Pay-per-view posts on VestaCreate

What a pay-per-view post is

A pay-per-view post is a post with a price on it. Fans see the caption and any preview you include, and pay to see the rest. It sits above your subscription: a fan can unlock it whether or not they pay you monthly, and it earns regardless.

Pay-per-view is how most engaged creators earn more than their subscription brings in. It is also where fans feel short-changed fastest if the content does not match the caption, so treat each one as a small promise.

Setting the price

When you create a locked post, you choose how fans pay:

• A price in dollars, paid through one of your direct payment links. VestaCreate takes nothing from these.
• A price in credits. A credit is a dollar to the fan; you receive 75 cents per credit at cash-out, after the 7-day hold.

Credits make the unlock a single tap for any fan who holds a balance, which matters most for lower-priced posts where the fan is acting on impulse. Direct payment keeps more of the money on higher-priced posts where fans are willing to take the extra step. Many creators use credits under about $15 and direct payment above, but you can price every post however you like.

Free followers and subscribers can both unlock pay-per-view posts. That makes locked posts useful in two directions:

• For free followers, a locked post is a way to buy from you without committing to a subscription, and a taste of what the paid side looks like.
• For subscribers, a locked post is a premium on top of what they already get, and a signal that the subscription opens doors rather than just a feed.

Writing the caption

The caption does the selling, since the content is hidden. Include:

• What it is: photo set, video, how long
• What happens, in a line or two, honestly
• Who is in it, if anyone besides you
• Whether it is new or a release of something older

Add a preview where you can. A blind lock sells to fans who already trust you; a preview sells to everyone else.

A few habits

• Watermark pay-per-view content. It is the content most likely to be shared.
• Keep a record of what you locked, at what price, and how many unlocked it. After a month you will know your audience.
• Do not lock everything. Subscribers who find nothing without an extra charge cancel. A ratio of a few included posts for every locked one keeps the balance.
• Remind fans of older locked posts now and then. New followers never saw them, and a locked post keeps earning for as long as it exists.