How do I reorganize a messy content vault?
Start your naming system with your next shoot, then work backwards: code your best-selling content first, in short daily sessions. Put old content you no longer sell in one archive list instead of sorting it or deleting it.
A messy vault feels like a weekend project. It isn't. If you try to sort two years of content in one go, you'll stop halfway and end up with two messy systems instead of one. Do it in this order.
Step 1: Start fresh from today
From your next shoot on, every new piece gets a code and its own list. The naming system takes a couple of minutes per shoot. This stops the mess from growing while you clean up.
Step 2: Make two holding lists
- To sort: content you still sell but haven't given a code yet.
- Archive: old content you don't sell anymore.
Add things to these as you come across them. You don't have to look at everything today.
Step 3: Find your best sellers
Look at what earned the most over the last three months. Write down your top 10 to 20 pieces. Those get coded first, because they're the ones you'll keep selling.
Step 4: Code one shoot at a time
Take one shoot from your best-seller list. Find its files, work out the day you filmed it (the original file's date on your phone usually tells you), split it into levels, and make one list per piece with its code and tags.
Short daily sessions beat one long weekend. Do a shoot or two a day until your best sellers are done.
Step 5: Rebuild who owns what
For each piece you code, make its fan list and add the fans who already bought it, going back through your past sales. That way a resend never charges someone twice. How the fan lists work.
Step 6: Archive the rest
Anything older that you don't plan to sell again goes in Archive. Don't delete it: fans may have paid for it, and you might want to sell it again in a bundle. When deleting does make sense.
Step 7: Merge lists that repeat
If you have several lists for the same thing ("pool", "Pool vids", "pool 2"), move their content into the one coded list. Once an extra list is empty, remove it.
How you know you're done
- Every piece you still sell has a code and its own list.
- Every coded piece has a fan list of who owns it.
- Nothing you sell is left in To sort.
The free vault name builder makes the codes and list names while you work through it.
Other questions people ask
Should I delete old content while I clean up?
Archive it instead. Fans may have paid for it, and old shoots can be sold again later, for example in a bundle.
What if I cannot remember when I filmed something?
Check the date on the original file on your phone or computer. If you cannot find it, use the first day you posted it, and keep that date for good.
Do I have to code everything in my vault?
No. Code what you still sell. Everything else can sit in the archive list until you decide to sell it again.