10 Major Risks You Must Know Before You Sign a Content Release Form
Have you been asked to sign a content release form for your content, like your photo, video, voice recording, or other content? Think about the major risks that could cost you before you do!
If someone slips you a content release form to use your content for you to sign, better think twice! Signing one without fully understanding the implications could cost you control, reputation, and even income.
As a lawyer myself who drafts and reviews release forms for all kinds of media, I am giving you the breakdown of the key risks you must know so that you can avoid major issues that may occur when someone has the right to use your content.
By the end of this blog post, you’ll understand:
What a content release for is
What red flags to avoid in a media release form so that you know
What someone can do with your content after signing a media consent form and
How you can avoid these risks with a content release form template.
After learning about all these potential implications of signing a content release form, you will avoid significant (costly) issues and be fully protected.
This post is all about the key implications of signing a content release form and the major issues you want to avoid.
Key Risks of a Content Release Form
What is a media release form?
A content release form (also called a media release form or media consent form) is a legal document that gives someone permission and legal rights to use your content.
If someone has created content and that content includes your image, voice, or likeness, then they must have your permission and the rights to use that content for commercial purposes.
Without a signed content release form, they cannot legally use your content for commercial purposes.
That’s why companies, brands, and creators ask for them—to protect themselves legally. But what about protecting yourself?
Let’s talk about when it’s appropriate for someone to ask you to sign a content release form.
When is a content release form appropriate?
Anyone who uses your content for their business or profit from it in any way will likely be asked to sign a content release form at some point.
That could be a company, brand, content creator, influencer, blogger, actor/actress, model, videographer, or photographer who would like to use your content for their social media, marketing, or other purposes.
Here are some examples of when it may be appropriate for someone to ask you to sign a content release form:
A photographer or videographer takes a picture of you or films you for a company, or the photo/videographer wants to use those photos/videos for their portfolio or SM.
A content creator or influencer takes a photo of you or films you to use that content for their social media and asks you to sign a social media release form.
You are an actor/actress in a movie (even if you are just in the background of a scene, not having said a word).
You were shot in a photo or video of an event, and the event organiser wants to use that footage for promotional purposes.
A brand wants to use footage of you using their product in their social media content or for advertising.
A podcaster records your voice for one of their podcast episodes.
In short: A content release form is appropriate in any situation where your likeness, image, voice or creation is used for social media, marketing, advertising, or promotional purposes by another person, brand or company.
Now, let’s talk about the serious implications of signing a content release form.
Key Risks of content, photo, and video release forms
Here’s a list of the 10 major implications and potential consequences of signing a content release form:
1. Loss of control over your face (or voice)
Depending on the wording of the media release form you sign, you could lose complete control of your content in several different ways:
If the content release form states that you agree to assign your rights, you are giving up ownership forever. That person you assign your rights to can use it for whatever they want without limitation.
Other general release forms may state that you grant a license to use your content. That means you are still the owner of your content, but depending on the wording, you could still give the person almost the same freedom to use your content for whatever they want.
If it’s a worldwide, unlimited, perpetual license, it essentially means you give them permission to do whatever they want. You still have no control over your content, even though you technically haven’t given up ownership.
But you can limit those rights so that you still have some control! We’ll get into that in the next part: How to protect yourself against all general release forms (a step-by-step guide).
2. Unwanted endorsements & associations
If the content release form doesn’t specify the purpose, your content could be used in a way that suggests you endorse a brand, product, or idea you don’t support.
For example, your image could be used in controversial ads that misrepresent your values.
3. Invasion of your privacy (by the public)
Signing a content release form means the person will be using your content for commercial purposes, thus, for the public to see.
Maybe you do not anticipate your content to be seen by many people because it might be used for a small movie or by a microinfluencer or a small brand. However, your content could go viral or be used in ways that expose you more than you expected.
So, when you sign a content release form, you must consider what it could mean for your privacy:
Are you comfortable with your image being seen by thousands—or millions—of people?
If your content appears in ads, you could be recognised by strangers.
Do you want the public to know the things included in that content about you?
4. Reputational damage
When you sign a content release form, your image or name could be used in ways that harm your reputation. So, consider the following:
Your content could be edited or repurposed, making it appear as if you support something you don’t.
You could be negatively associated with the product or service for which your content is used.
The reputation of the person who uses your content could change, and you will be negatively associated with that person or company.
Even years later, your content could still be circulating in a context you never approved.
Again, that also depends on the wording of the content release form, which I’ll get into in the next part: How to protect yourself against all general release forms (a step-by-step guide).
5. No right to fair compensation
If you assign your content rights or sign a royalty-free license, you may never receive payment—even if the other party profits from your content. You have basically signed away your right to any compensation, and you can’t ask for any after the fact.
So, you must consider:
Are they making money off your content, or could they profit from it in the future?
Does the content release form include any compensation? If so, are you fairly compensated for what your content is worth?
If not, are you okay with never getting any compensation for that content (no matter what happens with it)?
6. Payment issues
If you do receive compensation, ensure the content release form clearly states:
How much you will be paid
When you will receive the payment
No unfair conditions that could delay or prevent payment, like the following:
The payment deadline for the compensation might be in the far future.
The payment could be made in parts instead of one lump sum.
The payment could be made conditional upon certain milestones that may never be met, which means you’ll never get paid.
7. (Opportunity) restrictions
The content release form could impose restrictions on you, such as the following:
The media release form could restrict you from using the content yourself (while it could be great for your social media or portfolio, ultimately, it could inhibit your chances at future opportunities).
The content release form will likely include wording that prohibits you from (sub)licensing your content to anyone else, basically robbing you of making any (additional) money on that content.
The content release form could include an exclusivity clause that prohibits you from working with certain other brands, companies or creators.
8. Changes to your image
Does the release form allow them to edit your content without your approval?
Your content could be altered in ways that misrepresent you or lead to unintended consequences.
And you may only find out about it when it’s too late. Or, you may never find out!
If you want some sort of control over how your content is edited, you could include in the content release form that those edits are subject to your approval. How? I’ll explain that in the next part: How to protect yourself against all general release forms (a step-by-step guide).
9. Loss of creative control
Usually, the wording of a content release form is so broad that you completely lose creative control over your content, and that will mean:
You can’t tell them to edit the content.
You can’t tell them to delete the content.
You can’t tell them not to use the content in ads or for other purposes.
You simply have no say in how your content may be used.
If you want to maintain an image or you have a certain preference about how your image is used, this is something you must consider.
10. Perpetual use: long-term consequences
If you are granting a license under the content release form, check for how long that license is granted the license will be.
Most release forms will state that the license is perpetual, which means that your content could be used forever.
If you assign your rights, that will also mean that your content can be used for eternity.
Consider how the use by this person of your content, in the long run, may affect your future: Will you feel differently about that content in five or ten years from now?
In conclusion, a content release form can have major implications and detrimental consequences. But there’s a way you can protect yourself against these risks…
How to protect yourself against all general release forms (a step-by-step guide)
Now, let’s say someone hands you a content release form or sends you a media release form pdf for you to sign digitally. The form contains one of the 10 red flags. What do you?
Here’s a step-by-step plan:
Review the terms carefully—don’t rush! If they want you to sign the content release form on the spot, ask them to send it to you so you have time to read it. You are never obligated to sign a legal document on the spot without at least having time to read it!
Negotiate limitations on how your content can be used.
Request fair compensation if your content is valuable.
Ask them to send you a Word version of the media release form pdf if you need edits. Want alternative clauses that protect your rights? Use my content release form template!
The ULTIMATE content release form template to protect your rights!
If you need a solid content release form template that includes alternative clauses to protect your interests, you can grab mine here.
It contains all the alternative clauses you need for your situation and position so that you are fully protected.
It ensures you’re not signing away more rights than necessary while keeping things legally sound.
Plus, you get the best of both worlds! You get alternative versions for both sides!
So, if you are using photos or videos of someone else, you’ll also have a version that’s in your favour!
You can get my content release form template here!
This post was all about the key consequences of a content release form and how to protect your rights.
If you want to know more about why you need a proper content release form, read this blog post on the 5 Major Mistakes to Avoid in an Audio/Video Release Form (Why You Can't Just Use Any Random Release Form).
Are you using a photo or video of another person on your social media? Learn about why you need it for social media in this blog post on the 10 Key Reasons You Need a Photo Release Consent Form for Social Media.
Are you taking pictures or videos of someone under the age of 18? Then read this blog post on the 7 Crucial Elements You Must Have in Your photo and video release form for minors.
