Exploring YouTube Membership for Independent Filmmakers
Over the space of ten months, I've consistently shared how independent filmmakers can take advantage of digital tools to independently distribute their content to a wider audience. I've scarcely talked about how they can earn from this because you can't earn from an audience you haven't built yet but then, here is a one-off content from my reserve; meant for studios I consult for. Let's call it our own BLACK FRIDAY!
This is also a REDUX to a newsletter I shared earlier last month.
INTRODUCTION:
We all know about the monetization that comes from adsense that Google pays you for the ads placed within your video content but you have absolute no control over this as Google determines when and how you should be paid, and even more so, it has become really competitive, earning decently on YouTube. Reason why most filmmakers are not looking forward to earn from YouTube is because the revenue generated from these ads are nothing compared to the amount of money spent on producing those content. YouTube becomes therefore a platform where filmmakers host their track records and CV and work portfolios.
This strategy is going to show you how you can maximize the MEMBERSHIP FEATURE of your channel to get your audience pay you directly for your content. You will become a Netflix on YouTube.
BUILDING THE AUDIENCE
This is a long term strategy so don't have the mindset of earning $10,000 by the wake of the morning. But if you've decided to embrace digital platform to distribute your projects, then this is a sure fire way to earn and EARN BIG!
Recently, I completed a project for a studio in Lagos. 15 Episodes of web series. Everything about the series is set in an office. Just the office. What we know about the characters were revealed overtime at the office.
The plan is to get 50k subscribers for a start during the course of 15 weeks. Study the audience, the conversations and engagement, what they love about the series, what they hate, their disappointments, the characters they love and would love to see more, those whose background stories would excite the audience more and more specifically, the demography of our audience and through some statistical tweak, their purchasing power.
Then, we launch the Membership feature where people can subscribe monthly to become part of the community. This community will have access to background stories. For instance, I've created so many loopholes—or what could professionally be referred to as open ends—in the story and deliberately didn't tie them up but only shows the result of those loopholes. Strategic enough to be intriguing for those set of audience that would relate with the story.
And one human psychology that has always work in marketing is using elitism to sell a product. Apple uses it. Bang and Olfusen uses it. When you create a borderline between what could generally be consumed and what could be specially consumed, you create a certain desire within those who has found the content interesting.
You followed me from Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Medium down to this space because I promised you something that everyone wouldn't be able to have access to except they come in here. Most importantly, you did because you've been exposed to my content before now; you enjoyed them, you trust me. You knew if this isn't coming to the public then it's some goddamn fire ass, specially cooked, made for the few content!
If you however created a content that is water tight already, you could create extended cuts for your membership. I wrote about Extended Cuts for Independent Filmmakers Here.
PRICING
To determine your subscription fee, you might need to study what this content is addressing, who and who is the content targeted at? Are they well within the working age? Do they have good purchasing power?
Now, if you create a musical content, you might want to target the younger audience. You would want to ask also, can they pay for this should they find it interesting and how much would they be willing to pay?
This question will help you to see why not all your content would or should have extended cuts or back stories. Some would be to throw your audience-catching-net wide enough to capture diverse demographics.
You might need to read THIS again to determine if you'd want to run a subscription fee or pay per view plan for your membership in relation to your content producing capacity.
REQUIREMENT.
In less than 6 minutes, you can read up HERE all the checkboxes to becoming a member of YouTube Partnership Programme; as a core requirement to be able to activate the Membership Feature.
You can take a short course here: Creator's Academy to get acquainted with what's it like starting a Membership plan on your channel.
CONCLUSION:
And yes, who says you can't earn big on YouTube as a filmmaker? Who says it's only for skit makers? But can you put in the work?
I'm sure the next question on your mind would be where would I see the money to do all of these? My next Newsletter addresses that. Don't miss it.
You enjoyed this feast?
C'mon, there's love in sharing. Kindly share this newsletter with your creator and filmmakers friend. It is the best thing you'd be gifting them after an ARRI camera, trust me.
You can leave me a comment, a question, anything here:
Until Next Week and;
To Your Blockbuster—
Daniel Olas