MicrostockGroup
Agency Based Discussion => Shutterstock.com => Topic started by: Cogent Marketing on January 11, 2012, 10:26
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I cannot help but notice that my sales at SS have gone up in January well beyond of what I expected. Has anyone else noticed it too?
After 11 days so far I am up 47% (MTD) on December, 38% (MTD) for November and a whopping 56% (MTD) on October 2011.
I won't depress myself by saying how minus I am on iFlop month-to-date, but if SS continues like this I don't care and I can finally pull my stuff out of there!
I hope this post does not jinx my early success but I am really interested in anyone else has noticed a similar start.
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I can only report quite considerate decrease - roughly 30% down. Usually one cannot expect increase in January but such big drop surprised me...
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Sales of my tiny SS portfolio are up too.
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My sales are up pretty nicely. I just don't keep percentages. I know the number of d/l's and some of those are on demands too.
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All good here. I was delighted that year launched better than I expected, and it's improved since then :)
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For the moment SS january is starting very slowly... sales seem to reach the usual levels only since 2 or 3 days only
hope this increase will continue for you until end of the month (and after why not ? ;-)
For the moment my sales are behaving pretty the same on every stock (slow in end of december/slow in beginning of january)
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30% up on Dec (and this day is only half way through, so the percentage will go up) MTD. I have a ton of photos to upload, so I think sales and percentage will only go up. SS is absolutely rocking it! :D
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Mine are about even with the holiday rush months (Oct, Nov, BMEs), which has surprised me. I would have expected a drop, but SS are holding their own with the best months I have ever had there. To me, I would call that a rapid start to the year for sure.
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IS is really getting kicked in the balls by SS, month after month, but this one is really exceptional, might be a beginning of a new era? I sure hope their success forces those greedy *insult removed* to start up to us :)
ETA: wow, since when is ba-stard an insult? ???
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mine is blazing... already 137% the earnings of my previous BME, and thats not projection, that is earnings to date. Probably due to a healthy number of ELs (can we start using ED's, so as to stop paying homage to istock?), but anyways, I was not expecting this.
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Mine is also the opposite way down from even last January. I'm hoping for those of us who aren't seeing an increase will see one next week once the New Year has gotten over it's hangover. My sales have been dreadful.
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Caveat tiny port but in cash terms actually behind FT (due to €), same as DT and only double IS with 13X images. Usually at least double the nearest other site.
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For the first 10 days of January I am about 20% up on the same period in 2011. Unfortunately I am down by about the same amount at Istock.
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Started average but has picked up a bit this week, but personally speaking it's the same at the other agencies I supply - well except for you know who!
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Here is too "quiet" . But this happens on December.. first 15 days too bad ( had 2 days without sales!! ) and then get up ( almost BME ).
The worst this month was a entire batch refused with LCV... Around 99% of this batch are same subjects that I've already online.. with sales.
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The worst this month was a entire batch refused with LCV... Around 99% of this batch are same subjects that I've already online.. with sales.
I guess they have it covered, not only covered, but (the subject) oversaturated. Or there might be another reviewing fiasco on the horizon. You never really know.
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I cannot help but notice that my sales at SS have gone up in January well beyond of what I expected. Has anyone else noticed it too?
After 11 days so far I am up 47% (MTD) on December, 38% (MTD) for November and a whopping 56% (MTD) on October 2011.
I won't depress myself by saying how minus I am on iFlop month-to-date, but if SS continues like this I don't care and I can finally pull my stuff out of there!
I hope this post does not jinx my early success but I am really interested in anyone else has noticed a similar start.
42 files out of 17,000,000+ doesn't seem like a sample size large enough to draw any conclusions from at all.
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Mine is also the opposite way down from even last January. I'm hoping for those of us who aren't seeing an increase will see one next week once the New Year has gotten over it's hangover. My sales have been dreadful.
Yeah, it's been pretty sluggish for me too. Maybe, it's an illustration thing. ;)
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Ya know Cory I was thinking the same thing. I think I need to take more photographs ;)
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42 files out of 17,000,000+ doesn't seem like a sample size large enough to draw any conclusions from at all.
Perhaps that's why he started a thread asking for other people's experiences.
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I cannot help but notice that my sales at SS have gone up in January well beyond of what I expected. Has anyone else noticed it too?
After 11 days so far I am up 47% (MTD) on December, 38% (MTD) for November and a whopping 56% (MTD) on October 2011.
I won't depress myself by saying how minus I am on iFlop month-to-date, but if SS continues like this I don't care and I can finally pull my stuff out of there!
I hope this post does not jinx my early success but I am really interested in anyone else has noticed a similar start.
42 files out of 17,000,000+ doesn't seem like a sample size large enough to draw any conclusions from at all.
Maybe not but you can only report as you find. My port is actually 44 and has only been active since summer 2011 and has 438 individual D/L, not bad in only eight months. I'm not claiming to be Yuri Arcurs I simply stating as I find. You can choose to ignore this post and all the other positive comments here if you like but they do appear to be more positive than the posts at istock about their sales.
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42 files out of 17,000,000+ doesn't seem like a sample size large enough to draw any conclusions from at all.
Perhaps that's why he started a thread asking for other people's experiences.
Thx.
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Mine is also the opposite way down from even last January. I'm hoping for those of us who aren't seeing an increase will see one next week once the New Year has gotten over it's hangover. My sales have been dreadful.
Yeah, it's been pretty sluggish for me too. Maybe, it's an illustration thing. ;)
Ya know Cory I was thinking the same thing. I think I need to take more photographs ;)
Isn't the same thing happening on IS? It looks like illustrations are down on demand.
I never really understand how it was possible so many illustrations were sold, what were they used for, I rarely see any illustrations in advertising, newspapers etc. And if I see it, it's usually commissioned work, done specifically for that buyer. I can understand icons etc sell, apart from that I could hardly imagine someone buying an illustration instead of a photo. Not wanting to flame the debate or anything, just expression my honest opinion and welcoming some enlightening answers ;)
ETA: I added quotes to put it in perspective, since 3 ppl replied by the time I completed my post
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42 files out of 17,000,000+ doesn't seem like a sample size large enough to draw any conclusions from at all.
Perhaps that's why he started a thread asking for other people's experiences.
Perhaps...
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Sales continue to be strong.
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I never really understand how it was possible so many illustrations were sold, what were they used for, I rarely see any illustrations in advertising, newspapers etc.
I always assumed my cartoons were used to market cigarettes to young children, but I'm probably wrong. ;D
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;D
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This week showing signs of life after very slow start. Need a few more OD to get back on track.
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No complaints here, every month grows stronger.
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With the help of 3 ELs so far, I am (barely) on a BME pace this month at SS. And I do illustrations. Growth at SS continues to be, for me, stronger than at any other site.
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9000 images portfolio here, 4 digits monthly income from SS. Sales are about average, not slow, not terribly high either. If anything, the EL rush of the last months seems to be over for me.
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It's been unusually slow for me, even when I consider the typically slow first two weeks in January. But, ELs have more than made up for the slow pace, and I'm starting to see everything return back to normal.
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ELs not as crazy as the previous couple of months, but ODs are back to blazing today and I'm very happy with that (sub sales have been strong like usual, but ODs were soft until today). I hope the ELs catch up as well! SS rocks!
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Great start to the month here too.
Ebay UK has a lot of Shutterstock ads all over it at the moment, which is interesting as I have noticed more of my sales coming from Europe than the US this month.
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Ebay UK has a lot of Shutterstock ads all over it at the moment, which is interesting as I have noticed more of my sales coming from Europe than the US this month.
That's probably because they're targeted at you as someone who regularly visits stock image sites. I get them too ... and then cycling gear ads if I've just been looking at cycling gear ... bathroom ads if I've been looking at those ... etc, etc.
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Ebay UK has a lot of Shutterstock ads all over it at the moment, which is interesting as I have noticed more of my sales coming from Europe than the US this month.
That's probably because they're targeted at you as someone who regularly visits stock image sites. I get them too ... and then cycling gear ads if I've just been looking at cycling gear ... bathroom ads if I've been looking at those ... etc, etc.
exactly, same thing on my top bar in gmail account
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With the help of 3 ELs so far, I am (barely) on a BME pace this month at SS.
U sound disappointed :D (it makes it even funnier since it's the slowest month of the year)
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With the help of 3 ELs so far, I am (barely) on a BME pace this month at SS.
U sound disappointed :D (it makes it even funnier since it's the slowest month of the year)
I thought Dec. was the slowest month of the year? Or is it always, whatever month we are in, is the worst month? :D
Someone tell me the best month of the year please. What's happening to me is Dec. was exceptional so Jan. can only go down. It's not like there's an endless climb. At some point things have to go down again or level off. Seems that some new things I uploaded in the end of 2011 are doing better than my usual "crapstock". I'm all for it.
So the real questions are:
What's the worst month of the year. Just one please.
And on average what's the best month of the year?
(or do I need to do a poll?) ::)
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Sales are good considering that is January; i noticed an increase in OD here... not bad ...... IS start digging.... :D
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What's the worst month of the year. Just one please.
And on average what's the best month of the year?
From my data over six years, the year looks like a sine wave. It rises from January to February, starts a long decline to June, then climbs until September and October, then declines again until January.
So I'd say my worst months are typically January and June, and my best September or October.
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What's the worst month of the year. Just one please.
And on average what's the best month of the year?
From my data over six years, the year looks like a sine wave. It rises from January to February, starts a long decline to June, then climbs until September and October, then declines again until January.
So I'd say my worst months are typically January and June, and my best September or October.
I look at it like this...when I'm taking a vacation or celebrating the holidays, my earnings are down. When I don't, my earnings are up. The same goes for political seasons. In the meantime, my unique non-seasonal images pay the bills.
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Thanks to an EL rush that continues, my SS January tally so far is up about 200% from the same period in 2011.
At IS, I'm down about 50% for the same period of comparison. But frankly, I just don't care about IS anymore. It could go to zero and I wouldn't really miss them.
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SODs are starting to kick in for me, now it's the ELs turn :)
ETA it looks like SODs are no longer limited to USA (like they were at the beginning at least), I got my last one in Africa.
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Ebay UK has a lot of Shutterstock ads all over it at the moment, which is interesting as I have noticed more of my sales coming from Europe than the US this month.
That's probably because they're targeted at you as someone who regularly visits stock image sites. I get them too ... and then cycling gear ads if I've just been looking at cycling gear ... bathroom ads if I've been looking at those ... etc, etc.
exactly, same thing on my top bar in gmail account
Yes, and while these may reflect my browsing habits, the relevant fact is that last year these banner ads were for iStock, not Shutterstock.
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Shutterstock is pretty on par for me, if not a little low still.
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Well, it's not a exceptional month yet, but I'm still earning more most SS single days than I have all month at IS or FT.
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I seriously thought I had jinxed my sales at SS by starting this thread - no sales at all until after 6.00 pm GMT today but them I got a normal sub sale and then another EL for $28.00 bucks, first of the year! Still way ahead of December, November and October 2011 MTD. Long may it last.
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Just joined. 321 files. One sale over 2 days of a mere 0.25 cents. :'(
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Just joined. 321 files. One sale over 2 days of a mere 0.25 cents. :'(
That's weird I had a handful of sales the first day, with 10 files or so...
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This is what I can't understand. When I initially got accepted (before I could disable my account until exclusive obligation with other site ended) I had one sale with 10 images. Something must be a miss.
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This is what I can't understand. When I initially got accepted (before I could disable my account until exclusive obligation with other site ended) I had one sale with 10 images. Something must be a miss.
Funny, i also only started on SS about 3 weeks ago and had 10 sales on the first day. Now it slowed down, only have between 1 and 6 sales a day (with 190 pics). Yesterday was the first day without a sale for me :(
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This is what I can't understand. When I initially got accepted (before I could disable my account until exclusive obligation with other site ended) I had one sale with 10 images. Something must be a miss.
Read this thread and it will give you perspective, the people raving about SS do not seem to be hit by the various bugs that cause slow sales. It is hit or miss, some have problems some do not and while SS continues to claim they have fixed all the bugs that is not the case. The people still experiencing problems have been left out in the cold. The fact that your newest images do not show up in your content manager is tell tale sign something is up.
http://submit.shutterstock.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=114196 (http://submit.shutterstock.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=114196)
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I'd advise patience. First, we're in the middle of a holiday weekend in the States, so sales are likely to be slower for the moment. Second, it can take time for a new portfolio to get attention, particularly while it's still relatively small. And third, have you given any consideration to redoing your keywords? iStock's controlled vocabulary doesn't reward you for including lots of synonyms in your keywords. Most every other site does, as what users search on has to match what you've provided. I'd go further to recommend that you include both individual words and common phrases to improve the likelihood of a match.
It took me five months before my income on Shutterstock broke into double digits. Granted, you have a lot more experience now than I did then, but there's still value in taking a longer view of sales trends. You're still in the anecdotal stage. Wait until you have more data before you worry.
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I'd go further to recommend that you include both individual words and common phrases to improve the likelihood of a match.
The thing is you can't enter phrases if you edit photos. For instance when you upload you can input young woman, but if you edit the photo, you can't you'll get separate keywords, and what's even worse, all phrases will be separated into individual keywords. I did that once, adding a keyword I forgot, but regretted it, since many search terms didn't work as well afterwards
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I'd advise patience. First, we're in the middle of a holiday weekend in the States, so sales are likely to be slower for the moment. Second, it can take time for a new portfolio to get attention, particularly while it's still relatively small. And third, have you given any consideration to redoing your keywords? iStock's controlled vocabulary doesn't reward you for including lots of synonyms in your keywords. Most every other site does, as what users search on has to match what you've provided. I'd go further to recommend that you include both individual words and common phrases to improve the likelihood of a match.
It took me five months before my income on Shutterstock broke into double digits. Granted, you have a lot more experience now than I did then, but there's still value in taking a longer view of sales trends. You're still in the anecdotal stage. Wait until you have more data before you worry.
I agree. And just because one person's portfolio does well on SS, doesn't mean another's will, even if you have great sales at istock. Every single site is different. What sells well on one, may not sell at all on another. When I first started in 2005, I never saw any sales until my port was over 100 images. Nowadays, that number must be up to 500 or 1000, considering the increase in contributors over the years. It's going to take some time.
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I have a small port. of just over 200 images and I find that weekends tend to be slower for me. Tuesday - Thursday seem to be the most active days for me. Overall it's been steady with subs in January but I haven't seen the OD images I usually see - hoping those come along soon!
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Wow, today's sales are slower than yesterday's and it was a Sunday. What's even worse is that I added over 30 photos and not a single one has sold :s. Something's way off at SS today
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Wow, today's sales are slower than yesterday's and it was a Sunday. What's even worse is that I added over 30 photos and not a single one has sold :s. Something's way off at SS today
It is MLK holiday in the US although sales don't seem too far off normal for me.
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Wow, today's sales are slower than yesterday's and it was a Sunday. What's even worse is that I added over 30 photos and not a single one has sold :s. Something's way off at SS today
It is MLK holiday in the US although sales don't seem too far off normal for me.
That can't be the reason, since their normal working hours began only a few hours ago (they usually really kick off right about this time of the day). Europe really isn't strong today, Asia was completely dead for me and I've had just a couple of sales from Africa. I'm having bad luck elsewhere too, DT went offline half an hour ago, then I managed to log in to see 3 new sales and then it went down again (I wonder if I lost a few DLs, since the buyer bought 3 from the same series)
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Lol, I just got a few DLs from the states. Looks like the holiday isn't affecting the sales over there, but everywhere else :o . So strange...
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This will almost certainly end up a BDE at SS for me. Half way through the day I'm at 130+ downloads including 5 ELs.
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This will almost certainly end up a BDE at SS for me. Half way through the day I'm at 100+ downloads including 5 ELs.
I guess I have you to thank (for my misfortune) ;D
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This will almost certainly end up a BDE at SS for me. Half way through the day I'm at 130+ downloads including 5 ELs.
I thought I was having a good day with 40 downloads and zero ELs. :o
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Well, 3 days 8 downloads and $2.00 so far. This is way below what I expected. 8 downloads would bring me so much more $ at IS. In fact, 1 download would net me more than $2.00. I really hope this is going to get better. :-\
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Sales are strong! but they are always strong, in spite of January, normally being a bummer.
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January a bummer? January is typically one of my best three months, along with March and September. This January is no exception. Yesterday was spectacular and this morning I woke up to 70+ downloads and 2 more ELs.
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I don't know what planet you are on because for me it's absolutely dire. I never thought that SS would be worse than Istock. Terrible. Depressing :'(
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I don't know what planet you are on because for me it's absolutely dire. I never thought that SS would be worse than Istock. Terrible. Depressing :'(
Depends solely on you, your content. Not something you have no influence on, like best match, broken site/search, being unfavoured by the best match etc
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Like someone said earlier, there are "secrets" to getting more downloads that only a few know. I am just so underwhelmed at SS so far. I was also told that you get a huge boost in downloads on your first week of joining. Don't believe the hype ! :-\
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Like someone said earlier, there are "secrets" to getting more downloads that only a few know. I am just so underwhelmed at SS so far. I was also told that you get a huge boost in downloads on your first week of joining. Don't believe the hype ! :-\
Nope, not anymore, everyone used to get a big boost for new uploads, but until June or so, it's more like on the other sites, photos need to settle a bit, before they start selling
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Like someone said earlier, there are "secrets" to getting more downloads that only a few know. I am just so underwhelmed at SS so far. I was also told that you get a huge boost in downloads on your first week of joining. Don't believe the hype ! :-\
Nope, not anymore, everyone used to get a big boost for new uploads, but until June or so, it's more like on the other sites, photos need to settle a bit, before they start selling
I really hope you are right Wut :-\
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Well, 3 days 8 downloads and $2.00 so far. This is way below what I expected. 8 downloads would bring me so much more $ at IS. In fact, 1 download would net me more than $2.00. I really hope this is going to get better. :-\
First off, didn't anyone tell you that SS was a subscription site and you would be getting 25c downloads? Come on, you don't have to report every five hours how SS is so terrible, give it a chance. PLEASE!
May I remind you of this from your past...
This has been a terrible year at Istock. They mess up the website with a horrible new design (hyped up to the hilt before it went live) which decresed a lot of people's sales, they are making it nigh on impossible to get good images that are perfectly well lit approved, sales are poor for most at the moment and now this !!! It's absolutley dire.
You really averaged $2 a download on IS? Then maybe you shouldn't have left, because all it would have taken was figuring out what you just did. It takes 8 downloads on SS to equal that.
But staying exclusive at IS isn't rewarding. They don't accept images anymore AND they are not selling my images like they used to. Surely going with others would make up the pathetic sales at IS ?
I hope you make up the difference, but I really don't know what you expected from SS?
Again, rejection on 4th attempt. I absolutely cannot fathom SS at all. Images that were accepted last time have been turned away.
It's a lottery and a waste of time waiting yet another 30 days. One shot with people needs a "proper caption" I have no idea what that means other than describing the image and what they are doing which is what I did. Technically I have submitted many images accepted BUT one reviewer's view is always going to be different making it inconsistent.
As reviewers are all different there are too many variables to know what is going to pass ???
Just keep this in mind as your sales grow on the new sites you have added...
Still absolutely dire. Really really awful sales. I am on target to earn the lowest amount in nearly 2 years. I have pretty much written Istock off as they have basically destroyed most of what was good about them.
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Like someone said earlier, there are "secrets" to getting more downloads that only a few know. I am just so underwhelmed at SS so far. I was also told that you get a huge boost in downloads on your first week of joining. Don't believe the hype ! :-\
Nope, not anymore, everyone used to get a big boost for new uploads, but until June or so, it's more like on the other sites, photos need to settle a bit, before they start selling
I really hope you are right Wut :-\
I'm positive. Just chill, open yourself a cold one ;)
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There are a few secrets to doing well at SS, or anywhere else for that matter:
1. Be unique... create a unique style
2. Do marketing research... find underserved niches of topics that are in demand
Don't worry about the new vs old image question. Don't worry about timing your images to be approved at the right time. Don't look for conspiracy theories about who is or isn't getting a bump.
It's as simple as uploading images that people want.
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You guys should know this! buttered scones with whipped cream, a pot of tea, some jam toppled with plenty of Lagavulin and the dls will simply come in thousands.
Im serious, try it out.
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You guys should know this! buttered scones with whipped cream, a pot of tea, some jam toppled with plenty of Lagavulin and the dls will simply come in thousands.
Im serious, try it out.
Sounds about right. The British equivalent of a "chill pill" (or Scottish?)
Say what happened to the thread starter Cogent Marketing? Suddenly the name turned black and he's gone.
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Ok, so i'm panicking a bit too much. I get passionate as it's a living I am earning and not playing around. I will try and refrain from further comments until things have settled.
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You really averaged $2 a download on IS? Then maybe you shouldn't have left, because all it would have taken was figuring out what you just did. It takes 8 downloads on SS to equal that.
I've read lots of posts here where people say they are averaging over $0.50/DL on SS (with PPD, ELs, etc., figured in).
Also, $2/DL as an IS exclusive would be terrible. My sales average well over that, and I'm on the very low end of the scale from what I've seen.
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I can't be bothered with what each site earns me per download. I simply can't control that.
I track how much each image earns me, or Return Per Image (RPI). And I track it in aggregate, rather than per individual image, which would be impossible at a high volume of sales per day. I simply take the day's total and divide by number of images I have created. (No, not every image is accepted at every site, but the point is that I took time to create the pictures, and an unaccepted image should bring down the RPI as a sign that something needs fixing.)
RPI tells me whether what I'm uploading is connecting with buyers. If RPI is rising, then I'm doing a better job of figuring out what buyers (and the agencies) want... uploading less crap and more valuable stuff. If RPI is falling, well, there's a problem that needs addressing.
For the record, my daily RPI started around 9 cents per day four years ago, and it's hovering around 11.5 cents per day today. I take a few nuggets of info from that: my sense of what will sell is gradually getting better, and my old stuff continues to do well. If you figure your RPI and it falls over time, you need to step back and quickly figure out what buyers want, and you need to upload images with lasting appeal... not pictures that will sell OK right out of the gate and then sink into the abyss.
I just scratch my head when people debate RPD. What does return per download tell you, except to give you something to get upset over and feel powerless to fix?
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^^^ Excellent post. Good info.
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I just scratch my head when people debate RPD. What does return per download tell you, except to give you something to get upset over and feel powerless to fix?
Funny. I've never put much stock in RPI. I track it, but it's not a big deal to me if it is falling. As long as my income is rising. I make a lot of images that compete with each other, so it is only natural that my RPI would dip as my library grows. I also like to experiment, so not every image is a great seller. But, it may lead to something else. Possibly even freelance work.
I track RPD too. I think it's nice to get a feel for what sells on a site and for what size and price. Also, to track raises and cuts in royalties or price. I've really been monitoring my RPD at DT because I'm trying to get my levels up. I've actually been wondering if I could make more by deleting images. It's a strange thought, but I'm not sure that it's an unrealistic one.
Every stat has a use, but it really depends on how you use it and/or what you are focusing on.
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For the record, my daily RPI started around 9 cents per day four years ago, and it's hovering around 11.5 cents per day today.
Those are incredible figures that could probably only be matched by the top 10 or so microstockers in the world. At those rates a medium-sized portfolio of 5000 images would be generating nearly $210K per annum.
Are you vectors, photos or what?
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Funny. I've never put much stock in RPI. I track it, but it's not a big deal to me if it is falling. As long as my income is rising. I make a lot of images that compete with each other, so it is only natural that my RPI would dip as my library grows. I also like to experiment, so not every image is a great seller. But, it may lead to something else. Possibly even freelance work.
I think we're actually in agreement here about repetition being something to keep in mind. I also tend to make images that could compete with each other, though I try to keep it to a minimum when thinking of what to create. I see creating redundant images as a negative if I want my income to rise, and RPI is the measurement I use to tell me if I'm competing with my own stuff. If RPI dips, that's a sign that I'm just cannibalizing my own sales and I need to be more original.
I track RPD too. I think it's nice to get a feel for what sells on a site and for what size and price. Also, to track raises and cuts in royalties or price. I've really been monitoring my RPD at DT because I'm trying to get my levels up. I've actually been wondering if I could make more by deleting images. It's a strange thought, but I'm not sure that it's an unrealistic one.
I hear what you're saying about wanting to get levels up. But I think it goes back to the RPI question, and creating images that don't compete with each other. If you have ten images of, say, an elephant on a balloon, and they're each selling OK and are at level 1 or 2, wouldn't you be better off with just a few images like that, so you're not dividing your sales and the few you have on that subject are level 4 or 5 instead? I think trying to keep RPI high, or at least steady, is being proactive in meeting that goal... while doing something like deleting images after the fact is reactive. You would have been much better off devoting time to ten different subjects rather than 10 elephants on balls to begin with. Watching RPD just seems like a reactive, rather than proactive, strategy to me.
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For the record, my daily RPI started around 9 cents per day four years ago, and it's hovering around 11.5 cents per day today.
Those are incredible figures that could probably only be matched by the top 10 or so microstockers in the world. At those rates a medium-sized portfolio of 5000 images would be generating nearly $210K per annum.
My port is not quite that large, but I'm hoping to scale up to that point.
Are you vectors, photos or what?
Yes. I try to dabble in everything... keeps my port varied.
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Stockmarketer, if you are the photographer who created the elephant on the ball, then I believe every word you say. That person is brilliant.
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I hear what you're saying about wanting to get levels up. But I think it goes back to the RPI question, and creating images that don't compete with each other. If you have ten images of, say, an elephant on a balloon, and they're each selling OK and are at level 1 or 2, wouldn't you be better off with just a few images like that, so you're not dividing your sales and the few you have on that subject are level 4 or 5 instead? I think trying to keep RPI high, or at least steady, is being proactive in meeting that goal... while doing something like deleting images after the fact is reactive. You would have been much better off devoting time to ten different subjects rather than 10 elephants on balls to begin with. Watching RPD just seems like a reactive, rather than proactive, strategy to me.
Makes sense, but I frequently sell all 10 elephants at once too. ;D
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Sorry but something is wrong. Sales have halted for the last 24 hours. This isn't right at all. I got sales with my first submission images BEFORE I had 327 files online. This is bad ???
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Sorry but something is wrong. Sales have halted for the last 24 hours. This isn't right at all. I got sales with my first submission images BEFORE I had 327 files online. This is bad ???
Someone already pointed this out but your "initial sales boost" that most of us experienced for the first week or so after joining SS may have passed you by while your files were inactive ???
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So this is what to expect for normal sales then ?
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Want to sign back up with istock ;) ?
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So this is what to expect for normal sales then ?
My sales at SS are currently running at slightly more than 5x my sales at Istock which I imagine would be similar for most established independent contributors. However it takes time for your images to gain good position in the Popular sort order, assuming that they are worthy of doing so. The most critical time is clearly in the first week or two that they appear. If they don't attract the interest of buyers during that period then, unless they are in niche subjects, they may be swamped by later uploads.
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Want to sign back up with istock ;) ?
Yeah, they might have sorted the acceptance rate bug by the time the six month waiting time is up.
Or they might not even exist / in the form that we know it in six months time.
These are exciting times in which to live. :o
@ Herg: if it's any consolation, my iStock sales have fallen off a cliff this week. They started 'reasonably for January' after the first three days.
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[/quote]
Someone already pointed this out but your "initial sales boost" that most of us experienced for the first week or so after joining SS may have passed you by while your files were inactive ???
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I have been told two different versions here. One that there is a sales boost when you start, and one that there isn't and it doesn't make any difference.
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Someone already pointed this out but your "initial sales boost" that most of us experienced for the first week or so after joining SS may have passed you by while your files were inactive ???
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I have been told two different versions here. One that there is a sales boost when you start, and one that there isn't and it doesn't make any difference.
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Yeah, I can't say whether it's an urban myth or not, hence the quotes :-\ I certainly got about 6 dls per day from my initial 10 files for about a week and reality took over after that ;D
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And what is reality for you now ?
I feel everyone in the SS pool was shouting "Come in the water is fine". When I jump it's freezing cold and my trunks have fallen off.
I am looking at Stock Cube's blog which is interesting as she hasn't got that many files up but making good revenue with most sites for the amount she has. I have nice images that are exclusive to my location so I hope they sell.
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And what is reality for you now ?
I feel everyone in the SS pool was shouting "Come in the water is fine". When I jump it's freezing cold and my trunks have fallen off.
I am looking at Stock Cube's blog which is interesting as she hasn't got that many files up but making good revenue with most sites for the amount she has. I have nice images that are exclusive to my location so I hope they sell.
It doesn't matter what their reality is. You have to decide where you are going to sell your work based on how you think your agent(s) will perform in the future and will treat you as a supplier in the future.
Anonymous people on this website will say anything. There is good info and bad info. Good sales for one contributor would be a catastrophe for another and every portfolio is different.
On the brighter side and in light of recent events, you might have made the same decision at a later date anyway.
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You may be right but IS images have averaged around $2.95 for me per download. SS for 11 downloads has only got me $2.75 so far. How can anyone say this is better than IS ?
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You may be right but IS images have averaged around $2.95 for me per download. SS for 11 downloads has only got me $2.75 so far. How can anyone say this is better than IS ?
Before you uploaded 300+ pics to SS you didn't look at what they pay per download? Hmmm....Anonymous people will say anything around here. :-\
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You may be right but IS images have averaged around $2.95 for me per download. SS for 11 downloads has only got me $2.75 so far. How can anyone say this is better than IS ?
Before you uploaded 300+ pics to SS you didn't look at what they pay per download? Hmmm....Anonymous people will say anything around here. :-\
Microstock is a volume business. If you really care about doing well you have to consider the return on your time invested. I'm being a broken record here, but for me this is all about RPI. Who cares if IS is giving you 2.95 per download and SS is 2.75 per download if SS is selling 10 times more of your images? Here's what matters to me... I will spend an hour creating and uploading a new picture. I want to know that this image will start earning me $.XX every day after that. I don't care about whether it makes $2 per download on site X or $2.25 per download on site Y. Those aren't numbers I can take to the bank.
Yes, I know the argument... we have to support the sites that pay us the highest RPD. Then by all means, pull your ports from SS, DT, IS and FT and just sell on Graphic Leftovers which gives you 3.12 per download. Not to pick on Graphic Leftovers... I love them, and have my full port there which does fairly well... I see from from 1 to 5 downloads on most days... But if I just uploaded to Graphic Leftovers my return on that time invested to create my pictures would not justify my investment.
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Hmmm....Anonymous people will say anything around here. :-\
Below is an example what an average day at SS looks like, I mean the ratio between subs, ODs, SODs and ELs. RPD is 88c, if I got an EL (which I obviously haven't) results wouldn't be as realistic. So if you count in the occasional ELs and you have lots of ODs and SODs (procentually), you could get RPD over 1$. Not to mention the volume that's so much higher at SS.
DLs subs ODs SOD Daily earnings
32 9.36 13.50 - - - - - - - 5.32 $28.18
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Hmmm....Anonymous people will say anything around here. :-\
Below is an example what an average day at SS looks like, I mean the ratio between subs, ODs, SODs and ELs. RPD is 88c, if I got an EL (which I obviously haven't) results wouldn't be as realistic. So if you count in the occasional ELs and you have lots of ODs and SODs (procentually), you could get RPD over 1$. Not to mention the volume that's so much higher at SS.
DLs subs ODs SOD Daily earnings
32 9.36 13.50 - - - - - - - 5.32 $28.18
I get it. I just find it hard to believe that Herg is shocked that his/her 11 downloads has only amounted to $2.75 ( $.25 /subs) at SS. I don't understand how you can upload 300+ images to IS, become exclusive, then drop exclusivity and upload 300+ images to SS without ever knowing that subs pay 25 cents.
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I get it. I just find it hard to believe that Herg is shocked that his/her 11 downloads has only amounted to $2.75 ( $.25 /subs) at SS. I don't understand how you can upload 300+ images to IS, become exclusive, then drop exclusivity and upload 300+ images to SS without ever knowing that subs pay 25 cents.
I assume he knew that, but was expecting hundreds of downloads in compensation. The whining isn't about RPD; it's about R. And if it were me (and I've certainly been in that situation with just about every agency at the beginning), I'd be wondering if it's something I'm doing wrong and how I might improve the situation. Either his content isn't good enough or unique enough or flashy enough to get buyers' attention right off the bat, or his keywords or subject matter were particularly optimized for iStock and not so good elsewhere, or maybe it's a third situation I haven't considered. The point is that many of us do incredibly well at Shutterstock compared to other sites. If Herg doesn't, perhaps the problem isn't with the agency. In any event, the constant whining isn't going to solve anything. All it does is wear out his welcome among those of us who might sympathize or offer advice or both.
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or maybe it's a third situation I haven't considered.
Well maybe Herg is legit or not. Who knows? If not, that is smart spin. If so, I apologize Herg.
ETA: Deleted the rest. It doesn't matter either way.
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Did anyone ask Herg how long the span was before you submitted the 300 photos and before they went live? If you submitted them for approval, and then waited 30 days to end exclusivity the photos would be 30 days old wouldn't they and not at the fresh end of the buyers? I don't know the answer for sure, but isn't this likely what happened? Are you still uploading?
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Notwithstanding Stockmarketer is an obvious player based on the "dials" and I'm a hobbyist who does pictures for fun (where test images and components of the real picture generally sell better than the end product), I totally agree. I actually get around 3 times the dls @ double the rpd at IS per image than even at SS so, even though they hate my stuff, I won’t be deleting my few images and do submit the odd new one.
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You really averaged $2 a download on IS? Then maybe you shouldn't have left, because all it would have taken was figuring out what you just did. It takes 8 downloads on SS to equal that.
I've read lots of posts here where people say they are averaging over $0.50/DL on SS (with PPD, ELs, etc., figured in).
Also, $2/DL as an IS exclusive would be terrible. My sales average well over that, and I'm on the very low end of the scale from what I've seen.
Fair enough comparing IS exclusive (with nothing on ThinkStock!) to Non-Exclusive. Keep in mind some very good people here have had 12c downloads on IS, which is not $2 and is a really poor value.
As a Non I averaged 61c a download on IS for 2011, 36c a download on SS - but had twice as many downloads on SS, so I actually made more on SS. (but that's just me, others may vary) $80 a download on Alamy and earned more than IS and SS put together. Also because of what I have there which is not RF and not on any micro site. It's really not a fair comparison. Just points out the flaw of RPD as a measure, there are all kinds of variables involved.
So the point of $2 downloads may be interesting, but if you don't get the same volume, it's meaningless. Same goes for Alamy, where I'm a little unusual. Most people here make more on Microstock. However I wanted to point out that the RPD is $80 which looks great, but it's only marginally better bottom line than what I make on IS and SS combined.
I've never been an IS exclusive and probably never will be. But if the average is $2 a download, and your sales were like mine last year, where I dropped half the number from 2010, RPD is just a number?
How did your total earnings change from 2010 to 2011? Not asking specifics, but just bottom line percentage. Were they up or down?
Everyone here has pointed out over and over that someone giving up exclusive should expect at least six months of lower earnings and maybe a year, on the top four to six sites, before they can recover to the same level as before they left IS exclusive. It doesn't happen the first week. ;D
ps I made $1.35 per download with IS in 2009. It just keeps dropping.
Nothing wrong with exclusives. It looks like a good way to keep things in order and control distribution. Also no fooling with all the variations and different sites. Pays a better percentage. The only disadvantage I can see (minus politics and side issues) is sales are dropping and commissions are being reduced. On a pure economic evaluation, less income, after years invested into the agency, would be discouraging.
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Today I had one download at IS for $2.55 as unexclusive.
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Today I had one download at IS for $2.55 as unexclusive.
Imagine what you would have made as exclusive :P
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Today I had one download at IS for $2.55 as unexclusive.
Sorry to hear you are not happy with SS Herg. As was already suggested, your keywording will need to be reworked for non-exclusivity, or your pictures aren't likely to see the light of day in many relevant searches.
Also, while 300 images might once have brought decent returns at Istock, I imagine it doesn't anymore or you would have remained exclusive. These days, with libraries nearing 10 million images or more, you need a larger portfolio to see significant money. This is even more true in a subscription model than in PPD model like Istock. Hopefully these are all things you considered carefully before dropping the crown.
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Today I had one download at IS for $2.55 as unexclusive.
Sorry to hear you are not happy with SS Herg. As was already suggested, your keywording will need to be reworked for non-exclusivity, or your pictures aren't likely to see the light of day in many relevant searches.
Also, while 300 images might once have brought decent returns at Istock, I imagine it doesn't anymore or you would have remained exclusive. These days, with libraries nearing 10 million images or more, you need a larger portfolio to see significant money. This is even more true in a subscription model than in PPD model like Istock. Hopefully these are all things you considered carefully before dropping the crown.
You mean nearing 18 million. That's a lot of images, I remember way back when....
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You mean nearing 18 million. That's a lot of images, I remember way back when....
Wow. Things are moving fast. I should have checked the latest numbers before posting, although I figured "or more" should cover it. 300 pics out of 18 million is not enough to get much attention - particularly if keyworded in the Istockcentric way.
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Today I had one download at IS for $2.55 as unexclusive.
Sorry to hear you are not happy with SS Herg. As was already suggested, your keywording will need to be reworked for non-exclusivity, or your pictures aren't likely to see the light of day in many relevant searches.
Also, while 300 images might once have brought decent returns at Istock, I imagine it doesn't anymore or you would have remained exclusive. These days, with libraries nearing 10 million images or more, you need a larger portfolio to see significant money. This is even more true in a subscription model than in PPD model like Istock. Hopefully these are all things you considered carefully before dropping the crown.
Why would my keywording need to be re-worked when I have keyed in relevant keywords? Not sure what you mean by that but I will have a good look at other people's keywords to see what I am missing.
As for IS, I have said earlier quite a few times that I wasn't getting the downloads to warrant staying exclusive. My main earnings there are from audio. I also have 800 or so images at IS but only 357 got onto SS. People say that even with a tenth of the images on SS compared to IS, they make more money than IS. I am yet to be convinced. So far, I have made more money for my images at IS than SS.
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Why would my keywording need to be re-worked when I have keyed in relevant keywords? Not sure what you mean by that but I will have a good look at other people's keywords to see what I am missing.
I haven't looked at your images, so this is an educated guess based on my own experience. I always submitted to Shutterstock first, so my keywords were oriented toward them. For a photo of an attractive woman I use words like: woman; female; girl; young; pretty; beautiful; beauty; gorgeous; attractive; lovely; sexy. But by the time I got to iStock, many of these words disappear into the controlled vocabulary. Pretty, beautiful, beauty, gorgeous, attractive all map to beauty. If I were exclusive on iStock I'd just use that one word instead of all the synonyms. But other sites don't do that conversion, so including lots of synonyms improves my chances of appearing in a search. Clients don't adapt to the search at Shutterstock, the search doesn't adapt as much to the clients, so we have to select keywords that a client might use.
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But checking the keywords used, they usually use just the most basic ones. A photo usually has to have hundreds of DLs in order for them to use more than a quarter of keywords at least once. It makes a difference, but certainly not to the extend Herg is reporting. IN other words, he wouldn't get 100+ DLs from almost 400 photos instead of just 8. He'd probably make a couple more and that's it. There must be something wrong with his content, because it shows up in searches etc. It could be just outdated or he's not offering what the buyers need at SS. I came across quite a few exclusive diamonds, that I'm absolutely sure they wouldn't hit 4 figures at all sites combined, because their content is just so bad, outdated, up to 2004/2005 standards if you know what I mean. They still sell well at IS, because their files have good search positions, but if they went unexclusive they'd burn. I mean who's even buying simple isolated shots of fruit&vegetables, Grand Canyon landscapes, badly composed, boring and cheesy isolated ppl (especially if they're using old tech, outdated phones, laptops etc). You'd need to have at least 3-4k port to make 1k/month at 10+ sites and you wouldn't make it in the first few months anyway.
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True, but coming from the controlled vocab, a lot of these obvious and relevant to search keywords won't be there...
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I have tried all kinds of keyword strategies.
It really makes no difference as long as the basic are there. If you forget an important one, it does matter. But it doesnt matter if you type in beautiful or vibrant or other even worse spam keywords. Its my experience that buyers mostly search for concrete keywords and eventually colours.
Like Crane + yellow+ truck
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I have tried all kinds of keyword strategies.
It really makes no difference as long as the basic are there. If you forget an important one, it does matter. But it doesnt matter if you type in beautiful or vibrant or other even worse spam keywords. Its my experience that buyers mostly search for concrete keywords and eventually colours.
Like Crane + yellow+ truck
My experience is different, and I have some data from Shutterstock to back it up. Their Image Gallery Stats pages (http://submit.shutterstock.com/darkroom/gallery.mhtml) will tell you what percentage of which keywords were used to find each image. For one image I note that the word "naked" was used 21% of the time, with "nude" and "topless" used 14% each. "Woman" occurred 7% of the time, and so did "girl". That suggests that if I had just used "naked" and skipped the others, I'd have missed out on a bunch of downloads, and the same with "girl" vs. "woman" vs "female". There's a tradeoff somewhere in the number and obscurity of keywords vs. how many additional downloads they'll produce, but the minimum without synonyms is on the wrong side of that.
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Did anyone ask Herg how long the span was before you submitted the 300 photos and before they went live? If you submitted them for approval, and then waited 30 days to end exclusivity the photos would be 30 days old wouldn't they and not at the fresh end of the buyers? I don't know the answer for sure, but isn't this likely what happened? Are you still uploading?
I think you might be right. If the images sat there for 30 days while Herg waited for exclusivity to end, they most definitely would have missed the "newest first" boost. Images are assigned their ID numbers before submission, not after. I've uploaded images and let them sit almost a month before actually submitting them, and they were immediately buried.
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I've uploaded images and let them sit almost a month before actually submitting them, and they were immediately buried.
Now I can understand why the second part of a series I uploaded doesn't sell well, while it's not difference in the quality of the photos (I submitted them randomly, I just didn't want to submit too many similar), and I got 7 sales or so in the first day of the first half of the batch, while I got the same number during the whole week for the second part of the batch. And I submitted them just a week apart :-\
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I just checked it, and it's a good thing what Karimala said isn't true. Image ID's are totally different, it looks that this week wasn't as strong for this type of photos than the last. I feel better already, I'd feel pretty bad if the images were buried because I made a mistake
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I just checked it, and it's a good thing what Karimala said isn't true. Image ID's are totally different, it looks that this week wasn't as strong for this type of photos than the last. I feel better already, I'd feel pretty bad if the images were buried because I made a mistake
Um...what I said was 100% true in my situation.
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I just checked it, and it's a good thing what Karimala said isn't true. Image ID's are totally different, it looks that this week wasn't as strong for this type of photos than the last. I feel better already, I'd feel pretty bad if the images were buried because I made a mistake
Um...what I said was 100% true in my situation.
Well I guess it was some kind of glitch then. It makes absolutely no sense, it's not logical for a file being given an ID if it wasn't even submitted for inspection. I also checked the search results, I used specific multiple search terms and the first set was on the 4th page, the second was on the 2nd, as it should be according to image IDs. Can you recheck it, you might have remembered it incorrectly if it happened a while ago (it happens to everyone)
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Today I had one download at IS for $2.55 as unexclusive.
Sorry to hear you are not happy with SS Herg. As was already suggested, your keywording will need to be reworked for non-exclusivity, or your pictures aren't likely to see the light of day in many relevant searches.
Also, while 300 images might once have brought decent returns at Istock, I imagine it doesn't anymore or you would have remained exclusive. These days, with libraries nearing 10 million images or more, you need a larger portfolio to see significant money. This is even more true in a subscription model than in PPD model like Istock. Hopefully these are all things you considered carefully before dropping the crown.
Why would my keywording need to be re-worked when I have keyed in relevant keywords? Not sure what you mean by that but I will have a good look at other people's keywords to see what I am missing.
As I mentioned above, keywording has already been discussed two pages ago. http://www.microstockgroup.com/shutterstock-com/ss-off-to-a-rapid-start-out-the-blocks-in-2012-for-anyone-else/msg238022/#msg238022 (http://www.microstockgroup.com/shutterstock-com/ss-off-to-a-rapid-start-out-the-blocks-in-2012-for-anyone-else/msg238022/#msg238022) Not sure why you are reacting as though this suggestion is a new one.
Disorderly has taken the time in three posts now to explain the differences between keywording for Istock's CV and for other sites. I can't really improve on what he's laid out. It's good info. It's relevant. It will help you if you give it a shot.
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A few more downloads today so it's on the up ;)
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I just checked it, and it's a good thing what Karimala said isn't true. Image ID's are totally different, it looks that this week wasn't as strong for this type of photos than the last. I feel better already, I'd feel pretty bad if the images were buried because I made a mistake
Um...what I said was 100% true in my situation.
Well I guess it was some kind of glitch then. It makes absolutely no sense, it's not logical for a file being given an ID if it wasn't even submitted for inspection. I also checked the search results, I used specific multiple search terms and the first set was on the 4th page, the second was on the 2nd, as it should be according to image IDs. Can you recheck it, you might have remembered it incorrectly if it happened a while ago (it happens to everyone)
Maybe SS changed it, I don't know. I haven't uploaded in a long time. But it used to be that file IDs were assigned upon order of upload received, not order of submission. Same at LuckyOliver where I was a reviewer, and same at StockXpert.
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Best week ever for me. ;D
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Mmmm. Downloads stopped again :-\
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I started the morning with an EL and a bunch of sub sales. I'm just worried a bit, since new content doesn't sell, or it sells really slowly. I've been uploading 30 or so images/week for 3 weeks now and the first was decent regarding new content, but the last and today so far has been really slow, from the last batch that was accepted 5h ago, I didn't get a single sale. Part of the reason is surely that the photos were a part of a couple of series that I've been uploading past these last 3 weeks
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@ Herg... I'm worried that you're going to stress yourself out by measuring minutiae ;)
Some days are better than others, weekends are slower than weekdays. Don't stress too soon. Measure things over a week or a month rather than over a minute or an hour.
Sometimes it could be that someone else is uploading an enormous port that's grabbing all the buyers' attention. Who knows what might go on when things are inexplicably slow. Don't worry... have patience :)
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@ Herg... I'm worried that you're going to stress yourself out by measuring minutiae ;)
Some days are better than others, weekends are slower than weekdays. Don't stress too soon. Measure things over a week or a month rather than over a minute or an hour.
Sometimes it could be that someone else is uploading an enormous port that's grabbing all the buyers' attention. Who knows what might go on when things are inexplicably slow. Don't worry... have patience :)
You are 100% right but it's hard :P I think I had my hopes set too much for SS with all the hype. It's just very disappointing. Just over $7 in a week.
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The only way forward is upload more and better work. It's better to focus on that while you're waiting, rather than getting RSI in your F5 finger. Whatever's holding things up for you may resolve while you're working. In the meantime, the results will come as your new work builds.
I do understand. I used to be exactly the same. It's not worth it though. Too much stress. Energies are best spent creatively and productively, I feel. :)
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I think I had my hopes set too much for SS with all the hype. It's just very disappointing. Just over $7 in a week.
The hype is really caused because sales at other sites are just so bad, IS is tanking etc. In reality SS is just on a slow steady rise, I sure appreciate that, but it's nothing too get overexcited about
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@ Herg... I'm worried that you're going to stress yourself out by measuring minutiae ;)
Some days are better than others, weekends are slower than weekdays. Don't stress too soon. Measure things over a week or a month rather than over a minute or an hour.
Sometimes it could be that someone else is uploading an enormous port that's grabbing all the buyers' attention. Who knows what might go on when things are inexplicably slow. Don't worry... have patience :)
You are 100% right but it's hard :P I think I had my hopes set too much for SS with all the hype. It's just very disappointing. Just over $7 in a week.
Unfortunately, your brain filtered out all the not-so-good stuff, including the RPD.
My brain does that too sometimes; but more likely the opposite, as I'm a glass-half-empty kind of person. Apparently.
I faffed about for about 18 months or more after hearing about micro before applying because of all the obvious caveats.
We both, from opposite ends, need to heed the motto, "Balance in everything".
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Yes, me also!
I'm having a great month! Two EL's in the last three days, plus a steady stream of Sub and On Demand Sales throughout the month. If it keeps going this way, it could be my BME!
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...I think I had my hopes set too much for SS with all the hype. It's just very disappointing. Just over $7 in a week.
If it was overhyped, frankly I think you were reading what you wanted to hear. There has been plenty of discussion here about the downside of dropping exclusivity. I have personally discouraged some people from dropping exclusivity for the exact reasons that you are experiencing. There's no guarantee that all of your images will be accepted, or even half of them will make it. It's tough starting out, and it can take a year or more to really build up momentum at SS and get up to speed. It's a long-term change, not an immediate switch-over.
I don't blame you for expecting a lot. If istock wasn't working out for you, coming here and reading lots of positive stuff about SS would certainly be tempting to anyone. But it's also been discussed here quite a bit that making the jump isn't easy and can take a long time to pay off. It's something that takes work, and won't result in immediate gains. In the long-run, I think it's a smart move and you'll eventually be glad you did it. But until then, it might be a struggle at times.
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But to earn only over $8 for 29 downloads is exactly the reason why it's not making any difference. That amount of downloads at IS would average me around $60. That's a huge difference. The reason I dropped exclusivity was because of the way IS is going. It also fails to sell as many images as it used to. I came to SS for the very reason it's supposed to be the best and growing all the time. Yes, it's still probably the right move BUT I am still (at this moment in time) underwhelmed from all the talk here.
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But to earn only over $8 for 29 downloads is exactly the reason why it's not making any difference. That amount of downloads at IS would average me around $60. That's a huge difference. The reason I dropped exclusivity was because of the way IS is going. It also fails to sell as many images as it used to. I came to SS for the very reason it's supposed to be the best and growing all the time. Yes, it's still probably the right move BUT I am still (at this moment in time) underwhelmed from all the talk here.
But just think: in a year's time you could be well ahead of those of us who were too slow to jump ship.
It's all in the long term planning, and second-guessing what They are going to do to us next.
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But to earn only over $8 for 29 downloads is exactly the reason why it's not making any difference. That amount of downloads at IS would average me around $60. That's a huge difference. The reason I dropped exclusivity was because of the way IS is going. It also fails to sell as many images as it used to. I came to SS for the very reason it's supposed to be the best and growing all the time. Yes, it's still probably the right move BUT I am still (at this moment in time) underwhelmed from all the talk here.
how long are you in SS after leaving IS exclusivity? you have how many files? it does take a while to grow but after that you will do fine
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But to earn only over $8 for 29 downloads is exactly the reason why it's not making any difference. That amount of downloads at IS would average me around $60. That's a huge difference...
You're talking about RPD, which is not really all that helpful comparing SS to istock. Of course the RPD at istock is much higher, especially if you're exclusive. SS is more about the bottom line at the end of the month, which for most folks here is often much much higher than at istock.
Your SS RPD does seem a bit low to me. This is just based on my personal stats, which most days puts my RPD at at least $0.50 and often more like $0.60 or $0.70, whereas you're seeing $0.28. Granted that's assuming you're still at a lower earnings tier and it's also based on just 29 DLs, which isn't much of a data sample.
I still think you need to give it some time. Maybe even a year to really see how things play out. But again, long-term, I still think non-exclusivity is the right play. If a year from now you're getting 9-10x your independent istock earnings at SS alone (as I am), it won't take long to make up the difference between what you would have made as an exclusive vs. as an independent and then surpass that amount. Short-term, right now, if you stayed exclusive you'd be making more money. But like most people, I doubt you're in this for the short-term, and in time I think you'll find that you're much better off spreading your work around to other agencies.
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But to earn only over $8 for 29 downloads is exactly the reason why it's not making any difference. That amount of downloads at IS would average me around $60. That's a huge difference. The reason I dropped exclusivity was because of the way IS is going. It also fails to sell as many images as it used to. I came to SS for the very reason it's supposed to be the best and growing all the time. Yes, it's still probably the right move BUT I am still (at this moment in time) underwhelmed from all the talk here.
Are we going to have to read a dayly upgrade of you constant complaining and sale report.
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But to earn only over $8 for 29 downloads is exactly the reason why it's not making any difference. That amount of downloads at IS would average me around $60. That's a huge difference. The reason I dropped exclusivity was because of the way IS is going. It also fails to sell as many images as it used to. I came to SS for the very reason it's supposed to be the best and growing all the time. Yes, it's still probably the right move BUT I am still (at this moment in time) underwhelmed from all the talk here.
Are we going to have to read a dayly upgrade of you constant complaining and sale report.
ROTF
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Maybe if we all stopped responding the thread would die? ::)
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The only thing that has died are my sales which are now even worse. Why did I listen to all the SS evangelists here ! ???
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The only thing that has died are my sales which are now even worse. Why did I listen to all the SS evangelists here ! ???
I sure wish you didn't...
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The only thing that has died are my sales which are now even worse. Why did I listen to all the SS evangelists here ! ???
Initially I felt bad for you, but your daily laments, accompanied by vague accusations, are kind of embarrassing to watch at this point. It's only 60 days before you can reapply to Istock for exclusivity, right?
The only thing that has died are my sales which are now even worse. Why did I listen to all the SS evangelists here ! ???
I sure wish you didn't...
ROFL! Don't we all!!! ::)
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The only thing that has died are my sales which are now even worse. Why did I listen to all the SS evangelists here ! ???
Because it's human nature to think the grass is greener somewhere else.
You might well win out in the end. It's a long game.
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The only thing that has died are my sales which are now even worse. Why did I listen to all the SS evangelists here ! ???
A different question: why did you stop listening once you made the move? We've responded to your endless whinging with both sympathy and advice, the latter of which seems to have had no effect at all. Okay, I'm done. Guess we have an Ignore button for a reason.
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On it's way to be my best month ever. 623 downloads and 8 are Enhanced Downloads.
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Tell you what folks, I am going to stop complaining and get on with something creative. Jan is not my best time of year as I suffer with the blues and obviously I have vented my feelings here too much. Sorry.
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That's the way Herg. Channel it into creativity and productivity. Two benefits - you'll feel better, and your results will improve :)
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Very good month on ; BME in downloads (subs and OD) but a bad, bad month in Extended licenses. So in terms of revenue not a very good month.