Entertainers, we need to be smart during these uncertain times. Yes, social distancing means bad business for us. Yes, we are in the midst of a state of an emergency due to Covid-19, which is terrible for our bottom line. However, we need to be shrewd. We can still make money – streaming is the answer! Sounds hella abnormal and yes, you want to feed off the energy of actual people but ousi, we are in 2020. This is the future. Elon Musk type of vibes. One of the biggest tech companies in the world, Facebook added an ad capability to their live videos.
When it was announced, we never really explored it because who likes ads, right? However, in the middle of corona, go down on your knees and rejoice in the face of adverts! Every single company is desperate to talk to people and are looking at creative ways to get a message across. How does this ad capability work in live videos?
Well, during a live feed, certain streamers will see the option to take a short break and have an ad play during that time. Users will be shown a brief Facebook video ad, and then the live broadcast would resume.
Easy does it right? No harm done. I’m sure you know of at least three brands that would want to go into an advertising agreement with you for advertising space on your live videos. There’s a catch, though – a very nasty catch. Facebook has strict qualification processes. Yeah, you’ll need to qualify for this one.
What are the requirements? You need to have 50 000+ followers, to have reached 300 or more concurrent viewers in a recent live video, be a Facebook page, and your current live video must first reach at least 300 concurrent viewers.
Sigh. Bruh, never mind 50 000+ followers (you can just buy them mos sobiso); it’s the 300 concurrent viewers that will be tough as graphene to achieve! One does not necessarily run to Facebook for live content. Instagram is more suited for that, right? The crème de la crème of social entertainment in Namibia would qualify. However, the crème de la crème of social entertainment in Namibia are not necessarily talented entertainers.
The majority of the crème de la crème of social entertainment in Namibia are people who shot to stardom because of a single event that propelled their name. Winning a massive continental reality TV show or a leaked sex tape (exposed). I’m sure you catch the drift. Unfair much? The actual entertainer with some shred of talent won’t be able to cash in on this ad capability because apparently in Namibia, the talentless have more value than the talented.
So, we are back to square 1! I really thought I was unto something here.
According to R&D, live ads are not really a significant source of income. Because revenue is derived from the total number of clicks or views, the payout depends a lot on how many people see the video. However, you can still negotiate a flat rate with the company you are willing to have on your live feeds.
The bottom line is, as entertainers, we need to embrace research and development now more than ever. We need to read, explore and be open to new technologies that will help us make money.
I will keep digging, so should you. No Covid-19 formed against entertainers in Namibia shall prosper. Let’s Go Make That Money!
Until the next loop, we say “GMTM”!
NSK is a professional MC. For bookings, email naobebsekind@gmail.com
@naobebsekind (twitter)