How to Earn Money Through Shutterstock in 2025 : A Complete Guide for Beginners

If you love photography, videography, or creating digital art, Shutterstock can be a great way to turn your creativity into consistent income. It’s one of the world’s largest stock content marketplaces, with millions of users downloading images, videos, and vectors daily. You can turn your passion into your source of steady income.

What is Shutterstock?

Shutterstock is a global marketplace for stock photos, videos, music, and illustrations. Businesses, designers, and content creators buy licenses to use your uploaded media. As a contributor, you earn a commission every time someone licenses/downloads your work.

Step by Step Guide to Start Earning from Shutterstock

1. Create a Contributor Account by navigating to the shutterstock website

Go to contributor.shutterstock.com  and sign up as a contributor.  For that you’ll need:

•  A valid email address
• A government ID (for verification)
• PayPal, Payoneer, or Skrill account for payments

2. Understand What Sells

There are scores of artists already on Shutterstock, so before you upload, you can explore the trending topics on the Shutterstock home page or use their keyword tool to ascertain the popular categories. Popular categories include:

• Nature & Travel
• Business & Technology
• Lifestyle & People
• Health & Fitness
• Food & Culture

Tip: Upload  authentic, high-quality, well-lit images or videos that tell a story. See it from the perspective of a buyer, what would have fascinated you, had you been the buyer.

3. Shoot or Create Your Content

You can upload:

• Photos (JPEG, minimum 4MP)
• Footage (MOV, MP4, 1080p or 4K preferred)
• Vectors or illustrations (EPS format)

If you’re using a smartphone, stabilize your footage (use a tripod or gimbal), maintain consistent lighting, and shoot in landscape orientation for stock videos.

4. Upload and Add Metadata

For each upload, you must add:

• Title (descriptive and natural)
• Keywords (up to 50; critical for discoverability)
• Category (e.g., nature, business, etc.)
• Model or property release (if identifiable people or private property appear)

5. Get Approved and Earn Royalties

Every content is reviewed by the Shutterstock team.Once your content is approved, the content goes live. You earn a commission every time it’s licensed.

The earnings depend on:

• The buyer’s subscription type
• Your contributor level (based on total downloads)
• Content type (videos usually pay higher than images)

Typical range: The amount below is indicative, actual payout may vary and may change from time to time.

Photos: $0.10–$5 per download

Videos: $10–$50 per download

Custom Licenses: up to $100+

Pro Tips to Maximize Shutterstock Income

1. Upload Regularly: Consistency keeps your portfolio visible. Aim for weekly uploads.
2. Focus on Evergreen Themes: Travel, emotions, nature, and tech trends stay relevant longer.
3. Use Keyword Research: Use Shutterstock’s “Contributor Portal” or tools like Keyword Tool Dominator or StockSubmitter to find high demand keywords.
4. Diversify Content: Don’t just upload photos include footage, vectors, and illustrations.
5. Optimize Titles & Tags: Think like a buyer searching on Google “Morning sunrise over Bangalore lake” sells better than “Nature photo.”
6. Promote Your Portfolio: Share your Shutterstock link on social media, blogs, Instagram or YouTube for extra exposure.

 Payment Details

• Minimum payout: $25.00 for PayPal or Skrill and $500.00 for checks(Sourced from Shutterstock website).
• Payment methods: PayPal, Payoneer, Skrill.
• Payment schedule: Monthly (once you cross the threshold)

How Much Can You Earn?

There isn't a definite metrics to arrive at the earning figures. It depends on the content quality, quantity, and niche.

• Beginners: $20–$100/month (after a few months)
• Intermediate contributors: $200–$1000/month
• Professionals with large portfolios: $2000+ per month

Earnings build up over time, as your portfolio grows and older content continues to sell passively.

Final Thoughts

Shutterstock is one of the most reliable platforms for creative monetization. You don’t need professional equipment, just creativity, consistency, and an eye for composition to set the account. Combine this with a blog or YouTube channel about your creative process, and you can build two income streams, one from royalties and one from ads.

So start today, upload your first 10 photos or clips, and track what sells best. Every great portfolio begins with a single upload.

Click here if you want to become a contributor

Click here if you are a buyer.