This article is from WeChat official account:Letter List (ID: wujicaijing)< span class = "text-remarks">, author: Long Teng, the original title: “He Shili its micro-channel device? “, the source of the head picture: IC photo
How to promote the migration of high-quality graphic creators on the platform to video content is a difficult problem facing WeChat. The alphabet list once pointed out that station B was ahead of WeChat, and now Douyin is also ahead of the video account.
A few days ago, the video editing tool Cut-Ying released version 5.1, which added the function of graphics and text to film, and supports the export of graphics and text content on Toutiao. However, Mianzhuan, the editing tool launched by WeChat, is still at the “primary stage” of converting text to video.
Although WeChat in the 8.0 era has increased the construction of basic functions in the video field, and has accelerated the cultivation of users’ habit of using WeChat to watch videos; however, WeChat still seems insufficient in guiding ordinary users to use video for creative expression.
“If the video account can launch a tool that lowers the threshold of video content production, it may consider laying out the content on the video account.” Ye Xiao, a head of technology and new media, told the alphabet list.
In terms of traffic support, the video account is outside of the traditional WeChat private domain communication logic (friend circle, follow, friend forwarding, official account linking, etc.) , like the two short video platforms of Kuaisha, the recommendation function has been added, and multiple public domain entries such as geographic location and search have been opened to help high-quality content gain more channel exposure.
However, the decentralized nature of WeChat makes it difficult for a single piece of content to quickly obtain large-scale traffic support from the platform, and creators need to be patient for long-term operations.
A realistic example is that there is still no head account with a particularly large number of fans on the video account.
“Yizhan Little Monk already belongs to the top account, but this is also difficult to define as exclusive to the video account.” Wang Hao, an investor who has been following content platforms for a long time, told Alphabet List.
By comparing CCTV news on two short video platforms, the video account and Kuaisha, the letter list also found that the number of likes, reposts, and comments on the video account has obvious disadvantages.
The inability to quickly obtain traffic from the video account directly discourages the creative enthusiasm of the content producer of the video account.
According to the observation of the alphabet list, The Paper has maintained 3 pushes and 24 graphic content updates on the WeChat public platform for a long time.
The daily update content of the surging news video account is basically maintained below 10, while the daily update content of the two platforms of Kuaisha is maintained at around 15.
Traditional institutional media with a complete video team are not active enough in the production of video content, and the high threshold of video content production makes many ordinary creators directly persuade them to leave.
However, in the process of lowering the threshold of video content production, helping graphic creators to overcome the fear of difficulty, and transferring to the video number, the video number seems to be faltering. The latest version 1.4 of its own editing tool “Miaojian” is still in the “1.0” era.
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As the video number of the rising star, there is still a gap in content richness with the pioneer Douyin.
“In the first half of the video number, the content richness of the platform was not enough, and the hit rate of (recommended) was very low.” p>
In his WeChat open class speech, Zhang Xiaolong revealed the reason why the video account did not initially use the recommendation mechanism and gave up the vertical screen immersive experience.
“Machine recommendation can only be effective when the content is rich.”
However, with the revision of the video number in the recommendation function and the vertical screen information flow, users have not been able to form the habit of watching videos through WeChat.
This also allows the video account to lag far behind Kuaisha in terms of the length of its use on the premise that the user scale is similar.
According to the data from Shideng’s “White Paper on the Development of Shideng Video Numbers in 2020”, in 2020, the average daily usage time of the video number is 19 minutes. The figure for Kuaishou during the same period was 87.3.
The richness of the video account is very important in cultivating the habit of watching videos on WeChat and increasing the length of time the video account is used.
Tianfeng Securities pointed out in the report that the video account is currently in the transitional stage from platform foundation construction to content ecological filling, and there is still a need for content ecologicalMake up.
In the open class at the beginning of the year, Zhang Xiaolong also revealed to the public that “at this stage, we have not managed to let many people publish their daily lives on the video account.”
For WeChat, which is accustomed to solving problems through products rather than operational means, the importance of enriching product features is obvious.
Currently, WeChat Moments has opened an “entrance for posting 60-second videos using the video account” for the video account, and limited the time period for sending videos to the Moments, which is intended to encourage users to use the video account to express.
Coincidentally, Weishi once used the Moments release portal to divert for itself. However, judging from the current situation of the short video track, Weishi has not been able to get enough traffic from WeChat.
Compared with WeChat, the video number generated in WeChat eliminates the need to jump to the software, but the latest version of WeChat’s Moments support 30-second video function, which is more like a compromise to the video of Moments. Encouraging users to publish video numbers through the Moments portal does not seem to have the expected effect.
Different from the graphic form of the circle of friends, video creation has a higher threshold for the photographer’s technology, equipment used, the state of the subject, and the post-editing process. This may be hindering users from being in the video account. The key to expression.
The Tianfeng Securities report pointed out that “continuous cultivation of creators while lowering the threshold of content creation” is one of the ways to increase user duration.
If you want to become a video platform that “everyone can express”, the development of a video creation tool that vertically serves WeChat users and is convenient and fast enough is important to the video account.
The success of Moments and Weibo is actually inseparable from photo editing software such as Meitu Xiuxiu. After all, for most users, it is an indispensable link to make good photos before posting to Moments and Weibo.
In addition, the success of WeChat emoticons can also prove the importance of tool products’ contribution to content.
WeChat launched the “selfie emoji” function in late 2018, encouraging users to produce personal emoticons to increase the chat experience. During the Spring Festival in 2019, WeChat also added a “New Year’s greeting template” to selfie emoticons, and launched the “Selfie Emoji Red Packet” activity, which triggered the active participation of a group of users, and added a large number of “selfie emoticons” to the emoji package. “.
But for the moment, the limited number of templates and extremely limited editing functions in the second clip are far from the convenience of selfie expressions.
According to the public account “Three Tones”, the template creators who stepped out of the cut have lowered the threshold for ordinary users to produce videos, while also allowing some top players to earn millions in annual income.
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The easy-to-use editing tools are also valuable to graphic content creators.
The high threshold of video production not only limits the enthusiasm of many ordinary users to produce video content, but also makes traditional graphic creators conservative.
Guo Xuehong, the founder of WiFi New Connection, once revealed to the alphabet list that she has a team of about 10 people on the video account to produce a relatively high-quality video. From scripting, shooting, editing to final release, the basic requirements are Guarantee a two to three day cycle, even if the shooting link is omitted, it will take up one day of the team’s production cycle.
Although the number of teams making videos is roughly the same as the graphic creation team on the official account, the output capacity of graphic content is stronger than that of video content.
According to the letter list, the current active graphic creators can basically guarantee the production level of an article of about 2000 words per day without requiring the amount of interviews.
According to Lan Fei, the former head of live broadcast of UI News, told the Alphabet List that UI News once had four independent video teams to ensure continuous production capacity in different fields.
Compared with the high investment in the early stage of video content and the unclear benefits in the middle and late stages, creators are naturally willing to choose the graphics and text fields that are familiar now and have relatively stable sources of income.
“Content agencies are not worried about the threshold of video production. The input-output ratio of content is the key. But for now, the input-output ratio of video numbers is too low.” Ye Xiao told Alphabet List.
In the context of the lack of high-quality and scarce content on the platform and the low degree of differentiation, many videosIn order to gain content exposure, No. has to spend money on channel promotion. According to Ye Xiao’s observation, “WeChat video accounts are now more suitable for spending money to become fans, and the bonus time for content has not yet arrived.”
If creators invest too much money in channels, they will naturally compress content production costs, further limit the richness of high-quality content on the platform, and affect the willingness of ordinary users to use video accounts.
This also directly limits the expansion of the video account, making it difficult for the content ecology of the video account to form a virtuous circle.
“The video account product ecology is still immature. The video financial content of station B will only be up in 2020, and the current video account is more like station B in 2018.” Ye Xiao told the alphabet list.
“Currently, the content of the main account’s article is not suitable for the video account, so a new IP image has been incubated.” Pan Peng, an operator of another leading commercial new media, also expressed a similar view.
If high-quality creators enter on a large scale, the tone of the platform’s content ecology will inevitably become positive, and this will lead to a virtuous circle of gaining traffic exposure with good content.
WeChat has obviously not done enough to help 20 million creators lower the threshold of video content production and overcome the fear of difficulties.
Zhihu, who also started with graphic content, has also encountered problems with the current video number.
In the process of transforming to video content, on the one hand, Zhihu inserts video content into the most important homepage information stream, and has also developed a one-click filming function for graphics and text to reduce the threshold for video production for graphic and text producers and enrich Own video content library.
I know that this is still the case. For WeChat, which advocates “finding things through products instead of operating methods”, develop a model that can be edited with Douyin, Kuaishou Kuaiying, and B station must be cut. Competitive video editing software helps graphic creators to reduce their concerns about input and output in video creation, which is more logical, and the sooner the better.
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“The video account hopes to give more people opportunities, and the internal ecology is more friendly to most people.” Liu Xingliang, dean of the DCCI Internet Research Institute, told the Alphabet List.
The short video platform led by Douyin has a higher degree of centralization, and the platform is more involved in operations.
The advantage of this is that high-quality content can have a channel for rapid exposure, but it can also easily lead to excessive traffic concentration, which is not friendly to latecomers.
“A good ecology is not just a few head anchors. A good ecology should be the more people participate, the less. The traffic is concentrated on the head, and the opportunities for latecomers become fewer.” Liu Xingliang said The alphabet list expresses his views on the content ecology.
On the WeChat official account, the advantage of WeChat’s decentralized mechanism is the most obvious. A representative example is that the WeChat public platform has grown up well-known head accounts in various periods.
Many leading self-media creators, including Luo Ji Siwei, Mi Meng, etc., all emerged from the WeChat platform. They have obtained substantial income through the WeChat official account, which has also greatly enriched the content ecology of WeChat. WeChat develops video accounts. These self-media people are not burdens, but wealth.
Countless WeChat public account creators born in the graphic era can be called the “reserve” of video accounts. At present, they have obviously not been effectively mobilized.
Liu Xingliang believes, “The biggest advantage of a video account is that content creators can have their own private domain traffic. Video creators can easily use the original private domain traffic such as WeChat groups, address books, and official accounts to connect with video content. At present, other short video platforms cannot do this.”
“At present, Douyin Kuaishou is forwarding the content of the video account, because fans do not belong to the publisher and belong to the platform.” Pan Peng also expressed similar views to the alphabet list.
Not only that, backed by the video account of the WeChat traffic treasure house, on the one hand, you can get co-domain traffic entrances such as recommendations and search, and on the other hand, you can also spread private domain traffic through the social chain of acquaintances.
WeChat’s gold mine of traffic can not only breed an e-commerce dark horse like Pinduoduo, but also make old rival Ali willing to put down his body and start a small program.
For video producers, WeChat’s traffic value and commercial imagination are currently unmatched by other short video platforms.
However, even if the production cost of graphic content is lower, auxiliary tools such as Xiumi and 135 have been born, reducing the pressure on graphic creators to design and typesetting.
The threshold for content production of video accounts is higher, and the degree of commercialization is lower. It has an editing tool function that can reduce the pressure of creators to produce content, and further encourages users to publish video content, so that WeChat users are used to adapt to the internal video ecology of WeChat. , It is very important for the video number that was born just over a year ago.
In addition, Tencent’s content ecosystem has accumulated a large number of copyright advantages in the fields of entertainment, sports, games, etc., which can be provided to video creators for in-depth development.
According to a report from Tianfeng Securities, most of the head content on Douyin currently focuses on entertainment and news content, while the field of video accounts is more extensive.
If the video account can dig deeper into differentiated content with its copyright reserves, it can create its own content moat.
WeChat, which is lagging behind and trembling in video content, can still catch up with it, and even overtake on corners. CITIC Securities once pointed out in a report that “the number of video account users is expected to reach the level of 780 million DAU in Moments”,
But the premise is to create a tool that lowers the threshold of video content production and facilitates editing.
By then, all wechat will be set up, and perhaps only a step away.
(Wang Hao, Ye Xiao, Pan Peng are pseudonyms)
Reference material:
“Video Number: Everyone in Society”——Tianfeng Securities
“It’s not a dream to enter a million a year, “Cut Ying” helps Douyin users from audiences to creators”-Santone
“Comparing Kuaishou, Douyin, and Video Numbers, the competition is tightening, and the operating system becomes the key”——CITIC Securities
“Zhang Xiaolong: Ten Years of WeChat Product Thinking”-WeChat Pie
“Cut Ying launches a new function “Picture and text into film”, input text to generate video with one click”-DoNews
This article is from WeChat official account:Letter List (ID: wujicaijing)< span class = "text-remarks">, author: Long Teng