December Uploads Still Selling in August
91% of December uploads contained evergreen elements that kept selling through August here's what made them stick.
Context and Who It’s For
Microstock creators often avoid December uploads, thinking year-end content becomes stale quickly. This analysis proves otherwise. December 30, 2024 uploads tracked through August 2025 reveal which visual themes maintain momentum across seasons.
This matters if you create stock photos and want uploads that sell consistently for months, not weeks. The data shows specific patterns that separate lasting performers from quick faders.
What Data We Used
This analysis examines Adobe Stock’s top-performing assets from January through August 2025 YTD. From 3,771 total weekly top sellers, we isolated 102 assets uploaded on December 30, 2024 giving us eight months of performance tracking.
Key data columns analyzed: asset titles, keyword tags, category hierarchies, image dimensions, GenTech flags, and weekly ranking positions. Each asset represents proven buyer demand, having reached top-seller status multiple times across the tracking period.
The dataset covers Photos exclusively, filtering out illustrations and vectors to focus on photographic content patterns.
How We Analyzed
The analysis followed four steps: First, filtered December 30, 2024 uploads from the broader dataset. Second, extracted and ranked keyword frequency to identify “money tags.” Third, categorized content as evergreen versus seasonal based on title and tag analysis. Fourth, cross-referenced successful patterns against image dimensions and category hierarchies.
We used buyer engagement proxies (weekly top-seller appearances) as performance indicators, acknowledging this reflects market demand rather than absolute download volumes.
Key Findings
Evergreen Content Dominated December Uploads
91.2% of successful December uploads contained evergreen indicators terms like “business,” “background,” “people,” and “technology.” Only 50% included seasonal markers like “celebration” or “holiday.” This suggests year-end uploaders who avoided obvious seasonal themes maintained better longevity.
“New Year” Concepts Outperformed Holiday Themes
The top-performing keyword combinations centered on “2025,” “new year,” and “goal” rather than “Christmas” or “holiday.” Business-focused New Year content appeared in 54 uploads, while traditional holiday imagery showed up in only 33.
+-----------------------+------------+-------------+-------------+
| Content Theme |Upload Count| Success Rate| Performance |
+-----------------------+------------+-------------+-------------+
| New Year/Goals | 54 assets | High | 8mo+ sales |
| Business Concepts | 50 assets | High | Consistent |
| Holiday/Christmas | 33 assets | Medium | 3-4 months |
| Generic Backgrounds | 51 assets | Highest | Year-round |
+-----------------------+------------+-------------+-------------+Background and Texture Assets Showed Exceptional Staying Power
“Background” ranked as the third most frequent keyword (51 uses), while “texture” appeared consistently across categories. These assets serve ongoing creative needs regardless of season, explaining their longevity.
Category Distribution Revealed Unexpected Winners
Culture and Religion led with 31.4% of successful December uploads, followed by People (17.6%) and Business (16.7%). Technology and Science combined for under 6%, suggesting human-centered content outperformed tech-focused themes during this period.
Horizontal Orientation Dominated Success Metrics
December uploads skewed heavily horizontal, matching broader stock trends. However, the 12.7% vertical share in our dataset exceeded typical vertical performance, suggesting December vertical uploads found specific buyer niches.
Why It Matters
These patterns translate directly to revenue consistency. Assets that maintained top-seller status from December through August generated income across multiple seasons, buyer cycles, and campaign periods.
December uploads with evergreen foundations avoided the typical January drop-off where seasonal content loses relevance. Instead, they entered the new year positioned for business planning seasons, Q1 campaigns, and year-round creative needs.
The “New Year” positioning also aligned with buyer psychology January through March sees high demand for goal-setting, business planning, and fresh-start imagery. December uploaders captured this wave early.
How to Apply It
Choose Evergreen Themes Over Obvious Seasonal Content
Focus on concepts that transcend specific holidays. Business planning, goal setting, fresh starts, and professional scenarios work year-round. Save obvious holiday imagery for earlier seasonal uploads.
Upload Business-Focused Content in Late December
Target professional themes: planning meetings, goal visualization, team collaboration, office environments, and productivity concepts. These align with January buyer demand while avoiding Christmas saturation.
Prioritize Clean Backgrounds and Textures
Background and texture assets consistently outperformed complex scenes. Clean, versatile backgrounds serve ongoing creative needs across industries and seasons.
Tag for Year-Round Searchability
Use keywords that remain relevant across seasons: “business,” “concept,” “professional,” “modern,” “clean,” and “minimal.” Avoid time-specific terms unless they serve long-term search patterns.
Frame for Professional Use Cases
Focus on imagery that serves business presentations, website headers, social media templates, and marketing materials. These use cases drive consistent demand regardless of season.
Test Vertical Orientations for Specific Niches
While horizontal dominated overall, the 12.7% vertical success rate suggests specific vertical opportunities. Test portrait orientations for mobile-first designs and social media applications.
Time Your Upload Strategy
December 30th timing positioned assets perfectly for New Year search spikes. Consider similar strategic timing around other transitional periods fiscal year-ends, back-to-school seasons, and quarterly planning cycles.
Creative Directions
Minimalist Professional Environments
Focus on clean office spaces, modern workplaces, and professional meeting scenarios. Emphasize negative space, neutral colors, and timeless design elements that remain relevant across seasons.
Abstract Goal and Progress Concepts
Create visual metaphors for advancement, achievement, and forward momentum. Think ascending steps, growth charts, pathway imagery, and progress indicators that translate across cultures and industries.
Textural Background Collections
Develop series of clean, versatile textures: subtle gradients, minimal patterns, professional surfaces, and neutral backgrounds. These serve ongoing creative needs across multiple buyer segments.
Technology Integration Themes
Balance modern technology with human elements. Show people using devices professionally, collaborative work scenarios, and technology serving business goals rather than dominating the frame.
Pitfalls and Fixes
Avoiding Seasonal Trap Words
Many December uploaders still use obvious holiday terminology that dates their content quickly. Replace “Christmas,” “holiday,” and “winter” with “year-end,” “planning,” and “professional.” This simple swap extends search relevance by months.
Over-Texturing Background Assets
Complex textures limit buyer applications. Successful background assets in our dataset emphasized subtle patterns and clean surfaces. Keep texture work minimal and versatile rather than decorative and specific.
Ignoring Business Calendar Alignment
December uploads that ignored Q1 business cycles missed major buyer demand. Align content themes with corporate planning seasons, budget cycles, and professional calendar transitions.
Case Mini
Before: December upload titled “Christmas Office Party Celebration” with keywords “christmas, party, holiday, december, celebration, office”
After: December upload titled “Professional Team Achievement Meeting” with keywords “business, team, achievement, goal, planning, professional, meeting, success”
The revised approach removed time-specific references while maintaining workplace relevance. The “After” version served New Year planning searches, Q1 team building needs, and year-round achievement concepts extending its sellable lifespan from weeks to months.
Wrap-Up
December uploaders who focused on evergreen business themes, clean backgrounds, and year-round professional concepts maintained sales momentum through August. The 91.2% evergreen content ratio in successful December uploads proves timing matters less than theme selection.
Your next December batch should emphasize New Year planning concepts, professional environments, and versatile background assets rather than obvious holiday imagery. These patterns held true through August 2025 YTD, but monitor weekly performance data to catch shifting buyer preferences early.
Start planning your December 2025 uploads now with evergreen themes that serve ongoing buyer needs rather than fleeting seasonal moments.
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