Hey fellow microstock grinders,

Happy to announce today that I had an extended license downloaded at Shutterstock earning me a nice $84 (equivalent to 240+ subs). These don’t happen that often (enough) but once they do, they bring a big smile to my face.

If you’re not familiar, an extended license is required for use with larger audiences (500,000+ reproductions) and for use in merchandise for sale.

If you’re curious, here’s the image:

Lots of Extended License downloads this month at Shutterstock

I’m on pace for my best-month ever at Shutterstock, in part thanks to 5 other extended license downloads (ok much lower amounts but it does add up). Here are two ($15 each):

Tips to increase your changes to earn from an extended license

Microstock industry can be quite random. Images can sit there for months and not even be downloaded for subs, which can be frustrating. Then suddenly have a huge download as the mountain image. To increase your odds of earning a large sum from an extended license, simply:

• Submit your images at the highest resolution possible! This will make it easier for buyers to want to use that image for 500k+ reproductions. Smaller resolution images just won’t cut it.
• Keep an eye out on trends, especially in the editorial sphere. If a publisher NEEDS an image asap, he/she may be willing to pay top dollar for it, especially if it will go on multiple print runs (i.e. a national newspaper).

Best of luck!

Alex

Author of the Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock Photography, purchase your copy today with the link below!