How Brands Can Unlock Revenue by Learning from Content Creators
Over the past two years, we’ve seen a number of successful YouTube stars develop their own content streaming apps, in order to foster a closer connection with their most avid ‘superfans’ and create new revenue streams. Content creators such as Rhett & Link and Critical Role have recognised that their most loyal followers will pay a modest monthly subscription for a bespoke brand experience, that includes exclusive content, special offers, merchandise, and one-to-one interactions with their favourite stars.
The Rise of Superfan Platforms Among Content Creators
Many creators are finding that when momentum on YouTube begins to (naturally) plateau, ‘off-platforming’ and owning both the direct relationship and the customer data it creates is an excellent way to further monetise a fanbase – especially as algorithms and revenue sharing models become increasingly contentious. A YouTuber with 17 million subscribers could generate over $4 million in gross profit within 3 years, even if membership is only $5 per month, and platform adoption is as low as 0.25%. A creator with 10 million fans should recoup initial setup costs within 6 months.
“This is your platform, your business, and your data.“
Why consumer brands should adopt this strategy
Many cult products have ‘superfans’ just like YouTubers. Surely, these customers would be just as keen to join a brand-owned membership platform that rewards them with exclusive content, experiences, and products? The benefits of dedicated platforms over traditional social media channels are many. This is your platform, your business, and your data. You design the app, decide the pricing structure, what to publish, and what to sell. By hooking the app up to a monetisation platform like Memberful you then get to keep the majority of the revenue, unlike on the big social platforms.
Key factors for Success
The success of a superfan initiative hinges on two main factors:
- Critical Mass of Superfans: A brand must have a sufficient number of superfans that are willing to download (and keep) another dedicated app on their phone.
- Exclusive and Engaging Content: There needs to be enough exclusive content/offers to engage them. The quality of this content directly influences paid subscription tiers. Many successful creators have found that this involves ringfencing a dedicated commercial team, focused on producing additional, exclusive videos, sourcing offers and discounts, developing exclusive products, and organising events and Q&A sessions.
Clock's Expertise in Membership and Loyalty Platforms
At Clock we’ve been building membership and loyalty platforms for almost two decades, and this new wave of superfan apps are becoming increasingly popular. If you’d like to know more about how they work, and what building one involves – give us a shout, and we can guide you through it.
More information:
Why build a membership platform?
Case study: Critical Role’s VOD platform
Blogs
Still here? Check these out!
