What are paywalls and why you need them for your video production content?

At Pixel3 Video Productions, we are often asked about the possibility of producing video content with the view to sell it online. And for many of our new clients, they’re normally surprised by just how easy it is and how profitable it can be. We’ve become so used to giving our precious video content away for free on YouTube and other such social media mediums, that we don’t consider its true value.

At Pixel3 we have built a team of experts who can help you maximise your investment in video production, generating income from a source you may perhaps never thought possible.

In this article, we are going to discuss what a paywall is and how your business might profit from it.

You may already have come across paywalls. Subscription income can benefit any content creator, from small publishers to media conglomerates. To generate revenue, most major publishers, such as The Washington Post and The New York Times use paywalls.

What is a video paywall?

A video paywall is a method of limiting access to online content through a paid subscription, be it an article or video production asset. Utilized to gate premium content, it requires an exchange of money before it allows the content to be accessed. This may be a single payment to unlock a single asset, or payment to enable access to a series or a catalogue of content. A good example of such content is this course on revenue management we produced for one of our clients ARMA in Australia: Corporate Video Course Content  and here’s another great example of an introduction to a healthcare training course: Healthcare Video Course Content

A website feature that requires value exchange to access subscribers’ content or experiences, paywalls may be used to gate any kind of asset, which could range from research articles to live video content. Access to the content could be indefinite, but in most cases, it is only allowed for a limited period of time.  Paywalls used in video assets can be found in the current video player which not only allows access but also involves the payment system.

A paywall is used for SVOD and TVOD monetization models in the video monetization industry. Subscription video on demand (SVOD) is an on-demand video (VOD) service, which pays a small monthly fee for users to access the whole video library. Examples of SVODs are HBO and Netflix. Transactional video on demand or TVOD services such as Google Play and iTunes, on the other hand, enable you to purchase pay-per-view content.

Why should you consider paywalls for your video production content?

The most apparent reward of using a paywall is one that is fundamental to publishing business models, and that is the continuous and regular source of income through access subscriptions. In order to monetize their websites, digital magazines and newspapers also use paywalls. Paywall guarantees that readers cannot get complete access to the content of a website without paying a fee. And there is no reason why you can’t employ the same model to generate income from the video content you have worked so hard to produce.

Another benefit of paywalls is that it helps you secure your video business. They give you more control and authority over it and protect your revenue, content, and exposure from ads and algorithms and even irritating changes in legislation.

Most people have used YouTube for their video content, but it is not the same creator-driven site anymore. It’s your sales and audience that you risk losing any time YouTube makes any changes. Instead of providing information or entertaining for free on YouTube, you can look for opportunities to generate additional income by producing your video content and charging through a paywall.

You can absolutely eliminate all the barriers to your earnings by building your own website, charging for a subscription fee, and providing unique and quality video content to your audience.