Do you think that the term "PLR" has become a dirty word?

14 replies
PLR is often bashed here on the forum and deservedly in most cases because I have seen some terrible quality PLR products. The glossy sales page and beautiful covers look amazing and promise much but the reality is a shoddily written, useless article that has no value whatsoever.

However, there are some real gems out there that you can be proud to use to add valuable content to your site and use in list building but they are cheapened because of the reputation that PLR has.

Do you think that the term PLR has become too tarnished and is it time for a rebrand?

I'd be interested in your thoughts.
#dirty #plr #term #word
  • Profile picture of the author agmccall
    Originally Posted by Floreman View Post


    I'd be interested in your thoughts.
    Why? what do you really care what anyone thinks about PLR or what it is called. You found some you like, so have I.

    al
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    • Profile picture of the author Floreman
      Originally Posted by agmccall View Post

      Why? what do you really care what anyone thinks about PLR or what it is called. You found some you like, so have I.

      al
      Al
      I am surprised at your attitude.

      It is an Internet marketing discussion forum and I am trying to have a discussion.

      I am interested because this is my area of business and I am keen to know what people think of PLR and all of the connotations. That is why I care.

      is that okay with you?
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  • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
    Do you think that the term PLR has become too tarnished and is it time for a rebrand?
    In the snail mail days we called them "resale rights reports."

    What's in a name?

    I think it's great that most people don't use or understand PLR. Less comp. for those of us who do.
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    • Profile picture of the author Floreman
      Originally Posted by Brent Stangel View Post

      In the snail mail days we called them "resale rights reports."

      What's in a name?

      I think it's great that most people don't use or understand PLR. Less comp. for those of us who do.
      Hi Brent

      I remember the 'resale rights reports' too...those were the days

      As a consumer it is brilliant if you understand the value of PLR and can source good products. However, it is not so good for marketers and producers of PLR if people are put off using it because they have been stung in the past or the term conjures up negative thoughts.

      You asked "Whats in a name?".

      Quite a lot actually as this Adweek Brand Marketing article highlights:11 Brand Names That Simply Couldn’t Survive the Times – Adweek
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  • Profile picture of the author aseltz
    Originally Posted by Floreman View Post

    ...Do you think that the term PLR has become too tarnished and is it time for a rebrand?

    I'd be interested in your thoughts.

    One alternate brand you can use for PLR content is 'white label'. I mostly see this used for software and SAAS products, but the basic meaning is the same. The product is supplied unbranded so you can put your branding on it before selling it.

    The big questions are, will potential customers recognize it as a product they are looking for and will it enhance the perceived value of the product?

    Try a test and see what happens.

    Andrew
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    I don't think the problem is in the name. Much like terms such as "used car salesman" or "personal injury lawyer", the problem is that the bad guys get the publicity.

    And a lot of that publicity comes from people who think buying 99,000 articles for $5 with PLR is going to make them rich. Heck, even you said that most of the PLR out there deserves the bad reputation it has.

    Even quality packages suffer when unschooled buyers all use the unchanged product with the same sales page and the same email swipes and solo ads. What could have been a useful product becomes tomorrow's "rehashed garbage PLR".

    Rebranding doesn't work for long, either.

    Taking PLR material, adding a sales page and maybe a cover graphic, and calling it a "business in a box" worked for awhile. Now it's got the same bad rep as PLR, with even the creators acknowledging that most of it is either crap or overexposed.

    Call it "white label", and the same thing will happen.

    Look at the physical world. White label products do best when positioned as an alternative to big brand products. People who buy store brands do so because they get acceptable quality for lower prices, knowing that the products often come off the same line as the branded items.

    I don't know if it's still around, but I belonged to a membership site that provided monthly "products in the rough" along with some basic market research and keywords. They flat out said that the products needed editing and polishing.

    Some years later, during the "Kindle Gold Rush", I'd find some of these PITR uploaded as Kindle books. I'd download a sample, and lo and behold, the "authors" were trying to use the unchanged PITR. And they'd get crucified with refunds and bad reviews.

    Yet we still see PLR products promoted as ready to use unchanged.

    Maybe the sellers and creators of PLR might need to look in the mirror to see how PLR got the image it has.
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  • Profile picture of the author Floreman
    Hi John

    Great reply.

    I absolutely agree that PLR sellers have a duty to educate their buyers and show them how to get the absolute best from the products.

    There are some responsible PLR sellers who do try to do this (I know exactly which membership site you were referring to.).

    White label, PLR and Business in a Box are tired phrases but you have given me something to think about regarding the education and after-sales once customers have bought the packs.

    Many thanks

    Gary
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve L
    To me PLR ebooks/info products have the reputation of being low quality or unoriginal, but then again I don't have much experience with PLR. I write my own content.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve B
    Originally Posted by Floreman View Post

    . . . there are some real gems out there that you can be proud to use to add valuable content to your site and use in list building but they are cheapened because of the reputation that PLR has.

    There is an easy solution to your dilemma . . . a solution where PLR is never cheapened or looked down on.

    Here is the simple, easy, 100% effective solution: use PLR as it was always meant to be used, i.e., change it to your liking.

    PLR is meant to be rebranded. "Private Label" means you put your own unique label on it. It's meant to be changed, modified, adjusted, adapted, altered, reshaped, rewritten, fixed, spruced up, tweaked, repurposed, revamped, redone, or whatever else you need to do to it so that the content becomes your own. You can fix it however you like so that it becomes a product you can take ownership of and be proud of.

    It sounds to me like your mentality is that PLR has to be used as is. Never! That's not the purpose. If you don't make the PLR something you can be proud of . . . then don't use it! If you buy junk or crap from someone - discard it and find a different source. Through experience, you learn who the great PLR providers are and you stick with them. That's what I have done.

    The way I look at . . . PLR that is redone to your own satisfaction will almost never be recognized by anyone as originally being PLR. (The exception might be the few others that also purchased the same PLR ... but the chances of that happening are almost nil if you have modified it to be your own and adapted it targeted to your own niche.)

    Change it to the point that it is as if you wrote it from scratch and it appears in your own voice and persona. Shouldn't that be the goal with PLR anyway? To make it your own? So no one will know if it's PLR?

    What matters the most is what you do with PLR!

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author SiteNameSales
    I believe that Private label rights ebooks (PLR) are losing some of their luster not because of a growing lack of quality, but because there's simply too much competition from other mediums when it comes to educating yourself about internet marketing.

    These private label rights ebooks were all over the internet 10 years ago and, though they are still around in great abundance, they are not as visible as they once were and many getting started in the internet marketing business don't have a clue about them.

    One trend that puts a dent into the ebook trade is the marketing strategy of giving away informational hardcover or paperback books, USBs and MP players for the price of shipping. Another trend is to send prospective customers to a free, introductory video that explains a program or course in some detail.

    Probably the biggest competition to private label rights ebooks is YouTube. Why sign up for a stranger's email list when you can surf YouTube for all the information you might need. I just did a search for 'how to create a sales' funnel' and got back 188,000 results. Not happy with your free ebook? Spend some time on YouTube and all will become clear.

    All this said, I must confess that I love private label rights ebooks. I can rewrite them, create an attractive cover and place ads with my affiliate links throughout. On a PLR site I have I give away some businesses-related ebooks for free while others, from a variety of categories, are available for a few dollars or less.

    There are several PLR membership site out there that are highly regarded and have a large membership. Most also have software, templates and videos available I would highly recommend joining one to see what's available. It may be a hit-and-miss relationship before you find just the right material for your business, but you'll find good material over time.

    Just as importantly, a PLR site that has a steady flow of new material will keep you abreast of the latest trends in IM. Not all the latest news is on Facebook and Twitter, so keeping any on new techniques and new sites that are helpful to marketing can help your business. If the material is sloppily written don't promote it. In this case it doesn't really matter. It's the facts and new information that's is important.
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  • Profile picture of the author gregdavidson727
    Originally Posted by Floreman View Post

    PLR is often bashed here on the forum and deservedly in most cases because I have seen some terrible quality PLR products. The glossy sales page and beautiful covers look amazing and promise much but the reality is a shoddily written, useless article that has no value whatsoever.

    However, there are some real gems out there that you can be proud to use to add valuable content to your site and use in list building but they are cheapened because of the reputation that PLR has.

    Do you think that the term PLR has become too tarnished and is it time for a rebrand?

    I'd be interested in your thoughts.
    PLR products are great for list building and can be used as BONUSES to help your product sell better. That's where the real value lies.
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  • Profile picture of the author madison_avenue
    People started using PLR articles to build instant Adsense sites, leading to a massive duplicate content. Google removed these sites. So that angle was closed down. Which led to article spinning to make them look unique.which is another story.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rose Anderson
    The value of PLR depends on:

    Who you buy from. Some sellers write valuable content and others don't.

    When was it written? Some subjects are evergreen and others need current information.

    How much time are you willing to spend making it unique?

    Be selective in what you purchase and how you use it and it can be useful.

    As John already stated -- pay $5 for 99,000 articles and you've just wasted $5. The reputation PLR has is based largely on that type of content.

    It always surprises me when people say, "Oh, well. It's a giveaway so it doesn't have to be that good." This is your chance to make a good first impression. If you give them useless junk why should they purchase your paid products?

    Rose
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  • Profile picture of the author Affportal
    It was a dirty word because prior to two years ago the majority of PLR coming out was really bad and needed much work to create something useful out of it.

    Now there's tons of high quality plr coming out all the time. I pull in tons of leads every day in many niches all from lead magnets that I built from PLR.
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