📸 How to Make Money on Shutterstock – A Complete Guide with Examples
🔰 What is Shutterstock?
Shutterstock is one of the world’s largest stock media marketplaces. You can earn money by uploading and licensing:
•📷 Photos
•🎥 Videos
•🎨 Vectors
•🖼️ Illustrations
Clients around the world pay to use your content, and you receive royalties for each download.
1️⃣ Create a Shutterstock Contributor Account
👉 Go to: submit.shutterstock.com
Steps:
1. Click "Sign up" or "Join now"
2. Enter your name, email address, and password
3. Verify your email by clicking the link sent to your inbox
4. Fill in your profile details (country, payout method – PayPal, Skrill, etc.)
🧪 Example:
John, a freelance photographer from Sri Lanka, signs up and verifies his email. He sets PayPal as his payout method.
2️⃣ Upload Your Content
You can upload these file types:
3️⃣ Add Descriptions, Titles, and Keywords (Metadata)
This step is crucial for getting your work discovered in search results.
🧾 Example:
Title: Pink rose in spring sunlight
Description: A close-up of a blooming pink rose with green leaves, taken during a sunny spring day
Keywords: pink rose, spring flower, close up, garden, bloom, floral nature
🟢 Use 15–50 relevant keywords
🔎 Use trending and seasonal terms (Shutterstock shows keyword suggestions)
4️⃣ When Do You Need a Model or Property Release?
✅ Model Release: Required if your photo/video shows a recognizable person
✅ Property Release: Needed for private homes, artwork, logos, or branded items
📄 Shutterstock provides downloadable release forms directly in your dashboard.
5️⃣ Approval Process & Selling
•Each upload is reviewed (usually within 1–3 days).
•Approved files go live and become searchable by buyers.
•You get paid every time someone downloads your file.
6️⃣ 💵 How Do You Get Paid?
Minimum payout: $35
Payment methods: PayPal, Skrill, or Bank Transfer
Monthly payments: Around the 7th–15th of each month
7️⃣ 📱 Use the Shutterstock Contributor App
Available for iOS & Android
You can:
•Upload media
•Monitor your earnings
•Check review status
•View trending keywords
✅ Tips for Success
1. Upload high-quality, well-lit, focused images
2. Avoid blurry, noisy, or copyrighted content
3. Use trending topics (e.g., AI, remote work, fitness, climate change)
4. Keep uploading consistently – quantity + quality = success
5. Focus on commercial appeal – images that businesses, bloggers, and media outlets can use
📘 Example Niches You Can Start With:
•Nature & landscapes (flowers, trees, rivers)
•Animals & pets
•Food & cooking
•Traditional clothing or culture
•Minimalist backgrounds
•Work-from-home themes
•Technology (keyboards, phones, AI concepts)