The Correlation Between Stocker Profit and Portfolio Size

Found a rather interesting study conducted by Tyler Olson based on the results from 2010. I think everyone will find it interesting. This research presents results obtained from a survey of a large number of microstockers.

The study paid special attention to the earnings level of microstockers. Based on the data collected, Tyler tried to make certain conclusions about how portfolio size correlates with stocker earnings. By relying on these conclusions, one can roughly understand what earnings level a microstocker can expect and what they can realistically achieve in their work.

Earnings Level and Portfolio Size

It is very difficult to determine how much you can earn in microstock with a portfolio of 100 or 500 images by simply reviewing or comparing the income graphs of other stockers or even by looking at their statistics.

A lot depends on the style in which you work, the originality, the quality of your work, the variations, etc. The graph clearly shows that the level of earnings varies significantly.

However, some trends can be observed, which is already interesting if you see that your earnings indicators on stock sites differ significantly from the main trend.

On average, as you can see from the graph above, a microstocker earns about $10.28 per image per year or about $0.87 per month.

Earnings for Exclusivity

After filtering and sorting the responses of stockers who had a zero portfolio size or simply left the earnings level field blank, I had 522 responses that I used for comparison.

Below you can see a comparison of the earnings of exclusives from iStock and their non-exclusive colleagues.

Cold Numbers:

Non-Exclusive: 394

Average Portfolio Size: 1,383
Median Portfolio Size: 505
Average Earnings Per Year: USD 9,265
Median Annual Earnings: USD 2,000

Exclusive: 128

Median Portfolio Size: 1,548
Average Portfolio Size: 1,000
Average Earnings Per Year: USD 31,385
Median Annual Earnings: USD 12,405

Wow! To put it simply, I’m amazed. I expected that non-exclusive authors on the stock site earn more than exclusives, but the graph shows a completely opposite situation.

If there is any consolation for us non-exclusives, it is that the number of data points in the upper half of earnings (exclusive and non-exclusive) is so small that it is difficult to make accurate/correct conclusions. Another explanation for this situation might be that most exclusive authors take their work in microstocks very seriously.

Before you are offered to switch to exclusivity, you need to have at least 250 downloads at a 50% acceptance rate or 500 downloads if the acceptance rate is lower. This means that the professional level of exclusives is much higher.

I am very happy as a non-exclusive and would still like to understand what the graph shows, although I must admit that it looks like iStock exclusives do less work and earn more money. The data obtained from the study certainly indicate this.

It will be interesting to see if this trend continues over the next few years.

Part-Time or Full-Time?

The following comparison may be excessive, but I was curious to obtain results in this direction. I wanted to learn and compare the earnings level of full-time microstockers with that of part-time stockers.

I classified stockers who earn at least 50% of their primary income from microstocks as full-time stockers. Those stockers who earn less than 50% of their primary income from stocks were classified by me as part-time stockers.

Yes, and again, I did not include in the analysis the survey results in which a clear portfolio size or earnings level was not indicated to increase the reliability.

Cold Numbers:

Part-Time Respondents: 403

Average Portfolio Size: 1,089
Average Portfolio Size: 512
Average Earnings Per Year: USD 6,774
Average Annual Profit: USD 2,018

Full-Time Respondents: 119

Average Portfolio Size: 2,851
Average Portfolio Size: 2,100
Average Earnings Per Year: USD 44,667
Average Annual Profit: USD 20,500

The results do not surprise me at all. The respondents who derive their primary income from microstocks indeed earn more on average than part-time stockers.

An interesting conclusion is that a significant increase in earnings comes not from the number of images in a microstocker’s portfolio but from the specific earnings generated by each image in the portfolio.

Thoughts

So, what do you think? Why, for example, do iStockers earn more than us non-exclusives? What do you think about your future in microstocks based on this study: is it promising or discouraging?

Link to the original
Author: Tyler Olson
Link: blоg.microstockgroup.com/microstock-income-vs-portfolio-size/