How To Monetize The Data You’re Already Collecting

When one of our favorite social media startups came to us with a question, we knew we were in for something fun.

We’ve worked closely with them for a while—they’re friends as much as they are clients—and they were in a great spot: solid traction, a growing user base, and tons of engagement. 

But like a lot of startups in that phase, they were starting to wonder: What else can we do with all this data? Could it actually be its own revenue stream?

The answer: absolutely and it didn’t mean pivoting or taking their eye off the ball.

We helped them explore two options:

1. working with a third-party data company to license their data
2. using that same dataset to power a brand-new, adjacent product

Both were solid routes with real upside and best of all, both could be done without pulling focus from the core business.

If you’re sitting on a pile of user data and wondering what’s possible, this post will walk you through how to think about monetizing it and where to start.

Why Your Data Is More Valuable Than You Think

Whether you’re running a SaaS platform, a consumer app, or a marketplace, you’re almost definitely collecting user data. 

Most founders know that info is valuable for improving UX or guiding product decisions. But here’s the thing: that data might also be valuable to other people outside your company.

There are plenty of players—data brokers, AI companies, research firms, even Fortune 500 brands—who would love access to niche, hard-to-get datasets, especially continuous ones.

So start by asking yourself: 

• Is the data being collected consistently over time? 

• Is it clean, anonymized, and ethically sourced?

• And would someone else find value in this specific audience or behavior? 

If the answer is yes, your data might be a hidden asset waiting to be activated.

We expand on the two options for monetizing data (and which one our friends did) in this blog post. Click through to see if you’re sitting on a data gold mine!

Your product is valuable. Your data might be even more so.

Whether you license it, build something new, or just explore what’s possible, monetizing your data can help you extend your runway, diversify your revenue (particularly helpful in this volatile economy) and build relationships with partners you might never have considered.

Curious what your options are? Schedule a call with our team. We’ll walk you through what makes your data attractive, how to position it, and what’s realistic based on where you are.

You’ve already done the hard part, now let’s help your data do the rest.