How are you using Facebook to maximize your income? Did you know you can go live for a fee by creating your own Facebook paid online events? Here’s how to start earning through an online webinar or coaching session.
Are Online Events Profitable?
Not even a year ago, most events only did face-to-face gatherings while considering online activities as a free marketing tactic with an unclear ROI. However, since the pandemic, tables have turned and the safety of the screen has become preferable for a lot of people. With physical conferences, seminars, and consultations cancelled, you probably sought refuge on the internet as well.
But can you make online events profitable? Fortunately, technology has made it so.
Live streaming has made it possible for businesses to update their target audience in real-time. Streamers have the choice to make their shows public for everyone to see or exclusively for a small number of people in a closed group.
Going Live for Free vs Paid Event
Instead of creating an event on Facebook and earning from it, business owners often channel their webinars or closed training sessions through other channels with integrated payment for joiners.
With the launching of paid events by Facebook, entrepreneurs don’t need to set up their online events through several channels anymore. They can now start ticketing their viewers for exclusive live streams on their Facebook page or group.
Coaches often create two kinds of events. One is for a free event used mainly as a marketing tool to encourage viewers to sign up for a paid online course.
Another is for those who have signed up for the exclusive group or class and are willing to pay extra for that coach’s expertise. Private paid Facebook groups can be made for this type.
With the recent updates, you can now ask for a fee when you create an event on Facebook! You can also keep 100% of your collection less tax deductions until 2021. Isn’t that cool?
Here’s how to create a Facebook event for your next paid online activity.
Creating a Paid Facebook Event
1. Enable paid online events for your Facebook page
Before anything else, you need to configure your account to enable paid online events. To do this, follow the steps below:
- Go to this link.
- Choose the Page you want to use for your paid Facebook event.
- Read through the terms and conditions thoroughly and agree to them.
- Select the account you want to pay out the fees to. You can choose an existing account or add a new one. But remember you’ll need to upload your Tax form and link your bank or Paypal account to set it up.
Make sure you can create paid events in your area by viewing your Page Eligibility in Creator Studio’s Status widget. For reference, here are the countries that allow paid online events:
- Australia
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Canada
- Czech Republic
- France
- Germany
- Hungary
- India
- Italy
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Singapore
- Spain
- Sweden
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- United States
2. Create your event
Once you’ve determined your page’s eligibility and enabled paid online events on Facebook, you can now create one!
Start by going to the Facebook page and tapping on the Event section. Once prompted, you will have to input the name of your event which follows Facebook’s ad policies.
Then, click on Online Event and type in your physical location.
3. Set your pricing
Now that you’ve got your Event name, it’s time to set the fee.
Click on Enable Paid Access, then choose the price you want on the list.
Now here are a couple of important things to remember before finalizing your event:
- Make sure the price you save is the final rate because once you publish the event on Facebook, you won’t be able to edit it.Â
- You can only add one pricing per event.Â
4. Add a co-host
It’s time for you to add a co-host for the event. That person doesn’t necessarily have to be on-camera with you. However, your co-host will be able to promote the paid event and share it with friends.
5. Add your scheduled live stream link
If you’re planning on meeting your viewers via live streaming, schedule your broadcast in the BeLive studio. Though you won’t be able to get the direct broadcast link in the studio like before, a Facebook post link will be published in your page or group. Copy the link of that post and add it in the external link for live video.
Once a participant joins and pays for the event, they will be redirected to the broadcast by clicking on Join Event.
6. Finalize event details
Finalize the details of your event including your guest list visibility, post permissions, and messaging. Note that while you can add co-hosts, as event creator, you will only be the one that can see the number of attendees.
Once you’ve double-checked everything, you can now click Create to finish making your paid online event.
7. Promote your event
After creating your paid online event, it’s time for you to promote. You can still follow the steps you take when promoting a scheduled live stream such as:
- Posting on social media
- Creating a blog post
- Creating Facebook ads
- Sharing it EVERYWHERE
Offering Free Access for Your Online Event
While the whole point of creating a paid Facebook event is, well, to get paid for exclusive access, you can still offer free slots for up to 50 people.
To do this, follow the steps below:
- Open your event details as the page and not your personal profile.
- Then click on the three dots on the upper right side of the page.
- Then click on Send Free Access to the people who follow your page that you want to invite for free. Facebook will notify the person with your invitation.
You can use this as a marketing strategy to increase page followers and attendees of your paid event.
If Facebook’s paid online events haven’t been activated in your country, don’t worry. There are still other ways to generate income with your live stream, like:
- Live selling
- Private online coaching
- Paid webinars
- Online classes and more
Whether you’re transitioning to digital from physical events or just expanding your horizon, Facebook’s paid online events can be a great marketing tool with sure returns. You also don’t need much of an overhead budget because all you need is your computer and stable internet to start live streaming.
Have you tried organizing a paid online event? Share your experience with us below!
If you’re ready to start creating digital gatherings, then schedule your branded show with BeLive now!Â
Did you know you can get your next BeLive Standard+ Plan by inviting a friend?Â
