Stock footage is a booming market for both professional videographers and enthusiasts. Unfortunately, with more and more high-quality videos uploaded every day to stock video sites, it takes a unique skill set to stand out. In our article we’ve summarized our experience of submitting footage to stock video sites down to these 10 tips.
Here are the tips to making your stock footage sell better:
Evergreen Subjects
It’s like making an investment, diversify your portfolio with a mix of timeless topics that sell all the time. Add footage with lifestyle, business, and health scenes. Also create videos around trendy topics in technology, fashion, or current events.
Authenticity
People want real and authentic videos, not staged or posed. Focus on capturing authentic emotions, natural atmospheres, and real-life stories that people can relate to.
Clean Edits
Keep your post-processing simple and avoid crazy filters and a lot of coloring. Let the buyer have room to apply their own.
Versatile Videos
The best stock videos are the ones that can be used in all sorts of contexts, so aim for versatility and variety.
Preparation
Preparation is key. Plan your shoots, find the right model, scout locations, and take into account details like the sun and the expression of the model.
Know Your Market
Study the latest advertising and marketing visuals, read blog articles, and analyze the videos that buyers like and license. Pro tip: check the first page of search results on your preferred stock video site. Say, “business office” at Shutterstock. The first 20-30 clips would be the best selling ones on that site. Aim to create better videos.
Emphasize Mood
Create a clear and relatable mood in your stock videos and focus on emotions that people can relate to.
Keep It Simple
Simple and plain clothing, plus the evergreen character of the scene or emotion. Such stock videos tend to sell more.
Visualize
Visualize each video as an organic part of a larger edit. Think about the message it should convey, and make it generic and multipurpose.
Keep Track of What Works
As your sales of stock footage grow, track what sells. Capitalize on that by adding more clips about the same topic. Don’t duplicate, but rather expand on the story or scene.
Bonus Tip
Target Niche Audiences: Identify niche audiences that are interested in your particular style or subject matter and target. We saw some success with recipes, for example. Shooting closeups of ingredients: from meats to fruits, from cutlery to ready meals, gave us a new edge (and some more sales).
These winning strategies above will allow your footage to stand out in the crowded stock video sites. That, in turn, will help you sell more stock videos and increase your income. By creating unique and evergreen video materials you will reach a wider audience.
Ready to apply these tips and start submitting more stock videos to stock libraries? Take a look at our Beginner’s Guide to Monetizing Stock Videos, where you will find more technical details.