Are you a storyteller or a video creator wondering how to sell your story online? This article answers your question. Whether you create “dramatize me” videos, mini series, or short stories, you can make a lot of money if you know how to do it the right way. Here, we have explained what kind of stories and videos sell the best, introduced the best platform to sell short videos online, and much more.
What Kind of Stories or Videos Sell Best?
We have examined different social media platforms to find the trending topics for short stories and videos. Here are the top 5 pieces of content that people are actually willing to pay for.
1. Romance, Cheating, and Other Emotional Topics
Any type of story or video that triggers people’s emotions sells well. Romance stories let the readers escape the harsh reality for a short time and live in an ideal world where lovers live happily. On the other hand, those who have experienced infidelity feel understood and validated when reading cheating stories. There are also other types of stories that provoke people’s emotions, like the erotic ones. Such stories also sell a lot if you mix them with romance or record them (sound).
Note: We suggest offering the first chapter/episode for free to attract the readers/viewers. Then, lock the next parts, so people have to purchase a subscription plan.
2. Crime and Mystery
Did you know that the top fans of crime stories are women? These adrenaline junkies are willing to pay for your crime and mysterious stories/videos if they tease their minds. They want to know ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘when’, and ‘where’ something has happened, so they follow the story till the end. Text episodes, voice narrations, or video mini-series are the best formats for this genre.
Note: You can be inspired by real crime stories that happened throughout the years. There are thousands of them on the internet. If you want to narrate the real story in another way, don’t forget to mention “Based on a True Story”. This simple sentence excites the readers/viewers and makes them eager to pursue the story.
3. Motivational and Inspiring Stories
People love authentic content that inspires them to be better people. Stories about overcoming serious challenges, finding confidence, dealing with the loss of loved ones, or learning from mistakes are inspiring and can give a life lesson. If you want to sell short videos online, animated videos, and stories with background music are the best formats.
4. Sci-Fi and Dark Fiction
If you have a great imagination, write sci-fi stories. Look at Harry Potter and the Hobbits. People are still looking for their spin-offs and new episodes because, in such stories, the world is more exciting and the characters have fewer limits than humans.
Note: If you are a graphic designer or have a nice voice, we suggest creating comic books, podcasts, or animated clips to attract the readers/viewers more.
5. Adult stories
Adult stories are extremely popular, so you can make a fortune with them. However, they are illegal on many platforms. The key is that the stories shouldn’t be explicit. It can be a sensual romance, without pictures and videos. Written series and audio storytelling are types of content that people happily pay for.
What Is the Best Platform to Sell Short Videos Online?
There are different ways to sell short videos or monetize your stories. You can submit your written story on some websites, like Sell Us Your Story and Payhip, and if they like it, they will pay you for publishing it. Also, you can create e-books and sell them on websites, such as Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. If you only create video content, Patreon is a good website where you can publish your content.
All these platforms are the best in their field, but if you want to have more control over your time and content and save money at the start, Telegram is THE BEST option. In the next part, you will see why!
Why Is Telegram Perfect to Sell Short Videos?
If you’re serious about selling your stories, Telegram might be the best platform to begin with. It’s free, is available in all countries (even with proxies), supports different payment methods, doesn’t have a complicated algorithm, doesn’t take a big percentage of your earnings (AKA commission), has functional bots, and more. Let’s discuss some of these pros in detail.
The Bots Save Your Time and Money
Bots don’t rest and don’t need launch breaks. Also, they are more cost-effective than human admins, as they can manage different tasks at once. Some platforms, like SmartBotsLand, let you create your own bot, customize it, and take money from the subscribers. (In the next section, you will see the steps.) You don’t have to worry about managing payments manually; the bot handles it all. That means you can focus on what really matters: writing and creating great stories.
Telegram Protects Your Content
Are you worried about someone stealing your stories and videos (plagiarism)? Telegram has a solution for it. When you share your stories or videos inside a private channel, only your paying subscribers can see them, and they CANNOT forward them to others or copy the text. Follow these steps to lock your content.
Subscribers Can Pay in Different Ways
Telegram supports different payment gateways, both fiat and crypto ones. There are two ways that you can take money from premium users:
1) There are some payment bots that process the payment. You need to create a bot using @botfather and connect it to the payment provider’s API.
2) A limited number of bots, like SmartBotsLand, have a built-in payment gateway that lets the customers pay without any complicated procedure. The SmartBotsLand’s subscription bot supports PayPal, CoinPayment, and bank transfer. Also, you can enable the “Wallet” button, so the subscribers can charge their wallets and pay via that.
Telegram’s Algorithm Doesn’t Get in Your Way
Unlike Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, which have weird algorithms, Telegram helps its users. All you have to do is consider SEO principles:
- Use proper hashtags at the end of your posts
- Find a good name that represents your field of work (like “daily short romance stories” instead of “love stories”)
- Add a Description and use a proper keyword in it.
- Use relevant pictures that attract users.
Connect with Your Audience Directly
Telegram allows you to directly connect with the readers. They can give you feedback, ask questions, or connect with you at a personal level. Of course, if you are not comfortable with this level of connection, you can remove the admin’s ID from the “Description”.
Another reason for using Telegram to sell short videos and stories is that the audience receives a notification as soon as you post a new story, photo, or short video. This means a higher view and engagement rate.
Also read: Learn the BotFather’s Commands
How to Sell Short Videos and Stories: 5 Steps
If you have chosen Telegram to sell short videos and stories, follow these 5 steps to run your business.
- Create a Telegram channel or group. This is where you share your content, so choose a good name and write a proper description for it.
- Purchase a subscription bot and add it to the channel. The SmartBotsLand’s subscription bot lets you choose a suitable payment method, create different subscription plans (one-year, one-month, three-month, …), and control the renewals.
- Upload your stories or short videos at a certain time, so people know when to expect you. It’s worth mentioning that some bots upload posts for you, but they are not free and can add to your expenses.
- Advertise your channel on social media and other channels/groups. It’s better to share teasers on social media or give away the first part of a story for free to attract people.
- Keep the audience involved. Create polls, hold Q&A sessions, and share a spin-off or exclusive chapter to make your subscribers feel part of something special.
Telegram Channels vs. Groups: Which Is Better for Story Creators?
You need both channels and groups if you want to sell short videos and stories on Telegram. Here is why:
Chanel for sharing stories/videos: You post your stories, videos, announcements, updates, or teasers in the channel. The subscribers can read or watch them, but they can’t reply (unless you have enabled the discussions). Since people cannot send messages between your posts, the space is clean and professional.
Group for interacting with people: The readers/watchers can interact with you and other fans in the group. They can comment, discuss story ideas, vote on characters’ fates, or suggest endings. It’s an amazing way to build a loyal community.
Note: the ideal method is to use both channels and groups; the channel for posting stories and the group for discussions.
The Last Words
If you’ve been recently asking yourself, “How can I sell my stories?” The answer lies in your budget, target audience, and how well you write. If you have a remarkable writing talent and have already gathered your audience on Instagram or Facebook, you’d better monetize your talent via a premium Telegram channel. It’s one of the easiest and most direct ways to earn from your creativity without depending on complex algorithms.
With SmartBotsLand, you can:
- Set up your bot in minutes
- Automate payments and access
- Focus 100% on creating great stories
FAQs
- Is it easier to create a TG channel or a blog to publish my stories?
Definitely a Telegram channel. Also, monetizing blogs and preventing plagiarism is extremely hard. You can only add a “buy me a coffee” button to receive donations.
- I want to sell short videos in an online shop. What should I do?
If you prefer to sell your videos and e-books in an online shop, we suggest Telegram store bots. Look at the video below to see an example of such bots.
- How can I increase my Telegram subscribers?
Before, we explained 10 ways to increase your channel subscribers. The best 3 ways to make your channels crowded are 1) creating high-quality content, 2) using referral systems -fans invite others in exchange for rewards or discounts-, and 3) keeping the engagement rate high.
- What stories sell best?
Adult stories and those topics that trigger people’s emotions are the best. Just make sure that your content stays within Telegram’s rules.
