A few media brands are leveraging viral video and social media to enormous effect, with Trusted Media Brands (TMB), TheSoul Publishing and Seen TV as three standout examples. In this feature, we asked Yusuf Omar of Seen TV to outline the key strategies publishers need to harness the format…
We’ve generated considerable revenue publishing video on social media, as in $millions. I’m going to outline the 4 ways we achieved it. At the outset, let me explain that whilst it’s never been easier to make money online, there’s also tremendous competition – while the pie is bigger than ever before, there’s also more creators, influencers and publishers eating from it.
This article is based on my experience growing Seen TV from 1 staff member to 105. And from being a single journalist creating content, to a newsroom which has published over 4,000 videos on Snapchat and accumulated over 1BN views.
* Perfect the platform (select a greater user to creator ratio)
If publishers are looking to increase ad revenue and the amount of money earnt per view, then Snapchat is the best place for CPMs. It’s down to the way the app is programmed.
The way stories format to Snap means that videos last for 3-5 minutes, with an ad every 20 seconds. Simply, the more ads watched, the more revenue achieved. It’s all about getting people to keep watching.
The key is to perfect the platform – selecting those with a greater user to creator ratio. If we look at YouTube or TikTok – yes, we see lots of users – but we also see masses of creators. If we look at Snapchat or Facebook, however, we see huge user numbers but far fewer content creators – and a greater opportunity to gain views and, by extension, revenue.
* Create trust to drive views (you only have one second)
People think that creators must survive the first three seconds of a video if they are to hold user attention. But it’s way harder than that. Maybe that was applicable in yesterday’s news. Today, creators have a second at best, and a frame at worst, to seize users’ imaginations. This critical moment is the difference between revenue and scrolling.
Publishers must deliver visually captivating content that sparks immediate interest and encourages debate that is always relevant to trends. This combination ensures high engagement and shareability, as it resonates with viewers on a personal level. Raw and real videos resonate best with audiences, especially when focused on more taboo topics.
* All-important watch times
Platforms prioritise watch time above everything else. By achieving a high retention, they display more ads and get more ad dollars. Platforms see this content as time well spent (literally).
Consequently, publishers need to prioritise watch times and the way they tease information out. As an example, engaging content that builds anticipation to keep viewers hooked will naturally increase watch time and retention. The equation is simple: more user time = equals more ads = more revenue.
* Content funnels – grow and monetise
Despite the rapid growth of short form content, such as YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, this format is proving difficult to monetise. Often, these channels do not bring in sustainable or meaningful revenue.
To us, short form content is the beginning of the funnel and should be used by publishers to attract a larger audience base, and then encourage this base further in.
Monetisation really kicks in with longer-form content, and so it is important to create a fan base through the short-form, which then naturally transitions to longer-form content. We can then use formats such as Instagram Stories to maintain engagement, encourage direct interaction and foster a sense of community.
The thing is, our industry is moving so fast that by the time you finish this reading this article, we’ve already figured out new stuff. It’s about adaptability, agility and speed. And please, don’t place all your eggs in one basket. Platform preference and performance can change in seconds and publishers will not want to be hostage to a specific set of algorithms that suddenly stop delivering.
Our advice? Master one platform such as Snapchat, but then diversify and build an audience across the others. It means publishers can make hay when the sun’s shining on their platform of choice – but won’t be left out in the cold if the wind changes!
Yusuf Omar
Co Founder, Seen TV
Seen TV is a pioneering media platform that democratizes mobile journalism through innovative technologies like Augmented Reality. Its Seen Camera, an AR lens, empowers users to become storytellers, contributing to a library of 4,000 videos across 10 channels, with 7 million subscribers and over a billion views annually.
