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5 Reasons Why Most Content Creators Outsource their Content Licensing

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When creating content is your strong suit, you might think managing it is easy, too. But think again. It’s tempting to keep a practice like content licensing in-house, but in the long-run, outsourcing it to a trusted partner is the wise choice.

Trust is the optimal word here. Your content licensing partner not only manages your brand, but they will represent you in ways that you might not have the time or energy to do. They can be a massive convenience if you let them be.

Ultimately, the decision is yours, but these five reasons make it clear why outsourcing your content licensing makes sense for your business.

1. Work with an Expert

While many publishers know content licensing is valuable, few know where to start. Content licensing agencies have been handling these processes for decades and know the industry inside and out.

This expertise saves publishers time and resources, but ultimately it helps them earn more money. Agency experts don’t waste time throwing spaghetti against the wall to see what works. They are ready to dive in and get to business, helping your content earn new revenue almost immediately.

An agency like Wright’s Media is made of people who live and breathe the industry, bringing specialized insight acquired over many years. Wright’s Media currently represents over 900 publications, successfully licensing their content worldwide. If you want to tap into that kind of success with your brand, it’s time to consider outsourcing

2. Save on Costs

When considering whether to outsource your content licensing, publishers need to tally the total cost of handling it in-house versus outsourcing. Those costs add up quickly.

  • Salary – If you hire content licensing managers, designers, and production staff to manage your content licensing efforts internally, you’ll be paying them salary and/or commission.
  • HR – There will be expenses associated with the recruitment, interviewing, vetting, and onboarding of new employees.
  • Training – Each new employee must undergo at least some training with current employees, and this takes them away from revenue-producing activities.
  • Production Costs – Do you print or design in house? If not, these services will have to be purchased separately, unless you outsource, of course.

Creating an in-house team eats up significant up-front investments in time, money, and resources before you can begin to expect a positive ROI from your licensing efforts. But content licensing doesn’t have to cost you anything upfront. When you choose to outsource, you don’t waste any time. Instead, you’ll fastrack your publication to financial benefits.

3. Streamline Workflow

When you decide to partner with a content licensing agency, you benefit from a predefined workflow that has already been proven to drive results. Your content licensing agency will handle the entire content licensing process from strategy to research to direct sales and even in-house production.

You’re already doing these things for your content creation—do you really want to do it all over again internally for content licensing?

On top of taking care of the entire process, an agency will provide reporting, leading to great transparency about your partnership. Partner with a content licensing agency that provides complete access to your transactions in real-time. There should be nothing to hide.

4. Create an Extension of Your Brand

Your content licensing agency should feel like an extension of your business and, as such, they will dedicate sufficient personnel. With client success managers and content licensing managers on your side to solve your problems, you can focus more on your content and less on optimizing it for profits. They’ll handle that for you.

And because your agency becomes an extension of your business, it has to do more than just go through the motions of selling licenses. Expect them to offer guidance, marketing direction, and overall strategy for your brand. The agency will be invested in your success, because they only win when you do.

5. Boost In-House Efforts

If you’re not engaging with content licensing, you’re leaving money on the table. That much is clear. If you recognize that it’s too much work to take on internally, or if you’re not sure if your publication has licensing potential, outsourcing will be your answer.

If you’re already trying your hand at content licensing internally, we tip our hat to you. You get it. While in-house is better than nothing, it still might be wise to consider outsourcing. Has your content licensing become more of an afterthought or done only on an ad hoc basis? Are you devoting sufficient resources to make the most revenue you can from your content licensing?

Outsourcing to a content licensing agency not only enhances your brand awareness but also uncovers new opportunities to maximize revenue generation across your publications. Publishers are often stunned to see the additional revenue they can generate by partnering with an experienced content licensing agency.

Not convinced you’ll outsource yet? Let’s change that. A content licensing agency like Wright’s Media is a powerful partner to optimize revenue through licensing. Get in touch to request a free licensing review and let’s see how you can build strategies that generate results and not headaches.

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