Welcome to infocus! Your inside scoop on what’s hot at pocstock, what’s needed, and how to keep growing as a contributor. This month, we’re dialing in on the power of metadata, and how you can leverage AI to get your work discovered, licensed, and earning.
We’ll also be talking content opportunities!
Currently calling for visuals that capture what summer really looks like in our communities. Not everyone celebrates the same way, and we want to reflect that. Show us joy, culture, reflection, resistance, whatever summer means to you and your community.
Let’s dive in.
What is metadata, and why does it matter?
Metadata includes titles, descriptions, and keywords that describe your content, it’s what helps your content show up in search results on stock platforms. Well-written metadata increases the chances of your work being found and licensed.
What you’ll need:
- Your content files (photos, videos, etc.)
- A basic spreadsheet app (Google Sheets, Excel)
- Access to a Large Language Model (LLM) like ChatGPT
- A little patience and creativity
Image by Konstantin Pelikh | Available on pocstock
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Organize your content by category
Why? To save time and keep your workflow tidy.
What to do:
- Group your content into similar themes or categories.
- Example: “Urban Portraits,” “Nature Landscapes,” “Fitness Lifestyle.”
- This lets you write metadata for multiple files at once instead of one by one.
Tip: Keep each batch small enough that all the images can be described in a similar way.
Step 2: Write a simple description for the batch
Why? This serves as a base prompt for the AI to build better metadata.
What to include:
Who is in the image (e.g., gender, age, ethnicity)
- What they’re doing
- Where they are
- Details about clothing, lighting, or mood
Example:
A tall Brazilian man playing football on a summer day. He’s wearing a yellow shirt and red shorts.
Tip: If you’re stuck, just describe the image like you’re explaining it to a friend.
Image by Addictive Stock | Available on pocstock
Step 3: Generate multiple SEO-friendly descriptions using AI
Why? SEO (Search Engine Optimization) helps your work get found.
Prompt to enter into ChatGPT (or your LLM of choice):
“Give me 5 variations of this description while trying to optimize SEO for licensing: [Your Description Here]”
Example Input:
“Give me 5 variations of this description while trying to optimize SEO for licensing: A tall Brazilian man playing football on a summer day. He’s wearing a yellow shirt and red shorts.”
Tip: You can adjust the number (e.g., ask for 10 variations if you want more options).
Image by Konstantin Pelikh | Available on pocstock
Step 5: Paste everything into a spreadsheet (CSV)
Why? This is how most platforms let you upload metadata in bulk.
How to do it:
- Open Excel or Google Sheets.
- Create columns for: Filename, Title, Description, Keywords
- Paste your content’s metadata into the rows.
- Save or export the sheet as a CSV file.
Tip: Make sure your filenames in the CSV match the actual file names of your content exactly.
Final tips:
- Use the same workflow for videos, photos, or illustrations.
- Save templates of your favorite prompts.
- Keep your content organized so future uploads are easy.
If you haven’t already, sign up to become a contributor at: https://www.pocstock.com/sign-up
Calls for content
Summertime & 4th of July
We’re gearing up for our July collections and calling on contributors to deliver. We’re looking for images that capture the spirit of summer and the many ways our communities celebrate the 4th of July if at all.
Think: poolside joy, backyard cookouts, fireworks, family picnics, camping trips, and scenes that include the U.S. flag in natural, meaningful ways. We’re not here for forced patriotism, we’re here for honest moments, cultural pride, and visuals that reflect how we show up for summer.
The Black Dad Challenge
We out here this Father’s Day season, and we’re calling on creators join us in redefining how Black fatherhood is seen, shared, and remembered.
The #BlackDadChallenge is back, and this time, it’s part of Refacing the Future, our bold campaign to build AI datasets that actually look like us. That means more images of Black joy, real family dynamics, and everyday moments that disrupt the tired stereotypes that still dominate stock libraries and training models.
Here’s what we’re asking:
- Submit your content (photos or videos) to help train inclusive AI and build our pocstock dataset via the contributor portal.
- Post a powerful image of a Black dad being present: guiding, teaching, loving, laughing, helping, hugging, reading, playing.
- Tag @pocstock and a few others to do the same. Let’s make it a ripple effect.
- Join the movement! Everyone is welcome to contribute photography, illustrations, and video and you don’t even have to be a pro.
These images will become part of a new AI dataset designed to fight bias and uplift truth. Your submission could be used to help teach the next generation of artificial intelligence what love, leadership, and Black fatherhood really look like.
Help us upload powerful images of Black fatherhood this month!
From now through the end of June, we’re collecting photos and videos for a Black Dad Challenge Collection that will live on pocstock and feed into major Gen AI models. You can help us reface the future with visuals that reflect real life, not lazy played out stereotypes.
Ways to get involved:
- Submit your content: pocstock.com as a contributor
- Post to Instagram with #BlackDadChallenge and #RefacingTheFuture
- Tag Black dads you know to keep it going
- Spread the word: from creators and cousins to coworkers and celebs
Whether you’re a photographer, a father, a fan of progress, or someone who believes the world deserves better training data, we want you in the room.
Let’s rewrite the narrative. Let’s reface the future.
A modern day gold rush
There’s a gold rush in AI, and inclusive content is the currency.
AI Data content is different from regular stock. It’s used to train video learning models, so it doesn’t need to be perfect or polished. What matters most is variety and volume. That means your smartphone clips, webcam recordings, security footage, and even old videos could all be valuable.
At pocstock, your content helps shape the future of ethical AI. These files won’t show up on our commercial marketplace, but they will help build smarter, more inclusive technology, and you get paid for it.
We already have over 1.8 million assets in our library. You can submit work you’ve already created or go out and film something new.
Join us in making AI inclusive of everyone.
How to get involved
This movement doesn’t build itself. Here’s how you can step in:
- Join us → Become a Contributor
Explore ethical and inclusive data → pocstock.com/inclusive-ai
Download our guidebook → Refacing the Future
Invest in pocstock → wefunder.com/pocstock