FAQs

Is my idea protected? What guarantees do I have that it will not be stolen?

youZingit does not offer any legal protections for your ideas. The only protection you will have is any intellectual property protection you have obtained prior to posting your submissions to the youZingit website platform. We do as much as we can to limit exposure of your idea to only companies that are interested in purchasing the rights to your idea, but there is some risk. To find out more about obtaining intellectual property protection on your own see our Idea Resources

Who can use youZingit?

Anyone, 18 or older can use youZingit to post ideas and get paid for them. If you are younger than 18, you must get written parental permission. See our terms and conditions for more information about participation by minors. Only bona fide companies and brands, verified by youZingit can purchase ideas and post RFIs or “Requests for Ideas”.

What is a "creative consumer"?

A creative consumer is any person who participates in posting ideas on youZingit in an effort to improve the products and services of participating companies or brands. Creative consumers are an integral part of the co-creation process.

What is co-creation?

Co-creation is the process of collaboration with customers in the creation process to generate mutual value between the firm and the consumer. Co-creation allows customers to become integral to the process of defining the value of a brand through interaction rather than mere transaction.

Do I need a Paypal account to use youZingit?

Yes. You must have a valid Paypal account to post and sell ideas, as well as to post an RFI or purchase ideas.

How do I sign up for premium membership?

To sign up for a premium membership, you must first register for free. Go to our Premium page to learn about the benefits and upgrade to a premium membership.

What are the benefits of a premium membership?

There are several benefits to premium membership, including keeping the view fee every time a company pays to view your full idea and attachments. See the other valuable benefits on our Premium page.

What is an RFI?

An RFI is a “Request for Ideas”. This is a contest created by a company to request ideas from youZingit creative consumers. The RFI will have a specific set of instructions outlining the submission requirements. The companies will select the ideas they like best and purchase the rights with a cash payment through Paypal. They will also pay “view fees” to gain access to the full view of any ideas prior to deciding if they want to purchase the rights to the idea.

How do I post an RFI?

You must be a bona fide company or brand and also have a premium membership in order to post an RFI. You will be prompted to “get Brand verified” by youZingit in order to host an RFI. Verification is an internal youZingit process designed to qualify appropriate companies and brands. Go to our Brand page and download the brand guide for specific instructions on hosting and setting up your RFI.

How do I post an idea?

Once you register for free, just go to the Ideas page and click on “Post an Idea”. Then fill out the template with information about your idea. Follow the instructions and tool tips on the page to help you enter the information correctly and to upload any video, audio, photo or document attachments. Also visit our Referral page to download a helpful “Idea Guide” to assist you in creating and organizing your ideas.

How can I earn a view fee?

When you post your idea it will be seen only in the “short view”. This means only a title, thumbnail image and a 250 character maximum description will be seen by the public and companies. When a company wants to see the “full view”, they have to pay a view fee. That fee is paid to youZingit as compensation for our service. However, when you become a premium member, you keep the view fee every time a company pays to see your idea.

Who gets to see my idea once it is posted to youZingit?

The general public and companies will be able to see your ideas, but only in the “short view” which includes a title, thumbnail image and 250 character maximum description. Companies will need to pay a “view fee” to see your entire idea and any attachments. The only exception is for an RFI that is hosted as “private” by a company. This means that only the company can view the ideas and they are not publicly viewable at all.

What are my limitations as a “free” user?

As a “free” user of youZingit you will have data storage limitations, idea post time limits on a non-RFI posted idea and you cannot collect view fees. See our terms and conditions for detailed descriptions on actual usage limits. Also you cannot purchase ideas unless you are a premium member and a bona fide brand or company. Otherwise, a free user can post ideas and get paid for them.

What happens to my idea when the RFI time limit is over?

When you post an idea in response to a company’s RFI, it is posted in a short form until the company pays a “view fee” to see the entire idea. When the RFI time period is over, all of the posted ideas will be available to the company in their entirety, whether the full view for each was purchased or not. However, this only occurs if the company pays out all of the rights purchase awards as indicated in the RFI. Additionally, any ideas that did not have their rights purchased can only be used by the company for their internal use, such as market research activities and consumer insight panels. See the terms and conditions for additional information on how ideas may be used by companies.

Why can a company view my full idea at the end of an RFI, if they don’t pay for the full view?

This may be hard to accept for many youZingit users, but here is the explanation. When a company participates in an RFI, part of the benefit for them is to analyze trends in the marketplace and it is difficult to do this if they can’t view all of the ideas. As long as they pay all the rights purchase awards indicated, they have access to the “full view” of all the ideas at the end of the RFI. If they do not award all of the rights purchase awards, then any ideas that did not have the “full view” purchased will remain only in the “short view”. This prevents fraud and abuse by a company that might host an RFI, but does not pay out the rights purchase awards. In this case they would only have full access to the ideas that were paid for with a “view fee”. Additionally, most of the idea submissions will be so specific to the brand, product or service that it is unlikely the idea will have any value for any other company or contest. This will only happen in an RFI and this ensures that companies get enough benefits from the RFI process, so that they will continue to host RFIs and create many future opportunities for youZingit creative consumers.