Start from what has already sold
Before changing anything, list your pay-per-view sales from the last 90 days with the price each fan paid. Group them into price bands, for example under $5, $5–10, $10–15, $15–25, $25–50 and above $50. For each band, write down three numbers: how many sales, how many different buyers, and how much it earned after the platform’s share.
Two bands usually stand out. One sells the most. The other earns the most. They are often not the same band, and the difference between them is where most pricing decisions are made.
Find your sweet spot
Your sweet spot is the band that brings in the most revenue, not the most sales. If most of your sales are at $5 but most of your money comes from $15 items, new content priced around $15 has the most evidence behind it.
Look at repeat purchases too. If the same fans keep buying in one band, that price works for your regulars. A band with many one-off buyers may be good for reaching new fans but will not carry your month on its own.
Change one thing at a time
Price tests only teach you something when they are clean. Keep the type and length of content similar, send to a similar group of fans, and change only the price. Give each test enough sales to mean something; a handful of purchases can swing either way by chance.
- Pick one item and one group of fans
- Raise or lower the price by one band, not more
- Compare revenue per fan you sent it to, not just the number of sales
- Write down what you tried, so you do not test the same thing twice
Use a simple calculation before you send
Revenue from a pay-per-view message is roughly the number of fans you send it to, times the share who buy, times the price, minus the platform’s share. At a higher price, fewer fans need to buy to earn the same. Working that number out first tells you whether a higher price is realistic for your audience.
For example, sending to 400 fans at $10 with 8% buying earns about the same as sending at $20 with 4% buying. If your fans tend to buy at well above 4% when the content is strong, the higher price is worth testing.
Price for your best fans separately
Your biggest spenders often pay more per item than everyone else. Compare the average price they paid with the average for other fans. If the gap is wide, a premium item sent to them first, at a step above your usual price, is a low-risk test: the rest of your audience never sees a price change.
Watch for cheap items that sell a lot but earn little
Very cheap items can make a page feel busy without paying much. If one low band takes a large share of your sales and a small share of your revenue, try bundling a few of those items together, or pricing the next one a step higher.
Keep it honest
Describe what the content is, keep the price clear before purchase, and do not promise more than you deliver. Fans who feel tricked do not buy again, and repeat buyers are what keep pay-per-view income steady.
Decide what you are optimising for
Before you test anything, decide what a good result looks like. Maximum revenue from one message, more buyers to build a habit, or higher spend from a small group of regulars all lead to different prices. A low price can be the right choice for a first purchase, because a fan who has bought once is much more likely to buy again.
Write the goal next to each test. When you look back at results, a cheap item that brought many first-time buyers is a success if that was the aim, even if it earned less than usual.
Bundles, series and price anchors
Prices are read in context. A single item at $20 can feel expensive on its own and reasonable next to a $35 bundle of three. Offering two options, a single item and a larger set, lets fans choose and often lifts the average spend without raising any individual price.
Series work in a similar way. If fans liked the first part of something, the second part can carry a slightly higher price, because the buyer already knows what to expect.
- Pair a single item with a bundle at a clear saving
- Keep bundle contents honest and described in full
- Do not discount so often that fans learn to wait for it
Read the results without fooling yourself
Compare revenue per fan you sent to, not only the number of sales. Ten sales at $25 from 300 fans beats twenty sales at $10 from the same 300. Check repeat purchases a few weeks later as well: a price that sells once and never again may be too high for your regulars.
Small numbers swing a lot. If a test only produced a handful of purchases, repeat it before drawing conclusions, and be wary of a single very good or very bad day.