A quick google search would probably give you tons of websites to sell stock photos and illustrations from.
How I started to sell Stock photos and illustrations and why you should too.
It all started way back around 12 years ago when once i was sitting in front of my computer clueless and projects less . Nothing to work on and no idea to where to get work from.
(THIS POST PROBABLY CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. OUR FULL DISCLOSURE POLICY IS REALLY BORING, BUT YOU CAN FIND IT HERE.)
That’s when i started to think backward , by backward I mean i wondered from where all the cool illustrations and graphics coming from that we used to buy for our projects. Not aware that I could too sell stock photos online as a side hustle and bring in some extra income. At that time I was working in a telecom company and my job was to create multimedia sms . I would score the internet looking for inspiration and graphics to use . But to tell you the truth the job was 9-5 and not much fun.
As i wondered from where these graphics coming from I now looked at the source sites with a different eye . As I looked i found a little button saying Contributor / Sell Stock Photos. Now what was that I had no idea. I clicked on that and read it through and signed up and after that soon my graphic design profession took another turn.
I was soon crazily creating illustrations and uploading them to multiple contributing website. Since photography is not my jam and I know I am good at Adobe illustrator I knew that I could also make money online if I start and sell stock illustrations. The day that i earned my first $.30 was such an encouraging day. I was “Freelancing” earning for myself !. How satisfying this $.30 was ! I was hooked!.
And then I started looking further for more sites to contribute my stock illustrations and sell photos online !. And pretty soon my portfolio was up at 5 websites and i was waiting for my first image sale and I was earning form myself. It started from $.30 from each image sale and now the whole process has grown into my very own website for graphics you can check out my custom cliparts for sale here
The good that came out of all this is a satisfaction of being ones own boss and alongside client based custom illustration jobs.
I would like to share a few websites that I have contributed in the past and hope that it might open doors for opportunity for someone else as well. If you are wondering how I market my portfolio of images on sale through these websites you might want to look at how I promote it using Pinterest on autopilot. I have now been selling stock photos for a while now , and have also successfully used my own creations to create products and sell digital products and photos online.
Simply put, stock imagery means any art that already exists and is ready to use. A stock agency curates a library of images on large number of subjects and licenses those images to customers. People often refer to “stock photography,” but “stock” can refer to any type of visual content, including photos, videos, or illustrations.
below are some of the stock sites that i have personally used in the past during my obsession with stock image contribution. These are in order of revenue that i generated and still generate from them.
You can sell stock photos , Vector illustrations and various design elements from this website. After you apply as a contributor you are provided an ftp area as well as upload interface.
If you are uploading vector files then you need to save them as EPS files . I have shared a post about how to prepare file as an eps for submission a while back . That can be accessed here.
Shutterstock has been one of my favs when i started uploading work. The uploading process used to be a bit simpler but still it is not too techy. Once you are on the site the Become a contributor button is on the top right. Shutterstock sell royalty-free images, footage, vectors and illustrations. You can apply to be a contributor here.
For me shutterstock had been a favorite one because they don’t pressure you into exclusively distributing images or video . Your content is yours to control to maximize your selling opportunities and profit.
Not such revenue generator for me , but since you are ready to upload and contribute to other sites . This can generate a few more . You can sell the same stock photos to multiple sites so why not?
Why you wont find my portfolio on istock ? it is simply because you have to be an exclusive with them to start selling. And if you are an exclusive then in my opinion going to the road of stock imagery and earning from a multiple streams becomes a bit difficult. But hands down istock is one of the best stock photo website out there. Though it is a bit difficult to be accepted to sell stock photos but once you get in chances are you will do good!
I love this place, if you are ready to bundle your creations and are ready to create some awesome resources for designers and artists then you might want to consider joining creative Market
Although I have a very small portfolio there but I do continue to get commission every month, maybe if I get serious posting new content I will be able to increase monthly revenue coming from this website. It has a lot of potential.
Creative market is more of a full content resource website , from where you can take a step further and start selling templates , themes , fonts and other resources too. I love the simplicity of creative market and I see a great potential in selling through creative market BUT if you package your content well.
Graphic river has been in the industry for a while now and has proved to be a good resource for graphics. I personally like to buy through creative market when it comes to themes resources and fonts. But Graphic river is a good competition and has turned a lot of sales for me over the years. My portfolio is really really very small over there but still I get a small chunk of money now and then.
Update:Fotolia recently closed and partnered up with Adobe Stock Contributor and my portfolio was automatically shifted there
I currently plan to take my graphics down from fotolia , reason you ask? at times fotolia used to bring sales that ranged from $5-$10 each graphics . But lately I have noticed that their royalty has fallen down to $0.30 , just rechecked gone down to $0.25 . It seems that they have sold out rights to images to some other websites as well , as I have found my images being sold from there on couple of other “unknown” , websites as well that sell stock images.
Alright so Etsy is hands down i have found to be just ok among many mentioned above . The amount of images that you sell through Etsy needs additional advertising on your part . While when you are selling through stock photography websites 1-7 all you need to know is better keywording . But once you start selling through etsy you must be aware of ways to drive traffic to your shop , SEO , social media marketing and more. Check out the blog post where I share how to monetize your shop by updating your listings.
Zazzle in my opinion can drive you more earnings if you have a potential of visualizing your products on various products. You can upload any of your graphics and then using bulk tool create multiple products ranging from stationary to homeware or more. Despite the fact that I am no longer creating many products through Zazzle but my Birthday invitations storeand Art Prints shop are giving me an extra income.
Last but not the least there are a few more websites through which you can sell your photography stock imagery and graphic design resources. these are …
Sell Your Graphic Designs in a few easy steps! If you are looking for a good place to boost sales and get great exposure you are right on the spot! Just fill in the form on a website describing your deal, and don’t forget to give MasterBundles some links to preview some pages of yours.
If you are now selling your deals elsewhere – no problem, they can always sell your products on better terms.😉 MasterBundles is the only marketplace that offers vendor’s cuts up to 50%.
Bonus Stock Photo Websites for free Marketing
Stock photo website that are not so monsters in industry t are a good way to get additional eyes on your portfolio you can become a contributor as a free provider.
Just like etsy Artfire gives you ability to host digital content for instant downloads but then you have to work extra to drive traffic to your shop . That can or may include your social media skills to sell art online .
Just finished compiling and drawing this Superhero Clipart Collection great for your graphic design and printable projects needs.
Superhero Clipart Packs include:
All the graphics are PNG and JPG illustrations in High Resolution Files. EPS file is also included All graphics are saved as separate PNG files with transparent background as well as JPG files with a white background for easy extraction.
This Superhero Clipart series include various versions of super man or super girl graphics and illustrations in various styles, These are great for creating cards and invitation.
You’ll receive a resolution-independent Adobe Illustrator 100% vector EPS file and large 300 DPI PNG files of all the graphics with a transparent background.
If you are seeking to wow your customers then this Graphic Design Tools Online Series if going to do just that for you. This series comprises of graphic design tools online free and paid .
Looking for graphic design tools online then you must check out this series of canva alternative, grpahic design online software to create images and graphics for your blog or social media.
This post includes affiliate link and I get paid a small commission every time someone decides on purchasing the product they found through me. However please know that all that i share comes from my honest opinion and I was not contacted by the creators of stencil for this post.
You do not have to be a graphic design wizard or a pro any more to product awesome images and graphics online. Gone are the days when you had to go down the difficult route of spending hours struggling with graphic design softwares no there are plenty available online for free.
Today I am introducing you to Stencil!
No more spending hours on youtube trying to learn complicated programs to accomplish your everyday graphic design needs. Stencil is a very simple and intuitive platform that in my opinion is exact rival to Canva. Sometimes there are hidden gems found if you only know where to find them!
Ok so What exactly is Stencil and how this can take on place of your regular graphic design tool online?
Stencil as your online design maker
Create sleek images for social media posts, ads, blog posts, and more, plus organize your designs with custom collections. It doesn’t matter if you are a graphic designer, a personal Virtual Assistant or a Novice Blogger. We all know that sometimes the most time consuming part of doing business online is the creation of continuous graphics and we are always looking for free graphic design templates.
As soon as you login you are presented with a clean and professional interface that is much similar to Canva but in my opinion if Canva is still complicated then you might want to take a look into using Stencil. The interface is much cleaner and there isn’t much “noise” should you choose it to be your online design maker.
While Canva, PickMonkey and Venngage are great tools on their own Stencil can be your simplest alternative to any of these. The interface just comprises of free graphic design templates that you can edit with ease. There are a collection of quotes and icons library making it real easy to create something if the tech side of online graphic design tools scare you.
Quick and easy graphic design tools online
So the fun part here is that if you are a Social media marketers, bloggers, and content teams looking to make awesome graphics in less time then you are at the right place check out the video below with some detailed explanation by people at Stencil
Creating high quality graphic design and images is a breeze with stencil You can access gorgeous stock photos, dope templates, clean icons and graphics, artsy filters, and Google fonts that transcend Comic Sans (plus personal fonts you can upload).
Create amazing graphics instantly
Use various filters, icons, filters and fonts to create amazingly creative graphics instantly! And whoever you are ready you can share your creative work directly to social media. While you do that fear not the graphics will be saved to your library to be accessed later. This means that you can create graphic design templates that can be used over and over again.
Seamless integration and posting to social media
This one feature I swear can save you tons of time and while I was using Canva it really bugged me that their posting to social media feature is kind of wonky. When you edit the design it edits the scheduled post as well. Say what?? Well at the time of writing this post if they have made an update to this particular feature then kindly let me know !
So when you are done with creating a graphic design maybe for your blog post or your product offers, then you can directly choose to post it to social media. The social posting feature allows you to post to facebook , twitter, pinterest, instagram and guess what Buffer! . Now this is interesting as if you have access and direct add it to buffer you can schedule it to be posted across all your media profiles which ofcourse is another story!
Images are sized accordingly ! what else would you need?
Web browser connectivity an added feature
With add-on options for Chrome and Firefox along with a handy WordPress plugin, you can make magic right in your browser instead of waiting on slow process-heavy programs
Say what? Install the WordPress Plugin and create images from within WordPress as you create posts
WordPress Plugin
Install the WordPress Plugin and create images from within WordPress as you create posts.
Safari Extension
Add the Stencil button to your Safari toolbar and start creating images from anywhere.
Firefox Add-on
Add the Stencil button to your Firefox toolbar and start creating images from anywhere.
Chrome Extension
Add the Stencil button to your Chrome toolbar and start creating images from anywhere.
Get a live preview of your masterpiece before publishing it to the world!
Wondering how to start a blog with wordpress in 2021?
How will you feel that finally, you were able to start a blog helping you not only to make money online while blogging but also present your work out in the world. Maybe sell your digital products online or maybe even your physical products?
You can start a blog with wordpress in 2020 and start making money online in a matter of minutes. Or you could finally, create a storefront and start selling from this? ,Be able to lead clients and direct them to your own self-hosted platform. All this and more like your own pretty domain name, Set up email addresses, newsletters and more.
in this posts series, how to start a blog with wordpress within next 24 hours.
We are going through times when that is allowing us to stop and look at our surroundings. Raise questions about who we are being, what is important and what needs to be done with. Maybe you are still struggling with your surroundings and they are keeping you busy enough that you don’t even get the time to reflect on who you are being and which direction to take.
For me this time out by Universe has given me a safe place to go within and shed out the unwanted. These unwanted items not only include, purging my home, decluttering my surroundings but also in a good way I am exploring new ways to expand my online business and work. I see so many people going through all of this as well.
Some have been busy all their life doing 9 to 5 jobs, they don’t even love or are passionate about. It is like dragging themselves to work every day, going through the workload, communicating and frustrated with a nosey boss. And now when they got the time out they are wondering if this is how they want to spend the rest of their lives?
Maybe you too in a state similar to this, maybe you were also forced to sit at home, maybe you too are wondering what if there is something else to life. Maybe you are struck by fear and are not able to do anything creative. It almost feels like running in a hamster wheel. Forced life, but for how long? will this ever end? you love drawing, maybe gardening, maybe painting, do you really have to wait for your retirement to do what you love doing?
This pivot may mean
Leaving your job and facing some uncertain times and wondering if you can too make money by blogging
Getting overwhelmed wondering ok here I am and I would love to spend more time doing what I am passionate about but how to begin where to start from and what are my next steps.
I am passionate about helping other creative women find their inner Creative Diva and start earning a living doing what they love by blogging and selling their creativity online. And all of this starts from taking a single decision and setting a strong intention. If you are committed enough to make a change in your life, if you want to be one of the few who are strong enough to take a stand for their desires then allow me to take you by the hand and over the next few posts help you create a business doing what you love.
So in this post, I will share the initial tasks you can take right now starting today towards a strong business foundation. by setting up an online shop in less than 24 hours.
how to start a blog with wordpress in 2020 in 4 steps
Choose a blog name and get a hosting
Install WordPress in order to Start a blog
Personalize your blog by installing a pretty and functional theme
Add the right plugins to help you track data and traffic
Consistently write great content that attracts your ideal client
Monetize your blog by affiliated products or your own self hosted shop
Step 1:
Get a domain name & Hosting in order to start a blog with wordpress
If you already have a domain name then it is great ! time saved ! if not here are. A domain name is a name that people can type in their address bars to find you. This post of mine intends to set up a website for you in 24 hours so I will not write tons about each and every step but I will guide you towards your end goal, that is …. an online shop!
So your name could be simply yourname.com or yourbusinessname.com or maybe you want to be creative and come up with something interesting for your blog name. The thing is it really doesnt matter!. Focus on just getting a name and dont get caught up and procrastinating over how good a name sounds.
I am recommending 1 and 1 Hosting for this because it is the cheapest solution out there right now, you begin with paying $1 for the Domain plus hosting for the first month and then $4 onward. For the domain name, $1 for the first year is included. I signed up for the business package and have hosted two of my website paying $8.
When you are paying this low you are lowering the mental barrier of setting up a website being expensive just go ahead give it a try what is there to lose? $1 for the domain name for the first year is ample time for you to know if you are committed to running a website.
Other recommended providers are Godaddy (Starting from $5 ) Blue Host ($3.95 free domain for first year and hosting)
What is the difference between the domain name and hosting?
I often get asked this question, believe it or not, this confusion even stops many of you from taking the first step. So a domain name is like getting a URL that can be typed in the search bar, and hosting is a place where you will upload your files to. These files will include your website data, product images, blog images files, and similar.
For people to access your website, they will be landed on a webpage hosted on your hosting provider. it will show the files you stored in the form of a homepage blog or similar.
Step 2
Installing WordPress on your hosting space.
Consider your hosting space ( which you paid $1 for the first month) links to your domain name Here is how you will do it inside 1and 1 hosting. But you will see that most of the hosting companies have similar Cpanels. Cpanel is the dashboard from where you can take various tasks from inside the hosting provider.
After you signup, you will log in to your Cpanel ( Hosing Dashboard) here is how this looks like
how to start a blog with wordpress in 2020 and make money
You have icons presented in front of you with managing your domain name, creating email addresses, installing websites and stores, managing your hosting space, and your billing and account information. If you click on domains you will be able to see the domain name that you just purchased.
But to set up your WordPress Shop and blog you will head on over to the search bar on top of the screen and type install WordPress.
Give your website a title and click Create Website. Something Like ” Julias Art and Workshops” or whatever, don’t worry you can change it later at any time.
Type in the administrator login ( the login you will use to access your WordPress installation) I would recommend keeping it long and not including word admin in it. Here is a screenshot of how this looks like
Next, you will be presented with an option to install a managed WordPress just click on the second option
Next, you will be asked to link a domain name to the WordPress installation. From the dropdown choose the domain name that you just registered with.
And you are done!
Type the domain name in the URL space in your browser and your website is online!
Step 3:
Personalize your blog by installing a pretty and functional theme
For my 3 Blogs that I own i have been in a whirlwind for ages trying out different themes. The Theme in a wodpress means the whole design of the website. Think of WordPress installation as a skeleton and now you need to make it pretty. We are done on how to start a blog with wordpress now you should also think about making it pretty right?
I have added a list of recommended themes and alternatives to my own choice of wordpress theme ( Divi) in the checklist you can download it for free.
I choose Divi as my website theme because it is so easiy manageable. And besides the designers and tons of users at DIVI provide all the documentation on how to make it best work for you. And if you ever get stuck somewhere there is always a vido or help out there to overcome that.
Ofcourse there are plenty of free themes out there a few of them I have mentioned in my checklist but I choose to go with a premium one as I prefer to get all the support I can get.
Here is link to get Divi theme if you are interested.
Here is how to install a theme on your wordpress blog
Login to your wordpress wp-login
Go to Appearance
Click on themes
Click on Add New
Click on upload
Once it is uploaded Activate the theme!
Step 4:
Add the right plugins to help you track data and traffic
