Side Hustle Highlight - Selling Photos Online
There are a million ways to make money on the side by starting your own business. I’ve talked before about trying to keep my shiny object syndrome in check, but it can be tough because there are just so many options online for anyone trying to develop a new stream of income! So I want to welcome you to a new series I’m calling - Side Hustle Highlights. Each month, I will focus on a different side hustle that anyone can start with a minimal amount of setup time and investment.In this month’s Side Hustle Highlight, I’m talking about selling photos online. The good news is, you probably already have the most important tool you need to get this side hustle started, a camera. The cameras on cell phones are so great now that there’s an entire sub-genre of photographers who only shoot on their phones. You may already be taking photos on your phone to use for another business you have, or you might just like to walk around and capture interesting sights and moments. Either way, selling your photos online is an easy way to develop a fairly passive income stream.
Decide Where You’ll Sell
There are two main ways that you can sell your photos online, through a third party shop or on your own website.
Third Party Sellers
If you’re intimidated by building a website with e-commerce functionality, don’t worry! You can always start by listing your photos on a couple of third-party websites and work up to opening your own online store. One downside to listing your photos on sites like these is that they take a cut of your sales. But, if you want to get up and running quickly and easily, they’re still a great option. Check out any of these websites to start selling your photos: Envato, TourPhotos, Dreamstime, Alamy, Shutterstock, Adobe, 123RF, Redbubble, or Getty Images. You can find even more sites on which to list your photos in this article or with a quick Google search.
Open an Online Store
Building a website in order to sell your photos might be intimidating, but it is a great way to build a brand and a loyal customer base. Wordpress, Squarespace, Wix, and other similar site builders make it easy to design and build your online shop so that you can start selling as soon as possible. If you already have a blog and you just want to allow users to purchase the photos they see on your site, this is a great option for you. You have already started building a brand with our blog and engaged readers who are drawn to your visual style are more likely to purchase from you as well. Also, by selling your photography on your website you can offer it both digitally and as a print at a higher price point. If you're overwhelmed by the idea of building your own site, let me build you a great looking site at an affordable price. Contact me to find out more.In the end, I would suggest listing your photos both on third-party seller sites and in your own online store to increase your visibility. Selling photography, especially stock photography is a volume business. The more sales you can make the better. Have you tried selling your photos online?
