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Poll

What is your RPI for the month of September 2014 at Shutterstock?  (Total income from photos divided by number of photos online)

0-.15
52 (27.4%)
.16-.25
27 (14.2%)
.26-.40
34 (17.9%)
.41-.55
13 (6.8%)
.56-.70
17 (8.9%)
.71-.85
11 (5.8%)
.85-.99
6 (3.2%)
1-1.50
10 (5.3%)
1.51-3.00
8 (4.2%)
3.01-4.00+
7 (3.7%)
Click here if you are not a SS contributor but want to see the results.
5 (2.6%)

Total Members Voted: 175

Author Topic: Poll: RPI at Shutterstock (You can now edit your reply if you entered RPD)  (Read 26180 times)

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« on: October 06, 2014, 09:30 »
0
RPI in terms of USD.  We know the average RPI at Shutterstock is about 28 cents for all file types but I haven't seen any recent polls on this for photographers.

RPI means total income from photos divided by total number of photos online.
« Last Edit: October 08, 2014, 10:30 by tickstock »


ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #1 on: October 06, 2014, 09:35 »
0
RPI in terms of USD.  We know the average RPI at Shutterstock is about 28 cents for all file types but I haven't seen any recent polls on this for photographers and illustrators.
This sort of poll is only even slightly useful if we know the media and critically for SS, whether images are opted in for sensitive use or not, since it's all in or all out. All out, to protect models, means the biggest value sales (even if not actually 'sensitive') are unavailable.

« Reply #2 on: October 06, 2014, 09:40 »
0
RPI in terms of USD.  We know the average RPI at Shutterstock is about 28 cents for all file types but I haven't seen any recent polls on this for photographers and illustrators.
This sort of poll is only even slightly useful if we know the media and critically for SS, whether images are opted in for sensitive use or not, since it's all in or all out. All out, to protect models, means the biggest value sales (even if not actually 'sensitive') are unavailable.
Ok, changed to just photographers.
« Last Edit: October 06, 2014, 09:44 by tickstock »

w7lwi

  • Those that don't stand up to evil enable evil.
« Reply #3 on: October 06, 2014, 11:04 »
+1
Just voted ... RPI $0.71.  Photos only and all in for sensitive use

« Reply #4 on: October 06, 2014, 11:36 »
+1
I also think you need to clarify the parameters for calculating RPI - My guess is you are going to get people using different methods (and some actually reporting RPD).

« Reply #5 on: October 06, 2014, 11:38 »
0
RPI in terms of USD.  We know the average RPI at Shutterstock is about 28 cents for all file types but I haven't seen any recent polls on this for photographers and illustrators.
This sort of poll is only even slightly useful if we know the media and critically for SS, whether images are opted in for sensitive use or not, since it's all in or all out. All out, to protect models, means the biggest value sales (even if not actually 'sensitive') are unavailable.

You ask for RPI, (income/all images on SS) but do you really mean RPD (income/# of downloads)?

« Reply #6 on: October 06, 2014, 11:40 »
0
I also think you need to clarify the parameters for calculating RPI - My guess is you are going to get people using different methods (and some actually reporting RPD).
I think it should be easy for people to figure out, I'll add to the OP though.  Total photo income for September divided by total photos online.  Hopefully people won't enter their RPD which is total income divided by downloads.

« Reply #7 on: October 06, 2014, 11:42 »
0
RPI in terms of USD.  We know the average RPI at Shutterstock is about 28 cents for all file types but I haven't seen any recent polls on this for photographers and illustrators.
This sort of poll is only even slightly useful if we know the media and critically for SS, whether images are opted in for sensitive use or not, since it's all in or all out. All out, to protect models, means the biggest value sales (even if not actually 'sensitive') are unavailable.

You ask for RPI, (income/all images on SS) but do you really mean RPD (income/# of downloads)?
No, I mean RPI.  NOT RPD.

Mark Windom Photography

« Reply #8 on: October 06, 2014, 11:46 »
0
Just curious why you want to know....thinking of jumping ship? Or just curious?

« Reply #9 on: October 06, 2014, 11:56 »
+2
Just curious why you want to know....thinking of jumping ship? Or just curious?
I think having more, good information is always helpful for everyone.

« Reply #10 on: October 06, 2014, 12:07 »
0
What about videos? Do you mean revenue per FILE or strictly per image?
For my purposes I calculate them together, I can't be bothered to deduct video sales.

Also, as I wrote in another thread an exclusive jumping ship should not expect the same results as people who have been slowly feeding the beast and achieved high positions in Most Popular sorts. The reasons are: competing with your own files and it is much more difficult to reach the first page when over 300.000 files are being added every week.

EDIT: I see now that you mean photos only, so I'll pass.
« Last Edit: October 06, 2014, 12:10 by Realist »

« Reply #11 on: October 06, 2014, 12:10 »
+1
What about videos? Do you mean revenue per FILE or strictly per image?
For my purposes I calculate them together, I can't be bothered to deduct video sales.

Also, as I wrote in another thread an exclusive jumping ship should not expect the same results as people who have been slowly feeding the beast and achieved high positions in Most Popular sorts. The reasons are: competing with your own files and it is much more difficult to reach the first page when over 300.000 files are being added every week.
Video sales are listed separately in your sales data so it shouldn't be too much work to figure out what your photo sales are.  I think a poll about video would probably have different results so it's probably better to keep them apart.

Uncle Pete

« Reply #12 on: October 06, 2014, 12:12 »
0
About the same, but I have no model released photos and roughly half mine are Editorial. Plus there's some dead wood that I could cut and burn and my RPI would go up. I'm talking about things from 2007 that have no sales, and probably never will. Plus the standards have gone up along with the quality.

RPI is only a good measure for individuals. Otherwise we all have different content and it shouldn't be compared.

I think our buddy Tick needs to come and smell the roses and find out for himself.  ;D

Just voted ... RPI $0.71.  Photos only and all in for sensitive use

Shelma1

  • stockcoalition.org
« Reply #13 on: October 06, 2014, 12:46 »
+4
Am I the only one who read that as "R.I.P.? I thought it was a statement about the recent pricing changes at iStock.

« Reply #14 on: October 06, 2014, 14:29 »
+4
There's something seriously wrong with the results when nearly 50% of voters are claiming more than 40c per image/month ... which itself is nearly 50% higher than Shutterstock's declared average.

Even Sean said he's only generating about 60c per image/month (in a previous thread) so we must have some absolute stock geniuses voting in the poll.

U11


« Reply #15 on: October 06, 2014, 14:34 »
+4
There's something seriously wrong with the results
If  "View results" would bring results without voting we may get better results but much less votes  ::)

« Reply #16 on: October 06, 2014, 16:30 »
0
An interesting spread of results and not one I'd personally base any long-term decisions on. You'd have to calculate for too many variables e.g. contributor commission levels or ports which have a high proportion of EL and large SOD sales, elevating them way above the 28c "average".

It would be good to see how this looks with a 100 or more responses.


edit: I believe the average claimed elsewhere was 28c
« Last Edit: October 06, 2014, 16:33 by Red Dove »


« Reply #17 on: October 06, 2014, 18:44 »
0
There's something seriously wrong with the results when nearly 50% of voters are claiming more than 40c per image/month ... which itself is nearly 50% higher than Shutterstock's declared average.

Even Sean said he's only generating about 60c per image/month (in a previous thread) so we must have some absolute stock geniuses voting in the poll.

My case I hit the wrong button by mistake and could not change the vote.  I made around .29  but voted the next one up on accident.

« Reply #18 on: October 06, 2014, 18:51 »
0
54 cents. Last month was kinda crappy until the last week.

« Reply #19 on: October 06, 2014, 20:27 »
+2
There's something seriously wrong with the results when nearly 50% of voters are claiming more than 40c per image/month ... which itself is nearly 50% higher than Shutterstock's declared average.

Even Sean said he's only generating about 60c per image/month (in a previous thread) so we must have some absolute stock geniuses voting in the poll.
It does seem a bit unlikely that these numbers are true.  People like Sean and Rob make many times more than the average contributor here with an average number of images yet they have RPIs lower than 30 or 40% of the respondents?  It's not adding up.

« Reply #20 on: October 06, 2014, 20:36 »
+7
My BME was probably close to 70 cents. I'm not sure how many images I had online at the time. I'm basing that on 100 fewer images or so in my port. My normal month is probably closer to 60 cents. I really don't pay much attention to RPI. I could delete 1,000 nonsellers and then my RPI would go way up. And I do have at least 1,000 nonsellers, if not more. I keep them because they might pop up with an EL or something, and I don't even remember I made the image.

« Reply #21 on: October 06, 2014, 22:28 »
+1
My BME was probably close to 70 cents. I'm not sure how many images I had online at the time. I'm basing that on 100 fewer images or so in my port. My normal month is probably closer to 60 cents. I really don't pay much attention to RPI. I could delete 1,000 nonsellers and then my RPI would go way up. And I do have at least 1,000 nonsellers, if not more. I keep them because they might pop up with an EL or something, and I don't even remember I made the image.
+1
Half of my portfolio are waiting for the ELs to pop up, serve for no other purposes... ;D

« Reply #22 on: October 07, 2014, 00:21 »
+3
54 cents. Last month was kinda crappy until the last week.

You're telling me that last month your portfolio of 2157 images actually generated $1165 at SS alone? Really? And that was "kinda crappy"?

« Reply #23 on: October 07, 2014, 02:32 »
+1
The poll is for the month of September 2014!

Im no "stock genius" but in September my RPI was > 40c. And that wasnt even the highest RPI/month this year. August was much lower though but as a matter of fact I only had 3 months this year with an RPI lower than the supposed average of 28c.

There's something seriously wrong with the results when nearly 50% of voters are claiming more than 40c per image/month ... which itself is nearly 50% higher than Shutterstock's declared average.

Even Sean said he's only generating about 60c per image/month (in a previous thread) so we must have some absolute stock geniuses voting in the poll.
It does seem a bit unlikely that these numbers are true.  People like Sean and Rob make many times more than the average contributor here with an average number of images yet they have RPIs lower than 30 or 40% of the respondents?  It's not adding up.

« Reply #24 on: October 07, 2014, 03:21 »
0
Calculated my SS photo RPI for September and submitted a vote, most interesting thing is that it 6.8 times higher than my IS RPI for August- couldn't directly compare Sept as PP sales not in yet.

« Reply #25 on: October 07, 2014, 07:30 »
+4
54 cents. Last month was kinda crappy until the last week.

You're telling me that last month your portfolio of 2157 images actually generated $1165 at SS alone? Really? And that was "kinda crappy"?

Until the last week when I got 2 ELs in the final few days. Yes. Lowest earnings month on Shutterstock this year.

I don't see what's unusual about it. There are a lot of people who are better photographers than me and earn a lot more.
« Last Edit: October 07, 2014, 08:24 by robhainer »

« Reply #26 on: October 07, 2014, 07:52 »
0
.32 cents


« Reply #27 on: October 07, 2014, 08:03 »
+1
0.21$, but BME on SS for me.

Uncle Pete

« Reply #28 on: October 07, 2014, 08:13 »
0
Correct, I entered RPD not RPI. No way to fix that.

Also I'll point out again. RPD is a MUCH better measure than RPI especially for a poll.

I know I could make my RPI skyrocket by just removing old dead images. Any stat that can be manipulated, is useless. Also someone with 50 images (top quality images I mean) would have a super PRI, and someone with 10,000 good images, making good returns would look low.

PRI has no statistical value at all, even for individuals.

My RPI for my top ten images (1-10 by # of DLs) is $140  ::)


There's something seriously wrong with the results when nearly 50% of voters are claiming more than 40c per image/month ... which itself is nearly 50% higher than Shutterstock's declared average.

Even Sean said he's only generating about 60c per image/month (in a previous thread) so we must have some absolute stock geniuses voting in the poll.
« Last Edit: October 07, 2014, 08:21 by Uncle Pete »

« Reply #29 on: October 07, 2014, 08:23 »
+1
My RPI for my top ten images (1-10 by # of DLs) is $140  ::)
You made $1,400 last month on Shutterstock from 10 images?  I have a feeling you still have no clue what RPI is.

« Reply #30 on: October 07, 2014, 08:26 »
+1
Pete, your RPI for your top 10 images would be how much those 10 images earned last month alone, divided by 10. So if you made $140 on those 10 images last month, your RPI on those images would be $14.

In other words, you earned $14 per image for a total of $140 in September.
« Last Edit: October 07, 2014, 08:28 by robhainer »

Uncle Pete

« Reply #31 on: October 07, 2014, 08:34 »
+1
You have my vote, I did lifetime for those images not September. OOPS!  :-[

It's not no clue it's just plain stupid and not reading the question.

My RPI for my top ten images (1-10 by # of DLs) is $140  ::)
You made $1,400 last month on Shutterstock from 10 images?  I have a feeling you still have no clue what RPI is.

« Reply #32 on: October 07, 2014, 08:37 »
+1
You have my vote, I did lifetime for those images not September. OOPS!  :-[

It's not no clue it's just plain stupid and not reading the question.

My RPI for my top ten images (1-10 by # of DLs) is $140  ::)
You made $1,400 last month on Shutterstock from 10 images?  I have a feeling you still have no clue what RPI is.
Don't feel too bad, it seems a lot of other people probably had problems with it too.

Uncle Pete

« Reply #33 on: October 07, 2014, 08:47 »
+1
Yes, but I have a calculator on the desk...  ;) Math is my friend. I guess reading instructions, I'm a failure.

OK similar example. It was .20 but I just uploaded new images, so it would have been .30 if I hadn't added them?

If I remove my non-sellers from 2007, it goes up to .30 again.

= RPI is a bad measure of anything, my success, my images, or agency's value.


You have my vote, I did lifetime for those images not September. OOPS!  :-[

It's not no clue it's just plain stupid and not reading the question.

My RPI for my top ten images (1-10 by # of DLs) is $140  ::)
You made $1,400 last month on Shutterstock from 10 images?  I have a feeling you still have no clue what RPI is.
Don't feel too bad, it seems a lot of other people probably had problems with it too.

« Reply #34 on: October 07, 2014, 08:57 »
+11
I was at $.61 for Sept at SS.  That's down a fair bit from last Sept.  I attribute this drop to the three core factors driving down microstock income for all contributors -- 1) exploding growth of ports at the big agencies and inability for a long-time contributor to grow at the same rate, 2) former IS exclusives dropping the crown and setting up at SS and the other big players, and 3) agency changes such as search changes and new offerings like DPC.

As for RPI as a metric...

Some keep saying RPI is meaningless.  I couldn't disagree more.

It's not about bragging rights.  It's not "Oh yeah, I could make my number higher by deleting my non-sellers."
You NEED your non-sellers in the count because the point is to AVERAGE out your good and bad sellers to determine how much the AVERAGE image will earn you.  You have no way of knowing whether today's batch of images will be good or bad sellers, but guessing that they will hit an AVERAGE RPI for your port is the best projection you can make.  If you apply an RPI that has been tinkered by removing your bad sellers, that's just foolish.

It's about tracking your performance over time and watching for trends.  It's about being able to project future income, setting goals and figuring out how much work you'll need to do to hit those goals.  For me, I bake in a continued slide in my RPI due to the three factors named above, and I feel this gives me the most reliable projection for future earnings.  There's NO better way to project this, until someone invents a time machine.


« Last Edit: October 07, 2014, 09:46 by stockmarketer »

« Reply #35 on: October 07, 2014, 09:22 »
0
Voted.

Just my 2 cents.

« Reply #36 on: October 07, 2014, 10:02 »
+1
I was at $.61 for Sept at SS.  That's down a fair bit from last Sept.  I attribute this drop to the three core factors driving down microstock income for all contributors -- 1) exploding growth of ports at the big agencies and inability for a long-time contributor to grow at the same rate, 2) former IS exclusives dropping the crown and setting up at SS and the other big players, and 3) agency changes such as search changes and new offerings like DPC.

As for RPI as a metric...

Some keep saying RPI is meaningless.  I couldn't disagree more.

It's not about bragging rights.  It's not "Oh yeah, I could make my number higher by deleting my non-sellers."
You NEED your non-sellers in the count because the point is to AVERAGE out your good and bad sellers to determine how much the AVERAGE image will earn you.  You have no way of knowing whether today's batch of images will be good or bad sellers, but guessing that they will hit an AVERAGE RPI for your port is the best projection you can make.  If you apply an RPI that has been tinkered by removing your bad sellers, that's just foolish.

It's about tracking your performance over time and watching for trends.  It's about being able to project future income, setting goals and figuring out how much work you'll need to do to hit those goals.  For me, I bake in a continued slide in my RPI due to the three factors named above, and I feel this gives me the most reliable projection for future earnings.  There's NO better way to project this, until someone invents a time machine.
Exactly.  People could delete non sellers and low sellers to make their RPI look better but that comes at the expense of some sales and so almost nobody does that.  To people like UnclePete I hope this poll doesn't cause you to delete your files just so you can anonymously report a better RPI, that seems like a very bad idea.


« Reply #37 on: October 07, 2014, 10:11 »
+6
Compare uploading to microstock to a gambler in a casino.

The gambler drops $.25 into a slot machine, pulls the handle and crosses his fingers, hoping it will pay off.  A lot like uploading an image, no?

Multiply that by 1000.  The gambler drops a thousand quarters, pulls a thousand handles and ONE of those pulls gets him a jackpot of $100.  Woo-hoo! 

If the gambler is smart, he does the math this way:  I spent 1000 x $.25, which equals $250.  I made $100.  My RPP (return per pull) was $100 / 1000 or $.10.

The gambler lost money, obviously.  But because he's IRRATIONAL and addicted to gambling, he says, my RPP looks a lot nicer if I just remove those 999 bad pulls from the equation.  Now my RPP is $100 / 1, or $100!

He projects that the next day he will return to the casino and do 1000 pulls and now he'll earn 1000 x $100 RPP and earn $100,000.

He's a math genius!

But somehow he's broke.  Question to everyone who thinks they can make their RPI look better by removing their poorly-selling images, where did the gambler go wrong?  Was he impressing his friends with a high RPP or just fooling himself?  Discuss.

Uncle Pete

« Reply #38 on: October 07, 2014, 10:42 »
-1
LOL I didn't say delete files, anyone, just for some useless statistic. The point is, anything that can be manipulated, is not a useful statistic. Someone could upload less and have a higher RPI. The math is the problem, not some Microstock ego number. Look at it that way and maybe you'll understand.

Hey, my "RPI is bigger than yours"  ;) Comparing RPI is senseless. Even if Stockmarketer uses it for his own and trends. Mine or his, mean nothing in relation to yours.

"My collection is bigger than yours." Oh wow more ego issues for people who write that kind of thing. And the ones who say, "you don't have 2000 images, you can't comment" are just as wrong.

What's important is not some imaginary number that's irrelevant because it's not image specific, not the same files for every agency, people are at different levels, produce different content. It's not how big your collection is, and it's not what kind of camera or the color of your lens.

Anyone anonymous can come here and make any claim they want and there's no way to look and see what they have for content or if they are making it all up. As some have already pointed out the poll shows some strangely high numbers for RPI. There's one more reason why it's useless for anyone other than the individual.

What I did write and you both have managed to ignore is this: RPD is more important than PRI. And of more value for a poll of a specific agency. How much do they pay for a license, on average. That's what makes the bottom line and income.

I was at $.61 for Sept at SS.  That's down a fair bit from last Sept.  I attribute this drop to the three core factors driving down microstock income for all contributors -- 1) exploding growth of ports at the big agencies and inability for a long-time contributor to grow at the same rate, 2) former IS exclusives dropping the crown and setting up at SS and the other big players, and 3) agency changes such as search changes and new offerings like DPC.

As for RPI as a metric...

Some keep saying RPI is meaningless.  I couldn't disagree more.

It's not about bragging rights.  It's not "Oh yeah, I could make my number higher by deleting my non-sellers."
You NEED your non-sellers in the count because the point is to AVERAGE out your good and bad sellers to determine how much the AVERAGE image will earn you.  You have no way of knowing whether today's batch of images will be good or bad sellers, but guessing that they will hit an AVERAGE RPI for your port is the best projection you can make.  If you apply an RPI that has been tinkered by removing your bad sellers, that's just foolish.

It's about tracking your performance over time and watching for trends.  It's about being able to project future income, setting goals and figuring out how much work you'll need to do to hit those goals.  For me, I bake in a continued slide in my RPI due to the three factors named above, and I feel this gives me the most reliable projection for future earnings.  There's NO better way to project this, until someone invents a time machine.
Exactly.  People could delete non sellers and low sellers to make their RPI look better but that comes at the expense of some sales and so almost nobody does that.  To people like UnclePete I hope this poll doesn't cause you to delete your files just so you can anonymously report a better RPI, that seems like a very bad idea.

« Reply #39 on: October 07, 2014, 10:42 »
+2
I just don't think breaking it down that  way is all that meaningful. If I was more careful and only uploaded images that I thought were sure sellers, only placed safe bets according to your analogy, my RPI would rise but I would never know what I missed by taking some risks.

I guess what I'm saying is that I believe we should stretch out, photograph what turns us on and not be a slave to a stat like RPI.

« Reply #40 on: October 07, 2014, 10:48 »
+3
What I did write and you both have managed to ignore is this: RPD is more important than PRI. And of more value for a poll of a specific agency. How much do they pay for a license, on average. That's what makes the bottom line and income.
If I am about to start contributing to a site or just start in stock and I have 1,000 average images what is more useful RPD or RPI?
If I know the average RPD is $1 I can make an educated guess that I'll make how much?  No clue.
If I know the average RPI is $1 I can make an educated guess that I'll make how much?  $1,000.
Obviously it's not guaranteed but just knowing what RPD I'll get will never be able to give me any clue as to what I will earn while knowing the average RPI should be helpful.

And to be clear the bottom line is RPI x number of images.  RPD is not the bottom line at all.  I look at RPD more as a measure of fairness in royalties but it doesn't tell me much about how much I'll earn without knowing how many downloads I'll get, RPD doesn't say anything about that.
« Last Edit: October 07, 2014, 10:55 by tickstock »

« Reply #41 on: October 07, 2014, 10:53 »
0
RPD is almost the same every month, excluding SOD. and is 0.7. The real problem is that the RPI is going down month by month; I have started with 0.2 18 months ago, and now is 0.04. This means that I'm selling proportionally less also if the portfolio is growing. This indicator is most important if, compared with many others contributors, is going down, because is the indictor of the market; RPD is most individual

To be clear:

RPD is the revenue (of the month, in thos case) devided by the amount of downloads of the month: 0.7

RPI is the revenue (of the month, in this case) devided by the amount of pictures online: 0.04

« Reply #42 on: October 07, 2014, 11:04 »
+6
Despite some claims to the contrary, this thread is one of the most interesting I have seen on the forum in months.

Why?

I know my own RPI on SS and microstock overall.  It's a useful tool in my personal forecasting and goal-setting, regardless how anyone else is doing.  (And no one can tell me RPI is not useful in my forecasting.  That's just a silly argument.)

But the real reason this thread is insightful is because I've always wondered how I'm doing on SS compared to the overall base of contributors.  I don't mean in total dollars, because port size varies wildly.  And I don't care much about "I'm up 8% on SS this month" or "I'm down 20% this month" because that's just top-level trend info.

This thread has showed me that my RPI is right in the middle or slightly above the average of others here, assuming people are answering accurately.  Is that actionable info?  Of course not.  But if your employer posted a breakdown of everyone's hourly rate, wouldn't you be VERY curious to see it?  Of course you would.  It wouldn't necessarily change how you work, but it would give you an indication of whether you're doing well or poorly on average compared to your co-workers.

This poll has filled a true gap in market intelligence. 

« Reply #43 on: October 07, 2014, 11:10 »
+4
Well, except you have my info but I don't have yours because I don't know your port or how many images you have online.

Uncle Pete

« Reply #44 on: October 07, 2014, 11:11 »
0
Yes: "It's a useful tool in my personal forecasting and goal-setting, regardless how anyone else is doing."

Also yes: "This thread has showed me that my RPI is right in the middle or slightly above the average of others here, assuming people are answering accurately."

You should assume that your RPI is well above most others and some people didn't calculate correctly. (I'm one of them and there's no way to correct the error that I entered RPD)

« Reply #45 on: October 07, 2014, 11:14 »
-1
Despite some claims to the contrary, this thread is one of the most interesting I have seen on the forum in months.

Why?

I know my own RPI on SS and microstock overall.  It's a useful tool in my personal forecasting and goal-setting, regardless how anyone else is doing.  (And no one can tell me RPI is not useful in my forecasting.  That's just a silly argument.)

But the real reason this thread is insightful is because I've always wondered how I'm doing on SS compared to the overall base of contributors.  I don't mean in total dollars, because port size varies wildly.  And I don't care much about "I'm up 8% on SS this month" or "I'm down 20% this month" because that's just top-level trend info.

This thread has showed me that my RPI is right in the middle or slightly above the average of others here, assuming people are answering accurately.  Is that actionable info?  Of course not.  But if your employer posted a breakdown of everyone's hourly rate, wouldn't you be VERY curious to see it?  Of course you would.  It wouldn't necessarily change how you work, but it would give you an indication of whether you're doing well or poorly on average compared to your co-workers.

This poll has filled a true gap in market intelligence.

How much should my RPI be to make $1000 a month on SS?

« Reply #46 on: October 07, 2014, 11:24 »
+1
How much should my RPI be to make $1000 a month on SS?
That's a very strange question.  If you have 1 image your RPI needs to be $1,000 and if you have 1,000 images your RPI needs to be $1.


« Reply #47 on: October 07, 2014, 11:29 »
-2
How much should my RPI be to make $1000 a month on SS?
That's a very strange question.  If you have 1 image your RPI needs to be $1,000 and if you have 1,000 images your RPI needs to be $1.

You can't help me from the poll? How many pictures do I need to make $1000 a month?

« Reply #48 on: October 07, 2014, 11:31 »
+1
1) To remove the impact of deleting non-sellers and such, calculate your RPI based on uploaded images, not on accepted / online images. You made them, processed them, keyworded them, uploaded them. All the effort is spent. You have to include them in your statistics, if they are not accepted (or you delete them because they don't sell) you don't get your spent effort back.

2) RPI is meaningful to compare how different agencies perform for your portfolio. RPI is also meaningful to see how your average image performs to other shooters average image. Yes, it's different content, different style, different postprocessing, different keywording. But that doesn't mean you can't compare it, it means that is what you are comparing. If somebody has a higher RPI he is shooting something more in demand, better quality, is keywording better...
So it is very helpful to compare against others.

3) RPD is almost meaningless as a statistical value, as it does not say anything about how often sales occur so it says nothing about the bottom line.

« Reply #49 on: October 07, 2014, 11:34 »
0
How much should my RPI be to make $1000 a month on SS?
That's a very strange question.  If you have 1 image your RPI needs to be $1,000 and if you have 1,000 images your RPI needs to be $1.

You can't help me from the poll? How many pictures do I need to make $1000 a month?

The Median of the answers lies in the 0.26 to 0.40 bracket.
Means for an average portfolio you need about 3000 files - roughly.

« Reply #50 on: October 07, 2014, 11:39 »
+1
RPD is not so meaningful for this topic, but if you compare one site to another it a good thing to know.  That was the whole reason people got upset by DPC. Nobody knew what RPI would be, but people were upset by low RPD.

« Reply #51 on: October 07, 2014, 11:45 »
+2
How much should my RPI be to make $1000 a month on SS?
That's a very strange question.  If you have 1 image your RPI needs to be $1,000 and if you have 1,000 images your RPI needs to be $1.

You can't help me from the poll? How many pictures do I need to make $1000 a month?


?????

The poll will not help you in personal forecasting.  That's not the point of the poll.  The poll is to give you an indication of how your SS RPI stacks up against the rest of us here. 

To find out how many pictures you need to earn $1,000 a month, see tickstock's answer.  Calculating revenue involves three numbers:  RPI x Number of images = INCOME.   Plug in $1000 for income, divide by your current RPI (you would be wise to lower it a bit if you're forecasting long-term), and you get your answer.   

Uncle Pete

« Reply #52 on: October 07, 2014, 11:48 »
0
Exactly, if you are going to compare a site to anything, RPD tells us, what they pay. It has nothing to do with number of DLs, it's just what's the average payment for a DL. I'd like to know that.

When you get hired for a job, you would like to know, how much per hour or what salary, you will make, not what other people make at the same place, doing different work.  :) That's RPI.

On the other hand, knowing that some anonymous person claims to make and RPI of (hypothetical number here) .50 on SS tells me little or nothing.

I'd like to know what the RPI is on FT, IS and DT for that same person, for their same images. That would be telling.

Someone else pointed out, "how has your RPI changed" That's interesting as well. But what's Sept. RPI is hardly of any value, without before and after or comparison to other agencies.

To say I make an RPI of .20 on SS in Sept. 2014, means nothing to you or anyone else. It's an individual number. You might ask, what was my RPI increase or decrease since Aug. 2014. Or how does it compare to Sept. 2013.

But as a number, for one person, standing alone, it's pretty much useless to anyone else!


RPD is not so meaningful for this topic, but if you compare one site to another it a good thing to know.  That was the whole reason people got upset by DPC. Nobody knew what RPI would be, but people were upset by low RPD.

« Reply #53 on: October 07, 2014, 11:54 »
-1
How much should my RPI be to make $1000 a month on SS?
That's a very strange question.  If you have 1 image your RPI needs to be $1,000 and if you have 1,000 images your RPI needs to be $1.

You can't help me from the poll? How many pictures do I need to make $1000 a month?


?????

The poll will not help you in personal forecasting.  That's not the point of the poll.  The poll is to give you an indication of how your SS RPI stacks up against the rest of us here. 

To find out how many pictures you need to earn $1,000 a month, see tickstock's answer.  Calculating revenue involves three numbers:  RPI x Number of images = INCOME.   Plug in $1000 for income, divide by your current RPI (you would be wise to lower it a bit if you're forecasting long-term), and you get your answer.

Lower because ROI is going down on microstock? The poll is to see how I stack up on SS for 1 month nothing else? What next do we compare shoe size?

« Reply #54 on: October 07, 2014, 12:10 »
+1
Exactly, if you are going to compare a site to anything, RPD tells us, what they pay. It has nothing to do with number of DLs, it's just what's the average payment for a DL. I'd like to know that.

When you get hired for a job, you would like to know, how much per hour or what salary, you will make, not what other people make at the same place, doing different work.  :) That's RPI.

On the other hand, knowing that some anonymous person claims to make and RPI of (hypothetical number here) .50 on SS tells me little or nothing.

I'd like to know what the RPI is on FT, IS and DT for that same person, for their same images. That would be telling.

Someone else pointed out, "how has your RPI changed" That's interesting as well. But what's Sept. RPI is hardly of any value, without before and after or comparison to other agencies.

To say I make an RPI of .20 on SS in Sept. 2014, means nothing to you or anyone else. It's an individual number. You might ask, what was my RPI increase or decrease since Aug. 2014. Or how does it compare to Sept. 2013.

But as a number, for one person, standing alone, it's pretty much useless to anyone else!


RPD is not so meaningful for this topic, but if you compare one site to another it a good thing to know.  That was the whole reason people got upset by DPC. Nobody knew what RPI would be, but people were upset by low RPD.
Well you need to find the RPI for this month to make a comparison to next month.  I'll start another poll next month (with better instructions and allow people to change their votes if they mess up) so that you can start finding out what the average or expected RPI is and how it's trending.

cuppacoffee

« Reply #55 on: October 07, 2014, 12:31 »
+4
Why can't people view the results without voting? The results might be helpful to non-contributors to SS, especially if considering dropping exclusivity at another site. Perhaps that is why (some) people vote with the wrong answer, just to view the results. Is that just the way the polling part of the forum works?

« Reply #56 on: October 07, 2014, 12:34 »
+3
Why can't people view the results without voting? The results might be helpful to non-contributors to SS, especially if considering dropping exclusivity at another site. Perhaps that is why (some) people vote with the wrong answer, just to view the results. Is that just the way the polling part of the forum works?
You can't.  I set it up to be viewed without voting but it doesn't work.  Maybe I'll add a space to vote 'just want to see results' in the next poll but that throws off the numbers.


Valo

« Reply #57 on: October 07, 2014, 13:27 »
0
Simple really, you cant manipulate RPD, you can manipulate RPI.

« Reply #58 on: October 07, 2014, 13:40 »
+1
Simple really, you cant manipulate RPD, you can manipulate RPI.
I've never seen the point in deleting files that don't sell especially not enough to drastically change my RPI.  Sure I could delete a couple thousand files that rarely sell (but every once in a while they do) to make my RPI look higher but why would I do that?  To change the poll results, to feel better about my RPI, to be able to brag about a high RPI?  I don't think many of us try to manipulate our RPI, but if you have a good reason why we should be manipulating our RPI's please tell me.

Valo

« Reply #59 on: October 07, 2014, 13:53 »
-1
Who's talking about actually doing it, I am just making a statement of a fact. That is all.

« Reply #60 on: October 07, 2014, 13:55 »
+1
Who's talking about actually doing it, I am just making a statement of a fact. That is all.
Well if no one is actually doing it then I guess it's a moot point. 

Valo

« Reply #61 on: October 07, 2014, 14:06 »
-6
It is not a moot point, it is a fact, if you know RPD you have an actual number that tells you something. You never know what you get with an RPI as it is manipulatable.  ;)

« Reply #62 on: October 07, 2014, 14:11 »
+1
It is not a moot point, it is a fact, if you know RPD you have an actual number that tells you something. You never know what you get with an RPI as it is manipulatable.  ;)
Yes it is possible.  Someone could delete all of their images except their number one best seller and throw off this poll.  It is possible that most people are deleting all of their images except their best one right now to throw off the poll.  I'm not too worried about that but if you are feel free to ignore the results.  It seems absurd that anyone would actually do any of those things to manipulate their RPI for an anonymous poll but like you said it is possible.   

Valo

« Reply #63 on: October 07, 2014, 14:25 »
0
Tickstock, I think you misunderstand me, I am not implying any of the things you say, and I will leave it at that.

« Reply #64 on: October 07, 2014, 15:00 »
-1
There's something seriously wrong with the results when nearly 50% of voters are claiming more than 40c per image/month ... which itself is nearly 50% higher than Shutterstock's declared average.

Even Sean said he's only generating about 60c per image/month (in a previous thread) so we must have some absolute stock geniuses voting in the poll.

1. I'd say MSG members tend to be more active or more succesful than the average SS contributor. The SS collection includes many bad, unsaleable files (at least from today's perspective). It's not surprising that members of an independent, professional forum will have better results than the average SS member.

2. RPI is not really about how good you are, especially at SS it's more about your position in the search results. Everything gets downloaded as long as it is seen by buyers. If you came to SS recently life is much harder.

I had to smile, because with my skills I might not qualify to set up tripods or lights in the studios of some of the great photographers who shared their results - and yet my RPI at SS is much higher than theirs:) What does it prove? Nothing. I would gladly swap my higher RPI for the total income that they derive from photography. 

3. RPI is only useful so that you can realize that if your income grows at all, this growth is not linear, i.e. it doesn't correspond to your portfolio growth. The only constant is that the RPI is dropping and the only conclusion that you can withdraw from tracking it, is that this business is unsustainable (for contributors) and you should face the music and find a real job.
« Last Edit: October 07, 2014, 15:03 by Realist »

« Reply #65 on: October 07, 2014, 15:18 »
+2
 

How much should my RPI be to make $1000 a month on SS?



The Median of the answers lies in the 0.26 to 0.40 bracket.
Means for an average portfolio you need about 3000 files - roughly.

no - this poll is USELESS for averages.  the high rpi reports might be carefully selected images in high volume sales topics; the low rpi could be portfolios with hundreds of low selling images.  ( a different strategy, but one that will result in lower rpi)

so unless you know the details of all the datapoints you can't predict how many images are needed to make $x per month.  and of course, that's ignoring any definition of what the portfolio of the new artist consists of....

besides, underlying this entire debate is the faulty premise that nothing is changing in the environment -- but what worked last year may not work next year & vice versa, etc,etc
« Last Edit: October 07, 2014, 15:31 by cascoly »

« Reply #66 on: October 07, 2014, 15:24 »
+1
There's something seriously wrong with the results when nearly 50% of voters are claiming more than 40c per image/month ... which itself is nearly 50% higher than Shutterstock's declared average.

Even Sean said he's only generating about 60c per image/month (in a previous thread) so we must have some absolute stock geniuses voting in the poll.

1. I'd say MSG members tend to be more active or more succesful than the average SS contributor. The SS collection includes many bad, unsaleable files (at least from today's perspective). It's not surprising that members of an independent, professional forum will have better results than the average SS member.

2. RPI is not really about how good you are, especially at SS it's more about your position in the search results. Everything gets downloaded as long as it is seen by buyers. If you came to SS recently life is much harder.

I had to smile, because with my skills I might not qualify to set up tripods or lights in the studios of some of the great photographers who shared their results - and yet my RPI at SS is much higher than theirs:) What does it prove? Nothing. I would gladly swap my higher RPI for the total income that they derive from photography. 

3. RPI is only useful so that you can realize that if your income grows at all, this growth is not linear, i.e. it doesn't correspond to your portfolio growth. The only constant is that the RPI is dropping and the only conclusion that you can withdraw from tracking it, is that this business is unsustainable (for contributors) and you should face the music and find a real job.


I agree with you on #1 and even on #3 to a degree.  But you're off on #2.  "Everything gets downloaded as long as it is seen by buyers?"  Yes, to be downloaded it must be seen... but if something is seen, that doesn't mean it will be downloaded.

I'd contend the higher your RPI, the more you know what customers want and are delivering to those needs.  We can gripe that SS' search seems crazy, but face it, they live or die by search... if customers can't easily find what they want, they won't be back.  SS knows this, so their main mission is to serve the most relevant results to a customer's search requests.  By definition, they're serving up the stuff that the customer will most want to buy.  So yes, the search will benefit those best serving the customer's needs. 

A high RPI -- in relation to the masses -- is absolutely a sign that you're doing things right.


« Reply #67 on: October 07, 2014, 15:24 »
+1


Exactly.  People could delete non sellers and low sellers to make their RPI look better but that comes at the expense of some sales and so almost nobody does that.  To people like UnclePete I hope this poll doesn't cause you to delete your files just so you can anonymously report a better RPI, that seems like a very bad idea.
first, anyone can report an inflated rpi without deleting files, since there's no validation

the point wasn't that anyone intended to delete images, but that BECAUSE the data can be so easily manipulated, RPI is inherently useless [except perhaps as an individual's indicator (eg, if you submit 500 new images & your rpi goes down, it might because your images aren't as salable as your previous portfolio)]

you can't make any predictions based solely on reported rpi 

what matters is $/mo and that can be achieved with many different strategies; some of those will result in high rpi, others won't.   so again, rpi can't be used to answer the question "how many images do I need to make $X"

« Reply #68 on: October 07, 2014, 15:39 »
+2
A high RPI -- in relation to the masses -- is absolutely a sign that you're doing things right.

probably true, but the logical  implied converse and inverse statements are not necessarily   true

ie, you can't assume these 2 statements:
if you're doing things right then you have a high RPI
if you don't have a high RPI you're not doing things right

a low rpi, eg, may indicate you're supplying a low demand area, possibly with less competition.   

« Reply #69 on: October 07, 2014, 15:54 »
0
I agree with you on #1 and even on #3 to a degree.  But you're off on #2.  "Everything gets downloaded as long as it is seen by buyers?"  Yes, to be downloaded it must be seen... but if something is seen, that doesn't mean it will be downloaded.

Well, I exaggerated. What I mean is that the position in the search results influences your income. And this position doesn't always depend on your skills as a photographer. There are many factors. Even the time of the image appearing online may influence its earnings.

I'd contend the higher your RPI, the more you know what customers want and are delivering to those needs.  We can gripe that SS' search seems crazy, but face it, they live or die by search... if customers can't easily find what they want, they won't be back.  SS knows this, so their main mission is to serve the most relevant results to a customer's search requests.  By definition, they're serving up the stuff that the customer will most want to buy. 

This is true for ODs and  SODs. With subscribers SS earns more if they download fewer files (as long as they don't cancel their subscriptions of course).

A high RPI -- in relation to the masses -- is absolutely a sign that you're doing things right.

I wouldn't say that. Your total income minus your total expenses is what really counts.
RPI is vanity, profit is sanity. (Although I wish it was the other way around)

« Reply #70 on: October 07, 2014, 16:10 »
+2

you can't make any predictions based solely on reported rpi 

what matters is $/mo and that can be achieved with many different strategies; some of those will result in high rpi, others won't.   so again, rpi can't be used to answer the question "how many images do I need to make $X"

Huh.  That's funny.  For my first several years I did exactly what you say is impossible.  After my first few months, I figured my average RPI and asked myself, "how much do I want to make and by what date?"  I charted it, figured how much I would need to upload each day to reach it... and guess what... in about two years of following this projection, I hit my goal, right when I figured I would. 

Of course, those were the old days when my port was increasing at a nice percentage in relation to agency sizes, so my RPI held rock steady (it went down in summer and holidays, but I was averaging it out).

Now, my RPI is sliding (for reasons stated way above in this thread)... but it's a predictable slide.  Now I project out a set decrease in RPI each month and can estimate how much I may make a year or two from now.  Of course, if some disaster happens... like Getty buying SS, god forbid... all bets are off. 
« Last Edit: October 07, 2014, 16:12 by stockmarketer »

« Reply #71 on: October 07, 2014, 16:14 »
+3
A high RPI -- in relation to the masses -- is absolutely a sign that you're doing things right.

probably true, but the logical  implied converse and inverse statements are not necessarily   true

ie, you can't assume these 2 statements:
if you're doing things right then you have a high RPI
if you don't have a high RPI you're not doing things right

a low rpi, eg, may indicate you're supplying a low demand area, possibly with less competition.

I'd also expect RPI to start reducing once you've been doing microstock for more than 5-6 years. The effect will be similar to the 'hitting the wall' phenomena when growth in revenue stalls.

Over 70% of my portfolio at SS is more than 4 years old. My earliest stuff is nearly 10 years old. What were once regular selling images are now rarely seen because they've been superseded by better images, newer images (SS promotes newness in the sort-order) and 100x more competition.

Dook

« Reply #72 on: October 07, 2014, 16:35 »
+2
RPI means nothing in my opinion. Let's take two photographers - one is doing complicated studio shot with a lot of lighting and retouching work, the other is lifestyle or street photographer making dozens of pictures at the same time. They both earn the same amount of money for the same time and work invested. The first one with one picture, the other with ten or fifty. And their RPIs are completely different.

« Reply #73 on: October 07, 2014, 16:41 »
+1
RPI means nothing in my opinion. Let's take two photographers - one is doing complicated studio shot with a lot of lighting and retouching work, the other is lifestyle or street photographer making dozens of pictures at the same time. They both earn the same amount of money for the same time and work invested. The first one with one picture, the other with ten or fifty. And their RPIs are completely different.

But wouldn't you agree that both these individuals could forecast future earnings by knowing their own RPI and quantity of images produced? 

Here I figured I have used my RPI to forecast my own growth and set goals, so it's been a meaningful number for me.  I guess I've been wrong.

« Reply #74 on: October 07, 2014, 17:06 »
+2

How much should my RPI be to make $1000 a month on SS?



The Median of the answers lies in the 0.26 to 0.40 bracket.
Means for an average portfolio you need about 3000 files - roughly.

no - this poll is USELESS for averages.  the high rpi reports might be carefully selected images in high volume sales topics; the low rpi could be portfolios with hundreds of low selling images.  ( a different strategy, but one that will result in lower rpi)

so unless you know the details of all the datapoints you can't predict how many images are needed to make $x per month.  and of course, that's ignoring any definition of what the portfolio of the new artist consists of....

besides, underlying this entire debate is the faulty premise that nothing is changing in the environment -- but what worked last year may not work next year & vice versa, etc,etc

The poll is useless for averages because it doesn't contain data about the specifics of a portfolio?

It's exactly the other way round: this poll provides usefull data about averages. Only on average data points.
As always with any statistical analysis, you can't derive direct conclusions for a specific situation from a statistical average.
But that's not the point.

Dook

« Reply #75 on: October 07, 2014, 17:19 »
0
RPI means nothing in my opinion. Let's take two photographers - one is doing complicated studio shot with a lot of lighting and retouching work, the other is lifestyle or street photographer making dozens of pictures at the same time. They both earn the same amount of money for the same time and work invested. The first one with one picture, the other with ten or fifty. And their RPIs are completely different.

But wouldn't you agree that both these individuals could forecast future earnings by knowing their own RPI and quantity of images produced? 

Here I figured I have used my RPI to forecast my own growth and set goals, so it's been a meaningful number for me.  I guess I've been wrong.
For an individual, yes.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #76 on: October 07, 2014, 17:27 »
+2
RPI means nothing in my opinion. Let's take two photographers - one is doing complicated studio shot with a lot of lighting and retouching work, the other is lifestyle or street photographer making dozens of pictures at the same time. They both earn the same amount of money for the same time and work invested. The first one with one picture, the other with ten or fifty. And their RPIs are completely different.
But wouldn't you agree that both these individuals could forecast future earnings by knowing their own RPI and quantity of images produced? 
Not really, because we can't know:
1. Who else will start producing similar photos.
2. What any agency/ies we might choose will do in future, with regards pricing, search etc.
3. What other agencies might do re the race to the bottom.
4. Where buyers will go as a result of 3.
« Last Edit: October 07, 2014, 18:54 by ShadySue »


« Reply #77 on: October 07, 2014, 18:45 »
+2

you can't make any predictions based solely on reported rpi 

what matters is $/mo and that can be achieved with many different strategies; some of those will result in high rpi, others won't.   so again, rpi can't be used to answer the question "how many images do I need to make $X"

Huh.  That's funny.  For my first several years I did exactly what you say is impossible.  After my first few months, I figured my average RPI and asked myself, "how much do I want to make and by what date?"  I charted it, figured how much I would need to upload each day to reach it... and guess what... in about two years of following this projection, I hit my goal, right when I figured I would. 

......
'you' in the general sense -- several of us have said repeatedly that rpi is meaningful only for the individual photographer -- using it as you did.  what's not possible is to use polls like this one to make predictions about rpi for another photographer

« Reply #78 on: October 07, 2014, 20:15 »
+6
I think knowing the breakdown for RPI on Shutterstock is very useful information and it seems that after over 120 votes in one day a lot of other people are very interested in the data as well.
It helps people make reasonable assumptions about what they can earn, not exact numbers, but a reasonable range.  If you don't see how it can be used to help make decisions, it's easy to ignore it but it's just plain silly to say that it is inherently useless or pointless.

« Reply #79 on: October 07, 2014, 21:28 »
-1
...... If you don't see how it can be used to help make decisions, it's easy to ignore it but it's just plain silly to say that it is inherently useless or pointless.

nope - voodoo is voodoo -- it's up to the proponents to show why this stat has any validity

« Reply #80 on: October 07, 2014, 21:40 »
+1
...... If you don't see how it can be used to help make decisions, it's easy to ignore it but it's just plain silly to say that it is inherently useless or pointless.

nope - voodoo is voodoo -- it's up to the proponents to show why this stat has any validity
Voodoo?  Do you think RPI is random?  Some people get $10 per image while others get 1 cent based on magic?

« Reply #81 on: October 08, 2014, 01:35 »
+1
I've always thought that RPI was the best indicator since tracking your own RPI and seeing how you stack up against the average contributor are both helpful metrics. Looking at your RPI from year to year, which includes those top sellers as well as the duds that never sell, indeed gives you a good feel for how your "average photo"* should do over time and helps you project just how many photos you need online to meet your microstock income goals.

RPI also helps you compare how you're doing vis-a-vis others since it gives you a sense of whether or not your average image earns more or less than the average image on SS, regardless of portfolio size. I'm not surprised that most of us are above the 28 cent RPI/month average. I'd guess most people on here take their work seriously and that their work reflects it.

I'd like to see this poll be posted each month. +1 for the OP  8)

"Average photo" is really a misnomer, but RPI takes into consideration that out of say every 25 images you upload, x will be winners, y will be duds, and a bunch will fall somewhere in between, giving you a sense of how much more you can expect to earn as you increase your portfolio. As some people have said, once images hit a certain age they may sell less frequently, and new images are more likely than ever to get lost in the plethora of new work uploaded daily, but it's still the best metric to help you project how much you need to increase your portfolio to meet your goals.

Valo

« Reply #82 on: October 08, 2014, 01:50 »
+2
I can have an RPI of 50 cent on 100 photos. As soon as I add another 100 photos, the RPI will be 25 cent, until they start to sell, or not, and then it changes again  :)

Its a fact, not an opinion, you cannot disagree with facts  ;)

My opinion is the poll is useless, and that you can disagree with.

Valo

« Reply #83 on: October 08, 2014, 01:53 »
+1

"Average photo" is really a misnomer, but RPI takes into consideration that out of say every 25 images you upload, x will be winners, y will be duds, and a bunch will fall somewhere in between, giving you a sense of how much more you can expect to earn as you increase your portfolio. As some people have said, once images hit a certain age they may sell less frequently, and new images are more likely than ever to get lost in the plethora of new work uploaded daily, but it's still the best metric to help you project how much you need to increase your portfolio to meet your goals.

I disagree with this as it entirely depends on the subject matter of the photos. I know this from experience. You cant tell how many images will be winners, will be duds, and will fall somewhere in between if you shoot a variety of subjects. Unless you shoot the same subject/category over and over, and even then at some point you will start to compete with yourself and your RPI will go down.

stocked

« Reply #84 on: October 08, 2014, 06:15 »
+3
There is no way to have an RPI over 3,- Dollars at SS as a photographer! The people voted there should do their calculations again you have to divide your earnings (Dollars) by the numbers of your images in you portfolio not vice versa! No need to get ashamed I suck in maths too!

« Reply #85 on: October 08, 2014, 08:23 »
0
I personally find this thread very interesting. For me it helps me understand where I stand with my type of portfolio and upload patterns. I think the RPI value in this poll could be even more helpful if we post a 12 month average RPI - this evens out monthly anomalies.  My vote bracket would not change based on that.

(In my personal performance I need to say though that my 12mRPI has been constantly falling since the beginning of the year  ??? )

Uncle Pete

« Reply #86 on: October 08, 2014, 09:23 »
+2
If it included the top ten on the right, I'd agree. (IS Exclusive being one of those) It would still be that some people, or maybe many people do not sell on all of them, but t would still be another indicator. Leaf's poll tells me in dollars and is useful.

Also that would divide Pond5 earnings from video and photo. Keep in mind the OP said photographers not video, music or illustrators.

Thanks for allowing me to correct the error Tickstock, I adjusted down my RPI on SS.

Page four and people are being civil, polite and respectfully disagreeing. This is nice!

I'm off to delete 100 unsold images so my RPI looks better next month.  ;)



I'd like to see this poll be posted each month. +1 for the OP  8)



« Reply #87 on: October 08, 2014, 10:33 »
0
I think Leaf changed the poll so that you can now enter your RPI if you made a mistake and entered your RPD.

Uncle Pete

« Reply #88 on: October 08, 2014, 11:16 »
+1
OK then, Thanks to Leaf, Tickstock, and the mysterious Wooly Bully for changing the poll so people could re-calculate their math.  8)

I think Leaf changed the poll so that you can now enter your RPI if you made a mistake and entered your RPD.

« Reply #89 on: October 08, 2014, 11:45 »
+1
I personally find this thread very interesting. For me it helps me understand where I stand with my type of portfolio and upload patterns......

how does  the poll help you when type of portfolio and upload patterns are PRECISELY the information missing in the poll? 

« Reply #90 on: October 08, 2014, 12:02 »
0
OK then, Thanks to Leaf, Tickstock, and the mysterious Wooly Bully for changing the poll so people could re-calculate their math.  8)

I think Leaf changed the poll so that you can now enter your RPI if you made a mistake and entered your RPD.

Yes, thank you for changing it.  I revoted and now my vote is correct.

« Reply #91 on: October 08, 2014, 13:19 »
+2
I personally find this thread very interesting. For me it helps me understand where I stand with my type of portfolio and upload patterns......

how does  the poll help you when type of portfolio and upload patterns are PRECISELY the information missing in the poll?

I am not talking about the poll alone, I talk about this thread in general. From the poll I see the spread of RPIs - that is helpful already - is RPI spread from 0.00 to 1.00USD, or to 3-4 $ USD, or to 10 USD. Also, being in the business for some time it helps me guestimate which ports perform better and which don't (for some contributors I can just look it up based on the info they posted in this thread). I know this information is not statistically accurate - but my information is now better than it was before the thread was opened - hence, helpful thread.

But again, a 12month average RPI would be even more helpful. ;)
« Last Edit: October 08, 2014, 13:27 by Mellimage »

« Reply #92 on: October 08, 2014, 18:32 »
+1
I personally find this thread very interesting. For me it helps me understand where I stand with my type of portfolio and upload patterns......

how does  the poll help you when type of portfolio and upload patterns are PRECISELY the information missing in the poll?

I am not talking about the poll alone, I talk about this thread in general. From the poll I see the spread of RPIs - that is helpful already - is RPI spread from 0.00 to 1.00USD, or to 3-4 $ USD, or to 10 USD. Also, being in the business for some time it helps me guestimate which ports perform better and which don't (for some contributors I can just look it up based on the info they posted in this thread). I know this information is not statistically accurate - but my information is now better than it was before the thread was opened - hence, helpful thread.

But again, a 12month average RPI would be even more helpful. ;)

That would be way too much trouble to figure out. I'd have to go back to see how many images I had online each month.

« Reply #93 on: October 09, 2014, 00:41 »
0
I am not talking about the poll alone, I talk about this thread in general. From the poll I see the spread of RPIs - that is helpful already - is RPI spread from 0.00 to 1.00USD, or to 3-4 $ USD, or to 10 USD. Also, being in the business for some time it helps me guestimate which ports perform better and which don't (for some contributors I can just look it up based on the info they posted in this thread). I know this information is not statistically accurate - but my information is now better than it was before the thread was opened - hence, helpful thread.

But again, a 12month average RPI would be even more helpful. ;)

That would be way too much trouble to figure out. I'd have to go back to see how many images I had online each month.

I've been keeping record on this for over a year, hence, I have the number. But certainly do not expect everyone to have this number. It is hard to figure this out in hindsight.  Just think this could be helpful - also seeing how my 12mRPI develops over time gives me some interesting insights.

« Reply #94 on: October 09, 2014, 11:39 »
0
I am not talking about the poll alone, I talk about this thread in general. From the poll I see the spread of RPIs - that is helpful already - is RPI spread from 0.00 to 1.00USD, or to 3-4 $ USD, or to 10 USD. Also, being in the business for some time it helps me guestimate which ports perform better and which don't (for some contributors I can just look it up based on the info they posted in this thread). I know this information is not statistically accurate - but my information is now better than it was before the thread was opened - hence, helpful thread.

But again, a 12month average RPI would be even more helpful. ;)

That would be way too much trouble to figure out. I'd have to go back to see how many images I had online each month.

I've been keeping record on this for over a year, hence, I have the number. But certainly do not expect everyone to have this number. It is hard to figure this out in hindsight.  Just think this could be helpful - also seeing how my 12mRPI develops over time gives me some interesting insights.

I cheat and take the average of how many pictures I have thru the year.  Not like I am growing my port by much % a year anymore.

OM

« Reply #95 on: October 14, 2014, 18:25 »
0
There's something seriously wrong with the results when nearly 50% of voters are claiming more than 40c per image/month ... which itself is nearly 50% higher than Shutterstock's declared average.

Even Sean said he's only generating about 60c per image/month (in a previous thread) so we must have some absolute stock geniuses voting in the poll.

Just depends on the ODD's and EL's that month. September was good with 3 EL's and quite a few ODD's. RPI = $0.91 with less than 400 photo's.

What is really very interesting is that if I take my total SS income and divide it by the number of months I've been at SS and divide that by, say, an 'estimated average' number of photo's during the time there, I still come out at an average of $0.91 cents.
« Last Edit: October 14, 2014, 18:39 by OM »


 

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