For most people, selling feet pics online is about fulfilling a sexual fantasy or foot fetish, but this isn’t always the case. Not everyone looking to buy foot pics are in it for sexual arousal or pleasure. Shutterstock is a professional website that sells high-quality images and rewards creators like yourself to build their library. Platforms like Shutterstock let people upload their professional photographs and pay them for every download. But, do they accept foot pictures and, if so, why?
The answer is yes! Not only can you sell your foot content on Shutterstock, but it’s one of the largest and most popular online platforms for stock photographs and images. But before you get started, keep reading. In this guide, we’ll share tips and tricks for successfully selling your foot pics on Shutterstock including how much you can earn, tips for making more, and information on Shutterstock’s guidelines and terms of use.
When people think of downloading images online, Shutterstock is usually the first name that comes to mind. Shutterstock provides high-quality online stock photos, footage, music, and editing tools. Shutterstock was founded in 2003 in New York. Now, nearly 20 years later, the website boasts some pretty impressive numbers:
With such a varied audience and far reach, you can’t afford to miss out on this opportunity if you’re looking to make money selling foot pics online.
If you don’t need any more convincing on why you should sell your foot pics on Shutterstock, let’s jump right into how you can get started on the platform.
Before you register on the website or open an account, you should have a library of content prepared to upload. There’s nothing worse than launching a new page to only have it sit bare and unnoticed. Take a variety of high-quality foot pictures and images that appeal to a wide audience. For example, close-up foot pics of your heels, toes, ankles, and arches mixed with racier photos of your feet in high heels, boots, or ballet slippers.
Take dozens of pictures and choose only the best to upload to Shutterstock. People searching this platform are accustomed to high-quality content. If your foot pics aren’t up to their standards, they’ll find a better, more suitable photo and you’ll lose the sale. Check out this post on how to take quality feet pics.
Once you have a library of photographs to pull from, you can submit them to Shutterstock. The platform is easy to use and full of helpful tools and tips to help you succeed. Once your photographs enter the database, they’ll be visible to anyone searching for content within your niche or category. For every download made, you get paid. Shutterstock uses a tiered payment structure to reimburse its contributors. Those just starting out are at the bottom tier where you’ll earn $.25 per image purchase or $.81 per on-demand image (sizes small or medium). The longer and more often you contribute, the more you make. Long-time contributors who have generated over $10,000 for the website will earn $.38 per every subscription image and $1.24 for every on-demand image.
On-demand images are a more flexible option for individuals and small businesses that need stock photos in smaller batches. Customers can download a certain number of images over the course of a year by choosing different plans that range in price from $49 to $229. The price also depends on the quantity and resolution of the photos. Shutterstock’s original subscription plan has daily and monthly limits. Customers can choose between a one-month billing cycle, three months, or annually but they’re limited to 5 downloads per day. This costs $79 per month, $199 every three months, or $639 for the year.
Now that you understand a little more about Shutterstock’s payment system and how much customers pay for downloads and images, let’s focus on you – the seller! You probably have lots of questions like, how many pictures can you upload at once, how often do you get paid, and can you also upload videos? Here’s everything you need to know about selling your quality foot content on Shutterstock.
After you create your account on Shutterstock and make a batch of high-quality pics, you can start uploading them 100 at a time. When doing so, be sure to add relevant keywords to help customers find your images and increase your sales. For example, if you’re uploading pictures of your bare feet, tag them as such – “barefoot”. If you have tattoos on your feet, add the keyword “tattoo”. Are you wearing toe rings or an ankle bracelet? Yep, add these too. If you plan to post fetish-related content (more on this in a second), be sure to include keywords like fetish, foot fetish, feet pic, feet love, and similar variations.
Shutterstock recommends that contributors add detailed, attractive descriptions and titles to each photo. The more specific you get, the more likely people are to find your images among the masses. After this process is done, the website’s admins and quality control team still need to approve your photos for publication. Uploading your images correctly and including all of the necessary information the first time will expedite the approval process and get your images into the hands (or home screens) of more buyers, more quickly.
Despite popular belief, there’s plenty of foot fetish content available on Shutterstock. It’s just not as obvious or in your face as other sites like FunwithFeet.com which are dedicated specifically to foot fetishists. One reason to consider selling foot fetish images on Shutterstock is that the pool of images is much smaller than, let’s say, pictures of bare feet on a bed, the floor, or a beach. These types of images are more generic and, therefore, you’ll be competing against a lot more contributors. Foot fetish pics on Shutterstock are growing in popularity but there’s still room for you to make a name for yourself.
It’s important, though, to adhere to Shutterstock’s community guidelines. Remember, it’s not an adult content site or even a fetish website. It’s a platform used by millions of people and countless professionals around the world. There’s a fine line between foot fetish content and adult or explicit content. Unlike foot porn, foot fetish images are not overtly pornographic but, instead, depict feet in beautiful and unconventional ways that often appeal to those with a foot fetish. Be careful with what you post because Shutterstock will remove your images and close your account if you cross the line.
Although some websites and platforms for feet pics advertise outlandish, overly edited images, Shutterstock is the opposite. The best images on this platform are of natural skin that is fresh, clean, and beautiful. Artificial pictures using filters don’t perform as well. It’s interesting to note that dark-skinned photographs of feet perform best on Shutterstock. One reason might be that of all skin tones, foot fetishists are most attracted to black skin.
Good lighting can also work wonders for your feet pics. Your feet should be the main focus of every frame and proper lighting can help them really stand out. Consider a ring light or other professional photography lamp to capture your feet in the best light possible – literally. Once the photos enter the editing process, you can adjust the brightness, hue, and saturation to create crisp, clean, and attractive images.
Speaking of editing, this is an important part of selling foot content on Shutterstock. As mentioned before, customers expect high-quality photos that are ready for publication. That means you need to take the time to edit them closely before uploading them for sale. The good news is that Shutterstock offers a variety of editing and software tools for its contributors. After all, the more quality images you take and upload, the more money the site makes when people download them.
With the right editing tools, you can add different effects and textures to your photos. Two great tools to consider are Luminar AI and Photoshop. Not only are these editing tools easy to use for beginners but they let you airbrush and edit out minor imperfections like wrinkles or dry patches. The more clean and vibrant your feet pics are, the more sales you’ll make.
Another way to succeed in selling feet pics on Shutterstock is to test the market. You need to know what types of images people are searching for and downloading so you can create in-demand content. Check out local magazines, news clips, and online forums like Quora and Reddit to see what people are chatting about.
For fetish-related content, you can also browse adult content websites like NSFW OnlyFans. Do a little research into what types of foot fetish content sell most and for the highest price. Then, if you’re comfortable with the idea, you can create images that appeal to this demographic without breaking Shutterstock’s community guidelines.
Here’s a short list of some of the feet pics that perform best on Shutterstock:
It’s interesting to note, also, that these results were generated by searching the term “feet fetish”, which produced over 27,000 results (at the time of this writing).
These two tips are relevant regardless of the platform you’re using for selling foot pics. You need to market yourself and become your own biggest cheerleader. If no one knows that you’re producing high-quality feet pics and selling them on Shutterstock, they won’t know to look there. Use social media accounts and other platforms like OnlyFans to get the word out. Mention to your biggest fans and followers that you also have content on Shutterstock and share the link to your page.
Consistency is also key to success in selling feet pics online. Once you attract customers and direct them to your page, there better be something there for them to see and buy. Post pictures consistently in a variety of categories. Even though Shutterstock lets you upload 100 pictures per day, this isn’t a requirement. Uploading a few fresh, new images every day or a few times a week, is enough to expand both your inventory and customer base.
Every platform for selling feet pics has its pros and cons and Shutterstock is no different. Before you invest your time and effort into this website with millions of other contributors determined to achieve the same goals, here are a few things to consider.
Depending on your experience, goals, and dedication, you can benefit from selling your feet pics on Shutterstock. Even if you’re currently advertising and selling foot content on other popular platforms, you should still consider Shutterstock as an added source of income. Although the platform does accept and approve fetish-related content, it works somewhat differently than other websites in the same industry. Your photos must be approved for upload, however, once they are, the hard work is done! You don’t have to engage with customers or clients, which is a major bonus for anyone wanting to remain anonymous. This doesn’t mean that you don’t need to advertise your work. It’s still in your best interest to promote yourself and your efforts elsewhere including on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even LinkedIn.
Check out the rest of our blog for more information on foot fetishes and tips for breaking into the exciting and lucrative business of selling feet pics online.