We-media enthusiastically embrace video talk shows

Wei Wuhui, a scholar from the School of Media and Design at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, believes that in the Internet era, many people with talent and personality who cannot appear on TV platforms for various reasons have been able to use the Internet platform to unleash their production and creativity. If self-media people want to succeed in business, they must transform from self-media operations to using social platforms, otherwise it will be difficult to achieve commercial success.

China Business News: Most of the talk shows on the Internet that have emerged this time are knowledge-based, which is different from the funny talk shows of Zhou Libo and Wang Zijian. Why have knowledge-based talk shows become a trend? When did video websites become a place for seeking knowledge?

Wei Wuhui: At present, people's lives are controlled by fragmented Internet information represented by Weibo and WeChat . According to relevant data, the reading rate of Chinese people is very low. People have not developed the habit of reading and lack an important channel for acquiring knowledge. Knowledge talk shows actually play the role of knowledge setters. Although they are just "knowledge molecules", they can meet people's needs for acquiring knowledge in fragmented information. In this case, video websites are naturally a good way to acquire knowledge: a program of more than ten minutes and a few words can make you feel a different world.

Daily: Compared with microblog columns, do celebrity video columns have higher barriers to entry (platform, technology, funding), require more teamwork, and are they more commercial in the beginning? Compared with text columns (blogs, WeChat), how are their business operations different?

Wei Wuhui: The threshold for video production is indeed high. It is not enough to just meet the most basic hardware requirements. From shooting to editing and post-production, it takes a team to promote and operate. In fact, making a video column is a commercial behavior - after all the initial investments, it is natural to get commercial returns.

The form of return for text columns is relatively simple, mostly relying on the royalties from print media or other media reprints. However, due to the special nature of the video format, it can rely on the characteristics of the media for commercial operations, such as patch advertising sales, to obtain good returns.

Daily: Products like "Luoji Siwei" have already produced commercial results. In addition to developing a series of derivative products around Luo Zhenyu, it also pays great attention to connecting with users. Its business positioning has also transformed from self-media operation to a social platform. Is this the future development trend of self-media?

Wei Wuhui: Publishing books, WeChat Moments, membership services, etc. are all part of Luo Zhenyu's entire business plan. In terms of business positioning, if self-media people want to succeed in business, it is difficult to realize it in business if they only rely on a simple platform. Therefore, it is necessary to transform from self-media operations to social platforms.

Daily: In the commercial environment of self-media, can "charming personality" be copied? In other words, can "Luoji Siwei" be copied?

Wei Wuhui: Self-media itself cannot be copied. It has a strong personal color and characteristics. The image that Luo Zhenyu presents to the public is different from that of others. But in terms of business model, the transformation from self-media to social platform is an important way for self-media people to gain commercial benefits. The community structure model of "Luoji Siwei" is an example. As for the structure of the community, many other forms can be explored.

Self-media need to show off their own personality, which is completely different from celebrities. Personality and opinions are also important labels and brand image for self-media people.

Daily: For a knowledge talk show master like Yuan Tengfei who has been verified by traditional media, do they have natural advantages when they come to the Internet? From another perspective, are celebrities with a fan base more likely to succeed in doing Internet talk shows? Compared with coverage, will the fan economy that emphasizes user stickiness be more important for self-media operations in the future?

Wei Wuhui: Celebrities who have been tested by traditional media and have entered the self-media industry have considerable brand recognition. When Yuan Tengfei entered the self-media industry, everyone naturally expected that he would tell history in his own unique and sharp way. This will quickly accumulate a lot of attention for him in the early stages of operation. In the era of attention economy, if someone pays attention to him, he will have commercial value. And celebrities with a fan base have an even more obvious advantage in this regard.

Fan economy is very important in future operations. Although Luo Zhenyu no longer admits that he is a "fan economy" and has switched to calling it a community economy, in fact, the "charming personality" he promotes is the most direct embodiment of the fan economy.

Daily: Last year, you said in your column that self-media will face a large number of deaths. So is the trend of video talk shows a climax, or death?

Wei Wuhui: The disadvantage of text-based self-media is that it is not easily recognizable. Even if you read all the articles of an author, you cannot really know the author. However, if you use video recording and read the article in front of the camera, the author's recognition will be improved. Recognizable self-media talents may receive a series of commercial benefits such as advertising, sponsorship, and even endorsements.

Unlike text columns, video media requires a certain amount of initial investment and relies on the strength of the team to operate, run, and promote. From a formal point of view, a video self-media team is more like a small-scale production company, not just relying on the strength of one person to operate. This also determines that the number of video self-media will not be as huge as the millions or tens of millions of Weibo, blogs, and WeChat public accounts, and will not die quickly when impacted. But it is undeniable that in the market selection and commercial wave, a large number of video self-media will still collapse and die.

"Are there any members of Luoji Siwei here?" Luo Zhenyu picked up the microphone and shouted, "First of all, I bow to my bread and butter - the members." At the "Youku New 'Speaking' Era" press conference in June, he took care of his own personal affairs first.

In December 2012, Luo Zhenyu, a former media figure, created his own video talk show "Luoji Siwei". In less than two years, this Internet product has gradually become the top brand of China's Internet knowledge community. On December 27 last year alone, "Luoji Siwei" easily raised 8 million yuan in one day in the second community recruitment called "the most unreasonable member recruitment in history". No wonder Luo Zhenyu himself wanted to thank his "parents who provide him with food and clothing".

"Luoji Siwei" showed the public the possibility of self-media platforms and also helped promote the climax of self-made video talk shows. At the "Say Times" press conference, Youku announced the simultaneous launch of three new talk shows - Liang Dong's "Liang Yan", Yuan Tengfei's "Yuan You", and "Hong Guan" by Song Hongbing, the author of "Currency War", all of which will be launched in July and August.

Unlike the funny shows of Zhou Libo or Wang Zijian, these three programs are defined as "knowledge-based" - a keyword frequently given to a large number of recent video talk shows, suggesting that the battlefield of celebrity self-media has shifted from text to video.

"I read for everyone. I serve as a buffer for mankind's transition from written civilization to spoken civilization. As a person with reading ability, I can translate it for everyone in a spoken way and make relatively high-quality products." Luo Zhenyu joked that the positioning of "Luoji Siwei" is "reading for the young master."

Youku President Wei Ming bluntly stated that among this generation of Internet consumers, fewer and fewer people read books, and more people consume content and information through quick images or fragmented time, so video talk shows are a form of knowledge transfer that is more easily accepted by everyone.

As a phenomenal internet talk show, Luoji Siwei is often compared with Gao Xiaosong's Xiaoshuo by netizens. Someone left a message to Luo Zhenyu, "Fatty, you are not from an aristocratic family. You can never catch up with Gao Xiaosong even if you work hard for three lifetimes." In response to such "depreciation", Luo Zhenyu said, "I thought it through since I saw the debate over sweet and salty rice dumplings on the Chinese internet. Even Luo Yufeng has people who like her. If there are fresh and simple things, there must be room for heavy tastes."

"Everyone has their own preferences" made Luo Zhenyu think clearly about one thing: self-media should be small, focus on points, and no longer try to be linear and flat. In a nutshell, self-media has a strong personal attribute, and its business model is the fan economy based on personal charm. Therefore, "Liang Yan", "Yuan You" and "Hong Guan" all have clear and differentiated positioning. Liang Dong's research on traditional Chinese medicine will appear frequently in "Liang Yan"; Yuan Tengfei, a "talk show" master who has long been verified by "Lecture Room", brings a combination of "history + travel"; and Song Hongbing's "jokes" still tend to the financial field. On a platform like Youku, which has accumulated 400 to 500 million viewers and can generate 500 million views every day, coverage is no longer the focus of self-media. How to build your own fan base and maintain user stickiness in the community is the proposition.

Luo Zhenyu runs "Luoji Siwei" like a brand. There is a large team behind it, which not only plans the content of the video program, but also maintains the subscription account and promotes some offline activities. Its circle of friends has organized raffles, lunches, and even blind dates. It is said that the current valuation of the "Luoji Siwei" brand exceeds 100 million yuan, and it is a commercial model for the thriving self-media, and the model effect has already appeared. Not long ago, Wu Xiaobo terminated his cooperation with all other paper and portal columns and devoted himself to the video talk show "Wu Xiaobo Channel". The slogan is "One person's financial channel". The number of subscribers to the program's WeChat official account was 4,582 on the day it went online, and exceeded 100,000 on June 8, one month later.

Self-media are enthusiastically embracing video talk shows. Can the success of "Xiao Shuo" and "Luoji Siwei" be replicated? In an interview with China Business News, Wei Wuhui, a scholar at the School of Media and Design of Shanghai Jiaotong University, believes that individuality cannot be replicated. Whether it is text or video, 80% of self-media will die.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.