In April, online writing platform Wattpad launched Wattpad Studios to help manage its writers a bit like a multi-channel network — harnessing partnerships, managing talent, and providing analytics solutions for burgeoning scribes. And now, Wattpad says it will let users earn money by inserting ads into their content — not unlike the means by which countless digital influencers make a living.
The new service, dubbed Wattpad Futures, will display ads between the chapters of Wattpad stories, and the company will split revenues with writers every time an ad is viewed. The company’s head of content, Ashleigh Gardner, told Publishers Weekly that Futures will kick off with video ads and then eventually include display ads, too. The goal is also to have ads eventually synch up with the kind of stories that they are appearing within.
“It’s the interconnected community of storytellers and audiences that makes the Wattpad Futures program a viable income source for writers,” said co-founder and CEO Allen Lau in a statement. “Readers have always encouraged their favorite storytellers with messages, comments, and votes. Now, they can support Wattpad writers in a way that increases the writer’s income, without having to pay out of pocket.”
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In a beta test, Gardner said, most writers earned $1,000 per month — though some earned $2,000. The company initially hopes to have thousands of writers participate in the invite-only program.
While all stories on Wattpad are free to read, the company has sought to help writers make money in other ways. Its more exclusive Wattpad Stars program — which is part of the aforementioned Wattpad Studios — connects successful authors with brands to create sponsored content, assists authors in publishing physical books and host signings, helps scribes transform their written work into films and series, facilitates press exposure, and provides access to Wattpad headquarters and staff. And certain advertising opportunities do already exist for brands. In addition to publishing their own branded stories or having them written by native Wattpad Stars, brands can sponsor reading lists and purchase native ads that appear elsewhere across the site.
All told, Wattpad says it has 2.3 million monthly writers and a global audience of 45 million who spend an average of 30 minutes per visit.
