Facebook is introducing a paid subscription feature for Group admins to charge for exclusive content. The feature is being tested across select Groups.
Facebook has started letting select Group admins set up a paid subscription for access to special sub-Groups that offer exclusive content to subscribers. Subscriptions can go from $4.99 up to $29.99 per month.
Facebook groups count over 1 billion users as many Pages moved on to Groups when organic reach started declining. Groups came with the promise of a smaller, yet much more engaged audience.
A new revenue model for creators, and Facebook
Of course, this is great news for content creators who invest time and effort in producing content that is useful to their groups.
But it is also a new revenue stream for Facebook. During the test period, the company will not take a cut but plans are for the company to keep 30% of a user’s first year of subscription, and 15% after that.
Subscription Groups were a demand from admins. However, the primary objective is not to “make money” but to be able to invest back into their community, according to Facebook Groups Manager, Alex Deve: “The fact that there will be funds coming out of the activity helps them create higher quality content.”
Example content that users might find within subscription groups ranges from video tutorials, lists of tips and one-to-one support from the admins themselves. There are no specific guidelines from Facebook as to what admins could or should host within these sub-groups. Deve explained that the point of the test is actually to figure out what admins would post and what members would find valuable.
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