How to Keep Your Christmas Content Compliant (and Stress-Free)

You’re probably ankle-deep in plotting your Christmas content - maybe even up to your knees. The lights, the shoots, the competitions, the campaigns... it’s all happening.

Here at imageRelease towers, we thought we’d send a few practical, and slightly festive, reminders to help keep your assets compliant, your team organised, and your Christmas spirits high (without the panic).

If you’re scheduling a day or two of new photography or video creation, start by making a list of everyone and everywhere that will be featured. That includes models, staff, businesses, attractions, hotels - anyone or anything that might appear in your content.

Get as many release requests out in advance as possible. It saves time, avoids last-minute scrambles, and helps keep everyone in the loop about what’s happening and why.

When setting up projects in imageRelease, detail is your friend. Avoid vague project names like “Christmas comp shoot.” Instead, describe what’s actually happening and how the content will be used.

Here’s a better example:

“A shoot to capture all the assets needed for the 2026 Christmas competition. Featuring models representing our key audiences (Families and Empty Nesters) visiting a selection of attractions, restaurants, and hotels. The content will be used across social, web, and email channels.”

You can even include details about your photographer, shoot dates, or the type of assets being captured. The more context you give, the more confidence you’ll build, and the smoother your release process will be.

We’ve all been there: you ask partners to send over imagery for your campaign, and what arrives is a mix of blurry jpegs, random sizes, and photos that look like they were taken during a fire drill.

Quality is one issue - rights are another.
Before using any partner-supplied image, make sure the sender has the proper permissions and that any people or properties featured are covered by releases.

imageRelease makes this easy. You can quickly generate a rights request and send it to the supplier. They agree to a set of terms confirming you’re clear to use the image. It’s faster, safer, and a lot more reliable than an email that says, “Yeah, it’s OK to use these. I think.”

Staying compliant isn’t just about ticking legal boxes. It’s about showing respect - to your partners, to the people and places featured in your imagery, and to your own brand.

By managing releases and rights properly, you’re demonstrating that your assets have value, and that the channels you share them on are worth investing in.

So before you wrap up your Christmas content planning, take a moment to check:

• Have you got the right releases in place?

• Are your usage rights confirmed?

• Is your process as smooth as it could be?

A few small steps now can save a lot of time (and stress) later.