Stock Photo Beginner’s Guide: Part 2

The image above was my best-selling stock photo…

Until I took a better one. Now this similar shot is quickly climbing in the ranks to become Number One:

Last week, I sent you a Kick-Start Guide to getting your first photos accepted into stock agencies with just 20 minutes a day. If you missed it, you’ll find it here.

And if you want a video tutorial that shows you exactly how to go to each agency, where to click, what to type, and which photos to send it, you can get access to it by upgrading to Premium membership now, here.

Today, it’s time for…

The Snap & Sell Photo Club Kick-in-the-Pants Guide
PART 2: ATTRACT MORE BUYERS

Once you’ve signed up to a few stock agencies and started submitting photos, it’s time to focus on making more sales.

If your stock photos just aren’t selling, there are a number of reasons why that could be:

1. Your portfolio needs to grow. You’ll cast a much wider net with more photos in your portfolio. Some stock photo pros claim that real sales start rolling in once you pass the 400 images mark. So keep shooting and keep uploading.
2. Your photos need processing. See the HUGE difference just one minute of processing can make to your stock photos in this article in our archives.
3. Your subject matter is missing the mark. You can sell photos of just about anything as stock. But if you’re not getting any sales, try doing a search for the different subjects that you like to photograph and see what the best-selling photos look like. Seeing the best-sellers, what could you add to your photos to boost their appeal to buyers?

This week, here are three steps to get you started on your way to attracting more buyers with your stock photo portfolio:

• Step 1: Keep adding new content. Improve on your best-sellers. As you saw above, that first tulip photo was my best-seller for years… but when I re-shot it with better composition, I found that the new photo sells even more than the first one.
• Step 2: Fine-tune your processing skills. It only takes ONE minute in Lightroom to give your photos the punch they need to attract buyers. Once you learn how, you’ll be well on your way to a polished looking portfolio.
• Step 3: Keep shooting what you love most. Pour yourself into it. Become an expert. The more your photograph a particular subject, the better your photos will get.

The MOST important thing is to keep going if you get rejected. Know that everyone gets rejected. It’s just part of the game. Don’t get discouraged… just keep photographing what you love.