{"id":12789,"date":"2017-12-19T08:00:37","date_gmt":"2017-12-19T15:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/honeybook.site.strattic.io\/?p=12789"},"modified":"2022-10-26T14:11:30","modified_gmt":"2022-10-26T21:11:30","slug":"digital-products-theft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hbb.dev.reliablepenguin.com\/blog\/digital-products-theft","title":{"rendered":"How to Protect your Digital Downloads From Theft"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Selling digital download products is a perfect fit for creative business owners. Instant access for our customers, no trips to the post office, and no ceiling on how many we can sell\u2014what’s not to love? The only thorn in an otherwise flawless business model is the threat of file theft.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"Computer,
What steps can you take to protect yourself?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As a graphic designer who sells digital downloads, my ears perk up whenever I hear the latest tale of how “this person from <country I’ve never heard of> stole my design and is selling it in a Zazzle shop for less money.” It’s scary to think that you could be the next victim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital download theft is not entirely avoidable, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t put up a good fight. By taking a few small steps, you’ll reduce the likelihood of theft. Rest easy that you did everything you could to protect yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, I break down all of the ways I secure the stuff I sell and give away for free online. This article includes how I educate my audience about usage. I also share how I quiet my fears and keep a big-picture mentality when it comes to digital download theft. It helps that I use HoneyBook, a platform that allows me to sell digital products securely<\/a> online. Still, you can never be too careful!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When and where should you be using file protection?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It’s important to safeguard your work, but even more so when you put anything out there for free. Many of us use freebies in our marketing to attract new users and to give our audience a taste of what we have to offer. Not every visitor will turn into a buyer, but you don’t want them stealing your work, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can feel more secure about the items that you sell. When a customer spends money to purchase one of your digital products, it’s unlikely that they are doing it to steal from you. HoneyBook<\/a> is a great way to sell your digital products securely, with features like email time-out that eliminate opportunities for exploitation. In addition to requiring payment for your files, an email opt-in form is your first layer of defense. You’ll collect information like the customer’s name, address and phone number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to giving you a way to stay in touch with your audience, requiring an email address removes anonymity. Of course, anyone could type in a fake name and email address, but authentication emails will stop many from doing that. The more details you request, the more of a deterrent it will be to a thief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to protect your digital downloads<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While it’s impossible to prevent file theft entirely, there are more measures you can take to protect your work to make it harder to do so. When it comes to digital downloads, password protection<\/a> is your best friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are selling PDFs that you don’t want to be altered or modified for resale, you can protect your files with a password using Adobe Acrobat. For any free resources you share (such as a printable design or guide), it’s smart to add password protection to prevent users from doing anything other than viewing and printing. With this layer of protection, the user will be prompted to input a password if they try to open it in an editing program like Adobe Photoshop. Unfortunately, .jpegs are not easily protected in the same way, so use PDFs when possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Educating your audience and customers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Be very explicit about usage in your blog posts and on sales pages. When you provide clear instructions and terms of use, you show that you mean business. Use language to give anyone with bad intentions very little defense. If there’s nothing that says, “you can’t use this commercially,” what’s to stop them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to including text on your websites, it’s also good practice to incorporate them into your files themselves. Add a copyright line<\/a> to the bottom of any PDF you share. Here’s what I use for my digital downloads:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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