Shutterstock Video Keywording Guide for Stock Footage Contributors
Shutterstock video keywording works best when your first keywords describe the clip literally, your title stays clear, and your description gives buyers fast context. The goal is not to add as many words as possible. The goal is to help the right buyer find the right clip.
For stock footage contributors, Shutterstock can be strict about relevance. A clean keywording workflow helps you avoid weak metadata, rejected files, and wasted upload time.
Why Shutterstock video keywords matter
Buyers search Shutterstock with a mix of literal terms and project intent. One buyer might search for business meeting. Another might search for team collaboration office. Another might search for corporate planning presentation.
Your metadata should help Shutterstock understand:
- What appears in the clip
- What action is happening
- Where the scene takes place
- What concept the clip can represent
- What visual style or technical format matters
Good keywording makes the clip easier to discover without making the metadata feel spammy.
Start with the literal subject
The first pass should be simple. List what is visibly true in the clip.
Ask:
- Who or what is the main subject?
- What is the subject doing?
- Where is the scene?
- What objects, environment, or details are visible?
Example for a clip of a person typing on a laptop in an office:
Primary keywords:
business, office, laptop, computer, typing, worker, professional, desk, workplace, technology
These words are not creative, but they are important. They anchor the clip in reality.
Add action keywords
Action keywords help buyers find movement, not just subjects.
Examples:
- walking
- typing
- smiling
- talking
- driving
- pouring
- cooking
- flying
- scrolling
- presenting
- exercising
For video, action is often more important than the object. A buyer may not just need a laptop. They may need typing, planning, working, or communicating.
Add setting and location keywords
Setting keywords help buyers filter footage by context.
Examples:
- office
- home
- kitchen
- city
- beach
- forest
- warehouse
- hospital
- classroom
- airport
- farm
- studio
If the location is recognizable and accurate, include it. If it is generic, use broader terms. Do not add a city, country, or landmark that is not clearly shown or known.
Add concept keywords carefully
Concept keywords are useful, but they are also where metadata can become spammy. Add concepts only when the clip could reasonably represent them.
Useful concept examples:
- teamwork
- success
- productivity
- wellness
- travel
- sustainability
- education
- technology
- healthcare
- finance
- family
- freedom
Bad concept keywording looks like this:
success, money, happiness, luxury, business, health, travel, education, technology, family, everything
That kind of keyword list tries to rank for too many ideas at once. It makes the clip less trustworthy.
Put your strongest keywords first
Shutterstock does not need your keywords to be random. Put the most important and accurate terms near the beginning.
A simple order:
- Main subject
- Main action
- Setting
- Visual details
- Concepts
- Technical or style terms
Example for an aerial sunset beach clip:
drone, aerial, beach, ocean, sunset, coastline, waves, travel, tourism, summer, landscape, nature, vacation, scenic, seascape, outdoors, horizon, golden hour, destination, peaceful, tropical, 4K, establishing shot
This order starts with what the clip is, then expands into how a buyer might use it.
Write a title that sounds human
Your title should not be a keyword dump. It should describe the clip in one clean phrase.
Good title:
Aerial Drone Shot of Ocean Coastline at Sunset
Weak title:
Drone Aerial Beach Ocean Waves Sunset Travel Summer Vacation Tourism Nature Landscape 4K
The weak title contains useful words, but it reads like a tag list. Keep those terms in the keywords field, not the title.
Write a description that adds buyer context
A good Shutterstock video description should be short and specific. Two sentences are usually enough.
Template:
[Subject and action] in [setting]. Useful for [buyer use cases, industries, or concepts].
Example:
Aerial drone footage flying over an ocean coastline at sunset with waves and warm golden light. Useful for travel, tourism, summer lifestyle, nature, destination marketing, and peaceful background visuals.
This gives buyers a clear reason to click.
Avoid irrelevant keyword stuffing
Keyword stuffing can hurt metadata quality. Avoid adding terms that are not visible, not implied, or not useful.
Do not add:
- Famous locations that are not actually shown
- People descriptors that are not visible or known
- Industries unrelated to the clip
- Emotional terms that do not match the scene
- Every possible camera term
- Competitor names or platform names as clip keywords
A clean list of 30 relevant keywords is better than 50 weak ones.
Use technical keywords only when accurate
Technical terms can help buyers, but only if they are true.
Useful technical keywords include:
- 4K
- HD
- slow motion
- timelapse
- drone
- aerial
- vertical
- close up
- wide shot
- handheld
- copy space
Do not add slow motion to normal-speed clips. Do not add drone to ground footage. Do not add vertical to horizontal files.
Shutterstock keywording checklist
Before submitting, check each video:
- Title describes the clip clearly
- Description adds setting and use case context
- First 10 keywords are the most relevant
- Keywords include subject, action, setting, and visual details
- Concept keywords are accurate
- Technical keywords are true
- No duplicated keywords
- No unrelated trending words
- No keyword list pretending to be a title
- File name and metadata row match the correct clip
This checklist catches most metadata issues before upload.
Example Shutterstock metadata
For a clip of a small business owner packing online orders:
Title:
Small Business Owner Packing Online Orders in Studio
Description:
Small business owner packing customer orders at a worktable in a bright studio. Useful for ecommerce, entrepreneurship, shipping, online retail, handmade products, and small business marketing projects.
Keywords:
small business, business owner, packing orders, ecommerce, online store, shipping, retail, entrepreneur, package, box, studio, worktable, customer order, startup, handmade, product, commerce, seller, fulfillment, workplace, professional, woman, preparation, logistics, delivery, marketing, independence, business growth, 4K, close up
Category:
Business
How ClipMeta helps with Shutterstock keywording
ClipMeta can generate stock footage titles, descriptions, and keyword sets from your clips, then export metadata for contributor workflows. That helps when you have dozens or hundreds of clips and do not want to manually rewrite metadata from scratch for every file.
Use ClipMeta to speed up the first draft, then review with the checklist above. The best workflow is not pure automation or pure manual writing. It is AI-assisted metadata with a human relevance check before upload.
Ready to try it? Start free at clipmeta.app, 3 clips/day, no credit card.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many keywords should I use for Shutterstock video?
A: Use enough keywords to describe the clip fully, but do not add irrelevant terms just to fill space. A focused set of relevant keywords is better than a bloated list.
Q: Should Shutterstock video titles include keywords?
A: Yes, but the title should read naturally. Put the keyword list in the keyword field, not in the title.
Q: Can I reuse keywords on similar clips?
A: Yes, if the clips are similar. Still add unique subject, action, angle, location, and concept details for each clip.
Q: Are concept keywords allowed?
A: Yes, when they are relevant. Use concepts like teamwork, travel, wellness, or technology only when the clip can honestly represent them.
Q: Should I include camera terms in keywords?
A: Include camera and technical terms only when they matter and are accurate, such as drone, aerial, slow motion, timelapse, close up, or 4K.