If you’re in advertising, you know the value of having a content repository in your back pocket. These types of shots come in handy when you’re in a pinch, especially when working on a tight deadline — which, I’m sure these days, is pretty much all the time. As a marketer, I find it useful too. When I produce written content like blogs, eBooks, slide decks, and social media posts, I need to package them with images. Often I’m publishing content so fast that I don’t have time to find or create new visuals. (PSA: Don’t take talented marketing designers for granted, folks!)
When it comes to content libraries, it’s typical to build up your DAMS (digital asset management system) out of clips from original production shoots, or to browse a stock house. The great news is that you can now also build a personal library with content that you found and licensed from the internet. Let’s get into it.
1. Consider Your Content Library Use Cases
Let’s say you’re an athleisure clothing brand. You might want a content library for social media posts. You’re likely running general branding campaigns year-round. Additionally, every six months you produce a line in collaboration with a celebrity. On top of that, you always run a holiday campaign for about three months — usually late October to mid January. Here we have three different use cases for a content library. We recommend creating three separate content libraries in the Catch+Release platform. That way, you purchase more specific licenses per use case and also organize the content much more efficiently.
Build a Collection in the Catch+Release Platform for Every Use Case
2. Curate for Your Content Library by Casting a Wide Net
At Catch+Release, it’s free to start an account and build collections. Collections are the places to store shots you like and believe may be a fit. Maybe you want to use these shots in a specific campaign you’re working on. Or maybe it helps you get creative, so you want to hold onto it. There are three ways you can find content and save it to a collection.
1) Search the vast internet and give us the URL where you find a gem.
2) Explore our Creator Community, which is a marketplace of assets submitted by trusted creators who want their content licensed.
3) Hire our expert curation team who have the skills to find the perfect shots that fit your brief.
Use Collections to Store as Many Shots as You Can to Inspire You
Find as many shots as you can. Anything that reflects your vision, or even helps to refine it, should be added to a collection. You can always decide later not to license it. We encourage you to push your creativity during this stage of the process. You’ll have so much fun, and you might even come up with a new idea for a future campaign too.
3. Set Up the Usage Terms for Your Content Library
At this stage, you’ll need to think about how you plan to use the content. Specifically, what’s the length of time and what’s the project? In Catch+Release, we have you answer a few questions about the campaigns you might be using the content for. Here’s what we recommend for a content library.
Term Length
Set the term length for at least 12 months. After all the work you put into building up your library, you want to maximize the amount of time that these shots can be useful to you. Unless you’re working on a holiday campaign that will definitely only last three months, 12 months is best.
Example of a Winter Holiday UGC Content Library
Campaign Type, Target Audience, and Exclusivity
Let us know where you plan to distribute the content. We’ll ask you if the campaign generally falls under “advertising”, “film”, or “digital media”. For the athleisure clothing company doing social media campaigns, the category would be “advertising”. In this case, we’ll also ask you about the target audience — particularly, the geographical region and the audience size range. We also ask you if you’d like exclusivity on the content. We recommend erring toward a more generous license, considering all likely scenarios. You don’t want to be in a situation where you’ve limited yourself from using the content for an important campaign. Of course, always do what you feel is best, based on your needs and budget.
4. License the Shots You Want for Your Content Library
When you’re ready to pursue licenses, you can select the shots you want and add them to your shopping cart. From the checkout screen, make sure to add each shot to the correct “usage” before completing the checkout process. Catch+Release does all the heavy lifting of reaching out to copyright holders, negotiating a price that’s reasonable for you and also fair to the creator, and providing indemnification. We’ll notify you when a shot is ready to be licensed, and all that’s left to do is purchase when you’re ready.
Example of a Content Library to Promote a Limited Edition Clothing Line
To view all of your licensed shots in your new content library, navigate back to your collection and filter the view so that you see all of the ready-to-go assets. Click on the “filter” button. Then select “license granted.” Finally, hit “update”. There you go! You’re now looking at your personal content library.
5. Get Started Today for Free
It’s easy to join Catch+Release and start curating shots for your own personal content library. This is one of the best ways to take advantage of the Catch+Release platform to make your life as a marketer so much easier. If you have any questions, we’d love to help you. Get in touch at https://www.catchandrelease.com/talk-to-us.
P.S. Did you like the thumbnail for this blog post? It’s from one of our talented creators, Andy To. Check out his profile and maybe save something you like to a collection!
