What is PLR Content? – Make The Life You Love

So you want to start a printables business but don’t have time to create all the content yourself? Private label rights (PLR) content could be the solution you’re looking for. But what exactly is PLR content and how does it work?

PLR Content Meaning

PLR stands for “private label rights”. It refers to done-for-you content like articles, videos, graphics and templates that you can purchase a license to use and profit from.

With PLR, the person who made the original content keeps the copyright. They give you certain rights to use and edit the content under the license terms. This allows you to customize PLR content and use it as if you made it yourself. You can put your name and brand on it, then sell the finished product to your customers.

Basically, PLR is a way to legally reuse content someone else made without having to create it all from scratch. It can save you a lot of time and money. It’s also a great way to jumpstart your business when you’re first getting started and aren’t yet a skilled creator yourself, or if you don’t want to spend your efforts on product creation.

The key with using PLR is understanding what the license allows you to do with the content. There are rules you have follow when using and selling PLR products. I’ll cover the basics in this post.

What Is An Example of PLR?

You can find PLR content for lots of different things. From articles and ebooks, to video courses, audio recordings, photos, recipes, graphics, digital and printable products, and more.

While there are many different kinds of private label rights products you can buy, for this post I’m going to focus mainly on PLR printables, such as PLR planners, journals, workbooks, etc., since that’s what I create personally and what I know best.

Pros and Cons of Using PLR Content

Benefits Of Using PLR Content

When you decide to start a business, usually you want to hit the ground running and get started making sales yesterday, right? Having a bunch of high-quality premade products to sell can really give your new printables shop a boost.

Here are just a few of the biggest ways PLR content can help your business succeed:

Save time – Skip the effort of creating original planners, calendars, graphics and more from scratch
Save money – Premade PLR is much cheaper than hiring someone to create custom content
Customize to your style – Personalize the look of PLR content by changing the layout, the colors, fonts, adding your brand’s style, etc.
Quality products – If you’re not an experienced graphics designer, PLR content can give your shop’s products a professional look right out of the gate

Thinking about starting a printables business? Be sure to read my post on Making Passive Income By Selling Printables!

Downsides Of Using PLR Content

Limited uniqueness – The original may have been sold to lots of other buyers already.
Variable quality – Review content carefully, some PLR is low quality or out of date.
May require heavy editing – You’ll likely need to (and should!) customize the content before using. This is especially true for selling printables on Etsy.
Licensing restrictions – Some licenses limit how you can sell or reuse the content, or for how long.

Types of PLR Licenses

When you’re looking to buy PLR content, be sure you understand the terms of the license you’re getting.

The most common licenses you’ll find with PLR Content for digital and printable planner type products is a Commercial Rights or Resell Rights license. You’ll want to check the actual license terms for yourself, but in a nutshell here is what that means:

Commercial / Resell Rights License

Allows you to resell the PLR content as a finished product to your customers for a profit
This means you can use the PLR to create new printable products you plan to sell on Etsy, your own website, etc.
You can edit the PLR content substantially by changing the fonts, wording, graphics, adding your own branding, and also by combining it with other content
You have flexibility in how you sell and distribute the edited version. This includes selling printed products, digital downloads, bundled packages, membership site access (sometimes there are limitations on this one), etc.
Be sure to check the exact license terms because some of them do limit commercial use to a set number of units sold, or cap total profits, or restrict the duration you can sell your product created from the PLR content

Master Resale Rights License

In addition to allowing you the Commercial/Resell License Rights listed above, Master Resale Rights (or MRR) generally allows you to resell the PLR content commercially with or without changes as PLR Content to your customers who can then modify and sell it as a finished product to their customers
Again, as always, check the exact license terms to be sure you follow the rules

Myths & Misconceptions About PLR

There are some common myths about what private label rights content is and how it can be used legally. The biggest ones I hear most often include:

PLR content looks generic

Actually, when it comes to PLR content for printables, it’s useful to start with content that leaves lots of room for customization. Most PLR licenses (and Etsy terms of service) require you to change the content before selling it—and that’s a good thing for everyone. You want to have the freedom to really make the base content uniquely your own by adding your own fonts, colors, graphics, additional pages, and other custom modifications.

PLR is duplicate content

When PLR content is not handled correctly, you might find duplicates for sale. If you’re selling on your own website, you don’t have to worry as much about duplicate content—and in particular if you treat PLR content the way you should, by rebranding it into a product that’s uniquely yours. But for some platforms where PLR is being sold, such as Etsy and Amazon, duplicate content can give you big problems.

Amazon KDP, for example, may terminate a seller’s account if duplicate content has been found for sale on the store. If you decide to use PLR content to create a planner or journal for sale on Amazon KDP, you must make extensive modifications to the PLR content to avoid risking your account to Amazon’s strict terms of service violations.

Etsy terms of service states that all “handmade” items (which is what Etsy considers your printables to be) must be made and/or designed by you, the seller. So, listing an unchanged PLR content product in your shop is against the policy and could get your store shut down.

PLR content can be used however you want

Not true. As I mentioned earlier, there are license rights and restrictions that you agree to when you purchase PLR content from someone. Fortunately, most licenses are straightforward and easy to understand, so check the terms and make sure you are using PLR content accordingly.

PLR content is low quality

To be fair, I’ve seen some PLR content for printables that’s less than stellar. But if the bones of the content are good, or if the content contains something you can use as a base for a better final product, sometimes the PLR is worth the price just so you don’t have to start from scratch.

Get the best PLR by looking for reputable creators who care about their work and their customers. I hope you’ll come to think of me as one of your go-to PLR content creators!

Final Takeaway

Using private label rights content can be a smart option for building your printables business. PLR content will save you time and give your shop a boost with professionally designed products you can start selling right away.

Respecting PLR content licensing is key. Look for reputable creators, follow the rules, and you’ll have awesome content to customize and profit from without the time and effort of creating it yourself!

Ready to Boost Your Business with PLR Planners?

Now that you have the scoop on using private label rights content properly, it’s time to take action!

Get a Free PLR Planner Template

Be sure to grab the FREE Undated PLR Planner Template I’m offering to my email subscribers. Just sign up below and you’ll get instant access to this beautiful planner you can modify in the free version of Canva and sell or share with your audience.

Watch my website for more PLR planner and printables resources created to help your business succeed. Get started today and let me help you Make The Life You Love!