Your Pond5 Guide to Keywords

Pond5 Guide to Keywords
TOP IMAGE: Freelance Work And Writing Online Concept by VECTORIUM.

Our intelligent search algorithm works just like the search engine you’re used to when shopping for a specific item or researching a particular topic. In the same way that keywords promote pages on Google, relevant keywords help buyers find your work on Pond5.

The unique Keyword Codes (also called “tags”) in our Shoot Briefs, Music Briefs, and Buyer Requests are a great example. In this case, we assign a specific Keyword to each topic. When you include this keyword with your upload, it is “tagged” as that particular theme, allowing us to find and promote it to buyers searching for that type of content. Read on to learn expert get-my-work-noticed tips!

 

Picking The Right Keywords

Choosing effective keywords can feel daunting, but it’s easier than you think. Find inspiration from work that’s already performing well by using our top-selling content to your advantage! Search for your subject on Pond5 and sort the results by ‘popular’.

Then click on any thumbnail and scroll down to see Related Searches and Related Categories. These popular headings are also relevant ideas for your keywords!

Additionally, check out the Data and Trends section for Trending Searches and our 20 top searched keywords. We update the content every month for each media type!

 

Stay Up To Date

Keywords are most helpful when they’re current, so remember to prioritize re-tagging your work according to topical events.

For example, if your page has a generic shot of a hospital, you may want to add “Covid-19” as a keyword. Because the pandemic is such a trending topic, it’s likely that people will search for it by name—and voila! Your work would be served to them.

Similarly, if you had a shot of uniform-clad school pupils, you could re-tag your clips with Back To School at the end of July. On that note, read on for more tips on how to say the right thing at the right time.

 

Think Like a Buyer and Plan Ahead

Try to plan your productions so that your work is ready when buyers need it. Marketers and production companies plan their campaigns months ahead of the actual event, so it’s important to plan even earlier than that!

For example, if you are an After Effects artist looking to upload work for November’s Midterms 2022 elections, aim to upload your content by the end of April. Campaign managers will be looking for suitable assets as early as May, make yours the first work they see!

 

Tell Both Sides of the Story

It’s all about perspective so be sure to describe your subject in diverse ways. Buyers will use your content for varying purposes, and search terms should reflect that.

For example, if you shoot a closeup of bacon rotating on a plate, you could use
crispy, yummy, roasted, salty, burger, BBQ, etc.
However, you can also use
unhealthy, fatty, junk food, health risk, high cholesterol, etc.

As you can see, keyword planning is an exercise in creativity and strategy. Thankfully, updating them is simple.

 

How to Add Keywords:

Keywords can be added or edited in a few different ways:

  1. Directly From Uploads

    • Navigate to the Uploads page
    • Click on the bracketed number in the “TAGS” column (to the left of your price)
    • A small window will pop up. Here you can add or edit up to 50 keywords, separating them with a comma.
    • Click on “Submit”
  2.  

  3. While Editing Items

    • In Uploads, click on an item’s ID number.
    • You will be directed to an “Edit Item” page.
    • Scroll down to the Keywords section and add or edit keywords.
    • Click on “Save and Submit for Review”.
    • Note: If your media is already online and you’re just re-tagging your content, you’ll see “Save changes” instead.

  4.  

  5. By Applying CSV

    • In Uploads, click on Apply CSV and select your media type below.
    • Click on the “Download CSV” button. This downloads a CSV file of your entire portfolio, featuring mandatory information like the Filename, Title, and Keywords; as well as optional information fields.
    • Add new data or edit the existing information in this file.
    • Re-upload the updated file via the APPLY CSV page. (Applying in bulk? Find step-by-step instructions here)
  6.  

  7. By Collection

    • In Uploads, select your collection from the drop-down menu and add the keyword to each media item.

Pro Tips: The more thorough your description, the better your chances of appearing in searches! Just avoid keyword stuffing, special symbols, and characters.

 

Ready to get noticed?

Keywords are essential tools that maximize your chance of sales by putting your work in front of interested buyers. So dive in and give all your hard work the exposure it deserves!

 

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Shoot Briefs: 2022, The Year of Election

Creative Brief – Special Keyword Code: USElections2022

Various countries are preparing to hold elections this year, from South Korea to France, Australia to the U.S. midterms, and more. In the face of change, we can be confident of three things: shifts in the global political landscape, political campaigners looking for media, and news organizations seeking editorial footage.

 

PRO TIP: Update Your Existing After Effects and Graphics

Have you uploaded election-related special effects before, such as lower thirds After Effects, national flag animations, intros, etc.? If so, just re-export and re-upload your work with the current year, updating the description and keywords!

Typing Motivational Announcement Vote In 2022 On A Vintage Typewriter Close-Up by labutstudio.

 

Submission Thought Starters

There is tremendous demand for VIDEO, STILL PHOTOGRAPHY, MUSIC, ILLUSTRATION and SFX in this category.

 

Editorial Footage & Photos

  • Politicians delivering speeches and leading public demonstrations
  • Voters waiting in front of polling stations
  • Politicians on the campaign trail
  • Supporters holding signs for political candidates and key issues
  • Protesters against key political issues
  • Influential personalities speaking out on political & social issues
  • Major political events in history, including speeches, the election process, parades, events, protests, etc.
  • Key politicians from your own country’s history

IMPORTANT NOTE: Buyers will search for footage from their locality so be sure to provide the proper date and location.

  • Suggested format: PLACE, CITY, COUNTRY, (MONTH, DAY, YEAR)
  • Example: Dallas, Texas‎, United States (March 1, 2022)

 

4K: Young Black Female Voter Voting At The Usa Election With Face Mask by purplevideos.

 

Commercial Footage, After Effects, Illustrations, and Photos

  • Various animations (national flags, lower thirds, intros, logo animations, transitions.)
  • Establishing shots (aerial views, skyline, cityscapes, etc.)
  • Depictions of the critical issues discussed in your local politics (healthcare, economy, immigration, ecology, DEI, etc.)
  • All touchpoints of the Electoral process. Think close-ups of ballots, commercially cleared shots of protesting crowds, etc.
  • Proud supporters wearing merchandise for their favorite candidate (badges, hats, t-shirts, badges, etc.)
  • Illustrations relating to the list of keywords above.

 

Audio

  • Crowd reactions including cheering in a stadium, clapping, booing, etc.
  • Check out our Music Briefs dedicated to Politics!

 

Keyword Ideas

Top-quality metadata helps buyers find your work, so copy some keywords from this handy list when uploading your new content or updating existing items. Less is more, so use only the most relevant words or phrases!

Politic, democracy, citizen, economic, economy, freedom, speech, protest, vote, government, national, ballot, voting, president, Washington, patriotism, campaign, candidate, democrat, republican, civil, register, capitol, flag, national, collusion, elect, impeach

Find more inspiration on how to choose and add keywords here.

 

Trending Hashtags

Get inspired by social media’s most popular hashtags. The following are trending Instagram hashtags for the US Midterms:

#midterms #vote #election #midtermelections #usa #politics #election2022 #bluewave #electionday #ivoted #midterms2022 #voting #elections #democracy #democrat #democrats #rockthevote #votingmatters #govote #republican #getoutthevote #yourvotecounts #voterregistration #washingtondc #votethemout #congress #american

Keep an eye out for any local keywords associated with your shoot locations. For example, if you’re about to upload a shot of people registering to vote in Arizona, look at the hashtags used by politicians in Arizona and add them to the keywords. Don’t forget to add USElections2022!

However, this process works for every country so if you plan to shoot a set depicting the presidential election in France, get inspired by the Twitter and Instagram trending hashtags.

 

Production Checklist

 

  • Safety is extremely important when capturing footage in crowded, chaotic, and sometimes violent circumstances.
  • Make sure to assess the situation, ensuring that you can film safely as events unfold.
  • If using your mobile phone, position it horizontally so that customers have maximum flexibility when using the image or footage.

 

Submission Checklist:

 

  • Please remember to tag your clips with the keyword code: USElections2022
  • Relevant keywords are extremely important to include as well.
  • Make sure you have your property release and model release forms attached to videos you intend to list as suitable for commercial use on the Marketplace. Also check that commercially cleared images and footage don’t contain any 3rd party IP, such as distinctive logos, designs, etc.

Music Briefs: American Patriotic Themes, Positive Political Ads and Public Domain Classical

Music Briefs - Young Male Musician Sitting On Bed With The American Flag In the Background

New month, new music briefs. 2022 is a year of elections, and many buyers will look for background music for their campaigns. This month we’re looking for Patriotic Themes, Positive Political Ads, and Public Domain Classical.

Find the unique code provided in each genre brief, and simply add it to keyword tags when uploading your new project. That way, we’ll know which genre you’ve been focusing on.

 

American Patriotic Themes

We’re looking for stirring odes utilizing strings and brass to evoke a feeling of national unity.

 

  • KEYWORD CODE: PATRIOTICFEB22
  • SUGGESTED KEYWORDS: Patriotic, american, unity, political, politics, strings, brass, midterms, USElections2022

 

Positive Political Ads

Inspiring and aspirational and presidential. Try to spread a message of hope in 15 or 30 seconds.

 

  • KEYWORD CODE: POLITICALFEB22
  • SUGGESTED KEYWORDS: campaign, presidential, election, 2022, midterms, candidate, aspirational, hopeful, politics, political, USElections2022

 

Public Domain Classical

We’d love to hear your take on pre-19th century classical pieces where the compositions are firmly in the Public Domain. Feel free to stay truthful to the source material or get experimental!

 

  • KEYWORD CODE: PDCLASSICALFEB22
  • SUGGESTED KEYWORDS: Public Domain, Classical, strings, orchestral, 1700s, 1800s

 

Don’t Forget:

  • Take advantage of the 50-keyword limit and add both broad and specific keywords. On the other hand, do not use recognizable band or artist names, please!
  • We also encourage you to submit separate :15 and :30 versions of these tracks for social-media use.
  • Moreover, please note you can apply tags to existing tracks in your portfolio.

Top image: Young Male Musician Sitting On Bed In Bedroom Enjoying Spending Time Playing by StratfordProductions.

Check out more Music Briefs here.