Wirestock is an interesting service and one I have quite enjoyed. They provide keyboarding for stock photography and submit your work under the Wirestock Creators profile. This has pros and cons. Many services pay on a tier-based scale. Shutterstock for example only pays 15% for the first 100 photos (each year resets to the lowest level). The highest-earning tier is 40% for selling at least 25,000 images. It’s likely Wirestock can get to that level fairly quickly. The service also saves you from needing to create and maintain an account with each individual agency. That is excellent.
Wirestock makes money by charging a 15% commission on the total earnings of each sale. That might sound like a lot, but if you do the math, it isn’t. If Shutterstock sells an image for $10, I would likely only get 15% of that which is $1.50. With Wirestock, let’s say they are on the 40% tier and Shutterstock sells the same image for $10. Well, 40% would be $4 and then Wirestock takes a 15% cut of that which results in $3.40 paid out to the creator.
I’m currently earning around $0.62 per image on average. That’s not exactly going to pay the bills. The time savings provided by Wirestock is probably the only reason I still upload stock photos and videos. Tagging and uploading stock images is tedious work that can take hours. I’d say given the big picture, that this is a good deal for everyone.
While higher commissions are a bonus of being under the Wirestock Creators profile, the lack of recognition is a big downside. I would gather you can make a name for yourself over time in stock photography and video. Choosing Wirestock brings a level of anonymity to your work. You are provided a portfolio of your accepted content which is a way to share it if needed. It’s also possible to sell images directly from the portfolio, though I’ve yet to explore that.
The process has certainly helped me grow and look at my photography in new ways. Not every image is accepted, but they generally provide good feedback for rejections. Important to note is your images must be approved twice when submitted to Wirestock. First by them and second by the agency, such as Adobe or Alamy. This can lead to increased approval times.
There have been many recent updates to the site. This has introduced a few bugs. I’ve spoken with their support about these and they have been super nice and prompt in their responses. Overall, this is a good thing to see them trying new ideas to grow the business and being open to feedback.
I can’t say Wirestock is perfect, but it is likely the best option for someone who isn’t trying to do stock photography and video for a living. The 15% fee on earnings is well worth the service they provide. The time savings allows me to focus on doing what I love and that’s taking pictures, not keyboarding them.
If you’re interested in stock photography and would like to join Wirestock, please sign up using this link. It is much appreciated!