As an artist, you put a lot of hard work into producing the most creative and technically perfect images. You invest time, effort, and resources into getting the right talent and equipment, and you research topics that are in high demand to produce your best work. But in the digital-image marketplace, a perfect image alone does not guarantee success.
Accurate and precise metadata — your titles and keywords — are just as important as the quality of your images, because they are the bridge that connects a customer's needs with your product. Here are some useful Do’s and Don’ts that will help you connect buyers with your images.
Do create accurate and descriptive titles. Think of your title as a news headline and try to answer the main questions of: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. Of course, not every image encompasses people or time, but you should be as specific as possible.
Image by marekuliasz
Don't use the exact same title (or same set of keywords) for a series of images that have similar subject matter. This might seem like a sensible timesaver, but it could actually hurt your sales potential. For example, if you shoot a series of images of bouquets of different flowers and you simply title your images “Flowers,” they will not be easy to find for a buyer who is looking for something more specific. Your images will also compete with thousands of others in the search results. If you differentiate them with titles like “Bouquet of fresh red roses” and “Bouquet of hydrangeas,” however, you increase your chances of connecting with a customer looking for that specific image.
Do include any specific or unique information. Be sure to mention any specific technique, look, or angle that differentiates your image from another with the same subject matter. You may shoot a fairly common business-meeting scene, but if you shoot it from an aerial perspective, that would be a key angle to mention. If you create images using the popular look of Instagram filters, you can include the word "Instagram" in the keywords and title. Although Instagram relates to trademarked brand, in this instance it is acceptable, because it describes a particular look.
Image by Rawpixel.com
Don't use trademarked brands in your titles or keywords for commercial images (other than the instance mentioned above). Although there is no specific list of restricted keywords, you can infer which words are restricted by familiarizing yourself with the "Objects and Subjects" article and more broadly from our Known Image Restrictions list. For example, you can create a commercial illustration of a generic smartphone that resembles, but does not directly copy, a phone that is currently on the market, but you can't use the words “iPhone” or “Apple” in the keywords. (However, you can use trademarks in titles and keywords for editorial and illustrative editorial images.)
Do think conceptually. Include words that describe feelings or emotions for images that depict models. For illustrations of a computer, you can include conceptual words like “technology” and “communication.”
Image by andreacrisante
Don't spam or use inappropriate keywords. You may not use words that are discriminatory, offensive, or sexually explicit. You also cannot use certain words that are acceptable on their own, but in combination have an inappropriate implication, like “teen” and “sexy,” in the description of one image. We regularly audit our collection for keyword spamming (the use of irrelevant keywords) and use of inappropriate or restricted keywords.
If you find that keywords have been removed by the reviewer or by a Shutterstock administrator after your image has been accepted, do not just add them back in. In such instances, you should always contact contributor support first at submit@shutterstock.com and inquire about the reason keywords were removed. Adding keywords that were previously removed may result in a warning, account suspension, or even closure.
Do use our keyword suggestion tool on the Submit content page, which was developed to help you choose the most appropriate keywords based on your subject matter.
Don't copy other contributors' titles and keywords word for word. Although this is technically not plagiarism, this is not a practice that we allow.