Things will level out, there's always a nice splash when you start, but I'm happy with them after two years. I sent in 14 images on Christmas Eve, and they were reviewed by morning. Nice that others are taking the time off so my junk can get through faster.  Big Stock was only beat by a few hours (Owned by SS) and those were reviewed just about as fast.

I feel the need to say a few words about my introduction to Shutterstock.  I'm very pleased.  I have had at least one download on each of my ten days as a member.  With just 79 images online (20 in the last five days) I have 35 downloads ... three on Christmas Day.  

mighty impressive! were they your best sellers elsewhere? i really like ss, they are the choo choo train that just keeps chugging along, rain or shine. they also don't have all the drama of is either. i guess they're not as high maintence...

I feel the need to say a few words about my introduction to Shutterstock.  I'm very pleased.  I have had at least one download on each of my ten days as a member.  With just 79 images online (20 in the last five days) I have 35 downloads ... three on Christmas Day.

I don't want to be a party pooper but new contributors get a huge bump in the search engine during their honeymoon (6 months or so) at ShutterStock. After that, the effect wanes off gradually unless you keep feeding the beast.

On Xmas day I had only 5 sales from a port of 922. But I'm with SS since 2005.

By the way it's the moment to upload there. I sent them a batch of 10 last night and they were all accepted a couple of hours later. Atilla-the-reviewer is having a Holiday break.

welcome to the honey moon, I remember when my port was new there, seemed unreal, the newbie boost is good while it lasts, enjoy it.

Quote from: WarrenPrice on December 26, 2009, 16:00

I feel the need to say a few words about my introduction to Shutterstock.  I'm very pleased.  I have had at least one download on each of my ten days as a member.  With just 79 images online (20 in the last five days) I have 35 downloads ... three on Christmas Day.

I don't want to be a party pooper but new contributors get a huge bump in the search engine during their honeymoon (6 months or so) at ShutterStock. After that, the effect wanes off gradually unless you keep feeding the beast.

On Xmas day I had only 5 sales from a port of 922. But I'm with SS since 2005.

By the way it's the moment to upload there. I sent them a batch of 10 last night and they were all accepted a couple of hours later. Atilla-the-reviewer is having a Holiday break.

I was wondering how long the honeymoon lasted when I started, so I went back and reviewed, and it was just about what you said. I saw good sales for five or six months and then dropped off 85% until I uploaded some more. At that point I got a small boost again, but as soon as I stopped uploading, the sales slowed a month later.

Not that this is some revelation. People have been saying the same thing for years.    Feed the beast!

I am wondering if the "feed the beast" phenomenon isn't relevant to many of the sites?

That's how the search engine is programmed, no more, no less.

I've noticed slow downs at 123rf and at DT when I go for any period without uploads.

That might be the case if your port is still small and/or you have only certain subjects. If your portfolio variety gets wider, visual search takes over at DT and you'll bypass the search engine. My last 20 sales at DT were, again, in majority n/a. I stopped uploading for 3 months and I didn't feel any slowdown, but my n/a went up to 70%.

I plan to upload at least a few images each week.  Or, is it necessary to upload more frequently?

Last year I experimented a bit and 10 images per week or 2 weeks is enough to keep the beast happy. If you have 30 new shots, don't upload them at once but space them apart, one batch of 10 over 3 weeks. Also don't mix similars in one batch, but make it varied. You will attract less buyers with just one subject in the newest pictures, than if you had many subjects.

The whole "feed the beast" mentality is what's wrong with microstock these days.  There's a glut of "same old, same old" shots.  (I'm also speaking as someone who buys microstock... it's getting really frustrating as a customer to find real creativity in action.)

So many contributors are sending in shots that are so similar to what's already there, that the only way for them to get noticed is to be near the top of the "latest added" search results.

This is not a strategy for long-term success in microstock.  People who just keep sending in the same old stuff reach a point where no matter how much they're adding to their portfolios, their revenue stays the same.  Don't fall into this trap.  Find subjects that aren't oversaturated, develop your own style, and keep your portfolio diverse, and you won't need to "feed the beast" nearly as much as the people here are saying.

Find subjects that aren't oversaturated, develop your own style, and keep your portfolio diverse, and you won't need to "feed the beast" nearly as much as the people here are saying.

Just to refine what you wrote: find subjects which aren't oversaturated AND which buyers want. The latter being more relevant in Micros.

those guys know how to sell, it is still valid even 120 days after this thread was posted. 

Quote from: AlessandraRC on February 20, 2016, 19:28

those guys know how to sell, it is still valid even 120 days after this thread was posted. 

THIS THREAD IS MORE THAN 6 YEARS OLD!

The question is: Are Shutterstock contributors happy today?
Well here you will find the same old whimperers, but the others?

Yeah. I've learned now to ALWAYS check and see when the first post was made. 6 years ago, that would be me too, but not today. SS still one of the best for me, but FT has been creeping up in the past few months. In fact, last month FT bested SS in sales for me. As of today (Feb 2016) FT is ahead of SS. Step into Microstock, and you step into a rapidly moving river.