OK here is the secret sauce to successfully licensing your artwork… are you ready?? Drumroll please…
THE BIG SECRET IS…consistently pitching your work.
Whomp Whomp. I know I know… how boring right? You were hoping for some big unlock. Some master key to get you in the secret side door. Well much like allll the things in life that get you to the goal you want, the secret sauce is really not a secret at all and is in fact quite simple …and quite boring.
Just like the secret sauce to good health is alllll the boring crap we know we need to do but don’t feel like necessarily doing… get good sleep, eat well, move your body, drink water, etc… Boring. But guess what? Done consistently?…Highly effective.
You need to do the thing necessary, to get you the result you want…CONSISTENTLY. In the case of getting licensed, the thing that is necessary is pitching your work. (*To be crystal clear, by “pitching” I mean reaching out to companies to show them your portfolio and see if they would be interested in licensing your art for use on their products.) To find success in licensing, you must do this over and over and over again. And then do it some more.
Why? Well it takes a lot of swings to hit a home run. Sometimes your timing is off with the people you pitch to, they may not be looking for art at that specific moment, your particular art may not be in line with the style they are after in that exact moment…BUT 6 months later, they could be in a different place entirely looking for the exact art you have to offer. But if you aren’t showing up again in their inbox, they will never see it!
The other big secret I have for you is to create art specifically for GREETING CARD LICENSING!
Why? For me and many artists I know in the licensing world, cards are our biggest AND most consistent income stream!
Not only that, but once you get your foot in the door with a card company, they will come back to you over and over again for new art if you are able to keep feeding them because they CONSTANTLY NEED NEW ART!!! Unlike most other industries or product types where they may license a design or 2 from you and then that’s it. Now you’re back to trying to find more new companies to work with all over again.
Or their products exist for a year or 2 then are discontinued and replaced with something new (which means you are no longer receiving royalty on those designs you had licensed to them). In greeting card land however, your designs can often keep selling for years and years to come which means you keep getting paid for years and years to come!
AND the other great thing about greeting card publishers is that they often produce products additional to greeting cards. So if your design sells well on a card, it may be licensed again for added products! For example, I have had a card design turned into journals, sticky notes, umbrellas, lens cleaning cloths and even women’s scarves!
So start pitching your art to greeting card publishers on a consistent basis to get your licensing career going!
But wait, isn’t that annoying if I keep pitching to the same companies repeatedly? NOPE! As long as you are not aggressively stalking them, but are simply sending short and sweet emails with a link to your portfolio every month or so to show them your art and any new pieces you have, you are in fact actually providing them with a huge service! In the world of greeting cards especially, publishers need new art CONSTANTLY, as I just noted above! They truly NEED YOU!
But what if they say no? A “no” is never personal, nor is it a reflection of your skill or you as an artist. It is simply a “this doesn’t work for our current direction at this time.” You accept it and move on. There could very well be a different publisher looking for exactly what you are offering so keep reaching out to more people! And a “no” doesn’t mean no forever. That same company that said no may turn into a yes down the line so keep reaching back out with new art.
Want to learn more about getting started in licensing your art for greeting cards? I've put together a free training for you that you can grab by clicking here.