DiscoverCreativ Rise Podcast253. What to Charge for Licensing Your Work as a Photographer and Filmmaker (Hot Take)
253. What to Charge for Licensing Your Work as a Photographer and Filmmaker (Hot Take)

253. What to Charge for Licensing Your Work as a Photographer and Filmmaker (Hot Take)

Update: 2025-10-08
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This might be a hot take, but if your usage terms are longer than a single sentence, they’re overcomplicating your process and making you less competitive.

We’ve seen too many creatives get caught up in the messy details of licensing terms - ****terms that didn’t need to exist in the first place. We’ve simplified our process completely, and it doesn’t only save us headaches - it saves us clients.

When potential clients are choosing a creative partner, who do you think they’re signing with: the creative who’s charging additional add-on fees to “protect” their work, or the partner who makes the client process simple, seamless and positive?

In this week’s episode, we’re breaking down exactly how we approach the ambiguous concept of licensing - why we stopped stressing about usage, how we price it when it does apply, and the proven benefits of shifting from “protection mode” to “partnership mode.”

We cover:

  • What usage restrictions are and how they’ve become outdated in today’s creative climate
  • The simple multipliers we do use when licensing applies
  • The single line to add to your next contract that changes everything
  • How eliminating licensing stress removes friction, speeds up contracts, and gets you rehired faster
  • What to do if a client “uses your content out of turn” (with 2 real-life examples from Mastermind grads that have had their content plastered across NYC’s Times Square without their knowledge 👀 🤯), and how to turn these instances into opportunity

⚡️Tune in to learn how to strategically update your own process, and take advantage of our free pricing calculator to charge what you’re worth up front and avoid the unattractive multipliers.

Get our free pricing calculator here!👇

www.creativrise.com/pricingcalculator


Free Tools & Trainings:

→ Pricing Calculator: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠creativrise.com/pricingcalculator⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

→ Productivity Course: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠creativrise.com/productivity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

→ $10K/Mo Creator Workshop Replay: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠creativrise.com/workshop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

→ Money Management Training: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠creativrise.com/moneytraining⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

→ Fix Your Inquiry Form: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠creativrise.com/inquiryform⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


Listen & Subscribe:

→ Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠apple.co/creativrise⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

→ Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠open.spotify.com/show/creativrise⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


Follow Along:

→ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@creativrise⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@joeyspeers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@christyjspeers⁠

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253. What to Charge for Licensing Your Work as a Photographer and Filmmaker (Hot Take)

253. What to Charge for Licensing Your Work as a Photographer and Filmmaker (Hot Take)

Joey and Christy Speers