Creat what's in demand

 Learn how to identify what kinds of stock photos and footage are trending or in demand to determine what will sell on marketplaces like Adobe Stock. Part 1 of our 5 Keys to Stock Success series, to help Adobe Stock Contributors earn and grow. 

Creative professionals around the world are always looking for compelling and timely stock content to use in their projects. And as they face pressure to come up with fresh ideas, produce work faster, and keep up with a rapidly evolving cultural landscape, their need for high-quality stock will just keep growing. 

Artists like you have an amazing opportunity to diversify your offerings and gain international exposure by putting your work right in front of these stock buyers. While it can potentially be lucrative to contribute content to a service like Adobe Stock, there’s a lot more to it than just uploading your files, sitting back, and waiting for a stream of passive income to start rolling in. To be truly successful, you need to plan ahead and have your finger on the pulse of what sells.

Fortunately, we're here to help guide you along the way. In this series, we'll take a look at the key things you need to know to achieve commercial success as an Adobe Stock Contributor — creating what’s in demand, optimizing your production process, mastering your metadata, implementing smart submission strategies, and striking the right balance of quality and quantity.

Let’s start by exploring how you can set yourself apart from the competition by creating original content that buyers are actually looking for.

Your first priority should be to choose a niche and study it, taking care to really understand your potential buyers’ wants and needs. Start by looking at your own environment and the things you love to see if you can use those things to create unique content with fresh perspectives. For example, if you’re a passionate surfer, the odds are that your surfing photos will resonate better with customers than images captured by photographers who don't know anything about surfing. Or, if you have a day job, can you use the environment and equipment to tell a story in an authentic and meaningful way?

The more you know about your customers and what resonates with them, the better you'll be at creating work they'll purchase. To stay on top of supply and demand, keep your eyes and ears open. Carry out research and analyze trends in your specific niche. Follow the news to track what’s making headlines, monitor advertising campaigns, and browse inspiration galleries. Go a step further than just flipping through magazines and blogs focused on art and culture — find out what’s relevant to your customers so you know what they may be looking for.

Also, pay close attention to the Adobe Stock blog to inform and support your work: Here you’ll find strategic insight reports — like Adobe’s annual Creative Trend Forecast— presenting content rising in demand as well as insights for updating visuals that are related to seasonal and evergreen themes.

One of the easiest ways to stay up to date on what's trending is to run a blank search on Adobe Stock, as it will give you a real-time view of the content that’s currently popular. You can also check out our curated stock collections and selections of our best-selling content, and you can look at the Insights tab in our Contributor portal to see the top 10 portfolios from the prior week. Join us on Discord and pop into the Call for Content channel and be sure to follow Behance Live for more inspiration and access to Adobe Stock team members. Finally, opt-in to receive our Adobe Stock Contributor newsletters for the latest on trending themes and styles.

All this information will help you understand what’s currently in demand, what types of content are scarce, and how creatives are using stock assets so you can proactively create new, relevant content accordingly. As you come up with ideas, keep an active list. Whenever and wherever you find inspiration, jot down your thoughts on your phone or in a notebook. Be sure to review your notes from time to time, so you can convert your ideas into actual stock photography, vectors, videos, and more.

Trendy content can sell big, but usually only for a limited time. Seasonal content is in demand at certain times every year. And evergreen or timeless content is always in demand, no matter the prevailing trends or seasonal moment. To achieve the best results with your stock sales, the trick is to create an effective mix of trending, seasonal, and evergreen content.

There will always be evergreen topics and themes that are perennial sellers. These include stock images and videos depicting food, families, health and wellness, nature and wildlife, and business — particularly teamwork, digital transformation, and the future of work. Within those themes, there are multiple trends and timely events that you can use to inform your content. For example, certain types of food and drink go in and out of fashion, but there’s a growing, lasting trend around sustainability and more environmentally conscious food production. Try to come up with a fresh take — like a local angle, a new drone perspective, or a combination of different trends — to make your work stand out.

Use a calendar to keep track of upcoming seasonal and timely topics that come in cycles, including those unique to your content niche and location. Many stock buyers, like major brands and design agencies working for those brands, get ready for holiday promotions well in advance. You can use calendar reminders to make sure you upload relevant content around three months before customers will be looking for material to suit their projects.

To maximize the potential of your holiday-themed stock assets, try to plan your productions several months to a year ahead of time. You’ll have access to the right kind of decor, the weather will be seasonally appropriate, and you’ll be able to use family members and friends as models. Capture different religious and sacred holidays, traditions, or celebrations so you can fulfill needs for different markets.

Here are some best practices to help you capitalize on creative opportunities and craft content that sells: 

Think about how a stock buyer will use the content you produce. How will it look in a banner ad, print piece, or TV commercial? Pay attention to the commercial content you see every day so you can improve and future-proof your work. Ensure that your content meets or exceeds those quality standards. 

Stock content that feels genuine and relatable is in high demand. While the idea of authenticity can be hard to define, it’s a crucial element of some of the most successful stock imagery. It often means showing real people in real scenes and situations, so don't feel compelled to cover or edit away all blemishes, or to only cast models that meet superficial standards of beauty. On the other hand, keep in mind that realism doesn’t mean carelessness. Avoid things like ill-fitting or stained clothes, poor lighting, and cluttered backgrounds. Make sure clothing and lighting are flattering, and be intentional in your image composition to ensure that your content has commercial appeal. 

Thoughtfully and accurately depict the diverse range of ethnicities, genders, ages, body and skin types, and abilities that make up our world. For example, high-quality stock content of multigenerational and multiracial family groups is currently in high demand, as is content that represents people with disabilities in a sensitive, empowering, and realistic way. Explore the Adobe Stock Advocates program Creative Briefs for more inspiration around the specific topics and themes. 

Even if everything else is just right, stock photos and videos that feel artificial, posed, or too perfect can turn off buyers. If you’re shooting staged scenes, encourage your models to try to embody the characters they’re playing for the camera. Spend some time with your models to help them feel relaxed and natural on set. Aim for everyday settings, real-life interactions, and candid expressions. 

To keep your stock photos and videos from quickly becoming dated and losing long-term value, make sure that clothing and other props are modern but not too trendy. Creating stock often means maintaining a balance between what’s current and what’s timeless throughout your portfolio. If you feature electronic devices, don’t always make them the focus. Keep things simple and think about the longevity of your styling and props. 

Creative professionals are looking for visuals that stand out to customers without creating any negative associations. According to our State of Creativity report, 71% of those surveyed agreed that their company or client was risk-averse when it comes to visuals. 

At Adobe Stock, we’re always on the lookout for fresh, authentic, on-trend, and culturally representative assets that help stock customers tell their stories. To maximize the potential of your content, remember to pay attention to what’s trending and what’s seasonal, and then bring a mix of both elements to your productions. Also, focus on your customers’ evergreen needs to stay ahead of the curve and produce stock content that sells again and again.

Current events and cultural movements have inspired customers in every industry to reevaluate stock subject matter. Customers want more diverse and inclusive content, which gives you an excellent opportunity to create work that’s inspired by your personal experiences and perspective. As an Adobe Stock Contributor, you have full creative control over what you do, so choose the trends that both interest you and fit your niche. Finding that sweet spot will put you on the path to stock success. In part 2 of this series, we explore how to make the most out of your productions and optimize your output to stay a step ahead of the competition.