Knowing Your Worth

A guide for creators, influencers, artists, etc to understand your rights on your work, knowing how to get paid, how to invoice when your work is misused and how to combat the bs “we have no budget” comment.

In lieu of my latest very public experience with New Zealand’s main tourism board and the insane response both Ryan and I received after sharing, I’ve been thinking of gathering my thoughts and knowledge about the subject and helping others protect their worth.

If you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, head to Ryan’s IG highlights and watch the “Get Paid” story set. I will be sharing more on this further down the article.

our first mistake and the biggest lesson we learned

Ry and I first moved to New Zealand in 2015. Coming off a high of backpacking across South America, we settled nicely into Wellington and immediately found ourselves hiking every chance we had. Our Instagram accounts were small, maybe around 1-2k followers, but as we started to show off this breathtaking country, we saw them grow naturally. Now in this age of IG, growing organically was easy. We could spend an hour a day liking and commenting on other accounts and wake up to 50 to 100 new followers (oh how I miss those days). With no experience in this weird new world of social media, we were naive and therefore taken advantage of.

In 2016, the tourism board of Wellington reached out to Ryan after finding his photo we snapped at Castlepoint. They exclaimed how much they loved the photo and asked to use it in a campaign to promote the city’s new flight path from Canberra, Australia. Having zero experience, he happily agreed because hey, the CITY OF WELLINGTON wanted to use his photo!! What a dream, right? Wrong, very wrong. He sent over the hi-res photo, they sent a thank you package of Wellington treats (most of which we couldn’t eat because they weren’t vegan). Later we found out they used his photo on billboards, bus ads, etc across the city of Canberra. They asked and we gave it to them and they probably laughed out of pleasure knowing what they were getting. This type of work should be commissioned in the $10k+ range pretty far from an average gift basket.

We will never forget this experience and we will never let it happen again. And we hope to help you by sharing our experiences so these bs circumstances don’t keep happening.

creator lessons learned knowing your worth

Our next lesson: Finding our images used without permission

Nowadays the incredible website Pixsy exists. Make an account and this website will find your stolen images across the globe and will fight for you to get paid for them.

In 2018, this didn’t exist and there is a good chance that our images would have been used without our permission if it weren’t for our wonderful friends. Multiple times, Ryan and I have received messages like “look your famous” sent with a screenshot of our photo in a magazine. It happened just this year and what did we do? We sent an invoice and got paid. Sometimes it’s “an accident,” sometimes brands are just too cheeky and take advantage of their content creators and sometimes they simply don’t care about copyright laws.

In any case, always understand, YOU OWN FULL RIGHTS TO YOUR IMAGES. You always own the copyright to your photos, artwork, videos, etc. Even if you sell full rights to your photo for a brand, it is still yours. Forever and ever. If someone uses your photo for an ad, digital, print, you name it, you have the right to be paid for it. And if you need to take them to small claims court, you will win. Usually threatening with a “my lawyer will be in contact” makes them pay because they know they are in the wrong.

Anyway, back to 2018 when I received a text message saying "isn’t this you?” and a photo of our photo in a magazine. The photo I’m talking about is below.

When I received it, I was working on my laptop in Wellington’s Central Library (RIP due to earthquake damage) and I immediately ran over to the magazine section to search for our photo. Not only did I find it in one issue, I found it in FIVE others! I quickly gathered them all together and sent this snap below to Ryan.

finding your work misused know your worth

From there he contacted the magazine to see what happened. They responded amazingly. Apologized immediately and said it went through multiple people and the actual email to ask Ryan about the photos was missed. Ryan had submitted the photo into their annual photography competition where the Terms & Conditions mention photo use for the magazine. Ryan didn’t win with this photo, but also it was not supposed to be used for an advertisement within the magazine.

Not only did they pay us, they continued chatting to Ryan which led to him landing two paid back-to-back covers. He’s had a third since and he has kept a great relationship with this brand since that first experience.

The lesson here always read the Terms & Conditions of every competition and website you use to submit your photos. Many competitions will have T&Cs that grant them full rights to any images you enter. Beware. This is super sneaky because by submitting you’ve given them this right. This also goes for contracts when working with a brand. As boring as it is, read every line before agreeing to the work. Brands, tourism boards, etc know how to get away with free images. They may pretend they accidentally used your photo, or didn’t know, but as long as you haven’t agreed to let them use your photos, you deserve to be paid for your work.

why image credit is not enough

My most recent experience with the board of NZ tourism (@purenewzealand) is a prime example of a company or in this case, a government entity taking advantage of creators. They are notorious for getting photos (for free) from creators across the country and recently launched a super cheeky comment system of asking for photos which leads the creator to a website that gives them rights to use your image. By using their hashtags (which I will never use again) #nzmustdo and #dosomethingnew, you may be approached to allow them to use your images and videos by replying #YesNZ to the comment or responding in a DM. This was recently changed thanks to our big hoopla we shared about the bs reality of this.

Here’s what happened. A few night’s ago, I received the same generated comment from @purenewzealand on multiple images on my Instagram account. See below for what they said.

The link they mentioned required you to login in before being able to see their T&Cs. Since then they have changed it, but openly admit they will not compensate you in any form.

“You agree that TNZ has no obligation to compensate you for the licence granted to TNZ above to use your Content, and any intellectual property rights that subsist therein.” - quote from their T&C’s

I urge you to read their new T&C’s to fully understand what they are asking.

Because Ryan and I shared this and then it was shared countlessly by other creators, they eventually reached out. I received a phone call from Laura, a team leader, who graciously apologized. She went on to tell them they are reviewing their terms and will be making an effort to change how they operate. This is a huge win for us creators, but it doesn’t mean they still aren’t asking for free photos. Many friends reached out via IG saying they’ve done just that to them. And I get it, when the main tourism board (a 1.1m follower account) reaches out to say they want to use your photo, it’s enticing especially to a newbie just starting off.

But image credit isn’t going to pay the bills. Maybe a few years back when an account this big shared your photo, you’d receive hundreds, maybe thousands of followers, but that is just not the case anymore. Image credit on a billboard? Do you think those people passing by are reading your name? No. They are staring at the beautiful image you took and not looking twice at your name.

Image credit isn’t good enough. Sure for a share on a social media page. Great. For an advertisement, meaning this company is trying to gain profit on your photo? Hell no.

Think for a second about how much time, effort and money it took for you to get that photo. We spend thousands on our camera equipment. We have years of experience. We paid hundreds to fly to the mountains, pay for gas, a car, accommodation, etc, then spend all day hiking to get a dream shot we’re so proud of to then have a multi-million dollar company take it for free to use for their own worth? A big f no.

Your hard work is worth it. When I get that “oh we have no budget,” bs I simply reply, “do you not get paid by (fill in the blank company)?” As that person is typing out they can’t pay you, THEY ARE GETTING PAID. Are you? No. These tourism boards have budgets. They get massive grants from the government (takes all but a google to learn more) and they can pay you.

I’ll repeat it again. Know Your Worth.

Would you ever go into a job that wasn’t going to pay you? No. Would a Social Media Manager do work for free? No. So why should you, the actual person creating the image, creating the art, not get paid?

Here’s a great example that Ryan shared. Say you gave your photo and they printed it and put it on a billboard. The person who found your photo on social media was paid to find your photo. The marketing team that chose your photo to use it for an ad was paid. The graphic designer who added their logo/design to your photo was paid. The printing company who printed your image was paid. The freaking person who hung your photo on said billboard was paid. Why the hell would you not get paid! Get it? Get where my fury comes from? The next time someone says they can’t pay you, remind them of this. Maybe a shortened version in a nicer way.

Creators deserve to be paid. Full stop.

How to Charge

Finding out how much to charge is difficult, Getty Image Calculator used to be the best tool for this, but for the past year hasn’t worked properly.

Charge what you feel is right.

This depends on how long they will use the photo, where it’ll be used and how it will be used. I can’t tell you how much to charge because every situation is unique. You also might package a group of photos for a lesser amount. If you are unsure, you can always ask for their budget. Most of the time they won’t give this out, but sometimes they do. Search online for helpful articles, reach out to creative friends or dm me.

As you can see, I’m quite honest and willing to share with friends. But please please always use your manners. Too many times my inbox is full of just people wanting valuable information from me. Things I’ve worked years on to learn and so many times without a please or thank you mentioned.

Now, thankfully, I have this article to refer folks to.

On the contrary, When to work for free

Sophie Collins of The Creators Handbook said it best, “work for free, only when it benefits you.” This line could be more perfect.

I recently took Sophie’s Media Kit and Pitching workshop course and learned so much. Head to her Instagram accounts (both linked above) to find out more about her workshops or book a mentoring session with her. She is a whizz in the IG world and one of the only people I’ve seen grow their accounts organically in these harder times.

One massive takeaway that I’ve already talked about, never ever give full rights for free content. If they want to send you free stuff in exchange for a post and photos, agree, but always include in your email when sending the photos, “Please feel free to use these photos with my image credit on your social channels. If you’d like to use my photos for advertisements on socials, prints, website or billboard use, I’d be more than happy to discuss payment options.” If there is no actual offical contract being signed, a response to this email could be considered a form of contract.

If you are just starting out, this is a great way to show what you can do. Sometimes the only way to start working with brands is to create content for free. In my case, I started with athletic apparel brands like Glyder and Stronger (see example above) where I was given free products and the images were only used for social media re-posts. I did a giveaway with a local NZ botanical brand. I was sent a handful of socks and underwear from Happy Socks, and so on. This was a great way to start working with brands so I could build up a portfolio to eventually show brands I’m worth paying.

Still to this day I do “free” work. When it benefits me.

For example, I was recently approached by Lululemon to receive a beautiful winter jacket. I, unfortunately, had to decline because it contains goose down (I follow a vegan lifestyle), but I offered to promote running gear as I’ve been an avid trail runner since last year’s lockdown. They agreed and invited me to the store to pick out an outfit valued at over NZ$500. In exchange, I’ll do a post and send over some photos for them to use on their social media (with my terms stated above, of course) and hopefully, this relationship will blossom into more.

More examples include our latest adventure with Wilderness Motorhomes as well as our tourism board work for Rotorua and Nelson Tasman. In every exchange, we make sure to either have a clear agreed-upon contract stating what the photos will be used for and afterwards we always show the brands/tourism boards more photos available for purchase for commercial use. A few years back we sold a few photos to Nelson Tasman tourism board one of which was recently used in March’s Air New Zealand’s in-flight magazine promoting the region (see below).

paid work examples

Since my first paid IG job in November 2018 (with Johnson’s and Johnson’s), Ryan and I have been lucky enough to continue to receive ongoing paid work. It does take a lot of effort to get there, especially with the downward spiral of IG algorithms, but paid work is there!

For Aus/NZ creators, I highly recommend signing up for apps like Vamp & Tribe where jobs are posted and you can apply for them. Also, reaching out to PR companies in your country or other countries that you have a big following in is a great way to find paid work. It doesn’t come easy though. A visually strong Media Kit (basically your CV/Resume for your work which typically includes social stats, previous brand experience and your best work) is key. Also knowing how to pitch is a must.

Again, I’ll plug Sophie of The Creator’s Handbook here because her workshop (more launching soon) is perfect for those starting out. She not only creates for herself but runs multiple social accounts meaning she’s on the receiving end of media kits and pitches. Soph knows what she’s talking about and will teach you how to get paid.

final wrap-up

Get paid! Your time, effort, tools, skills, experience and equipment are more than worth it.
Do not be afraid to ask brands for their budget if they are reaching out for work.
Do not be afraid to send invoices for misuse of photos. If you have a Macbook, the pages app has an easy Invoice template to customize.
Make an account on Pixsy to ensure your photos aren’t being stolen. And if they are, INVOICE them! The website will even do it for you.
Be nice, use your manners and show excitement when communicating with brands. This goes a loooong way.
If they are only offering unpaid work and you don’t want to do it, tell them something along the lines of “thanks for the opportunity, but unfortunately, I don’t have the capacity to do free work. If your budget changes in the future, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love the chance to create for your brand.”

Know your worth. Make money and have fun!

If you have more questions, pop them below. I’m happy to help. And feel free to share with fellow creators and friends so my hard lessons don’t have to be repeated.

Thanks you kindly,

Viktoria