With the millions of Instagrams and other photos being shared on a regular basis, brands shouldn’t be put in a tight spot when it comes to finding fresh user-generated content.
Scoopr hopes to end the content drought with a platform that allows companies to access the pool of genuine, spontaneous photos already being created around their products, while giving users the opportunity to get paid for it.
The startup, which is currently straddling bases in Brooklyn and Boston, plans to create for itself a new niche within the media and ad industry.
“We realized there’s a huge problem of user-generated content,” said Jeremy Smith, cofounder and CEO at Scoopr. “We made this company because there was a real problem between brands being able to talk to customers, and customers to be compensated for the content they are currently creating.”
The app presents a slew of assignments from brands, ranging from Cole Haan to Wendy’s, asking for photos for online marketing, PR, press and social media, along with the potential payout (Dunkin Donuts, for example, is offering a $200 Visa Gift Card). Users simply snap a picture in-app or upload a photo; after signing a brief release – complete with a touch-screen enabled signature and witness – the content is entered it into the pool.
There’s no cap on the number of photos entered, so very loyal brand users with a penchant for photography can up their chances by submitting more pictures. Once a particular photo is licensed, then the responsible user gets the brand reward.
Scoopr gets its payday after the royalty is negotiated between the brand and one of the amateur photographers on its platform. Smith said that the startup has a share-tracking tool, and after a certain number of shares, the company gives the user an additional cut.
“You’re already putting content on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. That same content you’re putting on those social platforms, you might as well do it online through us, too,” added Smith.
So, why doesn’t an ad startup set up shop in New York? For one, Boston has it’s own flourishing advertising scene. Plus, the Hub has plenty a hot commodity that the Big Apple doesn’t: top engineers. “Some of the smartest engineers I’ve ever met in my life are around MIT,” added the chief executive.
Tech talent, along with the slew of snap-happy college students in the area, are just two of the reasons why Scoopr decided to house eight of its 11 employees in an office at 12 Post Office Square in Downtown Boston.
“We live in a world where everyone is a publisher. But with Scoopr, the difference is, you get paid for it,” said Smith, in closing.
