How to Build a Content Library of Shots from the Internet to Use for Various Campaigns

If you’re in advertising, you know the value of having a visual 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 relevant images. Often I’m publishing content so fast that I don’t have time to source or create new visuals. (PSA: Don’t take marketing designers for granted, folks!) 

Often teams search through DAMS (digital asset management systems) of clips from original production shoots, or browse stock houses for content to use in such situations. However, there’s also a third type of content making its way into everyday marketing, and that’s internet content, or essentially any content that is posted online, usually via our favourite social platforms - TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and so on.

As creative marketers, it’s important to consume just as much as we create. A lot of us build vision boards to spark ideas and get into the right headspace. It makes sense to find inspiration on the internet. You immerse yourself, find the gems you like, and hold onto them - maybe for future use, or maybe just to be your muse. You might use an app like Pinterest to do that. I’ve got Pinterest boards too, but it only goes so far when it comes to inspiration. Licensing content is now more accessible, and so creative professionals need a place to both collect and keep track of all content they’ve licensed for campaign use. 

I’m going to show you how to create a content library out of assets that you discovered online and licensed for commercial use. It’s easy to set up and free. Let’s get into it.

Curate for Your Content Library by Casting a Wide Net

There are three main ways you can find content on the internet that best fits your brand and campaign theme. As you search, you’ll want to consider the factors that can make pursuing a license easy versus complex. (For example, a shot of a parade featuring several recognisable faces in the crowd will make it difficult to obtain a license.)

1. Search for yourself on popular social media sites like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

2. Explore online communities, where skilled creators post their original content. (E.g. The Catch+Release Creator Community is a group that is interested in licensing to brands.)

3. Hire an agency or freelancers to help you find the right content.

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 refines it, is the best way to start seeing results. You can always decide later not to license a shot you found. It’s encouraged 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.

Consider Your Use Cases

Let’s say you’re an athleisure clothing brand doing a lot of marketing on social. You’re likely running branding campaigns year-round. Additionally, every six months you produce a new 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. I recommend organising your content libraries separately, one for each use case. It’s the most efficient way to keep track of content, especially since you’ll likely have different license terms for each separate use case.

Build a Collection in the Catch+Release Platform for Every Use Case

Set Up the Usage Terms for Your Content Library

When you’re ready to pursue licenses for the content in your library, you’ll need to think about how you plan to use the content. Specifically, what’s the time duration and what’s the project? Here are the types of license parameters I’d 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 maximise 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

Consider where you plan to distribute the content. For example, does the campaign generally fall under “advertising”, “film”, or “digital media”? For the athleisure clothing company doing social media campaigns, the category would be “advertising”. In this case, you’ll also need to determine the target audience - particularly, the geographical region and the audience size range. Another factor to consider, which impacts the license price, is whether or not you’d like exclusivity on the content. I 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.

License the Shots You Want for Your Content Library

When you’re ready to pursue licenses, you can go ahead and do that for each of your content libraries. You might decide to do it on your own and to reach out to copyright owners and clear the shots for the permissions you need and to work out a deal on payment. Maybe you have a legal department that can help assist you through that process. Alternatively, you might consider hiring a third party that specialises in content licensing. This could be a legal firm or a company like Catch+Release that also provides indemnification.

Example of a Content Library to Promote a Limited Edition Clothing Line

Get Started Building Your Content LibraryToday

The creator economy grows more and more each day. Consumers love it too – I mean, most of them are contributing to it! Marketers love having the option to license content they find online instead of the traditional choice between original production or stock. This type of content feels more human, and it’s much more affordable than shooting. It’s also relevant, because it’s being created in real-time, every second and represents an ever-evolving culture.

As you start to license shots for your campaigns from everyday creators on the internet, keep in mind that you can also create libraries with this type of content. Follow my approach, and you’ll be much more efficient and gain back time to focus on important things, like measuring results and planning your next high-performing campaign. Have fun exploring what’s out there.