Licensing clips and images you already shoot. Below is what it actually costs, how long before money arrives,
and the part most guides leave out.
Startup capital
€800–€5,000
Hours / week
8–30
First income
~24 wks
Net margin
90%
Saturation
high
Realistic ceiling
€80–€1,200
What nobody usually tells you
Genuinely passive once uploaded, and that's the appeal. The problem is scale: individual clips earn cents to a few euros, so meaningful income needs thousands of assets — and generative AI is eating the low end of this market fast.
The route, in five steps
Shoot what agencies are short of, not what's pretty
Upload to four libraries, not one
Keyword properly — it decides everything
Target 2,000 assets before judging the results
Reshoot your best sellers in new variations
What you'll need to buy
These are the categories every stock footage and photo pays for in the first month.
We break down what each one actually costs at this size on the
tools page.
cameraediting softwarestorage
Does it hold up for you?
These numbers are the average case. Whether this business clears your target depends on
your capital, your hours and how long you can wait — put them in and see.