Jan 21, 2026
Learn how to gate and monetise your video content without killing growth. Discover what to charge for, pricing models, and how to maintain momentum.
David Orman
Co-Founder & CEO
Most creators don’t wake up one day and decide to put their work behind a paywall.
It usually happens later.
When the views are there.
The comments are there.
The audience is there.
But the money isn’t.
Your work is travelling, but your revenue, data, and control aren’t coming with it.
For filmmakers, indie producers, and long-form creators, this is often the turning point. You stop chasing exposure for its own sake and start thinking about intentional access. A thoughtful paywall strategy is rarely about restriction. It’s about sustainability.
When to Start Thinking About Paid Access
Paywalling content isn’t about limiting reach. It’s about deciding which work builds awareness and which work allows you to continue creating.
You’re usually ready when you’ve built an engaged audience that consistently watches your work, when your projects demand significant time or resources, and when free platforms are no longer translating views into meaningful income. Many creators also reach this moment when their audience starts asking how they can support the work directly.
Moving toward paywall content isn’t a rejection of your audience. It’s an invitation to go deeper with the people who genuinely value what you make.
Deciding What’s Worth Paying For
Before choosing tools, pricing, or platforms, it helps to answer one core question: which parts of your work carry the most value?
Not everything should be paid. Free content still plays a critical role in discovery. It helps new audiences understand your voice, your craft, and whether your work resonates with them.
Paid access makes the most sense for content that requires more time, trust, or emotional investment. For many creators, this includes full films or complete episodes, early or limited releases, extended cuts, behind-the-scenes material, or educational content such as workshops and masterclasses.
Many filmmakers start with pay per view content because it lowers the barrier to entry. Viewers can support a single project without committing to anything ongoing. When done well, pay per view content feels like access rather than restriction, which is an important distinction in any long-term paywall strategy.
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Choosing Your Monetisation Model
Once you know what you’re charging for, the next decision is how people should pay.
One-off payments work well when you’re releasing standalone projects, testing what your audience will pay for, or monetising specific events like premieres and screenings. For films, typical pricing for pay per view content often sits between £2 and £15, depending on length and production value.
On the other hand, subscription based content works best when you’re building something ongoing. This might be a series, a growing catalogue, or a long production cycle where regular updates matter. Subscriptions provide predictable revenue and give your audience a sense of continuity. In practice, most subscription content is priced between £5 and £15 per month, or offered at a discounted annual rate.
Many of the most successful creators don’t choose one model exclusively. They combine them. Major releases are sold as pay per view content, while subscriptions offer deeper access, early viewing, and a complete library. This hybrid approach gives audiences flexibility while strengthening your overall paywall strategy.
Managing Access Without Creating Chaos
This is where many creators run into friction.
As soon as money is involved, access management becomes critical. You need to know who can watch, in what context, and for how long. You may need private screeners during festival runs, previews for press or collaborators, and timed exclusivity across different platforms.
For filmmakers especially, content often needs to move through several stages. A project might start as a private screener, shift into paywall content for release, become part of your subscription library, and eventually be made public. If introducing paid access complicates your workflow, the system is working against you.
A strong platform should let you upload once and change access through permissions, not duplicated files. It should offer clear analytics, secure sharing, and embedded payments that don’t push viewers elsewhere.
Hiway is built around this exact need. You upload your film once and control how it’s accessed. The same project can move from private screening to pay per view content and later into subscription based content without being re-uploaded or duplicated.
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Why Subscriptions Are Growing
Subscriptions are growing because attention has become unpredictable.
Algorithms change. Platform priorities shift. Reach spikes and disappears overnight.
Subscription content offers stability. For filmmakers and indie producers, recurring revenue helps support development between releases, keeps audiences engaged during long production cycles, and reduces reliance on gatekeepers. It also allows creators to plan ahead with confidence.
This isn’t about locking fans in. It’s about giving the people who care most a way to stay connected while you create. When done thoughtfully, subscription based content strengthens your relationship with your audience rather than weakening it.
Balancing Free and Paid Content
Free content isn’t going anywhere. Discovery still matters.
What’s changing is how creators structure value.
Free content introduces your work. Trailers, teasers, clips, and short-form pieces act as the shopfront. Paid content protects depth, timing, and effort. Full films, exclusive material, early access, and premium experiences sit behind the paywall.
Creators who sustain themselves long-term don’t choose between free and paid. They design a balance that supports growth while making their work viable. A clear paywall strategy ensures that free content fuels discovery, while paywall content supports creation.
Think of it this way. Your free work invites people in. Your paid work gives them a reason to stay.
About the Author
David Orman
Co-Founder & CEO
With a career that has taken me through venture capital, media, sport and digital content, I’ve picked up more stories than I can count, and too many I can't tell....