[Editorial] Too many lecture advertisements are popping up these days.
Haebom
8
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Haebom
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The era of the knowledge industry
In recent years, the market called the creator economy has experienced a new renaissance. Individual broadcasters on YouTube, influencers on social media, and in-depth articles delivered through newsletters such as Substack... all of these have created huge social and economic waves driven by individual creativity, knowledge sharing, and fun.
Recently, when I go to a site and see Google ads or app ads, they are either game ads or lecture ads. Of course, it could be because I was targeted that way, but when I hear stories from people around me, people say that the faces of the people who run the lecture platforms are too big, so I think it's similar, just that the lectures shown to other people are different.
Goals that change from the beginning
Many people start their social media activities to turn their hobbies into careers and dreams into reality. Whether it’s becoming a YouTuber who shares cooking tips from their small kitchen to the world or sharing how to brew their own coffee beans, it all seems to start with pure enjoyment and boundless creativity. But as we all know, over time, they are asked to create more content and better equipment. And these demands eventually come down to the practical issue of money. And at some point, their purpose itself changes to money, and some people start out with only money in mind.
Is the future about sponsorship?
YouTube channel membership, OnlyFans, Patreon, and other support models have given many creators a message of hope, based on Calvin Curley's "1,000 True Fans" theory. This attractive statement that "if you have true supporters, you can make a living with your content" seems plausible. If 1,000 people who like you give you 10,000 won a month, you will receive 10 million won in monthly income. However, the reality is that only 5% of followers are converted into paid subscribers, and it often falls short of expectations. In addition, there are many cases where demands that go beyond the line are made behind such support.
Creators' struggles in an overflowing market
The creator market is already saturated. Whether it’s YouTube channels, podcasts, or newsletters, the number has exploded. Now creators have to compete fiercely to find their voice, capture an audience, and get fans who decide to pay regularly. The flood of free content is making this challenge even worse. In fact, many lecture content that we see these days is not just lecture platforms, but also personal lecture sites, and they often get personal contact information by offering free PDF books, and then sell lectures through email and personal contact.
It's a new way of talking, but in fact, this method has been used by media and consulting companies for a long time. It's a way of converting customers by giving free reports and free content and using the most important or truly necessary touchpoints. In the past, only a few companies could do it, but now anyone can create a homepage, channel, and content, so the fatigue and difficulty that this market itself brings has become very high.
Towards a sustainable creative model
Asking fans for financial support directly sometimes damages the trust of the fan community. Some people feel uncomfortable when the interaction between creators and fans degenerates into a simple transaction. The constant promotion of subscription benefits and exclusive content obscures the essence of creation and creates a burden of having to spend too much time promoting on social media. Of course, if the broadcast was originally done to receive support, the story is different, but this is limited to creators and those in the knowledge industry.
Building a successful sponsorship model is rare. Most independent creators seek financial stability by combining various income sources such as advertising revenue, part-time jobs, freelancing, product sales, and institutional funding. This hybrid income model spreads risk across multiple income sources and allows creators to respond more flexibly to market changes and fan engagement. I know YouTubers, short-form creators, and Instagram influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers, but it’s not uncommon for them to make eye-popping amounts of money. In fact, it feels like they’re not making enough for the hard work.
A storyteller who isn't stereotypical?
In the end, creators come up with their own various monetization strategies, and they end up making money by creating their own content or communities and operating challenges and gatherings. The important thing is that there is so much knowledge. There is so much of it. In the past, if you wanted to learn specific knowledge or methods, you had to go to specialized books or experts or scholars, but now it is so easy.
In the age of artificial intelligence, it will become easier. There will come a time when it will be faster to see information that is generated than to search and find it. In the end, only individual thoughts, wisdom, or counseling, personalized consulting will survive. I cautiously predict this, following last time.
// Personally, whenever I see an ad, I try not to see it anymore, but if it keeps popping up, it seems like the platform and marketers are really pushing the MMP or ad channel hard. It's like a battle between a spear and a shield, so it's sometimes interesting.
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