What’s up everybody, welcome to another Shoot & Sell episode here at Creative Income. If you’re not familiar with the channel yet, every month I upload a new video with all the relevant news in the stock photo and stock footage industry as well as creative briefs sent by the agencies. 

This month we have 7 fresh requests coming from Shutterstock and Pond5, that according to these agencies are topics of increasing demand but low offering when it comes to stock files. 

Before we go to the shotlist there are 4 things I believe you would like to know. 

1. Pond5 Contest

Pond5 started a monthly contest in which they’ll give free content promotion and a 100-dollar gift card every month. It will be given to the 3 contributors with the biggest increase in referral traffic. That means the number of visitors you drive to your profile page on their platform. You can find the official rules in the link below.

http://bit.ly/pond5month

2. Adobe Editorial

Cool news coming from Adobe too as we finally see the first signals of Editorial Content being accepted there. The feature is still under testing and will only be available for contributors with the rank Gold and above. That means 10k downloads or more. But according to their help page, they’ll open it up to a wider group over time.

It’s also important to mention that they’ll only accept Illustrative Editorial. That means “content intended to illustrate articles on current events and newsworthy topics” using real brands and products to convey strong ideas. 

That means they still won’t accept the standard editorial content we usually see in Shutterstock and other major agencies in which you can upload shots with recognizable people that haven’t signed a release. 

3. Free Mini-course

Now, here is something I’m excited about and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it too. Here’s the deal. 

There are 2 things that you guys ask me the most in the comment sections:

• My workflow to write metadata 
• And the CSV Spreadsheet where I organize it

The spreadsheet in special is what I’ve been using and improving for 6 years already. It helps me keep track of the status of each file on each agency, apply metadata on multiple files at once, and a list of keywords used in the best selling files of Shutterstock. 

Both the workflow and the spreadsheet are available in the Stock Creators online course, but I decided to put them on a mini-course in Skillshare too. 

The coolest thing is that Skillshare gave me a referral link that you guys can use to get 60 days free in their platform. So Not only you’ll be able to watch my class and download the CSV template, as you’ll also have full premium access to more than 30.000 classes on topics like Premiere Pro, After Effects, and some future content I’ll be doing there. 

There’s also a cool class from Victoria Smith, one of the most active contributors in the BlackBox community on how to write keywords for stock footage. 

So be sure to use the link below and get your 2 months free. After that, the cost will be $15/month or $99/year. But you can cancel it at any time, even during the free trial. So you’ll definitely have enough time to watch and download my content in there!

 

4. Storyblocks Changes

And finally, before we head to the shot list, let me comment about these quite interesting moves that  Storyblocks is making with their business model. It impacts directly on how buyers will pay for it as well as how we the contributors get paid.

Just a few days ago, on September 10th, Storyblocks closed their marketplace becoming a subscription-only website, hey call it Member Library Partner Program.

The marketplace was just like most stock agencies, where customers would buy stock footage on a clip by clip basis and contributors, would receive 50% of the price paid for each download. 

Now the Member Library is a totally different thing. Think of it like Netflix. Members pay a monthly ($39) or annually ($199) fee and get access to unlimited downloads. As an individual contributor, you will get a proportional share of Storyblocks’ revenue. This share is determined according to the number of downloads your files had compared to the total downloads in the platform. The way the revenue is distributed is not that simple and I can definitely produce a video about it in the future.

Throughout the forums and facebook groups, you’ll see all kinds of reactions. Most of them are filled with hopelessness and I respect it. But instead of complaining about the change of winds, I’d rather stop and think about how to make good use of it. Storyblocks is definitely not the most expressive agency in our monthly earnings. I’m sure it is the same for you. So in the end, it is an individual choice for each contributor to stick with Storyblocks or not.

 

Let me show you what is the opportunity I see in this.

The company says that “Over 85% of our members are hobbyists, freelancers, and small business owners”… And that they love the affordability and creative flexibility that an unlimited subscription model offers.” 

That does make some sense. There’s a large part of the market that could never afford to pay $79 per clip on Shutterstock, for example. So this would open the doors for YouTubers and freelancers with lower budgets to become stock footage buyers.

The point I see contributors complaining about is that they don’t want to get less than a dollar per download on files that usually earn $30 or something like that. And that does make sense. 

But who said you have to upload your best selling files to Storyblocks? Why not upload the ones that rarely sell instead and give them a chance to bring you some revenue?

Cause if on one hand the revenue per download is going to be lower than it was, we should also take into consideration that the number of downloads will probably increase.

I’m not telling you to produce poor quality content. I’m just saying that it is ok to put a discount on files that haven’t been purchased for a while. Think of all the stores making sales at the end of a season to get rid of all the products that weren’t sold yet to open space for new ones.

 

Shotlist

Alright, enough of that. Let’s go to the shot list. 

These are briefs sent by Shutterstock and Pond5 and represent the real demand of stock customers, so if you’re looking for inspiration, be sure to watch the past episodes too.

 

 

1. Young at Heart

Starting with my favorites, Pond5 has a brief named “Young at Heart”. It refers to seniors engaging in fun activities usually enjoyed by the youth. Some ideas are motor-biking, surfing, martial arts, skydiving and all kinds of activities considered uncommon for folks over 65. You can also explore seniors attending events, going on an adventure and even taking selfies. 

But please, be authentic. I guess buyers are getting tired of thumbs-ups

Shot-List Thought-Starters

• Motor-biking, surfing, martial arts, skydiving, and every other cool activity deemed “unacceptable” for folks over 65
• Attending live events such as rock concerts and nightclubs
• Adventurous travel to both cities and off-the-beaten places
• Taking part in youthful “throwback” activities such as: date night at a diner sharing a milkshake, driving a convertible with hair blowing in the wind, taking a dance class together
• Taking “selfies” of their experiences

Suggested Keywords: Active seniors, elderly, activity, carefree, togetherness, young at heart, vitality, happiness, individuality, fun, adventure

Pro-Tip: Do your best to cast real-looking talent with real skills. This approach will pay dividends in the end, as clients are constantly searching for authenticity within our collection.

 

2. Baby on Board

At the other opposite, here comes another Pond5 request on visual content demonstrating the time leading up to the birth of a baby as well as its first moments. Examples go from pregnancy scenes of a couple expecting a child and setting up a nursery, then childbirth, parents looking at a baby, babies in incubators, breastfeeding, pushing a baby in a stroller, securing him into a car seat and so it goes.

Pond5 suggests close-ups on babies’ expressions during all these moments.

Shot-List Thought-Starters

• Pregnancy: Scenes showing a couple expecting a child, tender moments demonstrating hope and anticipation, setting up a nursery
• Childbirth: Checking into a maternity ward, being handed a newborn for the first time, looking at a baby through nursery window, babies in incubators
• Breastfeeding
• First Steps: A baby being guided by parents, falling into parents’ arm, or attempting to walk and falling on their backside
• Babies being comforted or consoled
• Pushing baby in a stroller
• Safety: Baby being secured into a car seat

Suggested Keywords: Baby, Family, First Steps, Birth, Love, Pride, Compassion, Happiness, Security, Innocence, New Beginning, Milestones, Tenderness, Care, Lifestyle

3. Pajama party

In a similar line, there’s a request from Shutterstock on Pajama Parties. According to the agency, customers will be looking for images of kids in their pj’s having sleepovers, doing pillow fights and building blanket forts. Images of babysitters watching kids should be in demand too. 

 

 

4. Milestones

Fast forward some years and we’ll be in the next Pond5 brief: Milestones. These are significant events that occur in one’s lifetime like learning to ride a bicycle, the first day at school, first date, first car, first job, and even first home. 

An extra tip to ensure some extra sales is to capture multiple sequences with your subjects before, during and after the main action of the shoot. This way you’ll give them the ability to buy multiple files to tell their story.

Suggested Keywords: Firsts, Change, Milestones, Future, Independence, Courage, Excitement, Graduation, Ceremony, New Horizons, Accomplishments, Rituals, Lifestyle

Casting Considerations: Diversity is always important to keep in mind for lifestyle shoots. Authenticity with talent and imagery. Accept the challenge to subtract artificiality from your setups. In other words, keep it REAL. These things will play an important role in the success of your shoot. Read more in our post on authenticity and why it matters.

 

5. Acts of Kindness

Shutterstock also got a request for visual content depicting acts of kindness like individuals participating in non-profits like charities and soup kitchens. Maybe someone assisting elderly or disabled people.

 

 

6. Support Small Businesses

Shutterstock is also requesting images & videos depicting small businesses and storefronts from around the world in all varieties and styles. This includes cafes, retail stores, office environments, and start-ups. Portraits of shopkeepers and entrepreneurs in a work scenario are always popular. 

 

 

7. Modern Holidays

Finally, we have a common request for this time of the year – the Holidays. According to Shutterstock, customers are already getting ready and looking for seasonal images. One good idea is to focus on modern and trendy aspects of these subjects that haven’t been so much explored yet. Try to depict trends on Holiday greenery, home decor, and alternatives to the traditional holiday trees, such as cactuses or palm trees. Holiday drinks like eggnog and prosecco are also ideas to consider.

 

Don’t forget to check out our FREE online class

When working on metadata for your content I highly suggest you store your work inside a CSV spreadsheet. It is the best way to keep your work safe, keep track of your uploads on each agency, and it also saves hours when uploading to multiple agencies.

Once again, my template is available for download on my Skillshare class. If you haven’t started your 2 free months yet, then now is the time.