As a creative freelancer, finding credible places to sell your work is an important part of your business model. If you’re selling video footage, music, sound effects, or motion graphics, not only is it crucial that you can easily upload your media, but it must also look attractive to potential buyers. On top of that, you want to get paid on time, with no fuss — all of which is why Pond5 is one of the best marketplaces for creative content producers.
Pond5 is the largest, fastest growing video marketplace in the world. In addition to video footage, Pond5 licenses music, sound effects, After Effects templates, 3D models, and more. Their aim is to be the first place creatives look for the media they need to tell their stories, and the first place artists come to license their content.
With many media marketplaces to choose from, Pond5 strive to be different from all the competition. They do this in various ways, most notably by striving to be the most artist-friendly media marketplace in the industry. Pond5 value their contributors, rewarding them with high-revenue payouts, as well as providing them with the ability to set their own pricing.
No marketplace exists without buyers, and Pond5 have made it simple for customers to find exactly what they’re looking for on their platform, with a simple royalty-free licensing structure and dedicated customer support. Pond5 invests heavily in technology to maximize users’ experience, providing the most relevant content in any given search. They even recently launched a visual similarity tool that allows users to laser-focus their search by browsing similar looking items within a given query.
Thanks to this technology, creators know that buyers can find their products easily and quickly, increasing their chances of selling there without additional effort.
Getting started as a contributor only takes a few minutes by registering on Pond5’s site. Once the contributor’s ID is verified, it’s simply a matter of uploading and submitting content. The company’s efficient curation process means that contributors can usually expect their content to be reviewed within three days of submitting. When approved, it will be published in the marketplace and available for sale.
Promoting videos
The more buyer interest there is, the more a contributor’s work is likely to sell, so boosting your portfolio is an important aspect of the process. One effective method is to upload a profile description and cover photo that represents your brand. Creating specific collections within portfolios that highlight different themes is another effective promotional tactic.
External promotion of portfolios on contributors’ websites and social media outlets is another great way to attract interest. Pond5 also allows contributors to do Pond5 Instagram takeovers, which is a fun way to showcase artists’ personalities, and show a ‘day in the life’ of how they create content.
With customers coming from a wide range of industries and territories around the world, including the TV, film, and creative agencies, Pond5 help contributors target these buyers. The company distributes targeted shoot briefs to the contributor community on a monthly basis, based on customer demand and industry trends, guiding contributors to create content that has a higher-than-average likelihood of selling.
Pond5 contributors each have different ways of operating, so it’s important that there are different payout options to meet their individual needs. Payoneer provides two different methods, allowing you to choose between a Global Bank Transfer or a Prepaid Mastercard®. Payments are processed on the 15th of every month. The ability for contributors to choose their payment method makes the payment process easier for everyone, wherever they are in the world.
Video footage has always been the primary revenue driver for Pond5, but there’s also enormous growth in other media types, particularly in music, After Effects templates, and 3D models. The future is likely to see a lot of opportunity building out these media types.
There has never been a better time to be involved in this business or a better company to be partnered with. If you’re looking to earn money from your own creative content, register with Pond5 today and start working with a company that cares.