Terry Barksdale
If you are wondering,
“What makes this guy a self appointed expert on selling stock video?”, I'll give you my brief story.
I have been a video production professional for 26 years, both as a small-scale producer, and a videographer. Although a generalist, I have lots of experience on the set and behind the camera.
I became involved in selling stock footage five years ago. Over five years I have grown a sales portfolio of over 5000 stock shots and uploaded a portion of this portfolio to all the major and ridiculously minor stock footage sales sites. In these five years I've spent countless wasted hours struggling with required video submission formats, conversion formats and the rats nest of non-standardized key-wording and continuous puzzling rejections. You name it. You can learn from my success and learning curve. Why not?
I don't pretend to be an expert, but I have accumulated lots of information and experience which can save you a vast amount of effort, help make you money and keep you from re-inventing the stock footage wheel. Especially if you are just starting out.
I have lots of experience producing and marketing medical education videos for hire. By comparison, I thought the income stream from owning a digital product and selling it might beat the client-oriented, project-based income of a video producer. The idea of a passive income stream, created once and working while I was asleep got me fired me up! Why work hard for a one-time paycheck when you can make money with a digital product - a product you can sell it over and over again? (It proved to be more complicated than I could imagine.) At this point, five years later, money from selling stock video footage is the majority of my income. There are lots of ways to do this, but I must be doing something right.
During this learning curve I have submitted my portfolio to these sites:
Earners:
Marginal Earners:
Non-Earners:
Once my clips were submitted, I went through the tedious process of key-wording and learning each company's back-end (once you upload, you need to submit for review and acceptance on each site). I earn my living doing this. So, I think I am qualified to present you some useful information. There are many niches in the stock video market – my background has been in documentary videography and my portfolio reflects it. Although my experience is not a perfect an example for everyone, I think I have found some solutions to common issues and identified some useful patterns.
Learn from my experience. Take my good advice in my different posts on all the critical tips & topics. Learn from my efforts and your own research and I am confidant, with some talent and long-term
effort, you can have a profitable sideline income or even a new
career.
Support this site. I monetize this site from the affiliate links to sales agencies and products. I recommend only agencies proven to earn - check it out. I recommend only products I use or (seriously covet) have used and think highly of. Please register on the sites recommended using the links below. It costs you nothing and helps me continue this project.
Let's read on to the next segment, What to Sell.
Updated 02/2013
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