Pay-per-view pricing

What a fan is deciding

A locked post asks the fan to pay for something they cannot see yet. Everything about the unlock rate comes down to one question in their head: is what I think is behind this worth that number, right now?

That gives you three levers. The number, how clearly you describe what is behind it, and how much they trust that your previous unlocks were worth it. The third one compounds. A fan who felt short-changed once stops unlocking; one who felt rewarded unlocks on instinct.

Common ranges

These are rough and vary by niche, but they are what most creators converge on:

• Single photo or short teaser clip: $3 to $8
• Photo set of 10 to 20 images: $8 to $20
• Video, 5 to 10 minutes: $10 to $25
• Longer or more specialised video: $20 to $50
• Content featuring another creator: usually at the higher end, since collaborations are scarcer

If you are not sure, start in the middle of the range and move based on unlock rates. A post that nobody unlocks is priced wrong or described wrong; a post that everyone unlocks instantly was probably underpriced.

The caption on a locked post does the selling. Say what it is: length, what happens, who is in it, whether it is new. Do not oversell. The sale you lose by being honest is a sale you would have lost anyway on the next post, with resentment attached.

A small free preview with the rest locked outperforms a fully blind lock for most creators.

Pricing in credits

On VestaCreate you can price a post in dollars through your direct links or in credits. A credit is a dollar to the fan, and you receive 75 cents per credit when you cash out. So a 20-credit unlock pays you $15.

Credits remove the step where the fan goes to a payment link and comes back, which matters most for cheap, impulsive unlocks. For a $5 teaser, the one-tap credit unlock will often sell enough extra copies to more than cover the difference. For a $40 video, more fans are willing to click through to pay direct, and the cut matters more. Many creators price small posts in credits and large ones for direct payment.

Volume versus price

Two posts a week at $10 that half your subscribers unlock usually earns more than one post at $25 that a fifth unlock. Cheaper, frequent unlocks also build the trust that makes the occasional premium post sell.

Keep notes on what you locked, at what price, and how many unlocked it. After a month you will know your audience's price better than any guide can tell you.