Which site do you believe offers the best overall referral program?

Which site brings you the most $$$ from referrals?

Mark

Shutterstock without a doubt. $145 from only 2 referrals.

I'm not sure ... but I think I just got a $5.00 referral on Dreamstime (DT). I can't otherwise account for $5.00 in my earnings ...

I've also had some incremental $$$ coming in from 123rf that shows as referral earnings I believe ...

Other than that, I'm new to referrals so I just don't know what sort of income to anticpate from referrals.

Is there anyone that is willing to share their insights into their personal successes with referrals?

Mark

Shutterstock

100% Shutterstock.  No other site even comes close. 

I don't have a site for referrals but I have had $200 in referrals from istock.  Half of these are designers.

Shutterstock      SY

Do referrals  come as a result of visiting your microstock page or from a web page where you put sites banners ?

SS is the last site I want to refer people to (subscription-only, lowest precentage paid to contributors, etc), however they do have the best referral program.

SS and FT get my vote.  Best continuous referral income.  DT's comes in next on my list.  I don't like one shot deal referral programs like the other sites sometimes run. 

I was surprisingly able to pull in a 4 figure income from SS and 4 figures from FT in 2007.  Great referral programs. 

To some extent it depends on whether you'll get more exposure to other contributors or to buyers. I can only speak from experience with the contributor side, but the consensus about Shutterstock so far in this thread is bang on. I earn more than three times the nearest competitor through Shutterstock. Dreamstime and Fotolia are second and third respectively and not too far apart. LuckyOliver occasionally chips in with a pleasing result. 123rf is worth a little effort, but don't bother with BigStockPhoto and definately not CanStockPhoto.

iStock only rewards for referred members who make a purchase, so works best when you have good exposure to buyers. StockXpert is the same, though while I've earned a little through iStock, I've earned nothing through StockXpert yet.

As an interesting story: one of the more successful microstockers got in early with the Shutterstock referral program a couple of years ago. She contacted contributors at other agencies and gave them her referral links (evil, I know - but effective) and now earns around $9 per day in referred contributor sales!

Sadly or happily, almost half my SS income comes from referrals.

But hey, can't complain about 4 figures.

Quote from: Mormegil on February 15, 2008, 19:30

But hey, can't complain about 4 figures.

Beg your pardon? 4 FIGURES??? Monthly or in total??? Care to share some tips??? SY *Speechless*

Quote from: hospitalera on February 15, 2008, 19:36

Quote from: Mormegil on February 15, 2008, 19:30

But hey, can't complain about 4 figures.

Beg your pardon? 4 FIGURES??? Monthly or in total??? Care to share some tips??? SY *Speechless*

Wish it was monthly.  Annual.  Low 4 figures too.  My advice, tell people.  I've got a Flickr account, and am on the forums.  I often mention microstocks there, and when people ask, I tell them all about it, and give them a link with a referral (making it clear I get a referral).

I think I got lucky as I got a super bump midway last year.  It looks like one of my referrals was very prolific and put up a LOT of great shots.  So the second piece of advice is be lucky.

Exactly - post your links wherever you can think to, and let people know about what you do with stock on forums and chat rooms.  when they get interested, give them a link to your blog or referral site.  My 4 figures is on the low-mid end and annual also, but hey it's better than nothing.  Too bad it's not monthly, that would be nice   You'd need a lot of referrals for that!

OK, just for the records and in case here is still somebody that hasn't signed up on ShutterStock, here is

ShutterStock-My Referral Link!

ROFL ROFL ROFL

SY

Just curious (as I'm not in SS), what is so good about they referral program?

Regards,
Adelaide

They give .03 per sale, for quite a few months - I can't find the facts quickly but I think 3 years or something isn't it? 

In comparison:  BigStock gives $5 when the referral has uploaded 75 pix.   Nice to get a $5 bonus, but a referral at SS only has to sell about 167 photos for you to earn that much.  A good referral can earn you more than that each week.  (Sigh, I wish I was such a good referral.)

Unless the TOS has changed this, I thought SS gave $0.03 per sale from a referred photographer indefinately.

Quote from: mwp1969 on February 01, 2008, 21:18

I'm not sure ... but I think I just got a $5.00 referral on Dreamstime (DT). I can't otherwise account for $5.00 in my earnings ...

That's probably from you putting their logo on your site/blog. Dreamstime do that automatically once they've checked it's there and the site is 'suitable'.

As for best referrals - I go along with the rest. Shutterstock by a long, long way.

And, as far as I'm aware, the bonuses from the referrals you make go on indefinitely. I hope so!

(Oh ... and can someone get rid of that spammy post immediately above this? Pur ... leeeese!)

I confirm, just put the dreamstime banner on my blog last week and got credited with $ 5

Referrals comparsions table in my Microstock guide lists most of the major sites referral programs

My referral earnings for the last 2 years

FT  $90.84 (5 year limit)
DT  $90.67 (3 year limit)
iS   $80 (8 buyers signed up)
SS  $57.72 (no time limit) *
123 $47.09
BS  $40.00 8 photographers reached 75 images #


* quite a few sign ups but no big portfolios and I wouldn't get anything from referrred photographers extended license sales unlike DT and FT

# anyone had a $5 payments since July 2007 ??

Never rely on referral income as "sure thing" income.  You have to sell your own stuff to make regular money in this.  Your referrals sometimes stop uploading on sites like Shutterstock, and then you monthly referrals income goes down by 50%...this just happened to me.  I was pulling in like $100/month off of SS referrals, and not it's closer to $50.  Am I complaining?  No, not at all.  I'm just saying, don't count on it being as regular as your own stock photo sales.  Even those sometimes aren't even that reliable.

Quote from: fintastique on February 19, 2008, 13:16
Referrals comparsions table in my Microstock guide lists most of the major sites referral programs

My referral earnings for the last 2 years

FT  $90.84 (5 year limit)
DT  $90.67 (3 year limit)
iS   $80 (8 buyers signed up)
SS  $57.72 (no time limit) *
123 $47.09
BS  $40.00 8 photographers reached 75 images #


* quite a few sign ups but no big portfolios and I wouldn't get anything from referrred photographers extended license sales unlike DT and FT

# anyone had a $5 payments since July 2007 ??

Hmm. Suppose you just have to get a lucky referral for Shutterstock. I have two that have made me $160. One was accepted about 2 months ago and the other was accepted about 8 months ago. Compared to only a couple bucks from Dreamstime and Fotolia.

the best refferal is shutterstock for me, then fotolia, bigstock isn´t realy good , 123 is the time to short for real good income of referals,