Tagging & Pricing Your Files

To edit your uploads, log in to your account, go to your dashboard, and click on “UPLOADS.”

You’ll find an “EDIT” button next to each item you’ve uploaded. Clicking this will take you to the “Edit Item” page, where you can update your metadata (see fields below for each media type). You can also update the title, description, keywords and price from “My Uploads” by clicking on each of these fields.

Footage metadata

• • • Title (required)
    • Description (optional)
    • Keywords (required)
    • Camera model or software used (optional)
    • Date Created (optional)
    • Location City (optional)
    • Country (optional)
    • Image Credit (optional) – name of artist/copyright owner
    • Pricing (required for all media types other than video)

Adding Titles

In the “Title” field, enter a precise and descriptive title, 40-80 characters long, in English. (e.g. “African Oystercatcher Bird Feeding in Estuary, Eats Worm, 4K”).

If you’re adding a title for editorial content, please use the following format:
CITY, COUNTRY (STATE) – YEAR/MONTH/DAY: Factual description of the image content

(e.g. “New York, USA – 2024, Nov 5: Presidential Election, People Holding Ballots.”). Then scroll down to “Curator Notes” and leave a note for the curator indicating that the clip should be marked Editorial Use Only.

Setting the Price of Your Footage

The Pond5 footage marketplace works on a tiered price structure. The prices you enter are one of several factors used to determine the optimal list price for your clips.

Selecting Keywords

You can add up to 50 keywords to describe each uploaded file (the minimum is 5), but you’ll reach the best level of performance with 10-20 descriptive and precise keywords. Type in a search word to add a keyword and select it from the drop-down menu or hit “Enter” to add it.

Using Auto-Tagging

Pond5 uses image-recognition software that can generate keywords automatically for your uploaded media. Please review all auto-generated keywords and remove any that don’t apply.

Note: You can disable Automatically Suggested Keywords on your Preferences page.

Metadata refers to the title, description, and keywords on each of your items. Every week, millions of searches are performed on Pond5 by high-intent buyers looking for specific content. Our search algorithm relies on your metadata to surface the most relevant content to customers.
It’s crucial to take the time to fill these fields out thoughtfully. Our most successful artists are the ones that have learned how to make metadata work for them.

Preparing Titles

Good titles are an incredibly effective means of gaining traffic to your content, and thus, a great way of increasing your sales.

Effective titles are key to attracting traffic and boosting sales. The optimal order for keywords in a title is:

• Main subject: (e.g., “flamingo bird”)
• Action: (e.g., “turning head”)
• Environment: (e.g., “blurred background”)
• Type of shot: (e.g., “close-up shot”)

Results: “A Flamingo Bird Turning Its Head, Blurred Background, Close-Up Shot”

Tips for Creating Effective Titles:

• Use descriptive titles. Giving your content descriptive enough titles greatly improves the likelihood of it being seen.
  • For example, the title “African Oystercatcher Bird Feeding in Estuary, Eats Worm, Wide Angle” identifies the precise species of animal, the activity that it’s engaged in, where the footage was shot, and the type of shot.
  • This is much more enticing, interesting, and unique than a video simply titled “Bird in the Water,” which would get far less traffic.
• Each item should have a unique title, using synonyms and slight variances to stand out in search results.
• Stick to the ideal length. The character limit is 80 characters. You don’t need to use it fully but focus on being descriptive and avoid filler words.
• Use English language titles. Follow this rule unless you’re referring to particular places or objects with names that are more likely to be searched for in their native language.
• Editorial video/photo titles need an editorial caption. The caption can be placed in the title or the description. Use this format:
  • CITY, COUNTRY (STATE) – YEAR/MONTH/DAY: Factual description of the image content.
  • You can learn more about Editorial submissions here.

Things to avoid:

• Specifically for Commercial Use content, please refrain from including metadata with trademarked terms.
• Do not use any number codes in your titles. (e.g., Pink Flamingo 001). You can keep track of your items in the Uploads section under the Tech Data tab where you see the Original Filename.
• Do not use file extensions. These include .mov or .jpg and should not be a part of your titles.
• Do not repeat one word several times. This does not help your items in the search results; in fact, it does the opposite.
• Spelling mistakes. Please make sure your spelling is correct. A simple tool to check your spelling like Grammarly can work wonders.

Preparing Descriptions

Use your description to expand on what is already stated in the title by providing more information about your content. Include important details such as specific actions or emotions shown and the intended usage or concept behind the piece. Aim for a few interesting and entertaining sentences or a brief paragraph.

• For Commercial use media, feel free to describe the mood, weather, time of day, season, number of people, what they’re doing, noteworthy details, and convey the general setting, such as a “zoo”. You can also include scientific details, like the Latin names of animals or plants.
• Example: A close-up shot of a Pink Chilean Flamingo bird (Phoenicopterus chilensis) with fluffy, pink feathers looking around the surroundings of the zoo greenery.
• For Editorial submissions make sure you add the editorial caption formula to the description field if you didn’t add it in the title. Find more information about the editorial caption here. Moreover, you can add technical specs like a lens or camera type, mention noteworthy objects, characters, exact locations, etc.
• Example: New York, USA, 08/30/2024, Bronx Zoo – A close-up shot of a Pink Chilean Flamingo bird (Phoenicopterus chilensis) with fluffy, pink feathers, looking around the Bronx Zoo greenery, shot on Canon EOS 5D mark iv.

In these articles, you will find more information on commercial and editorial use and other legal guidelines.

Preparing Keywords

Keywords are words that are used as identifiers or labels for your media files. You can add up to 50 keywords to describe each uploaded file. The better you keyword your files with useful information, the easier it is for buyers to find and purchase them. The minimum is 5 keywords, you can add up to 50 keywords and you don’t need to use them fully but focus on being descriptive and avoid filler words.

• Focus on being as descriptive as possible – avoid filler words, such as stunning, beautiful, etc. Feel free to attach latin names or any special keywords, as well as conceptual keywords there, such as nature, agriculture, etc. – always be descriptive.
• Don’t use “spam” keywords hoping for better search results, as irrelevant tags will damage your performance. Trying to game the system by filling your keywords or clip titles with popular search terms unrelated to your media will result in rejection and a bad buyer experience.

Tips for Creating Effective Keywords:

• Understand your content: Start by properly understanding the content you intend to upload. Consider the topic matter, significant elements, and any distinguishing characteristics that make it valuable or distinctive.
• Conduct research on Pond5 and select keywords that are relevant to your content. Consider what words or phrases a potential buyer may use to find material like yours. Also, search for similar content to yours, sort the results by ‘popular’, and learn from the top-selling artists in the field.
• Stay up to date: Keep up with current trends, events, and popular search phrases connected to your content. Incorporate these trends into your metadata whenever necessary to maximize the probability of your uploads getting noticed. Keywords are most helpful when they’re current, so remember to prioritize re-tagging your work according to topical events.
• Example: If you upload a generic shot of a polling station, you can retag your content with keywords like ‘primary elections’, then ‘presidential election’, then ‘Midterms’, etc., and make the shot timeless, in a way.

Submissions require appropriate language or risk rejection for containing objectionable, explicit, or inappropriate content. Our curators review your submissions to ensure accurate descriptions of the depicted subject and to identify any misleading information, spammy keywords, or inappropriate content. The use of proper language enhances search effectiveness. Learn how to avoid rejection of your submissions and to use language to your advantage.

• Commercial use – Submissions containing offensive, hateful, racist, derogatory, discriminatory, or disrespectful content or metadata are strictly prohibited, and reviewers will reject them as objectionable, explicit content or inappropriate representation.
• Editorial use – Newsworthy editorial content (documenting real-life events as factual records) will be considered individually for submission, even if it includes sensitive subjects (e.g., a protestor with an offensive sign). However, we will reject offensive or inappropriate editorial captions or keywords for being Objectionable, Explicit, or Inappropriate Representation. Editorial captions with hateful or offensive personal statements or opinions are prohibited.

NOTE: Previously approved content that does not meet the current DEI guidelines and requirements can be removed from publication on our site at Pond5’s discretion.

Things to avoid

Avoid misleading information by ensuring that your metadata appropriately represents the content of your submissions. Misleading or inappropriate information might lead to dissatisfied customers and undermine your reputation as a contributor.

Don’t use “spam” keywords hoping for better search results, as irrelevant tags will damage your performance. Trying to game the system by filling your keywords or clip titles with popular search terms unrelated to your media will result in rejection and a bad buyer experience.

Inclusivity Recommendations

When submitting content that relates to race, ethnicity, disabilities, age, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, it is important to depict and describe them accurately.

• Avoid guessing a model’s identity attributes. If you don’t have an accurate identity description of the model, use neutral language that does not describe a race, ethnicity, etc., such as:
• “A young woman smiling and posing in front of a green screen.”
• “Handheld shot of an elderly man riding a bike in a park.”
• Portray people in ways that do not reduce their identity.
• Unacceptable: “A yellow man posing on the street”
• Acceptable: “An Asian man posing on the street”
• Use non-offensive terminology in titles, descriptions, keywords, or the content itself.
• Unacceptable: “A smiling crippled woman looking at the camera.”
• Acceptable: “A smiling woman with a disability looking at the camera.”
• Use neutral/positive and culturally appropriate language.
Unacceptable: “Homo boys awkwardly dancing in the club.”
Acceptable: “Homosexual young men dancing in the club.”
• Use adjectives and not nouns when referring to race or ethnicity.
• Example: “a Hispanic person” (adjective) rather than “a Hispanic” (noun)
• Use people-first language when describing disabilities.
• Unacceptable: “A handicapped man talking on the phone”
• Acceptable: “A man with a disability talking on the phone.”
  Please note that the word “handicapped” no longer meets the language guidelines and these submissions will be rejected.
• Exercise good judgment when creating content about sensitive topics like discrimination or racism, avoiding depictions or descriptions that can be interpreted as hateful or offensive.
• Utilize online resources and style guides to craft appropriate titles for DEI content.

By submitting content that accurately and respectfully represents people’s identities, you enhance your portfolio and help provide the best experience for customers, contributors, and people from all backgrounds. If you need clarification on content rejection or have questions, do not hesitate to contact contributor support – we are always happy to help!

Video: The Pond5 footage marketplace works on a tiered price structure. The prices you enter are one of several factors used to determine the optimal list price for your clips.

All other media types: You have the freedom to set your own prices for any images, music, sound effects, and after effects that you license with Pond5.

For pricing recommendations, please visit our Data & Trends section.

If you prefer that Pond5 handle your pricing, you can change the Pricing Method on your Uploads page to “LET POND5 SET MY PRICE” and we’ll price your content to optimize sales.

When you get a sale, we will notify you via email, and once your balance reaches the payout limit, we will issue payment via the payout method selected in your account. Payouts are processed on the 15th of every month.

To set the thumbnail for your file, select the media file(s) to modify on your Uploads page by checking the box(es).

From the Actions dropdown, select Change Thumbnail

From the lightbox, select the desired imaged and hit Submit

OR

From the edit item page find the Thumbnail section and click on the image desired.

When you are finished with your edits, click Save or Save And Submit For Review.

Note: It might take up to 24 hours for you to see actual changes on the site due to caching.

Saving Changes and Submitting for Review

Once all of the information is added to your file on the “Edit Item” page, you can save it and send it to our curators for review.

• If you only want to save your edits and send your item for review later on, just click “SAVE CHANGES.”
• If you want to save your edits and send your item for review right away, click “SAVE AND SUBMIT FOR REVIEW.”

Note: If your edits will not save or you receive an error, you may be missing a required field. Please make sure that all the required fields are filled in.

To send multiple items for a review in a batch:

Go to My Uploads page and mark all the items you want to send for review, then scroll down to “Actions” at the bottom of the page, choose “SUBMIT” and click “EXECUTE”.

Once you’ve sent your media for review, the status of your upload will change to “Pending Review”.

Your file is then added to our curator queue for review. Our review system sorts uploads by order of submission. Please give our curators time to carefully review your uploads. Review time may vary depending on media type, the size of your submission, and the number of submissions ahead of you.

After your submission has been reviewed, you’ll receive an email with information on the curation results. Your files will be either accepted, returned to you for edits, or rejected with an explanation as to why. You can also find these details on your Uploads page next to each item, and use filters to sort by different statuses.

Note: It may take up to 24 hours to see your accepted files online in the Pond5 marketplace.

Rejected Files

Our curators base their assessment of files on many different factors. For example, our curators may decide that the content is too low-quality, or that our library already has too many similar files. You will always receive a message from our curators regarding the reason for any rejected files.

If you feel like your files have been rejected for an improper reason, please contact us at support@pond5.com and include file ID numbers so we can look into the specific files in question.

For more information on any of the topics covered in this post, contact Customer Support at support@pond5.com.

CSV stands for “Comma Separated Value”. It’s essentially a text file, but you can use any spreadsheet editor – including Excel, OpenOffice, or Google Docs to edit it.

Download the CSV file.

You can download a CSV file listing all your uploaded items.

Log into your account > Hover cursor over account avatar  > Click on Uploads > APPLY CSV

Click on “Apply CSV”.

Identify the type of media you are working with, click the corresponding tab and click Download CSV.

When you click the Download CSV button, a file with an extension .csv will be downloaded to your computer. This is essentially a text file but you can use Excel or the free OpenOffice to work on the data in a spreadsheet mode which is a much simpler way to work with mass data.

CSV files allow you to add metadata to multiple uploads with one master file, saving a significant amount of time. CSV stands for “Comma Separated Value,” and these are essentially text files. You can use any spreadsheet editor, including Excel, OpenOffice, or Google Docs to edit them.

You can start from a blank file if you want to prepare your metadata before the actual upload of your media to Pond5. Just download our CSV template here.

If you open the downloaded .csv file in OpenOffice, it will most likely look like a compressed text file with one file per row (1 clip, 1 audio file, etc.) separated by commas. To fix this view:

• Select all the data by clicking on the column mark (e.g. Column A) and go to the top menu. Select “DATA,” then “TEXT TO COLUMNS.” This will pull up a wizard window.
• Ensure DELIMITED is marked and click “NEXT”
• Select “COMMA” and click “FINISH”

The spreadsheet is laid out so that the first row is the header/name of the data fields you want to adjust; these column names are completely case insensitive. The remaining rows are one row of data per clip.

Fill the spreadsheet with all/some of the following data:

• OriginalFilename – This is the filename your file was uploaded as (with file extension).
• Title – Add a descriptive title with an 80 character limit.
• Description – Add a description with a 500 character limit.
• Keywords – Add 10-50 accurate and relevant keywords, separated by commas.
• City, Region, Country – Tell us where was the footage shot.
• Specifysource – Specify camera model.
• Modelreleased – Fill out yes/no.
• Propertyreleased – Fill out yes/no.
• Release – State the filename of a release that you have already uploaded on Pond5 with its extension. If you have more releases, please separate them by a comma.
• Copyright – State the copyright owner.
• Price – Set the price for the original size/file in US$. When adding a price for video, insert your preferred pricing and our system will put it in the appropriate tier.
• Editorial – State whether the submission is intended for Editorial use – fill out with yes/no.

Note: Mandatory fields for CSVs are Originalfilename, Title, and Keywords. All other fields are optional.

The general recommendation is to delete from your CSV file all of the columns and rows you are not planning to update and keep the file slim. This will help to avoid errors caused by shifted columns/rows.

Keep a copy of your originally downloaded, unmodified CSV file saved on your computer in case your modifications are not recognized. That way you can simply use the original file to restore the data as it was initially.

When saving a modified CSV file, it’s important to pay attention to how it’s saved. To save a spreadsheet as a CSV using OpenOffice:

• Go to Menu > FILE > SAVE AS > Text CSV (.csv) > KEEP CURRENT FORMAT
• This will open a small pop-up window asking for details. Verify that the file is being saved as the following:
  • Character set: Unicode (UTF-8)
  • Field delimeter: , (comma)
  • Text delimeter: ” (quotation mark)

Once your metadata CSV is ready, you can upload it via the APPLY CSV page.

For more information on anything covered in this post, contact Customer Support at support@pond5.com.

Pond5 uses image-recognition software that can generate keywords automatically to your uploaded media.

We are extremely proud to be the first marketplace to apply innovative Artificial Neural Networks and make auto-tagging available to you. Like the human brain, the more you use the auto-tagging tool the more efficient and effective it becomes.

Using Auto-Tagging

• Navigate to your Uploads page, where you can add metadata to your uploaded files
• Click on the Edit or Needs Edits button, which will direct you to the Edit Item page

• Scroll to Keywords to find our suggested tags

• Review Keywords
• To expand, manually remove or add tags
• Confirm and click Save Changes and Submit for Review

Using Only Your Created Keywords

If you prefer, you do have the option to continue to rely exclusively on the keywords that you create.

• Apply a CSV file containing only the keywords you have created
• Edit items straight from your Uploads page before you visit the Edit Item page.
• Disable the Automatically Suggested Keywords on the My Preferences page.