How Much Work It Really Takes to Submit Product Ideas to Companies: 6 Real Examples

Many inventors and entrepreneurs believe they can submit product ideas to companies for licensing and simply wait for a response.

In reality, getting companies to review a product idea often requires months of outreach, research, and follow-up. Even when an inventor is ready to submit product ideas to companies, the real challenge is often getting the right person inside a company to actually review the opportunity.

Inside the inventRight Gateway program, outreach managers identify companies that are a strong match to license a client’s product and begin reaching out to the right decision makers inside those organizations. What follows is often a long series of calls, emails, LinkedIn messages, and follow-ups just to determine whether the company reviews outside product ideas and how those submissions are handled.

People are often surprised by how much persistence is required just to start a conversation with the right person inside a company.

Finding the right contact, confirming whether a company is open to reviewing ideas, answering technical questions, and following up over time can require dozens of interactions before a company even decides whether to review a product.

This is what it actually looks like to submit product ideas to companies in a professional, persistent way.

Example 1: Before You Submit Product Ideas to Companies, You Must Confirm Whether a Company Is Even Open

Before you submit a product idea to companies for licensing, the first step is determining whether a company is open to reviewing outside inventions.

In one case, the Gateway team identified a company that appeared to be a strong fit for a particular product category.

The outreach process included:

• Calling the company and requesting the correct contact for product submissions
• Being directed to a research and development manager
• Leaving multiple voicemails requesting clarification about new product submissions
• Sending an email requesting confirmation of the company’s policy
• Connecting with several product and leadership contacts through LinkedIn
• Following up again through both phone and LinkedIn messages

After multiple attempts over several weeks, a final email response arrived stating that the company was not currently interested in reviewing new product ideas.

Even though the product appeared to be a strong match, the opportunity ended before a submission could even be reviewed.

Example 2: Searching for the Right Decision Maker

Sometimes the challenge when you submit product ideas to companies is not whether a company is open to ideas. The challenge is finding the person responsible for reviewing them.

In another situation, the Gateway team identified a company that appeared to be an excellent match for a client’s product.

The process involved:

• Reaching out to an existing professional connection on LinkedIn
• Receiving a referral to a senior product executive
• Sending a LinkedIn message requesting permission to submit a product overview
• Following up through email
• Leaving voicemails requesting a response
• Sending additional follow-up messages months later

After several months of outreach, no response had been received.

At that point the process shifted to identifying another potential contact inside the company.

This type of investigative work is common when trying to establish communication with large organizations.

Example 3: When a Company Shows Interest but Needs Time

Even when a company expresses interest in a product idea, the evaluation process can take months.

In one case, a company reviewed a product concept during an online meeting and expressed elevated interest in exploring the opportunity further.

However, the company needed to first evaluate another product already in development to determine whether the category would perform well in the market.

The process unfolded over several months:

• Initial meeting to review the concept
• Follow-up communication explaining that the company needed additional benchmarking
• Waiting several weeks for internal testing
• Requesting an update after several months
• Receiving confirmation that evaluation was still ongoing but delayed due to product launch schedules

Nearly seven months later, the company explained that testing of the related product had been delayed and suggested revisiting the discussion at a later time.

From the outside, the delay might look like silence. Internally, the company was still evaluating the category.

Example 4: Answering Detailed Product Questions After You Submit Product Ideas to Companies

When a company becomes seriously interested in a product idea, the conversation often becomes much more technical.

In one situation, a company reviewing a protective apparel concept asked several detailed questions before considering further evaluation.

Questions included:

• How the product compared to existing competitive products
• Whether performance testing had been completed
• Where the product would be manufactured
• Whether tariffs or production costs would affect retail pricing

These types of questions are common when companies assess whether a product could realistically succeed in the market.

Providing clear, accurate answers is an important step in continuing the conversation.

Example 5: Clarifying What the Patent Actually Protects

Intellectual property is another area companies often want to understand clearly.

In one conversation, a company reviewing a wearable product requested clarification about what aspects of the product were protected by the patent.

Answering the question required:

• Reviewing the patent application details
• Consulting with the product manager responsible for the client’s project
• Requesting clarification from the inventor about the scope of protection
• Returning to the company with a clear explanation

Without that clarity, companies may hesitate to continue evaluating a product idea.

Example 6: When Interest Leads to Samples and Meetings

Sometimes conversations progress further.

In one situation, a company reviewing a pet product expressed interest after receiving a one-page overview.

The next steps involved:

• Scheduling a follow-up call to discuss the concept
• Introducing the company to additional members of the inventRight team
• Sharing a patent application for review
• Providing a basic licensing term sheet
• Arranging a video meeting to discuss the opportunity
• Coordinating the shipment of product samples
• Confirming when the samples arrived and requesting feedback

Even at this stage, the process still required ongoing communication and coordination to keep the opportunity moving forward.

What These Examples Reveal About Submitting Product Ideas to Companies for Licensing

Many inventors assume licensing a product idea involves sending a proposal and waiting for a response.

The reality is far more involved.

The process often requires:

• Research to identify the right companies
• Outreach to locate the correct decision makers
• Persistence through unanswered messages and voicemail
• Patience while companies evaluate products internally
• Professional communication when questions arise
• Coordination when interest develops into deeper discussions

Each of these steps plays a role in creating real conversations between inventors and companies.

To learn more about licensing and the inventor journey, visit our YouTube channel, inventRightTV.

Building Conversations With Companies Over Time

Licensing a product rarely happens through a single message.

Instead, it develops through persistent outreach, organized follow-up, and the ability to manage conversations with companies over time.

That’s why successfully learning how to submit product ideas to companies is more about starting and managing ongoing conversations.

Inside the inventRight Gateway program, the goal is to create those conversations by identifying strong company matches, presenting ideas professionally, and maintaining communication throughout the evaluation process.

Understanding the amount of work involved in licensing a product is useful. Getting companies to review a product idea is possible, but it requires persistence, organization, and a structured process to move conversations forward.

If you would like help reaching companies that may be interested in licensing your product, you should submit your product to Gateway to learn whether it may be a good fit for the program.

Learn more here: https://inventright.com/services/gateway