That should really read "Don't Do It (Unless you're not that busy)!", but I decided that was a less punchy title.
This post is a follow up to last time, as promised, telling you which sites I have found to be a waste of time. As suggested above, if you find yourself with plenty of time, it may be worth giving them a go, but I wouldn't worry if you can't find the time to do so. So, this is my list:
Dreamstime: This one threw me a bit. I was informed by several websites that this would be a big earner, especially compared to smaller sites like 123rf and DepositPhotos, but this hasn't been the case for me so far.
Their review team has been my biggest problem - they've been rather harsh compared to the rest! The majority of photos that have been accepted elsewhere haven't made the cut there, so my profits have been fairly laughable. As well as this, it can be quite time-consuming to keyword and categorise your images, definitely more than I am willing to put in for the income returned.
Bigstock: Now this one I feel really is a waste of your time. Upload is relatively painless, I'll give them that, but I'm still yet to have a single sale! Not that I'm bitter or anything...
Bigstock was recently acquired by Shutterstock, which may help to boost sales in the future, though I'm still yet to see any positive effects to come from the move. I'm not sure what the problem has been, my portfolio has sold on other sites, so maybe it just isn't what their customers are looking. That's what I'll tell myself at least.
CanStockPhoto: Similarly to Bigstock, the uploading here is very easy, the fastest of any of them, in fact. However, once again, this hasn't converted to any sales. I've seen CanStock rank quite highly in people's portfolios, though I'm not seeing it really - it isn't as professionally set out as others (though it has been done up recently), which I don't think helps. Yet again, it could just be me though...
I've also uploaded to Panther Media, CreStock, Cutcaster and YAYmicro, none of which I would recommend, mainly because I don't feel they promote themselves enough to compete with the others - though I could be wrong if your images are from the right niche.
So, overall, feel free to give your portfolios a go on these sites, I just wouldn't make them your first choice. Let me know if you feel otherwise, I'm always interested to hear another opinion!
Bigstock was recently acquired by Shutterstock, which may help to boost sales in the future, though I'm still yet to see any positive effects to come from the move. I'm not sure what the problem has been, my portfolio has sold on other sites, so maybe it just isn't what their customers are looking. That's what I'll tell myself at least.
CanStockPhoto: Similarly to Bigstock, the uploading here is very easy, the fastest of any of them, in fact. However, once again, this hasn't converted to any sales. I've seen CanStock rank quite highly in people's portfolios, though I'm not seeing it really - it isn't as professionally set out as others (though it has been done up recently), which I don't think helps. Yet again, it could just be me though...
I've also uploaded to Panther Media, CreStock, Cutcaster and YAYmicro, none of which I would recommend, mainly because I don't feel they promote themselves enough to compete with the others - though I could be wrong if your images are from the right niche.
So, overall, feel free to give your portfolios a go on these sites, I just wouldn't make them your first choice. Let me know if you feel otherwise, I'm always interested to hear another opinion!
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