The TV market is undergoing serious changes.
One massive piece of this shift in viewing habits is cord-cutting, as cable subscribers either use streamers to access channels like Hulu, Netflix and Disney+, or abandon cable altogether. Streaming platforms like Roku, AmazonFire, and others are what the industry calls CTV or Connected TV.
The COVID-19 pandemic has only amplified this trend, with people streaming more than ever - but even last year CTV ad investment had already risen.. by a whopping 330%.
As the number of cord-cutters accelerates and more and more Americans view big-screen video entertainment as “essential entertainment”, content creators and filmmakers are in a unique position to monetize their work. It’s no surprise that YouTube’s super-influencers have been talking about CTV, but few have really capitalized on it effectively.
So how can you enter the streaming video trend and bring in money your content deserves?
1. Prep an elevator pitch
This will be a quick synopsis of your show: one or two sentences that clearly demonstrate the core idea behind it and what the core value is. You want to get people interested while also highlighting the USP (or a few of them if you have more than one) - what makes your show stand out and CTV-worthy. Consider it as a trailer of sorts for your show.
2. Practice it
Most elevator pitches are between 30 and 60 seconds (the available time you’d have in the elevator with someone), meaning you have very limited time to formulate your show and present it effectively. Remember it’s not just about your show - you’re pitching yourself as a professional, too.
3. Send your best content
Whoever you target will want a taste of the goods. Send samples where the look and sound of your show are top-notch, meaning no distractions in the background, no microphone noise, good lighting, and so on. Every little detail could matter, even things that don’t concern your content directly such as the type of file storage you use. Don’t insist on FTP, for instance, if the people you are pitching to use Google Drive, Dropbox, and similar.
4. Have a one-pager ready
Consider it as something between your resume and a shortened version of your show’s idea. The goal is to leave a document covering key areas of information in a visually appealing way to the target person after you’ve done the pitch so that they remember you. Besides a synopsis, stats like views and engagement should be a part of it, as well as any other information pertaining to the success of your show.
A one-pager is a valuable asset because you can share it and/or print it to capture attention. After all, it’s just one page so it doesn’t take up much mental space.
5. Know who to pitch to
This is perhaps the most important part. The classic mistake filmmakers and content makers make at this point is to try to get their content into one of the top-shelf channels. In doing so, they risk too much and for disappointing financial returns. Unless your content features celebrities and has PR fanfare, neither Netflix, Amazon Prime, nor alike will give you top-billing.
Good and even great content often gets lost in large mainstream, generalist VOD channels. While you may get accepted “into the program”, there are lots of other shows you have to beat in terms of viewership so the chances of getting noticed are slim, meaning less money.
That’s why the guys at HRVST exist - to enable great content-makers and influencers to get their shows onto the big, living-room screen. We currently have the largest channel network on Roku - built of focused, even niche, genre-oriented channels, instead of just one or two generalist ones. What does this mean for content owners? Less risk and more to gain.
We don’t just enable filmmakers and vloggers to grow their audience on a 40-channel network, we test the content for different audiences, and most importantly: we make smaller content-makers “top billing”, instead of relegating them to the back-libraries of a Netflix-style monolith.
The best video monetization option isn’t the obvious one
Simply put: with the advent of CTV and cord-cutting, it becomes apparent that great content can make more money in a network of smart TV channels rather than being dependent on a single channel.
The difference between a platform like HRVST and a Disney+ or a Hulu, or even YouTube, can be a stark one when it comes to making money. As you can see in one of the many breakdowns by YouTube’s disappointed, yet very much elite influencers.
As CTV viewership surges, even middleweight content-makers and emerging producers should be setting themselves up to reap the financial rewards if your content that gains momentum on Roku or Amazon. And by placing it in the right hands, means more income - but if you know how and where to pitch to.
Image credits:
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