3
« on: September 03, 2008, 17:08 »
I started uploading to the more popular microstock sites in June. Here are my impressions so far:
In that time my photos and workflow, or the care I take over them, have improved significantly. I have also learned the pain of avoiding logos, people, etc, in pics. I don't think that any of my pics have been accepted by every site.
Earnings are very low, but I only have about 50 images up and it certainly seems that some pics are very much more popular than others, although the most popular pics differ on each site. It doesn't look like I'm going to retire on the proceeds, unless I get rather more consistent earners.
SS Just got in, on 2nd attempt, but already my pics are selling better here with only 9 pics up than on most of the other sites, despite paying $0.25/download, rather than the more normal $0.3x. Scenic photos and still lives seem to work better here than on the other sites, which may prefer drawings / patterns / cut-outs. The site is OK, but does not provide info such as the number of views.
IS High picture standards -- took a couple of goes to get in -- but accept resubmissions. The reviewers are probably the best of the bunch; it is always pretty clear why a pic has been rejected, and the site has a good community feel (eg, others can rate your pics). But reviews are very slow -- up to about 2 weeks. Acceptance rate about 50% (and rising).
FT Low acceptance rate (40%) and poor feedback, so difficult to know what they are looking for. Reasonably quick reviews. Identity of purchasers available (mostly European in my case). Faster than average site. Good stats (eg, views / day -- around 15, in my case)
DT Slow reviews (around 1 week). 70% acceptance rate. Average sales. Feedback on keywords leading to a purchase available.
SX Very fast reviews (minutes / hours). High acceptance rate (rejections mainly for legal reasons -- they are stricter than some other sites). Average sales. Useful self-promotion features can help sales. Friendly ambience.
123rf Clean but slow site. 70% acceptance. Low sales. A bit impersonal.
BS No sales. Very low views per image, if they are accurate. 72% acceptance, usually within a couple of days. Images ranked by reviewers (OK / Good / Excellent). Most of mine are Good, none Excellent. Don't expect a number of my photos to sell, as they are annotated ("blurry, best at low resolutions") in a way that does not accord with my views.