Hello, today we are going to do the Wirestock review. Is Wirestock contributor a better option for selling stock photos?
Wirestock is a new agency that will simplify the process for your stock photos by keywording your images and publishing them to numerous content markets. These marketplaces include Dreamstime, Shutterstock, and Freepik among others. This professional service helps free up crucial free time and energy for contributors, allowing them to focus instead on what brings them the greatest joy, which is shooting.
In a line, Wirestock generates revenue by tacking on a 15% commission fee to every transaction. I believe that this is a positive development since it indicates that they will be incentivized to do an adequate job with the keywords and descriptions, as well as to ensure that the photographs contributed by their contributors will really sell. Even though you may lose part of the commission, there is a good chance that you will end up earning more overall if your images are selling on seven distinct microstock platforms rather than just one. This is because more people will be purchasing your photos.
If you can perform all of the keywording, uploading, and descriptions on your own, it is likely that you will be better off not utilizing Wirestock since you will not be charged that commission. At the moment, I’m still making more money from Shutterstock, which is a website that I highly suggest using if you have some free time (if you want to read my entire review of Shutterstock.
But when time equals money, I would much rather have the opportunity to do other activities that pay a higher hourly rate in exchange for the time that I save.
What is the total amount of money I have earned with Wirestock?
Because I only just found out about this website, this is a sort of a “watch this space” warning. But in general, it took around a week for my initial batch of photographs to be authorized, and another week before I made my first sale of 56 cents, with a portfolio that had about 66 shots that had been given the green light. About a week or so later, I made two more transactions totaling 42 cents each. Even if it’s not a lot, it’s more than three times as much as a standard single sale on Shutterstock.
Now that I’ve made my first sale and I’ve learned that contributors to this stock photo upload site may make money from their work, I’ve made a significant number of further photo submissions. They are presently stored in the folder labeled “under evaluation” and should hopefully be given the green light within the next week or two.
This review article will be updated in a few weeks when I have a better sense of the revenue and selling rates I can expect from Wirestock. If you are interested, leave a comment below, bookmark, and keep an eye on this place.
How long does it take for Wirestock to go through images and provide their approval?
Using Wirestock comes with several drawbacks, including this one. It is more time-consuming to submit images via this channel than it is to do so through other stock photography websites. This is because a significant amount of human labor is being performed in the background.
For instance, for a picture that you upload to Shutterstock to become accessible there, it must first be evaluated by Wirestock, then have keywords and a description added to it, then be sent to Shutterstock, and finally be reviewed and approved by Shutterstock. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise to you that this would take a little bit longer.
Also read: 3 Best Sites to Sell Photos Online (even Phone Photography)
Release forms for the Wirestock model
Because the whole process can be completed online, the model release form approach that Wirestock uses is very simple to use. No printed forms or handwritten signatures are required.
If you upload using Wirestock, you will need just one form rather than having to worry about having several release forms for each of the many agencies you work with since Wirestock streamlines the process.
I attempted to submit several photographs using a Stocksy model release form, but they were denied. Then I saw that they preferred the general Shutterstock release form, so I resubmitted the images using that form instead. Now everything makes sense. Therefore, there was a victory, since the majority of the individuals I had photographed had already signed papers for Shutterstock.
But don’t let me lose you there! It was a piece of cake for those individuals for whom I did not yet have paperwork since the whole of the process may be completed online using their system. You only need to submit the model’s name and email address, and then they will send a form to the model electronically. The model will be able to sign the form digitally, and then you won’t have to worry about getting it authorized since it will already be in the system. This is much simpler to use than the paper forms.
How should one make use of wirestock?
Using Wirestock is not complicated at all:
After you have registered, go to the tab labeled “Images” and then “To submit.”
Send over some images. You have the option of turning the “Easy submission” feature on or off.
If the “Easy submission” option is not active, you will need to create your description, keywords, and other information.
Pick the right kind of licence.
If one is required, add a release.
Send it in for evaluation.
When the results of the review are complete, be glad for the photographs that were approved, and then correct and resubmit the photographs that were indicated to be revised.
You can see all of your profits as well as other metrics on the dashboard page.
How much profit may be made by selling on wirestock?
When it comes to royalties, the amount of money you may earn from selling images online is almost limitless in scope.
It is not as easy or simple as it may seem, particularly if your photographs are merely random vacation shots of the same areas that a great number of other photographers have previously recorded and uploaded to stock photo websites. In this case, it is not as easy or simple as it may seem. Selling vacation photography, or images in any other specialty that is already highly competitive, is a difficult and competitive way to earn money.
According to some of the other evaluations that I’ve read, the price of a single photograph may vary anywhere from 20 cents to 3 dollars. This is something that you should anticipate getting. That may not seem like much, but over time it can add up to a significant amount, particularly if you have a large portfolio of photographs that are of high quality. You will only need to submit the photo once for it to be available for purchase an unlimited number of times after that.
The good and the bad of Wirestock
I’ve previously touched on some of the advantages of Wirestock, but now I’ll go over some of its disadvantages.
When you upload images, you have the option of selecting “quick cash,” which allows you to receive a one-time payout of between $3 and $4. That has a fairly nice ring to it, doesn’t it? But… that’s not always the case.
The photographs are then put up for sale on one of the websites that provides free stock photography. This is how the process works. If they decide to buy your photograph, you will get a one-time payment that is more in value than the amount you would typically make on a transaction of this kind; nevertheless, once they have done so, you will no longer be able to make any further revenue from the photograph in question.
You may view this as a positive development, yet companies offering free stock photos are putting the paid stock picture sector out of business. Why would you pay for stock images if they are readily available online at no cost? You may earn a fast buck this way, but in the long run, you’ll be contributing to the industry’s decline and putting your capacity to make more money from stock photographs in the longer term at jeopardy.
Additionally, you run the risk of losing sales on other websites. Why would a consumer purchase your picture from, say, Dreamstime when they have done an image search and learned that they can acquire it for free from a different site?
Another disadvantage (or drawback) of using Wirestock is that the photographs are not uploaded under your name; rather, they are uploaded into a generic folder known as “Wirestock.” Therefore, if there is a picture of which you are proud and for which you would want any type of credit or acknowledgment, you will not get either of these things via Wirestock. On the other side, it may be something that might work in your favour.
For instance, if you have a particular approach to photography and take great pride in maintaining that approach, but you also have a large collection of non-typical photographs from which you believe you could profit, you can upload those photographs to your personal page without worrying that they will mess up your signature style.
Wirestock Reviews
I’ve been satisfied with the outcomes so far after using the Wirestock services for a little over a year and a half. I only have a tiny portfolio, but it has approximately 500 photographs, and I use them mostly to be able to post editorials to Adobe and to sell photos on other channels for which I do not have private accounts.
Wirestock contributor
Another user writes on Wirestock review:
I enjoy how they’ve designed their user interface. There is no difficult task to do there. Because I am managing my own keywords and descriptions, I do not subscribe to the premium plan because I do not need its services. In addition, the review procedure for me takes no more than two days, and the majority of the time it’s completed on the same day.
Wirestock contributor
Yet another user writes review of Wirestock as:
Problems can arise on occasion; however, the customer support team always reacts quickly and handles the situation in a kind and professional manner. I enjoy how a genuine person assists you in that location (not just getting the automatic messages that are so common in these days).
Wirestock contributor
An additional benefit is that I have seen a considerable rise in the total number of downloads over the course of time. Some channels, such as Alamy, need a good several months to pass before you make your first sale, but when those sales do occur, you will be satisfied with the amount of money you have made.
Wirestock contributor
Summary of the Wirestock Review
Therefore, would I suggest that those who contribute to microstock utilize Wirestock? Both yes and no
This is a fantastic option if you’re short on time yet like shooting pictures but detest having to spend time inputting data and taking care of administrative tasks. It has meant that all of those images I had sitting there that I knew were quite excellent but simply didn’t have the stamina to process are now online and earning money. This has been a huge help.
If you enjoy the data entry aspect of things, if you have specific keywords that you’re trying to target, or if you’ve got plenty of time on your hands, you can earn slightly higher amounts by doing it all manually yourself. However, if you enjoy the data entry aspect of things if you have specific keywords that you’re trying to target, or if you’ve got plenty of time on your hands, it might be better to avoid it.
If English isn’t your first language and you’re uploading in English, or if you don’t feel confident in the areas of spelling and grammar, I would strongly recommend uploading through Wirestock and using the keywording and description services that they provide. If English is your first language and you’re uploading in English. Other stock photography websites, such as Dreamstime, provide a service similar to this, but they charge a fee each picture; hence, the fact that Wirestock provides users with a cost-free alternative is most certainly a benefit.
If you are just publishing to one or two stock photography websites at the moment and your photographs aren’t specific to any one site, this is an add-on service that I would strongly suggest. You may retain your original portfolios exactly as they are and just choose the sites to which you do not already post. This will allow you to double or even triple your earning potential with very little additional effort on your part.
If you are attempting to make a reputation for yourself and would want your name associated with all of your hard work, this is not the site for you. If you want your name attached to all of your hard work, you should upload files separately or use other services that allow users to submit files.
Are you game to give it a shot? Through this referral link, you can quickly and easily sign up to become a contributor for Wirestock.
I’d be interested in hearing about your individual experiences; please leave a comment below to let me know how you’ve found it to be.
