Quote from: cobalt on July 30, 2024, 02:23

Quote from: Big Money on July 29, 2024, 20:34

makes sense now. Here is my history to see if this helps you on your goal. I started in 2011 with $654 for that year. My 2nd year I made 247% more and as you can see my gains continued for awhile and then the wall hit me. Now I am losing each year. It was fun while it lasted.

Year            Income   %
2011    $654    
2012    $2,268    247%
2013    $7,778    243%
2014    $15,778    103%
2015    $26,433    68%
2016    $33,937    28%
2017    $35,238    4%
2018    $33,370    -5%
2019    $25,804    -23%
2020    $22,790    -12%
2021    $22,504    -1%
2022    $18,532    -18%
2023    $15,582    -16%

are those numbers only for adobe, or all stock combined?

is the large loss in the last two years mostly from shutterstock? (not your fault)

how much did you upload and how many new concepts or genres did you expand into?

how are your videos doing?

Thank you for sharing real numbers. It is extremely valuable even if our ports are all so different.

I'm sure that this is Adobe/fotolia only.

Don't I wish. Sadly these are combined. I am on the lower tier of this business compared to majority here. I never was a true photographer (not considered professional by any means)--did it part time with my boring daytime job paying the bills. Extra cash just enough to pay for my equipment. I remember a few folks here telling me that I sucked and don't quit your daytime job lol! I didn't mind them telling me I was bad since it is true.

thanks for sharing.

these are excellent results,I see that this year is going badly,maybe you stopped uploading?

However,I agree, the sales system today has a key role,because we have become so many,that everything is in the hands of the sales system.

probably the best contents are somehow selected and better positioned in searches.

the only thing I am certain of is that in microstock today you have to continue to work consistently to hope for good results.

Thanks.
I'm not sure if the numbers should be split 50/50 for the first 6 and last 6 months of the year
And the latest works always need several months to emerge from the crap.
I've been working and uploaded, but result will come in next future (I hope).
My rule was always quality, not quantity. And this strategy always paid.

my results for July 2024 compared to July 2023:

+45,1% sales number
+57,3% earnings

a very good result, if I was already earning well or if I was 30 years old.

However,I am not far from my goal of 80% in terms of sales or even earnings,the important thing is that I manage to double or almost double my earnings for the next 4 years,every year,otherwise it would take too long,before having an acceptable income.

But you can counter that by always very carefully expanding into new genres.

Once you have an established foothold in a genre, you supple less files, but much better files or more specialized files that will draw eyeballs but are not as generic as the initial uploads.

Parallel to that you research new subjects, upload gradually and see if you can establish a foothold of regular sales.

Some things will work, others don't.

Personally I call this "niche stacking".

Then you can always expand with more video or simply more agencies.

And finally  - you can hire people to increase your production volume. Many of the best ports come from a business account with team production, not individuals.

Even just having a part time coworker can increase production a lot.

What you cannot control, is if an agency breaks down on you, bankrupcy, stupid management etc...

And of course overall trends - everybody will use ai, agencies are doomed....

But you can counter that by always very carefully expanding into new genres.

Once you have an established foothold in a genre, you supple less files, but much better files or more specialized files that will draw eyeballs but are not as generic as the initial uploads.

Parallel to that you research new subjects, upload gradually and see if you can establish a foothold of regular sales.

Some things will work, others don't.

Personally I call this "niche stacking".

Then you can always expand with more video or simply more agencies.

And finally  - you can hire people to increase your production volume. Many of the best ports come from a business account with team production, not individuals.

Even just having a part time coworker can increase production a lot.

What you cannot control, is if an agency breaks down on you, bankrupcy, stupid management etc...

And of course overall trends - everybody will use ai, agencies are doomed....

I agree,if you work consistently with Adobe Stock your earnings increase,it is not possible to quantify this increase,but it is there,and it can be in the short or long term based on what you produce.

I've seen many say that the microstock is over,then analyzing their case in detail,they had the same portfolio today that they had 10 years ago!

How come you can say you don't earn more if you don't produce anything? 

the fact is that many are still used to how things were before,in the past it was possible to create a portfolio of 2-3000 contents and then sit and count the money without doing anything anymore,today this is no longer possible.

there is still someone who manages to earn well without working for years,but they are very few and they continue to earn less year after year,precisely because they no longer produce.

Quote from: Injustice for all on August 02, 2024, 03:46

in the past it was possible to create a portfolio of 2-3000 contents and then sit and count the money without doing anything anymore, today this is no longer possible.

That dream still keeps hundreds of contributors going, most just want to get to $1k, even while continuing actively contributing (not as passive income)  Some have no other choices, but do stock from home full time and try to reach that goal. I admire their determination, hopefulness and positivity

In US it�s probably unsustainable, so how will stock continue to thrive? Probably similar to Target, stock will be supported by creatives from Asia and India. For Adobe, there is no difference what part of the world images come from.

yes that's me,my goal is to reach 1000 usd a month working only with Adobe Stock,once I reach this goal I will see if I can expand my horizons,but if I can't even earn 7-800 a month with Adobe,it's useless to think about do something else in the microstock,so first I want to see if it is possible to achieve this goal and then I will evaluate.

so far all the months of this year have been better than previous years,so it is possible to continue to improve earnings,the only problem is that today it takes much longer than 10 years ago.

I don't know because I don't have the general picture,but I'm quite convinced that those who started earning around 1000 USD a month with AI are contributors who already had 10,000 Lifetime Licenses or at least more than 1000.

I don't think the sales system allows someone who has just started to earn these figures,but it allows it over time,but as I said I don't know for sure because I don't have the general picture.

I believe that you need to exceed 10,000 sales before the sales system opens the taps,this is my impression from the data collected,but I can't be certain.

However,Adobe's sales system works well,in my opinion it is better to wait time but have guaranteed growth than to have no certainties like in other agencies.

I believe that if someone wants to hope for growth over time on Adobe they must upload at least 100 useful and well-made contents per month,at least this quantity,but of course more is better.

in any case 100 useful and well-made contents are better than 500 useless and poorly made ones in my opinion.

I have many hopes for the last quarter of this year,which will be decisive for me to see if I can continue.

Quote from: Mifornia on August 15, 2024, 18:42

Quote from: Injustice for all on August 02, 2024, 03:46

in the past it was possible to create a portfolio of 2-3000 contents and then sit and count the money without doing anything anymore, today this is no longer possible.

That dream still keeps hundreds of contributors going, most just want to get to $1k, even while continuing actively contributing (not as passive income)  Some have no other choices, but do stock from home full time and try to reach that goal. I admire their determination, hopefulness and positivity

In US it�s probably unsustainable, so how will stock continue to thrive? Probably similar to Target, stock will be supported by creatives from Asia and India. For Adobe, there is no difference what part of the world images come from.

yes that's me,my goal is to reach 1000 usd a month working only with Adobe Stock,once I reach this goal I will see if I can expand my horizons,but if I can't even earn 7-800 a month with Adobe,it's useless to think about do something else in the microstock,so first I want to see if it is possible to achieve this goal and then I will evaluate.

so far all the months of this year have been better than previous years,so it is possible to continue to improve earnings,the only problem is that today it takes much longer than 10 years ago.

I don't know because I don't have the general picture,but I'm quite convinced that those who started earning around 1000 USD a month with AI are contributors who already had 10,000 Lifetime Licenses or at least more than 1000.

I don't think the sales system allows someone who has just started to earn these figures,but it allows it over time,but as I said I don't know for sure because I don't have the general picture.

I believe that you need to exceed 10,000 sales before the sales system opens the taps,this is my impression from the data collected,but I can't be certain.

However,Adobe's sales system works well,in my opinion it is better to wait time but have guaranteed growth than to have no certainties like in other agencies.

I believe that if someone wants to hope for growth over time on Adobe they must upload at least 100 useful and well-made contents per month,at least this quantity,but of course more is better.

in any case 100 useful and well-made contents are better than 500 useless and poorly made ones in my opinion.

I have many hopes for the last quarter of this year,which will be decisive for me to see if I can continue.

Yes, you are a winner Ai prompter

"I believe that you need to exceed 10,000 sales before the sales system opens the taps,this is my impression from the data collected,but I can't be certain."

I didn't see any difference when I finally crossed the 10k sales mark.

When I started uploading again I was around 6k something, I crossed 10k some time last year, now sitting at around  total 11800 dl. i went from around weekly  pos 20k in sept 22 to now around 3800 2 years later.

The  "secret" to sales is simply: upload something that is badly needed and nobody else is doing.

I don't think there is any barrier holding you back, certainly not on Adobe.

Upload something the buyers really, really want and you will make money.

Research, research research and even if the subject already has endless duplicates - can you do it better? Can you stand out with a plate of spaghetti, a happy thumbs up people group?

But the best is to go after all the content that is missing. And that is a lot.

You can see how blv has very consistent sales, even in a slow time like August. His port has what people like to buy.

I am sure you will make a lot more than 1k eventually.

what you say is partly true,but in my opinion,however,it doesn't just depend on the kind of contents that you have in youir portfolio,it is full of online examples of this.

I've seen many travel photographers with stunning portfolios full of locations who don't earn as much as they should but not even in the slightest,why do you think?

because there are so many of us.

how do we sell everyone in your opinion?

because clearly there is a system that manages sales.

and what do you think are the conditions for having the favor of the system?

In my opinion,time is one of these conditions.

Adobe's sales system is the best in my opinion of all the agencies.

you say you didn't notice any difference when you exceeded 10,000 sales and I can definitely believe you,but for me it wasn't like that when I exceeded 1,000 sales for me there was a noticeable change.

blv seems to me to have had an increase in sales exceeding 10,000 sales,it seems to me that he also said once that it took 10 years,but he can tell us better if he feels like it.

Cobalt,I absolutely agree with you on what you produce,the type/quantity portfolio you have is of fundamental importance,but that's not all,there's more.

there is much more because we are simply many,and we all have to sell,and sales must be managed by a system that works for everyone,an algorithm made up of steps,and I can get this far,then understand what these steps are i don't know and no one knows.

but I'm pretty sure that one of these steps is the time you have been a contributor and/or the number of downloads achieved.

another example is the "recent top sellers" section in the contributor portal,as you know,sellers with less than 1000 sales are not really considered,as it should be,and in fact I repeat that I noticed a difference when I exceeded 1000 sales.

and obviously sellers with at least 10,000 or more sales are considered more,as is right in my opinion.

what you produce is of fundamental importance,but that's not all,there's much more.

the number of total sales achieved matters,time matters! 

@injustice

congrats on the sales! well done!

I know we wont't agree on this, but if time and having uploaded 1300 files 10 years ago would have such a drastic effect on current success, why are there so many people who have uploaded without a break, now have 15k files or more but have less sales than me?

Shouldn't they be on the top sales list everywhere?

People with ports of beautiful travel pictures, like you say don't have more sales, because they obviously didn't do any research in what customers like to buy in that genre. Because there are landscape and travel artist with full time income. But it is a real job, not a hobby.

Stock is not about pretty, it is about useful.

I have an old file with ugly cockroaches that is still outselling lots of other better images. It is dead ugly, but useful. Even useful after 15 years.

Need to do more cockroaches....

Maybe there is some magic system secrets and if you can figure out the algos of the various agencies it gives you a special advantage.

Personally I am not seeing anything like that. My bestselling files are always the ones with the best research. Sometimes there is a lucky accident, but then if I look into it I realize I stumbled on a niche I wasn't aware of.

But if you can figure out some magic tricks with algos good for you.

The only thing that is obvious, you have top keep feeding the beast, so the buyers looking for newest content can find your port.

@injustice

congrats on the sales! well done!

I know we wont't agree on this, but if time and having uploaded 1300 files 10 years ago would have such a drastic effect on current success, why are there so many people who have uploaded without a break, now have 15k files or more but have less sales than me?

Shouldn't they be on the top sales list everywhere?

People with ports of beautiful travel pictures, like you say don't have more sales, because they obviously didn't do any research in what customers like to buy in that genre. Because there are landscape and travel artist with full time income. But it is a real job, not a hobby.

Stock is not about pretty, it is about useful.

I have an old file with ugly cockroaches that is still outselling lots of other better images. It is dead ugly, but useful. Even useful after 15 years.

Need to do more cockroaches....

Maybe there is some magic system secrets and if you can figure out the algos of the various agencies it gives you a special advantage.

Personally I am not seeing anything like that. My bestselling files are always the ones with the best research. Sometimes there is a lucky accident, but then if I look into it I realize I stumbled on a niche I wasn't aware of.

But if you can figure out some magic tricks with algos good for you.

The only thing that is obvious, you have top keep feeding the beast, so the buyers looking for newest content can find your port.

Thank you! 

"Stock is not about pretty, it is about useful".

I completely agree with this quote.

what sell are content that customer need,content that has a clear and strong concept or idea,and even better if it has visual appeal,and then even content that has no competition sells well,because there are few of them.


I'm telling you all this according to what I understand from my experience gained in these 6 years with Adobe,these are not certain facts,just my considerations:


contents that have no competition "bypass" the sales system.

if a customer searches for a cockroach,the search will not return much content,so if you have a cockroach it is very likely that you will sell it.

this applies to all "unique" content which is why,as you always say,it is important to research what is missing from Adobe's library.

for generic contents the situation changes.

there are no magic or tricks,but only a system that guarantees sales based on a specific algorithm.

over time and by reaching a certain number of sales,in the event of a "generic request" from a customer,the percentage that your content is shown increases.

over time you get more content that has made more sales and increases your chances of making a sale.

then there are other conditions,such as highlighted portfolio and in my opinion other more conditions.

only with time can you make more sales and only with time can you earn more,but how much more depends on the contents you have for sale,both in terms of utility and number.

obviously if we were in all 10 contributors,we would all be filthy rich,what do you think? 

in the current state of things it is impossible to sell something just as it is impossible not to sell it.

all this is only possible thanks to the sales system,and the Adobe Stock system in my opinion is the best.

but I repeat once again:how much more you can earn depends on what you produce,keywording,quantity produced and time.

...
therefore from these results it emerges that I need to have an average of approximately 110% more earnings in the last 4 months of the year,compared to the last 4 months of 2023,in order to have at least 80% growth between this year and last year.

I can do it,it won't be easy,but I can still reach my goal of at least 80% more earnings between one year and another,just one strong month is enough to raise the average.

...

i hope you're right, but your needs just get greater with each month -- YOU don't have much influence on sales - you're HOPING  to get a big month but hope won't pay the rent - and expecting to repeat this year after year is just unrealistic


If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.
If horse turds were biscuits, they'd eat 'til they died.

Far too many variables for each person experience in stock to be able to compare your sales to the next, for me Adobe sales are still best performer but are decreasing in 2024 and think it will get worse in 2025 onwards, Shutterstock almost matched Adobe for me this month. Still decent pocket money for 60mins hobby work every week, around $800/month.