Watching live broadcasts of internet celebrities earns millions of tips, while paying 1 yuan for knowledge-based self-media, why is the difference so huge?

Recently, another anchor of Meipai set a record for reward. In just three hours of live broadcast , he received rewards from several wealthy people. The anchor finally received 1.58 million yuan in rewards. Many people entered the live broadcast to watch this spectacular "rich people's rewards" live broadcast.

In sharp contrast, on the self-media platform of WeChat public accounts , few people rewarded me for something I spent three days writing (don’t ask me how I know).

Why is there such a big difference in giving tips to live streaming influencers and self-media people? How to stimulate users to give rewards?

1. Briefly analyze the reward model of self-media

Pattern Analysis:

Platforms such as WeChat and Zhihu have successively launched reward functions, where readers can voluntarily pay an amount to show their support after reading. At the same time, many information platforms will choose to use manuscript fees to stimulate self-media people to submit articles to improve the platform content. Whether it is the platform or payment, this is the first time that self-media has paid for content , but the monetization ability is weak.

Reward Type:

01 User rewards, user payment

Case: On March 24, 2015, the “Appreciation” function was also launched. An “Appreciation” button appeared at the bottom of the articles of the invited internal test public accounts . Users could directly choose whether to “reward” the original articles of the self-media through WeChat wallet or by binding a bank card. The amount was determined by the user.

Analysis: Users appreciate original content, but since they have not yet developed the awareness of paying, the reward effect is not good.

02 Users tip, platform pays

Case: In January 2016, Bilibili Animation launched a charging plan, through which real-name authenticated up-hosts can get charged by users, and the number of batteries can be converted into RMB. Users can get several batteries by using the Bilibili platform every day. This is equivalent to user rewards and the platform pays. Of course, users can also recharge money to buy batteries and give rewards to UP hosts.

Analysis: The reason for converting experience points into battery numbers is, on the one hand, to enhance user stickiness, and on the other hand, to cultivate the habit of users giving rewards.

2. Analysis of reward model: effects and problems

The effect of the reward model

• The convenience of online payment enables a direct link between content and profits, which activates and strengthens the relationship chain between self-media and users, and enables commercial monetization of self-media for C-end users.
• Rewarding is also a process of selecting paying users , eliminating those with weak willingness to pay and little value provision, and selecting those users with strong willingness to pay and high loyalty. Therefore, rewarding has also become an indicator of the fan base and commercial monetization of self-media.
• Compared with liking and forwarding, rewards strengthen users' recognition of content and even content producers. It can also encourage self-media people to work harder and better meet user interests. At the same time, we also know that the higher the cost for users to pay for a platform, the higher their stickiness to it, forming a resonant demand experience.

Problems with the reward model

• Low conversion rate : Often, only a few people will reward an article that has tens of thousands of readers. Just because people like an article doesn’t mean they are willing to pay for something that is already free.
• Small amount of monetization: Since most of the reward amounts are just a few dollars, and the small number of people who give rewards leads to a small amount of monetization, it is difficult to stimulate the creation of self-media people on the material level.
• Small scope of application: Content competition is becoming increasingly fierce, and the so-called diversification of monetization models is mainly applicable to top self-media. The monetization of tail self-media is difficult and the monetization path is long.

3. Think about it: Why is there such a big difference in giving rewards to live streaming influencers and self-media people? How to stimulate users to give rewards?

Problem description:

As a content outputter, they also charge the C-end. Why is it that when internet celebrities chat, sing, or even sleep or eat on live streaming platforms , many people give them tips, but when you see articles on public accounts or answers on Zhihu, there is no habit of giving tips?

Thinking analysis:

Is it because knowledge is not as important as entertainment? Is it because people are born to like consuming entertainment? Is it because people like internet celebrities more than self-media people, so it is particularly easy to monetize fans... Of course it is not that simple. Below I will analyze four reasons and propose corresponding solutions.

Reason 1: No implicit social contract

Because show or game live broadcasts have been linked to rewards since their inception, they subconsciously plant the seeds of charging in users, making you think that rewarding the anchor is an important way for them to make a living. The reason they perform for you is to make a living and make money, and the act of rewarding has formed an invisible social contract.

Initially, writing articles for self-media only provided a channel for managing oneself, gaining recognition and winning fans; so if the self-media person writes well, liking and forwarding becomes an invisible social contract, and the act of rewarding has never established this cognition and habit for users from the beginning. Free things become unbearable once you charge for them.

Solution 1: Activate this invisible social contract. It is recommended that you strengthen your personal attributes and life background, indirectly reveal such needs, and make others think that you are a person who makes a living by writing.

Reason 2: The psychological value of rewards between the two parties is asymmetric

For example, if I give tips to the anchors, I will get their thanks, and other viewers will also see it. Even when I spend a lot of money, people will envy and admire me, which will increase my popularity, etc. The feedback I get after all kinds of tips will strengthen my vanity and is a recognition of the good deeds I do by tipping. However, rewards for self-media people do not provide this kind of feedback value, so they will not be grateful and others will not know about it.

Solution 2: Increase the value feedback after rewarding. Live streaming is real-time, and its interactive nature can better stimulate users' consumption motivation, while self-media content is the carrier that connects the two. If the former is person-to-person, then the latter is person-to-content-to-person. Because this carrier is also a barrier, the connection between self-media people and users is one-way or asynchronous. Increasing the value feedback after rewards is not easy to accomplish. After all, this is a change in the information carrier, so it requires joint changes in the self-media people and the platform mechanism design, which may even be difficult to change.

Reason 3: De-monetization of rewards

Chinese people are very sensitive about giving money, and they feel it is vulgar but are reluctant to do so. Take WeChat as an example, it changes “sending money” into “sending red envelopes”. You suddenly accept this behavior and feel happy even if you get 1 yuan. But in real life, even if someone gives you 10 yuan, wouldn’t you think it is too little and tacky?

The live broadcast platform cleverly designed different virtual gold coins as substitutes, and at the same time packaged rewards as gifts to enhance people's desire to help. This demonetization behavior weakens the attributes of money and makes people less sensitive.

Solution 3: Increase the willingness to help. The originally cold act of giving money has been transformed into "giving the author a cup of coffee as a reward" or "crowdfunding a lipstick for the author", stimulating users to help self-media people who provide value.

Reason 4: Real-time and interactive nature of live streaming

It has nothing to do with the depth of content value or user preferences. For the same content, if the content carrier is changed from live video to recorded broadcast, voice and text, not many users will reward it. The simple interaction between content and people is not as easy as the interaction between people, which makes rewards easier. The way of interaction affects user participation and willingness to pay.

Solution 4: Change the way content is output. Live streaming makes it easier to monetize knowledge. For voice platforms, you can refer to Zhihu Live and Hongdou Live. Live streaming is just a tool . It is not limited to entertainment. It is also applicable to the field of knowledge:

• Compared with offline salons, it greatly reduces the cost of knowledge sharing and learning
• Compared with Fenda , the content conveyed is more in-depth and valuable
• Compared with picture and text reading, its real-time and interactivity are more targeted to users.

Therefore, voice live streaming takes into account the advantages of cost, efficiency, and interaction. More importantly, this method has good profit effects and diverse profit-making methods, such as live broadcast tickets, rewards, bidding questions, etc. The online paid answering model based on live voice broadcast will surely become popular.

Mobile application product promotion service: APP promotion service Qinggua Media advertising

This article was compiled and published by the author @王杜娟(Qinggua Media). Please indicate the author information and source when reprinting! Site Map