Hi Matt,

Good to hear you’re still committed to microstock.
I know I promised that my first post would be my last (my comments on your July earnings thread). But your last few posts suggest that my point didn’t get across.

You keep stating that your earnings are down because you haven’t been able to upload much lately. You’re not the only one to follow the “feed the beat” approach to microstock, but I think it’s a flawed one, not only for you but for the microstock market as a whole.

Believing that you can only make money when you have new images showing in the “latest downloaded” results is the same as admitting that your work is generic. You’re saying there’s so many images just like the ones you’re posting that if they don’t get some downloads right when you upload them, they’ll slip into obscurity. And this means the only way people will find your older images is when someone sees one of your newer images and clicks through to your portfolio.

People who follow this approach are resigned to work harder and harder for the same or diminishing returns. That won’t get you to your ‘nil to mil’ goal. And so many people uploading the same images over and over just creates a glut for buyers to wade through, making the experience frustrating. Not good for anyone involved.

The answer is not in VOLUME but in UNIQUENESS. Don’t measure your progress in terms of how many images you uploaded last month but in the RETURN PER IMAGE. Calculate how much each image in your portfolio earned last August, and then every month up to this August. Based on what you’ve been sharing on your blog, it appears that number is dropping.

Insisting that you can turn things around if you can just find time to upload more and more will not turn things around.

Honestly, I want you to see my comments as constructive, so here’s my advice once again… find a unique style and carve your own niche. Don’t try to beat the masters of model or food photography at their own game, unless you have an especially unique take on them. From what I’ve seen of your work, it’s good, but there are thousands of good shots just like them and ‘good’ isn’t ‘good enough’ to make any real sales.

If you strive to be unique, people will continue to find your images no matter how old they are. Sure, adding new images will get you additional views and give your sales a boost, but imagine how much better you would do if a buyer entered a few search terms and yours was one of only 12 results instead of 12,000. THAT’S THE SECRET TO SUCCESS IN THIS INDUSTRY.

At least it’s working for me. My August sales: $1,591 on a portfolio of about 540 images, for an average return of nearly $3 per image.

Looking forward to watching your progress. Keep at it!

I’m afraid I’m still not getting through.

You’re focusing on the word MORE.

I’m stressing the word UNIQUE.

If you simply go back to uploading MORE of what you’ve been doing, you can only expect MORE of the same results. Since it appears your last several months of uploading have kept you in about the same place you were last year, you can’t be happy with that.

I’m simply offering some friendly advice… when you’re preparing to send in your next batch, stop and think if it’s any different than all the other stuff you’ve uploaded. If not, I suggest it’s time to rethink what you’re shooting and how you’re shooting it.

As always, best of luck for continued growth!