The amazing thing about PLR is that it is crazy affordable (even free sometimes!), and it is easy to find everything you need for your business.
But that also means you will stock up on products a LOT faster than you ever thought possible, and suddenly you are completely overwhelmed with files and folders, and no idea what you have, what you were going to use it for, and where that one eBook you bought for that one specific project is.
I wanted to give you some helpful tips that will help you organize the PLR you already have, and then create a system for organizing new PLR every time you get it.
Why You Need to Keep Your PLR Organized
When you first start using PLR, you might have a couple freebies, a course, maybe a few packs of articles. It is easily stored in your Documents or Blog folder, and you don’t have to worry too much about it. But before too long, you have amassed this gigantic collection of PLR products, and no idea how to manage it.
This honestly happens a lot faster than you think, and suddenly you have a huge, messy, annoying problem on your hands. Here are some benefits of keeping your PLR organized:
It Becomes More Accessible – When your PLR files and folders are properly organized on your computer, you will very quickly be able to access everything you need. Whether you choose to organize by the type of product, the topic, or the project (more on that below), you will know exactly where to look to find what you need.
You Will Be More Efficient – Imagine how much more smoothly and efficiently your product creation would be when you can just go directly to a folder and know just what you are looking for? PLR is meant to help save you time and reduce your stress, not add to it. Make it easier on yourself by organizing everything!
Projects Get Done Faster – You will also notice that all of your product creation and various projects get done a lot quicker when your PLR is organized. Keep in mind it is not just prewritten content you are buying – you likely also have dozens and dozens of PDF’s and file folders with templates and graphics and images; you need organization to find this quickly as well.
You Can Avoid Duplicate Purchases – Duplicate purchases are actually pretty common when it comes to PLR. Your favorite store has a sale or a bundle of products, you buy it assuming you don’t have it, then later find out you bought something you already have. The best thing you can do is keep everything organized (and ideally in a spreadsheet) so that before you buy anything, you can quickly check if you have that product already.
Rename the Download Files
The very first thing I recommend doing is renaming your download files. Every PLR provider names their files with a slightly different format, so not only do you want to keep everything cohesive, but you need to know right away what is in that file.
Add details to the file name that you believe would be relevant to you, especially considering how you plan to organize your files. This might include:
- A more descriptive title
- The type of product
- The date you bought it
- Who you bought it from
Go through and rename all your PLR files until they all make sense and without even opening up the file folder, you know exactly what it is.
Choose Your Organization System
Once all of your PLR product files (even just the ZIP files) have been renamed, it is time to choose your organization system. This will be specific and personalized to you, based on what makes the most logical sense to you and what your needs are in your business.
There are a few different ways to organize your PLR products, such as:
By Niche or Topic – If you buy a lot of PLR products for many different niches or topics, then this is going to work great. Simply create folders for each niche, like “Self-Help”, “Health”, and “Business”, and it will be easier to find what you need.
By the Type of Content – Another way to organize your PLR products is by the type of content, such as articles and blog posts, reports, eBooks, auto responders, templates and printables, etc. The next time you are working on a new opt-in and want to include a lead magnet you purchased, you can go to your lead magnet/reports folder and find the one you need.
By the Provider – You might want to organize PLR by the provider if you always buy certain types of products from specific providers. For example, if you buy all your written content by me, but you like to get your graphics or courses from another provider, then you will be able to organize folders like this and know that if you need new blog post content, to check the folder of the provider you buy content from.
By the Project – If you are ahead of the game and already know what projects your PLR products are being used for, amazing! The best option for you is organizing your files and folders based on the project. Create a new folder for each project, and add all the PLR files that will be used for that specific project.
Have a Folder For New Content
Make this process easier on yourself by having a folder designated to any new PLR you buy. The fact is, as meticulous as you are and as much as you want to keep things organized, it is not always easy to do it immediately after purchasing something new. But, it is easy to just move that new PLR file to a folder you have designated for new content.
Keep this folder somewhere extremely easy to access, such as a sub-folder in your Downloads area. Then, the next chance you have to organize files, just move those to the necessary PLR folders. This is much easier than having to do it immediately, or trying to wade through all your various files, images, and folders in your Downloads folder (or wherever your downloaded files go).
Set Up Project Folders
I highly recommend creating project folders and adding your PLR content there when you have decided what it will be used for. Every time you brainstorm a new project idea or are working on product creation, go through your organized PLR files and folders, and find ones that would work great for this project. Move them there!
Not only does this make it easier to see what a project will include and help you find what you need faster, but it also prevents you from using the same PLR content for multiple projects.
Use Spreadsheets to Track Your PLR
Spreadsheets are your best friend! They take a little time setting up, but remember they don’t have to look pretty or be overly detailed. If you are the only one using them, they just need to make sense to you.
Trust me, my spreadsheets are like bare bones, but I know exactly where to find everything, so they work perfectly for me.
At the very least, have a spreadsheet that lists all your PLR products you have purchased or downloaded for free, with basic details like:
- Title or Topic
- Type of Product
- Date Purchased
- Provider
- Project (that you intend to use it for)
Beyond that, you can also create a spreadsheet that actually lists all your PLR folders on your computer, and where each product is located if you need another way to find things quickly.
Bonus Tip:
Have a master folder for all your PLR products.
I have a thing for master lists and master folders. This is a habit I started when I began using a lot of images in my PLR products (for eCovers, graphics, etc.) and while I had them organized by type of image or project, I sometimes just wanted to see ALL of them in one folder so I knew what I was working with.
For your PLR, you can also have a master folder with a copy of all your PLR files in one folder. These would be duplicated of the other files, so you have each PLR file in 2 places on your computer. You can include sub-folders if you want, or just leave everything in one folder.
I do recommend that once you use a product, you move it from the Master Folder to a “Completed” or “Used” folder, so you know that one has been utilized in one of your projects already.