nature images.
• Monitor your stats: Use the insights provided by Shutterstock to understand which type of content is performing best and focus on optimizing it.

7. Marketing Your Work

While Shutterstock provides you access to a large customer base, you can also promote your work outside the platform. Consider using social media to showcase your content or create a website to display a portfolio of your images.

Conclusion

Signing up for Shutterstock is a great way to monetize your photography or design skills by selling your work online. By uploading high-quality content and using precise keywords, you can increase your chances of selling photos and videos and earning money. Over time, you can build a steady income stream by regularly uploading fresh and unique content.

To get started, visit Shutterstock Contributor and create your account today!