How supply and demand affect your video views

There’s an insufferable post template that seems to go viral on LinkedIn every year or so. Somebody says something along the lines of “A bottle of water is $1 at the grocery store, $2 at the gym, and $6 at the airport. The only thing that changed is the location.” 

I suppose part of what makes it so insufferable is smug attitude people share it with. But the main reason this idea is so annoying is because we all know it’s true. 

The principles of supply and demand here are in clear view of anyone who has spent ten minutes reading about them. What may not be so clear is how this idea applies to social content, video views, and building an audience. 

I’ve taken a number of paid online courses with video content. None of those videos come remotely close to the quality of editing and information available for free on YouTube. In fact, the most engaging and interesting content is available for free on social media. But since I paid for the course, I’m more invested in the course content.

Your video may have tanked on social media. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad video. It might just be on the wrong platform. The same video that was an absolute dud on YouTube could be well-received by an audience in a paid or private online course. The price tag and limited access tells a story about the quality of information, and the fact that someone invested money into it earns an increased level of focus. 

The same goes for newsletters and blogs. The quality of writing I put into my free blog, frankly, is better than the quality I put into my subscribers-only newsletters. The quality of writing in my $23 book is much better than the quality of writing in my $107 Producing Guide. This is because higher-priced products have a built-in level of focus, while lower-priced or free products have to compete with an ocean of attention-grabbing content. 

The price and the platform are as much a part of the experience as the content itself.