MicrostockGroup
Agency Based Discussion => iStockPhoto.com => Topic started by: DanielVisuals on December 27, 2023, 05:31
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I am a stock video contributor. I upload my videos to Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, and Pond5.
However, I have not yet uploaded any videos to iStock.
I wonder if not uploading to iStock could result in missing out on potential earnings.
If you were in my position, would you upload your portfolio of videos to iStock?
I often hear that the submission process is tedious. What is specifically complicated about it? I have CSV files of all my metadata, will they be helpful?
Cheers,
Daniel
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I used to be an iStock video Exclusive. I am currently uploading there again, but as a non-exclusive. Stills are a better bet than videos on iStock/ Getty. Their video pricing is extremely low (eg. you will get sales for $0.02) and I don't agree with their policy of all file sizes being the same price, because my 4K animations require a lot more time than HD. So I downsize and only submit HD to them. If people want my 4K videos I hope they will find them elsewhere.
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What is specifically tedious is disambiguating keywords, but you will get used to it after a while and it will not take long.
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I wonder if not uploading to iStock could result in missing out on potential earnings.
Yes, you are losing income.
If you were in my position, would you upload your portfolio of videos to iStock?
Yes
I often hear that the submission process is tedious. What is specifically complicated about it? I have CSV files of all my metadata, will they be helpful?
CSV files will be helpful.
Upload videos via qhero.com. It's not tiring there. But this site periodically loads videos poorly, you need to get used to it and write to support.
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On average, this year, my iStock clip prices are 6x less than SS and AS and 18x less than Pond5.
Nevertheless, even if sales are tiny, I've made some $400 all-time from iStock on a port of just over 800 clips.
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So far for video $152.00 without December
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Thanks, everyone.
The much lower prices than on SS is my main psychological obstacle.
I will take in all your insights and ponder a little while longer :)
Cheers,
Daniel
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So far for video $152.00 without December
So far 470$ from 349 videos: not bad...
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So far for video $152.00 without December
So far 470$ from 349 videos: not bad...
If you don’t mind me asking, how long have you had your portfolio earning on istock for?
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My iStock earnings are pretty much exactly the same as Pond5 and Shutterstock combined.
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So far for video $152.00 without December
So far 470$ from 349 videos: not bad...
If you don’t mind me asking, how long have you had your portfolio earning on istock for?
1 Year only, I just uploaded these videos and hadn't time to upload more, it was a very busy year for me.
6 years ago, I had an exclusive account at Getty, it didn't last long as I've canceled it as soon as I started getting these very low video sales.
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No! >:(
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I once left iStock because of their ridiculous video commissions and their total lack of distinction between HD and 4K prices. Not that other agencies are better lately. Especially SS has terrible ROI for video these days.
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Not for me. I have ditched a long time ago Istock, Shutterstock and Videohive Envato. Not worth my time. I had thousands of clips there. Not a single one in Istock or SS. Videohive I do not upload anything anymore.
My yearly income has been raising since I have started contributing video 5 years ago.
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So far for video $152.00 without December
So far 470$ from 349 videos: not bad...
Did you get individual video sale commissions below $1/sale? If yes, how much below? My lowest video sales commission on SS are $1. I’ve made my peace with that. However, lower than $1/sale would really be psychologically difficult :)
Someone else in this thread said some commissions for video sales are as low as $0.02. That’s very low!
I cannot understand how they come up with such low sales commission. The subscription prices are similar to SS. So, the lowest sale commission should be around $1, no?
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My iStock earnings are pretty much exactly the same as Pond5 and Shutterstock combined.
Thanks for your comment :)
When looking at your portfolios, you seem to have almost three times more video on istock than on SS. Could that be the reason why you make more money there?
Thank you for sharing your valuable insights and experience.
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Someone else in this thread said some commissions for video sales are as low as $0.02. That’s very low!
I cannot understand how they come up with such low sales commission. The subscription prices are similar to SS. So, the lowest sale commission should be around $1, no?
With iStock/Getty you get very detailed monthly statements. The video sales for $0.02 or similar amounts tend to be listed as "Partner Portal" and also sometimes 'Premium Access Time Limited" and tend to be from buyers in Korea or China.
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Not for me. I have ditched a long time ago Istock, Shutterstock and Videohive Envato
What stock do you have left? ???
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Someone else in this thread said some commissions for video sales are as low as $0.02. That’s very low!
I cannot understand how they come up with such low sales commission. The subscription prices are similar to SS. So, the lowest sale commission should be around $1, no?
With iStock/Getty you get very detailed monthly statements. The video sales for $0.02 or similar amounts tend to be listed as "Partner Portal" and also sometimes 'Premium Access Time Limited" and tend to be from buyers in Korea or China.
What’s the proportion of downloads with such tiny amounts?
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However, I have not yet uploaded any videos to iStock.
I wonder if not uploading to iStock could result in missing out on potential earnings.
If you were in my position, would you upload your portfolio of videos to iStock?
While the bulk of my portfolio is on P5, I upload to iStock regularly, but I pick and choose what files I send there.
I don't think I'm losing any prospective customers from P5 or my other "regular" agencies by uploading to iStock. In fact, I believe I'm gaining sales I normally wouldn't have if I were to neglect uploading to iStock.
iStock sales are consistent and a good boost to my bottom line. Do they provide a livable income alone? No, but none of the agencies do. I live off my combined sales.
Here's a chart for my 2023 sales for my top 6 agencies. I'll keep the $ values hidden, but you can see how one compares to another (at least for my portfolio). It may help you make a decision.
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So far for video $152.00 without December
So far 470$ from 349 videos: not bad...
Did you get individual video sale commissions below $1/sale? If yes, how much below? My lowest video sales commission on SS are $1. I’ve made my peace with that. However, lower than $1/sale would really be psychologically difficult :)
Someone else in this thread said some commissions for video sales are as low as $0.02. That’s very low!
I cannot understand how they come up with such low sales commission. The subscription prices are similar to SS. So, the lowest sale commission should be around $1, no?
November 2023:
I got 3 sales for $0.02
and total 6 sales under $0.10
and total 161 sales out of 235 sales under $1
only 9 sales above $5
but it is in third place after shutterstock and Adobe stock, and much ahead of pond 5, which is in 4th position with 4.5 times more earnings.
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I am surprised that some of you are still making good money from SS in the past year. If your lowest earning is $1, does it mean that you have never made any sales from Clip Packs?
Most of my SS sales are at $0.25 as clip packs. High value sales are rarely seen. Even though I am at Level 3, it doesn't matter because a sale from Clip Packs is fixed at $0.25.
As a non exclusive, I also get very little from Getty sales, but at least most sales are more than $0.25.
Did you get individual video sale commissions below $1/sale? If yes, how much below? My lowest video sales commission on SS are $1. I’ve made my peace with that. However, lower than $1/sale would really be psychologically difficult :)
Someone else in this thread said some commissions for video sales are as low as $0.02. That’s very low!
I cannot understand how they come up with such low sales commission. The subscription prices are similar to SS. So, the lowest sale commission should be around $1, no?
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I am surprised that some of you are still making good money from SS in the past year. If your lowest earning is $1, does it mean that you have never made any sales from Clip Packs?
Most of my SS sales are at $0.25 as clip packs. High value sales are rarely seen. Even though I am at Level 3, it doesn't matter because a sale from Clip Packs is fixed at $0.25.
As a non exclusive, I also get very little from Getty sales, but at least most sales are more than $0.25.
Did you get individual video sale commissions below $1/sale? If yes, how much below? My lowest video sales commission on SS are $1. I’ve made my peace with that. However, lower than $1/sale would really be psychologically difficult :)
Someone else in this thread said some commissions for video sales are as low as $0.02. That’s very low!
I cannot understand how they come up with such low sales commission. The subscription prices are similar to SS. So, the lowest sale commission should be around $1, no?
I just want to make sure we’re both talking about video sales here.
Are your $0.25 sales video or photo sales?
My lowest video sale commissions on SS are $1 at level 3. I don’t get many of them so they don’t bother me much and I get better search ranking for the more common better sales :)
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Ambu: Thanks for sharing this.
Based on this info, I’m not ready to contribute to istock. I will stick with SS, AS, and pond5 for the foreseeable future and reassess if needed.
I can certainly see myself change my mind with time.
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These day in video I contribute to P5 exclusive , P5 non exclusive, Adobe Stock and Artgrid.
Not for me. I have ditched a long time ago Istock, Shutterstock and Videohive Envato
What stock do you have left? ???
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These day in video I contribute to P5 exclusive , P5 non exclusive, Adobe Stock and Artgrid.
Not for me. I have ditched a long time ago Istock, Shutterstock and Videohive Envato
What stock do you have left? ???
Is Artgrid you best agency in terms of revenue?
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Yes it is
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These day in video I contribute to P5 exclusive , P5 non exclusive, Adobe Stock and Artgrid.
Not for me. I have ditched a long time ago Istock, Shutterstock and Videohive Envato
What stock do you have left? ???
Artgrid distributes your video for free to everyone. ;D
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Ambu: Thanks for sharing this.
Based on this info, I’m not ready to contribute to istock. I will stick with SS, AS, and pond5 for the foreseeable future and reassess if needed.
I can certainly see myself change my mind with time.
You made the wrong conclusions.
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Daniel, yes, I was talking about my SS video sales. Most of my video sales are sold as Clip Packs at 0.25. Occasionally I get higher valued sales, but they are rare.
I wonder why you have never had those sales. Which level are you at?
I am surprised that some of you are still making good money from SS in the past year. If your lowest earning is $1, does it mean that you have never made any sales from Clip Packs?
Most of my SS sales are at $0.25 as clip packs. High value sales are rarely seen. Even though I am at Level 3, it doesn't matter because a sale from Clip Packs is fixed at $0.25.
As a non exclusive, I also get very little from Getty sales, but at least most sales are more than $0.25.
Did you get individual video sale commissions below $1/sale? If yes, how much below? My lowest video sales commission on SS are $1. I’ve made my peace with that. However, lower than $1/sale would really be psychologically difficult :)
Someone else in this thread said some commissions for video sales are as low as $0.02. That’s very low!
I cannot understand how they come up with such low sales commission. The subscription prices are similar to SS. So, the lowest sale commission should be around $1, no?
I just want to make sure we’re both talking about video sales here.
Are your $0.25 sales video or photo sales?
My lowest video sale commissions on SS are $1 at level 3. I don’t get many of them so they don’t bother me much and I get better search ranking for the more common better sales :)
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Orchidpoet:
I was only at level 3. I'm not sure why I've never had any $0.25 clip-pack sales. Last December, my lowest clip-pack sale was $2.46, while my highest clip-pack sale was $28.96. On average, my clip pack sale was $10.64 last month. I would like to know if others are also experiencing many $0.25 clip pack sales like you do.
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Ambu: Thanks for sharing this.
Based on this info, I’m not ready to contribute to istock. I will stick with SS, AS, and pond5 for the foreseeable future and reassess if needed.
I can certainly see myself change my mind with time.
You made the wrong conclusions.
I will certainly reassess this possibility in the future. Most of my portfolio covers specific niches that are not well-represented in other agencies. However, I have some more common assets that I may decide to upload to istock.
Can you please share a link to your portfolio? I am interested in seeing the subjects you shoot.
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Daniel, thanks for the reply.
Your niche portfolio could be the explanation. I am at level 3 too. Occasionally I get high-valued sales for some niche subjects. For instance, last month, I had one sale at about $80. But the majority sales are at 0.25.
I no longer send any of my niche files to SS. I may reconsider sending them to IS in 2024.
Orchidpoet:
I was only at level 3. I'm not sure why I've never had any $0.25 clip-pack sales. Last December, my lowest clip-pack sale was $2.46, while my highest clip-pack sale was $28.96. On average, my clip pack sale was $10.64 last month. I would like to know if others are also experiencing many $0.25 clip pack sales like you do.
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Orchidpoet:
I was only at level 3. I'm not sure why I've never had any $0.25 clip-pack sales. Last December, my lowest clip-pack sale was $2.46, while my highest clip-pack sale was $28.96. On average, my clip pack sale was $10.64 last month. I would like to know if others are also experiencing many $0.25 clip pack sales like you do.
Its difficult to count, But I got more 40 sales for $0.25(videos) last year on SS. And a lot more sales for $1.
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Orchidpoet:
I was only at level 3. I'm not sure why I've never had any $0.25 clip-pack sales. Last December, my lowest clip-pack sale was $2.46, while my highest clip-pack sale was $28.96. On average, my clip pack sale was $10.64 last month. I would like to know if others are also experiencing many $0.25 clip pack sales like you do.
Its difficult to count, But I got more 40 sales for $0.25(videos) last year on SS. And a lot more sales for $1.
Ok that’s interesting insight. I’m (not) looking forward to receiving $0.25 sales.
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Orchidpoet:
I was only at level 3. I'm not sure why I've never had any $0.25 clip-pack sales. Last December, my lowest clip-pack sale was $2.46, while my highest clip-pack sale was $28.96. On average, my clip pack sale was $10.64 last month. I would like to know if others are also experiencing many $0.25 clip pack sales like you do.
I haven't had any clip sales under $1 at SS either. On all levels. I got up to level 4. And the $1 sales are rare. I usually get a bit more for it.
The highest sale in December was $98.
My December RPD for videos on SS is $10,26.
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Are these $0.25 sales for editorial clips? I only upload commercial clips.
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Are these $0.25 sales for editorial clips? I only upload commercial clips.
All are commercial. I don't know where these sales coming from.
And irrespective of levels, the value of $0.25 and $1 sales are same.
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I am 80% editorial and never had 0.25$ either
I had 4x sub 1$, but all where for the same video, which never had sales besides these. It nearly feels as if that video was 'cleared for sub 1$ sales' haha
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I rarely have under 1$ video sales on SS, this year I have 18 sales, 11 of them are between 1$ and 2$.