How To Sell Videos Online
How To Sell Videos Online
How To Sell Videos Online: A 10-Step Guide To Maximizing Monetization
From TikToks to TV shows to online classes, people are glued to their screens and hungry for a variety of videos to stream.
They want to learn, be entertained, fit and engage by streaming videos from their favorite content creators. This means one thing: now is the best time to sell videos online.
If you've got an idea for a video-driven business, or you're already building one, you've come to the right place
We'll give you a 10-step guide to the platforms and tools you can use to successfully start selling videos online and supercharge your business.
let's start
- Find your video niche topic
- Plan your content
- Choose a platform to sell your videos on
- Determine how you will monetize
- Create high quality content
- Upload and organize your videos
- Customize your video website
- Set up your marketing tools
- Start live streaming
- Expand your offering with OTT apps
1. Find your video niche topic
How To Sell Videos Online, Building your own video-on-demand business starts with deciding what kind of videos you want to sell. You need to figure out what niche you want to work in and who you want to reach.
When it comes to video, the possibilities are endless. Your niche could be:
- Health and wellness
- Online education
- entertainment
- Faith and spirituality
- Yoga and lifestyle
- Arts and Crafts
- Children's content
There are many sub-niches that combine or work in their interstices.
A great way to find your niche is through experimentation.
Test your ideas with free videos on your YouTube channel and measure response through views and engagement. You can also check out video sites like YouTube, Udemy and social media platforms like TikTok to see if there is a demand for your niche.
For example, check out the Art for Kids Hub.
A screenshot of the Art for Kids Hub website homepage.
Their video streaming business combines 3 niches:
- Online education
- Children's content
- Arts and Crafts
Through fun and engaging video tutorials, their subscription platform teaches kids the basics of art on desktop, mobile devices and TV. Combining these 2 elements offers a niche for their video content where they can reach a specific audience.
It makes selling videos online much easier!
2. Plan your content
How To Sell Videos Online, Once you find your niche, you need to be clear about who your target audience is and what content they want to see before you start selling videos online.
Some questions to ask when determining a content strategy include:
Do your visitors share common themes? Think about age, interests, lifestyle etc.
What does this viewer expect from your video? Think of it as entertainment, education, increased fitness, etc.
What can you bring to your niche that your audience wants that no one else is providing? Think of it as your unique selling point.
These questions will help you identify who you should be targeting with your content and give you some basic ideas Having a good understanding of your audience and their needs is key to planning your video.
Your niche will also have specific requirements, including the length of your videos, the size of your content catalog, and how they should be organized.
For example, online learning students have short attention spans and usually favor step-by-step video courses with short modules. So, when creating an online course, you should keep your videos between 15 and 20 minutes.
You'll find the same variety in content as in fitness, where you can choose to focus on a specific body part and build sessions around shorter workout periods. (20 minutes of HIIT anyone?)
3. Choose a platform to sell your videos on
How To Sell Videos Online.
Choosing the best platform to sell videos online is the next step.
You need a place to upload, share and monetize your videos
Simple website builders are great for hosting blogs and ecommerce shops…
But we recommend choosing a membership site platform that specializes in video websites and apps.
Some top platforms include:
A screenshot of Uscreen's admin dashboard.
Uscreen has everything you need to start, launch and scale your video subscription business The platform's drag-and-drop builder lets you create and customize your fully branded website.
Uscreen provides marketing tools and automation to help reach and convert the right audience.
And, with Uscreen's OTT app, your members can use any device to stream any type of video content you have, from livestreams to on-demand video. You can monetize your videos through one-time purchases or subscriptions, as many other creators do
For example, Magic Stream lets viewers buy access to a single video or sign up for a full-access subscription.
A screenshot shows Magic Stream's checkout offer for a one-time sale of membership subscriptions or online courses.
Other features include:
- Customizable video player with media controls.
- Tiered membership options.
- Live broadcast.
- Extensive branding and design options.
- Integrated growth-focused marketing tools.
- Community features.
- Secure automatic content backup.
- Recurring payments are easy to set up.
- Popular checkout options like PayPal, Stripe and credit card
- Integration with Mailchimp, LinkedIn, and more.
- thoughtful
A screenshot of Thinkific's online course builder.
If you want to focus on online courses, Thinkfic is a platform that helps you build one from scratch with tools like quizzes and assignments.
Vimeo
A screenshot shows Vimeo's analytics for popular customer content.
Vimeo is a video hosting platform that also has the ability to sell videos. You can easily get started with their monetization model and video player template.
Wistia
A screenshot of Wistia's homepage.
Wistia helps you build brand awareness through video and lets you personalize your website with calls to action, create a channel to host content, and conduct A/B testing to optimize your videos.
4. Determine how you will monetize
How To Sell Videos Online, With your platform in place, it's time to start thinking about how you want to monetize and sell your videos This is probably the most important step in learning how to sell videos online.
There are at least 3 monetization models to choose from when selling videos online:
Subscription: This monetization model is similar to subscription video-on-demand (SVOD). It gives customers full access to a video library like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ for a recurring monthly or annual fee.
When someone signs up for membership, they get extra benefits like a community, live events, and anything else you want members to include.
Transactional video-on-demand (TVOD): This model uses a pay-per-view format. Customers make one-time purchases to access specific content, such as when purchasing movies on iTunes.
Advertised Video-on-Demand (AVOD): This is essentially free for viewers as there is no upfront cost to watch, but you will find advertisements throughout. YouTube is a great example of this.
You can choose to focus on one option, or combine multiple options to maximize your income potential.
Choosing the monetization model that works best for you will depend on the type of audience and the type of content you have.
5. Create high quality content
How To Sell Videos Online, Content is at the center of your new online video business.
If you have the skills to create and edit your own videos, you can ideally create your own video content.
Alternatively, if you have the budget, you can hire a video production team to help you if that makes you more comfortable.
When creating your video think about your audience and consider the elements:
- Where will viewers watch this video?
- What tools do they need to watch?
- What supporting materials can I provide to improve their results?
For example, if your videos are focused on instructional content and online courses, you can use additional resources like PDFs and eBooks to support your tutorials and help your students have a dynamic learning experience.
Or, if you're offering a fitness program, you can supplement your training videos with a downloadable meal plan.
6. Upload and organize your videos
How To Sell Videos Online, Once you've created enough videos to start selling, you'll need to upload them to your video streaming platform of choice.
If you use Uscreen, we've designed the upload process to be as quick and easy as possible. All you have to do is drag and drop the videos into the "Content" area of your UsScreen dashboard:
You can upload your videos quickly and securely from any browser.
Money Tip:
Add a product overlay to your video with Uscreen's built-in e-commerce tool. This makes your videos shoppable. All you need is a link from your ecommerce store (like Shopify or Wix), or an affiliate link.
A screenshot of what Uscreen's built-in eCommerce tool looks like.
With your videos uploaded, it's time to organize your content catalog, which means categorizing and displaying your videos in an optimal way that will increase sales and improve user experience.
A well-presented catalog really showcases what your platform is all about to potential customers. It's a bit like the online video version of window shopping.
And when videos are easy to find and watch, it can retain customers After all, your videos are only as good as the customer's ability to find them!
You can organize your content using 4 different elements:
Catalog: Your entire library of content, displayed by category.
Categories: Categories that contain your videos and collections
Videos: Your individual videos within a category.
Collection: A group or series of videos to watch together as a class.
It gives you many options to create a structure with your videos
How you structure your content will depend on your niche and what you're creating.
How did they do it?
How To Sell Videos Online, A screenshot of Bballbreakdown's homepage
If you want to be more specific, you can add custom filters to make it easier to find relevant videos
For example, you can add a "workout duration" or "training type" tag to your fitness content so users can quickly find the right video for their upcoming session, like Barre Centric does here:
A screenshot of Barre Centric's fitness content library.
7. Customize your video website
How To Sell Videos Online, OK, now for the fun part: it's time to customize your video website.
The video monetization platform you choose should give you the option to customize your own website and add your branding. Let your video website shine!
If you use Uscreen, we have many customization options that you can choose from. Our most popular tool is our plug-and-play page builder, which allows you to create stunning homepages and marketing pages.
With our drag-and-drop page builder, you can edit specific elements — such as adding images, titles, and text — to create a page that lets your brand and product shine through:
A screenshot of Uscreen's customizable website templates.
How you want to customize your video streaming website is up to you, but you should maintain brand consistency throughout your online presence.
You can learn more about how to create your own video website with Uscreen in our Help Center guides.
8. Set up your marketing tools
How To Sell Videos Online,
Once your site is up and running, it's time to start promoting.
Start by setting up these 3 marketing tools before you launch:
Email list: A tool that allows you to collect email addresses of your potential customers (eg Mailchimp).
Membership Upsell: A tool that allows you to offer point-of-purchase upsells of your subscriptions to customers.
Abandoned Cart Tool: A tool that automatically contacts people who abandon the sales process before completing their purchase.
These tools will help you build a solid foundation to support your business' long-term marketing strategy, as well as help recover potential "lost" revenue from on-the-fence customers.
If you're a Uscreen subscriber, you have access to a full suite of marketing tools that help you do all of the things listed above, as well as:
- See in-depth analysis.
- Create coupons.
- Offer gift cards.
- Reduce the churning.
A screen of Uscreen's marketing tools including gift funnels, landing pages, emails, subscription upsells, coupons, gift cards and push notifications.
And if you have your own tools of choice, like email marketing software, you can use our integrations to mix and match to create a personalized workflow that works best for you.
With your marketing tools, you can start spreading the word about your new platform! The way you promote your video-on-demand website will vary based on the needs of your audience as well as their demographics and preferences.
For example:
If you're creating short-form tutorials aimed at teenagers, you'll probably need to be more active on social media platforms like TikTok.
If you're creating long-form entertainment content for millennials, you probably need to be on Instagram and look for advertising opportunities in popular publications.
But there will always be some key ways you can read your audience online. And, we have guides to help you!
Check out the links below for specific strategies you can follow to start marketing your video business:
How to Generate Buzz to Launch Your VOD Website
Scaling Membership Marketing Philosophy: Why Retention Beats Growth.
Social media guide to drive traffic to your video streaming site.
How to Repurpose Your Paid Content for Social Media
Paid Advertising for Your VOD Website – The Complete Guide
9. Start live streaming
How To Sell Videos Online, Live streaming platforms have become a key part of running a video business. In fact, the latest live streaming statistics show that:
Live streaming accounts for 23% of viewing time worldwide.
Globally, 41% of internet users have watched a live stream.
Total viewing time for faith and spiritual arts increased by 300% in one year.
And with the live stream market expected to reach $184.27 billion by 2027, consumers continue to actively seek out live-streamed content.
With Uscreen, you can host live streams from within your platform — such as webinars, Q&As or even gaming streams, and even save the recording to your library as an on-demand video.
Live stream monetization on uscreen
Engage customers in real-time
Even better, with our community features like live chat, your audience can interact with each other and bring a whole new dimension to your content.
10. Expand your offering with OTT apps
How To Sell Videos Online, OTT apps, or over-the-top apps, allow users to watch your content natively on devices like smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs like Roku or Apple TV. And they are in high demand!
It has become an essential part of running an online video business as it allows your audience to seamlessly access your content on their favorite devices.
Your members can click into the app, log in, and then access all their video content in one easy-to-find place — just like you use Facebook or YouTube on your phone. Up to 30% of your audience and revenue if these OTT apps are available.
A screenshot of Uscreen's OTT platform solutions from TV, tablet, mobile apps and more.
With an OTT platform like Uscreen, you can easily add branded apps to their business — all you have to do is request the app and the Uscreen team takes care of the rest.
Can you make money selling videos online?
Yes, a membership business model can earn $12,000+ per month in a wide range of niches and is one of the best possible options to generate a stable and consistent income.
TVOD-based businesses can make more money by charging a slightly higher fee per purchase. This model can be useful if you offer one-time transactions that are time-limited or live, such as for major sporting events.
There is also the "default" way to make money selling videos online: AVOD but times are changing, as restrictions make it harder for creators to make a living.
Start your video subscription business today
Selling videos online offers many opportunities to monetize their passion. Whether you're an educator creating instructional videos, or an influencer starting a membership community, the above guide will help you get started.
Now you will be able to reach the people you want to reach, spread the message you want to spread and make the money you want to make.
If you want to start selling videos online today, Uscreen is a great place to start your journey — and we'll help you monetize your content in the best possible way.
Online Video Selling FAQ
Where can I sell my videos for money?
You can sell videos for money on platforms like Uscreen, which allow you to create a website and sell directly to your audience. Other options include selling ad space on your videos through YouTube or even selling stock footage on websites like Shutterstock.
How much does it cost to sell a video online?
The cost of selling a video online varies depending on the platform. Some platforms charge a percentage of sales, while others charge a flat fee. Before deciding on a platform, it is important to research and understand the pricing structure.
Does YouTube need a copyright?
Yes, YouTube requires your rights or permission for any content you upload If you upload something that you don't have the copyright or permission to use, YouTube may take it down and you may be suspended.
