educational

Pay-Per-View Made Easy

In a recent article series in XBiz, Randall Crockett from DRM Networks outlined some of the reasons for — and techniques of implementing — pay-per-view content systems. While Crockett focused on delivering video-based content protected by a digital rights management (DRM) system, this isn't the only – or necessarily the "easiest" – method of building a pay-per-view website. Let's take a closer look:

Why Pay-Per-View?
To reinforce what you might have already heard (or seen for yourself while pouring over your sales stats), surfers are becoming less and less interested in purchasing traditional paysite memberships. There are several reasons for this, including the monthly cost, a fear that it will be difficult (or impossible) to cancel the membership, dissatisfaction with previous paysite memberships and an uncertainty that the content they seek will actually be available within the members area.

While the issues of cost and cancellation are easily addressed by offering lower-priced "discount" websites and featuring prominent "cancel" or "customer service" links, the glut of low-quality, "cookie cutter" paysites that do not deliver what they promise has left many wary consumers in its wake – consumers who may not be easily convinced to join another paysite. You might, however, be able to overcome some of their reluctance by presenting a very professional tour with high-quality samples and extensive support documentation like FAQs and a "help" area that will give the impression that your site is what it promises, and thereby make a new sale. Likewise, a prospective member's uncertainty that the content they seek will actually be available within the members area can be addressed through your tour by providing a comprehensive, thumbnailed list of the galleries, feeds and videos that you offer members.

There is a simple reason why this is necessary and it has to do with some of the industry's traditional marketing practices: for years, webmasters have been told that using unique, high-quality content – rather than the overused sponsor-provided offerings – to build free sites and galleries was the way to not only get favorable listings on link sites and TGPs, but to encourage click-throughs to the sponsor.

While link list and TGP owners benefited from this practice by being able to offer their site's visitors more diverse materials and content providers profited by enjoying a market well beyond the traditional paysite arena, the unintended consequence was that a surfer, hoping to see more of the model he enjoyed on that free site or gallery – and logically assuming that "more" would be contained within the website being promoted on that free site or gallery (especially given the common use of catch phrases like "click here to see more of me") – would be invariably disappointed when that model (or the complete set) was not found within the sponsoring paysite's members area...

It's doubtless that a customer's feeling of being victimized by "false advertising" in this regard has led to more than a few chargebacks.

A Simple Solution
An easy way to overcome all of these issues can be found through the use of a click-based micro-payment system such as the one offered by PayAsYouClick.com. Using the example above of a tour page that features a thumbnailed list of all of the galleries and videos that you offer members, all that would be required to transform the traditional paysite into a pay-per-view site would be the replacement of the links on these thumbnails that would typically point to your join page with PayAsYouClick links directly to the featured content.

Now, rather than clicking through to a membership offer (with all of the aforementioned drawbacks), the customer can pick and choose the exact content that he or she wishes to view, such as individual videos, photo galleries (or even individual images), stories and more.

Through the offering of exclusive, quality content and the careful setting of price points, this ala carte method of content monetization may indeed yield a higher amount of revenue per surfer than does traditional membership sales. Of course, savvy webmasters could offer both options (individual content offerings as well as full memberships) as a way of maximizing sales while satisfying the preferences of most of their customers.

Creativity and giving the customer what he or she wants is the key to success in this market and the effective use of pay-per-view systems is an increasingly integral part of this process. Try it on your own site and see for yourself!

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

opinion

The SCREEN Test: How to Prepare for Federal Age Verification

For those who are counting, there are now 20 enacted state laws in the United States requiring age verification for viewing online adult content, plus numerous proposed laws in the works. This ongoing barrage has been exhausting for many in the adult industry — and it may be about to escalate in the form of a potential new AV law, this time at the federal level.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
opinion

How to Master Team Dynamics for Business Success

Having the right team in place is everything. Whether getting a startup off the ground and thriving, or safeguarding an established company, the right — or wrong — people can mean the difference between a successful venture and a failed dream.

Juicy Jay ·
opinion

Eight Steps to Fast-Track AI Site Approval for Processing

Artificial intelligence is a hot topic these days. AI technology is speeding up the way we do business across all industries and offers numerous benefits, from automating processes to increasing efficiency and scalability.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

How to Secure High-Risk Transactions With Network Tokenization

Ensuring the security of data as it moves through digital channels is the foundation of safe transactions, and crucial for your success. If your business can’t secure transactions, you’re exposed to myriad processing traumas.

Jonathan Corona ·
profile

Lea Lexis On Challenging the Porn Status Quo

Lea Lexis doesn’t just aim to make movies — she wants to craft experiences. Bending the rules of what’s possible in moviemaking with the precision of a true auteur, the performer-turned-Brazzers producer has helped shape some of the industry’s most striking and boundary-pushing productions.

Jackie Backman ·
profile

WIA Profile: Reba Rocket

As chief operating officer and chief marketing officer of Takedown Piracy, long at the forefront of intellectual property protection in adult entertainment, Rocket is dedicated to safeguarding the livelihoods of content creators and producers while fostering a more ethical and sustainable industry.

Women In Adult ·
opinion

Protecting Content Ownership Rights When Using AI

In today’s digital age, content producers have more tools at their disposal than ever before. Among these tools, artificial intelligence (AI) content generation has emerged as a game changer, enabling creators to produce high-quality content quickly and efficiently.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
opinion

How Payment Orchestration Can Help Your Business

An emerging payment solution is making waves in the merchant world: the payment orchestration platform (POP). It’s quickly gaining traction as a powerful tool for managing online payments — but questions abound.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

Fine-Tuning Refund and Cancellation Policies

For adult websites, managing refunds and cancellations isn’t just about customer service. It’s a crucial factor in maintaining compliance with the regulations of payment processors and payment networks such as Visa and Mastercard.

Jonathan Corona ·
profile

WIA Profile: Laurel Bencomo

Born in Cambridge, England but raised in Spain, Laurel Bencomo initially chose to study business at the University of Barcelona simply because it felt familiar — both of her parents are entrepreneurs. She went on to earn a master’s degree in sales and marketing management at the EADA Business School, while working in events for a group of restaurants in Barcelona.

Women In Adult ·
Show More