Feeling behind on trends? Just today, I found myself Googling whether flare jeans are really making a comeback or not. Fingers crossed for any alternative to high waist! I'm all packed and ready to hop on a plane for a little family vacation tomorrow morning, so what to wear was on my mind. Fashion aside, the stock footage agencies are great about sharing past, current, and upcoming trends with us! Here is my mantra on the subject: When it comes to stock footage trends be aware, yet wary. While it may be tempting to snap up every single keyword the internet tells you is currently popular, it will be in your best interest to dig a little deeper. Pay attention to the two different types of trends: Evergreen vs. Fads The evergreen trends are likely to remain popular for a long period of time while the fads may quickly become a forgotten thing of the past. If you're uploading through BlackBox, you won't be able to edit your metadata once you submit your clip, so it's imp...

I hope you're enjoying the holiday season! It was nice and sunny here in southern Spain. I can't say I miss the Oregon winters! Since the last Q&A was all about titles, I wrote this one all about the keywords. These are some of the questions and topics I give feedback on most frequently over on my keywording best practices course:  How to Write Killer Keywords for your Stock Footage . In this post, I'll be covering these Qs: What's the ideal number of keywords? What verb tense should I use? Include both verbs AND adjectives? Write compound or single-word keywords? What is "keyword spamming"? Let's dive in! IDEAL NUMBER OF KEYWORDS: Should I write 49 keywords for every single clip? The ideal number of keywords depends on the clip! According to Shutterstock and Adobe, writing 20-35 keywords can be enough, especially if it’s a simpler image. Each keyword should be accurate and precise. Your clip should represent that keyword wit...

Do you ever stare at your computer screen trying to keyword your stock footage, but nothing seems to come? I'm almost finished with my next online class where I'll share my 11-step brainstorming method to help you say goodbye to writers' block! I'll show you how I keyword four different clips from start to finish using a variety of strategies and resources. A few of you who took my first course said you wished you had more examples—this one is for you! (Now included as a FREE BONUS in How to Write Killer Keywords for your Stock Footage on Udemy!) Until then, here are some quick tips I've put together for you to help speed up your process and keep the fresh ideas coming. Enjoy! Do you have a hard time brainstorming conceptual keywords? Over on my Skillshare course , the typical response I hear is, "I tried, but I couldn't think of any." I've been there! Train your brain to start naturally thinking of conceptual keywords by re...

It's my birthday!!! This is the song I'm dancing to, in case you want to celebrate with me: Listen HERE ! (I became obsessed with the entire soundtrack after the movie.) For my special day, I'm sharing 6 Stock Footage Title / Description Q&As with you! I'm asked each of these questions frequently. Next time you hear someone ask these, please share this blog with them if you found it useful. These are the Qs I'll cover: Do keywords in your title matter? Add location or keep it general? Name famous landmarks or not? Add "4K" or "1080"? Does capitalization matter? Describe POV or not? And off we go!! IMPORTANCE:  Do the keywords in my title matter? Yes, the keywords in your title DO matter, although for different reasons on different agencies. The titles ARE searchable on Pond5 and now on Adobe as well. I would recommend you put the most important keywords at the beginning of your title for buyers who are skimm...

Do you ever get first-time jitters? That feeling of excited nervousness when you're about to do something for the first time? I TOTALLY have first-time jitters right now! I've been looking forward to getting this blog started for a while now and if you're reading this, then I hit "Publish"!! *Celebration dance music* Without further ado, here is my first collection of new keywording resources I'd love to share with you! The most important first: Adobe Webinar — “ Keywords count! Effective indexing advice ” Adobe titles are now searchable! First 10 keywords hold extra weight. (Previously, first 7) Any keywords in both the title AND the first 10 keywords receive an additional boost. Any keywords important enough to appear in your title should also appear in your first 10 keywords. Other general keywording tips plus a Q&A at the end. Insight into buyer behavior: Shutterstock Blog — “ Why Are There Weird Stock Photos? ” Story of how buyers na...