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This post was originally published in [2025] and has been fully updated for 2026 with new data and tools. Every photo sitting on your hard drive is like a vacant apartment—it has the potential to generate rent, but only if you list it. In 2026, the demand for high-quality, authentic imagery has never been higher. Learning how to make money with microstock is less about having the most expensive camera and more about understanding what commercial buyers are looking for right now. Here are 10 Tips! Use AI to help Use multiple platforms Use multiple media, such as photos and videos Shoot good stuff Take photos and videos that sell Have the right mindset Quality and Quantity Equipment Double down on what is working Keep learning Keep reading, and I'll go over these tips in more detail. What is microstock, and why consider earning money with it? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly5RfEDPQQQ&t=7s Microstock is posting your pictures, videos, and illustrations and earning cash from them. The reason to do it is "it's a shit ton of fun." Oh, and you can earn cash doing it (I have). Just like everything in life, there is an easier way to do it and a harder way. This post is focusing on making the most money with microstock, having the most fun, and not working any harder than you have to. Use Ai as much as possible with pictures and videos. The first tip is to leverage AI as much as possible. This includes ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI. The hardest part with microstock is figuring out the tags, titles, descriptions, and all that. So have AI do it all. Cool, right? Mostly, I use ChatGPT, sometimes Gemini, and I'll plug this into the prompt. Following the following format (city, state, or country) – date it was taken: description, write a description for a Shutterstock photo, including the ideal first and second categories and 50 ideal tags. I took a photo of "" in "" on "" What is so great about AI is that sometimes I won't even remember what I took a picture of. So I simply post the photo into one of the AI platforms and ask it, "What is this?" Then it tells you what is in the photo. Usually, I'll transfer the photos from my phone to my computer to make things easier. 💰 Microstock Growth Tracker Monitor your portfolio size and total profit. Add Entry Agency Earnings Action Total Earnings: $0.00 Use multiple platforms for microstock Shutterstock is one of the biggest players, plus I love their website because it's so user-friendly. You can sign up for free here. This is the first place I will post a photo and video. Plus, they take editorial and commercial content. If I make a mistake, they just tell me to switch from commercial to editorial. Oh, and the platform is the most user-friendly! Editorial - is anything Commercial - more strict. If there are people, brands, or recognized places, you need releases and paperwork. The second place is Pond5, which takes editorial, commercial, and more. You can learn more and sign up for free here. The next place I submit photos and videos is Adobe Stock, which only takes commercial and is moree strict. Other great places could be Depositphotos and, of course, Getty Images /iStock. Getty Images /iStock might be the #1 or #2 biggest player; I recently just applied. Tips on what to shoot for photos and videos This is the most common question! I honestly don't think anyone has the perfect answer. However, the rule of thumb is that it all comes down to supply and demand. First, let's talk about what NOT to shoot or take videos of. What could be considered a waste of time are things that are WAY too popular. You know, like sunsets. On Shutterstock, there are 15.6 million images of sunsets. It's going to be very hard to break through. Another topic that is very popular is touristy landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower. Unless it's super unique, it's just going to be hard to get noticed. What is better? Anything unique, strange. As the marketing term suggests, "differentiate or die." That was a great book, too. I recommend checking it out HERE. Things normal people don't take pictures or videos of, such as... People sitting in a cafe on their laptops. People sitting in a hospital waiting. A large door to a factory Happy or frustrated people at an airport/bus stop Christmas markets, summer festivals, and religious processions. Street food preparation, artisans at work Local dishes, drinks, and street food. Business stuff Some people go to a location that is under the radar and then plan on shooting lots of pictures and videos. That does work. Another idea is, while you're living your life, take some photos and videos. I went to a pirate festival over the weekend, so I shot 2 birds with 1 stone, had fun, and took some photos and videos at the same time. This way, if the photos and videos don't sell, I still win. Throughout your day be on the lookout for cool photos and videos and take the shot. Sort of like the saying I LOVE... You miss 100% of the shots you don't take! - Wayne Gretzky Top tips to take photos and videos that sell Vertical photos sell better than horizontal. This means the side of the phone is parallel to the ground or sky for it to be horizontal. Vertical videos also sell better than horizontal. However, for mobile ads and social media, horizontal content is slowly rising in demand. When it comes to how long to take a video, 6 seconds to 15 seconds is the sweet spot. For example, if you take a photo of a sign, also take a short video of it that pans slowly over the sign. The right mindset for earning money with Microstock platforms The right mindset beats the right process every time. Some people go into any new venture with unrealistic expectations and then quickly quit when it's not met. I recommend the opposite. via GIPHY Have 0 expectations of earning any money. Do this for fun! Then if you do get paid, it's a bonus. This may not be the answer you like! But, you will more likely continue doing something if you enjoy it. Getting all frustrated because your earnings are not as happy as you thought they would be = more likely to quit! Quality vs Quantity with Microstock A while ago, I made a TikTok video where I forgot to clean my lens, I screwed up the editing, so I cut out words, and it was a bad video. Still, I posted it! Turns out that video did better than all the other videos I made. The moral of the story is that sometimes you just don't know. When in doubt, post it. Sure, if a photo has horrible lighting and is fuzzy and hard to look at, then you can pass on it. This is also why it's a good idea to take a few photos of the item you're shooting. My aim is ok photos and videos, but speed! What are some ways to speed up uploading content? You can cut out editing. Yep, I do this with my YouTube channel too. If the content gets rejected, I move on. However, even with Shutterstock, if something gets rejected, there is still a way to earn money from it by licensing it to train AI. Microstock is very similar to a YouTube channel focus on quantity, and you will learn what works and doesn't. You want more "at-bats" and try not to overthink it. The more images and videos you have listed, the higher the chances of you getting a sale. This doesn't mean you spam the agencies with tons of the same or similar photos or videos. You want lots of unique, different photos and videos! There are lots of fishing hooks in the ocean; it's similar to blogging and YouTube in that way. Equipment I used to think my equipment wasn't good enough. Turns out a normal phone can still work. Plus, what is great about the phone is that it's more incognito, and you don't stand out. If you zoom in with the camera, the quality does go down. However, what is cool is they have extensions for your phone that help you shoot things far away and up close, and doesn't mess up the quality like these HERE. Cool, right? If you want to spend a little money on a camera, then this one HERE, is the best budget camera to get you going. Just don't let the perfect equipment stop you from starting; you can always upgrade later, too. Find what works and double down After you upload content over time, you will discover what works and what doesn't. Maybe it's a type of content, maybe it's a platform. Double down on what is working and reduce or eliminate what isn't working. I know this sounds like common sense, but how does someone get a double bogey in golf? It's making one bad decision after another bad decision. I've been guilty of doing this LOTS of times! Diversify with illustrations, editing software, AI art, and always be learning What's so cool about microstock is that if you love getting outdoors, traveling, and seeing weird stuff, you can make money doing it. If you're stuck at home and can't get outside, you can STILL earn money! A while ago, I took a class on making short editing clips with CapCut and selling them! To tell you the truth, I didn't enjoy it that much, so I stopped—but you may like it. There is also AI art you can create and sell. There are illustrations and more. Especially with crypto, it does open up lots of doors. It's good to be open-minded and always be learning. Conclusion Posting content to microstock platforms is a great way to make extra cash and have fun. What I've found to be an even easier way to make money is affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is where you post a link, and if someone clicks on the link and performs an action, you get paid. Sometimes it's buying a product, sometimes it's just wanting more information. If you want to discover the easiest way to make money with affiliate marketing (I've been at it for 15 years), I have a free guide you can check out HERE. What do you have to lose by checking it out? Also, some of the material is outside the box! Hope this post was helpful. Bye for now.