VIDEO - Freepik Contributor
In this video I share a way to monetize your art online: by making stock images. I recently started uploading my art to Freepik and so far I'm really enjoying it. I want to share how you can do it too. This content isn't sponsored by Freepik.
Sit back, relax and enjoy the video, or if you prefer, read the text version below.
This post contains referral links, which means that if you sign up through them, I might receive a commission from Freepik, at no cost to you.
🖥️ WHAT IS FREEPIK?
Sock image sites are websites where people can find photos and drawings, and download them to use on their projects. As a creator, you can upload your own designs to these sites. Every time a visitor downloads your file, you can make a small commission. There are many stock image sites, but so far Freepik is my favourite as a creator. 💸 HOW CAN I SELL MY IMAGES ON FREEPIK?
1. Create a Contributor account. You'll have to apply to the Freepik Contributor program. This simply means uploading your first 20 images, as a kind of test. If your first 20 images are approved, it means your application has been accepted and you are a Freepik Contributor.
2. Access the contributor Dashboard (simply log in with your new account). You can upload your first 20 images from your dashboard.
Freepik gives you very detailed information with examples of best practices and other guidelines. Make sure to read through this information before you upload your images, since you will only have two attempts to apply.
Freepik accepts vector drawings, photographs, photoshop images, 3D renders and mockups. Requirements are slightly different for each. I'll focus on vectors as an example.
This is the contributor Dashobard:
3. Upload your first 20 images
Once you have created your Contributor Account, you can upload your first images to pass the initial test.
✅Read through Freepik’s guidelines. Log in to your contributor dashboard and click on Upload Images. Here you already get a nice little reminder of some guidelines. Drag your images into the box on the lower right. One of my favourite thighs about Freepik is how easy it is to use. If there is a problem with one of your images, the title will turn red and you will get a little text box telling you exactly what you need to fix.
✅Once your images are all in this box, you’ll have to add titles and tags. Freepik also has very specific guidelines about titles, for instance making them coherent and descriptive instead of using lists of keywords.
✅ After the titles, you'll have to add tags to your images.
This is super easy to do. You simply type a tag and press enter or comma and it’ll appear below here. Freepik also has a very handy feature where you can copy and paste entire sets of tags between different images instead of having to repeat them manually. This is incredibly useful if you’re uploading similar images that have almost the same tags.
✅ Pro tip: A new feature that Freepik has added is Trendy Keywords. If you want to increase the chances of your images being found, have a look at the list and take advantage of this information by adding hot tags that are relevant to your image. You can also use these trendy keywords as inspiration for creating new images around these themes.
✅ Seasonal tags are a special case: when a relevant date or season is coming up, there will be a spike in demand for relevant images. For example at the end of January and beginning of February there will be a higher demand of images related to Valentine’s day, and a similar thing happens with Christmas, summer, Earth Day, Halloween and so on. Freepik will warn you when you’re using a seasonal tag that might not be relevant at the time that you’re trying to publish.
✅ Once your titles and tags are all in order, you can click Send to Review, and once the Freepik team has reviewed your images, they will appear on your profile and on the Freepik site for users to download. 4. Wait to have your images approved For up to 10 working days, your images will appear in the "Under revision" section of your dashboard. Once the Freepik team has reviewed and approved them, they will appear as "Published".
✍️ WHAT IMAGES SHOULD I CREATE? 4 TIPS FOR YOU
#1 - Create things that you genuinely enjoy. It sounds obvious, but listen: it can take a while to make any significant money from stock images, so if you’re only hoping to make some money but are not enjoying making images, it will be a very frustrating experience. Make things you enjoy or something that will allow you to practice a new skill that you want to develop.
#2 - Check the Trendy Keywords section in your Contributor Dashboard to see what tags are being searched for the most. You can create images around those themes.
#3 - Take inspiration from the Top Freepik Files. On the main page of your contributor profile, you can see a ranking of the 5 most downloaded images. I’m not saying change your style to match them, but they might give you some clues about themes or styles that users are downloading a lot.
#4 - Keep in mind upcoming holidays, seasons or special events. There will be a higher demand for specific resources in the weeks before Christmas, Valentine's, summer, Black Friday, and so on. On your Dashboard, if you scroll to the bottom, Freepik gives you information about the themes that might be on demand right now or very soon. Take into account that Freepik only accepts seasonal content up to two weeks before the event, so make sure you’re uploading your seasonal content in advance.
📈 IS FREEPIK WORTH IT?
If you're looking to make a lot of money very quickly, no (in my experience). If you're willing to play the long-term game and looking for a semi-passive income source, maybe. At the moment I'm earning around 0.06€ per download, so it could take many downloads or time to make significant money. The more images I upload, the more I'll earn, and my favorite thing is that it's semi-passive. I make an image once, and it can be downloaded many times. I've only been a Freepik Contributor for a few weeks, so I'm not sure what the potential is. I'll check back in some time perhaps to give an update.
Also, the more images I create, the quicker it is for me to generate new content, because I can reuse some of my previous elements as long as the image looks quite different. Take this into account when you choose your theme and style.
I hope this was useful or at the very least it inspired you a little. Let me know if you have any questions or if you already are an experienced Freepik Contributor, please share your thoughts. Have a great day!