Passive Income For Creatives: Stock Video
For years we have been hearing that video marketing would be the future. Well, it turns out the future is now! Video marketing is taking over the digital space and companies are turning to video because they want to connect with their audience on an emotional level. This doesn’t mean that stock photos are a thing of the past as there is still a huge market for stock photography. What this does mean is that there is another market for stock. Stock video. In this blog, I’ll tell you a little more about stock video and give you some tangible tips for creating and sharing stock footage.
THE PROS AND CONS OF STOCK VIDEO
As with any business endeavor, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons before jumping into it feet first. With stock video, you may be looking at an extra time commitment, but the payouts could be worth it. The consensus among stock contributors is this: submitting photos is easier, but video makes more money. Plus, with Instagram and google favoring video over still photos, businesses will be looking to buy video clips for their marketing.
Most cameras can shoot HD, so if you’re a photographer, it would really only take a few tweaks to your workflow to integrate video into your process and add another income stream. And if you’re a videographer or filmmaker you’re in luck, because you’re probably sitting on a goldmine of content already!
OPTIONS FOR UPLOADING YOUR VIDEO FOOTAGE
Next, you need to decide where to upload your stock footage. Download my free Little Black of Stock Photo Agencies for a comprehensive overview of your options. When it comes to video, you have 4 different strategies to choose from:
Separately to each agency - only recommended when using only one agency (see the little black book of stock photo agencies)
Store metadata in a CSV file and upload to each agency- recommended if you want to upload to multiple agencies manually
Use StockSubmitter or XPIKS software (free and paid plans available) and upload to multiple agencies via FTP
Submit Via Black Box or Wirestock. These agencies allow you to submit to multiple agencies at once. Keep reading for more information about using Black Box or Wirestock.
BLACK BOX
Black Box is a great tool to consider when trying to decide how you want to upload your stock video footage. Black Box submits to multiple agencies at once which allows you to get your work out there more quickly and seamlessly than submitting on your own. Although they keep 15% of your revenue, it may be a worthy investment for the tools it provides for making submitting easier. Black Box also has a better deal with most agencies than single contributors meaning your files will be submitted under the Black Box name to give you better search visibility. You will still own copyrights to your work, but having the Black Box name attached will help your reach. Another benefit of using Black Box is having the option to work with other contributors who will keyword and/or edit your footage in exchange for a cut of the sale.
Like Blackbox, Wirestock is another great tool for uploading stock video. Wirestock allows you to submit to multiple microstock agencies at once including Shutterstock, Adobe, Alamy, Dreamstime, Pond5, Depositphotos, 123RF, Science Photo Libray, Freepik (Instant Pay), and Canva. Wirestock keeps 15% commission on your revenue, but there are so many amazing time-saving features, it could be a worthy investment for your business. One key difference between Blackbox and Wirestock is that Wirestock allows you to upload stock photos as well as stock video. Another great benefit of using Wirestock is that they offer an “Easy Submission” tool that allows contributors to skip the process of filling out descriptions, titles, keywords, and other required fields. The required information will be filled out by Wirestock submission experts to help you boost your sales.
Quick Export Tips for Stock Footage :
(specifics may vary depending on your agency):
Make sure the clip duration is between 5-59 seconds (ideally: 15-20 sec)
Are you satisfied with the look (colors, noise, exposure, etc)?
Export in the right format QuickTime (.MOV) with codecs "ProRes 422" H264 (.MP4) with 100MBPS (1080p) or 150MBPS (4K)
Export in the correct resolution and frame rate (see cheat sheet)
Cut undesired movements, shaky or out of focus sections, etc
Be sure there are no black bars on the side or top and bottom
Leave audio OFF
Give the file a unique name
Low light footage will most likely be rejected
Each clip needs to be a single continuous shot
So now that you have some tangible tips for creating and sharing stock video footage, consider adding video to stock photo repertoire and move one step closer to reaching your passive income goals! Want to learn more about stock? My signature course, Stock Photography Academy will teach you how to build a profitable stock photo and video portfolio.