I’m sometimes asked about hosting videos for both free, and members only access. As with most things web related, there are many ways to do this. They all have advantages and disadvantages. Video hosting services serve many purposes , but for most of my clients, it is usually
- Vloggers, where Offering videos is their main purpose, and the platform needs to help grow the audience
- Videos are a part of the business. the hosting platform itself needs to offer a place to serve the videos, without dominating the videos content and purpose.
You get what you pay for , the more features you would like suce as tracking, members only access, no ads, the more you will pay. Ive covered some of the more popular options, but there are many services out there if none of the options below look right for you.
WordPress
If you have a wordpress website, you can of course host your own videos. This, with a membership plugin, will let you show videos to your audience AND keep them on your website. Win-win, right? The problem is that most peoples hosting package will not allow for the large amounts of data streaming that hosting videos uses, so you may end up blowing out the top of your package. Basic website packages often have limits on file sizes, and the speed of delivery won’t really be suitable, especially if people are paying for access. This is generally a bad idea.
Best for – organisations with unlimited hosting packages, but they wont be running wordpress anyway
Bad for – everyone else, don’t do it
YouTube
The next most obvious to most people is YouTube, free to use, everyone knows it , the obvious choice. This is great for videos open for anyone to see, but not so good for videos that you would like to keep behind a paywall.
“Ah – yes, but I can embed the link in my website and no-one need know!!”
The internet has this magic way of finding things, and there is nothing to stop your paying client forwarding the link to non-paying friends. This means less money for you, and could lead to paying clients wondering why they are actually paying for soething they can get for free.
Youtube also has two problems for a pay-wall video offering
It displays adverts
This may not be a problem if your users are not paying for access to your content, but now that youtube drops adverts in the middle of your video, this could be a problem for something like meditation or yoga, where an interuption is the last thing you need
It has no members-only feature for mere mortals
Youtube does offer a members only feature, but you have to have a big following , and hand over a percentage of your profits
Best for – Offering free content, where odd interruption is not a problem. Growing your audience through the platform itself; people who want a free service
Bad for – Paid for content, or content that you dont want any interruptions
Vimeo
Vimeo is a well known platform, and offers good options for paid-for content with no ads. As is often the way , to get a service to make money you need to pay. Vimeo offers a range of services that can be tailored to fit your audience, starting with a free service, through to more expensive services as your audience grows. The base package , in August 2021 allows you to upload videos that total up to 5gb in size a week, and 250gb a year
Best for – Offering free and paid for content, no ads! Great for embedding in your website
Bad for – People who want to grow their audiences using the vido hosting platform
Facebook can be used to host videos, but it’s not its primary function. Videos can be uploaded to your private group, but it’s a clunky interface and doesn’t make it easy to find videos for reference
Best for – Offering small videos as part of your social media; people who want a free service
Bad for – hosting a training course of reference material.
Wistia
Wistia is another paid for service that offers many features. It is a more expensive service, but offers a full video service for people who want a professional looking interface and to grow their audience, including the ability to track your audience
Best for – A professional , video driven services
Bad for – People who want a free service, or to host a few paid for videos
Video Hosting with Jetpack
If you have a wordpress website, you may also be using Jetpack. If you are paying for their some of premium services, then unlimited video hosting is also included. The service is reasonably priced and includes security and backup services too. It is worth considering as you may get extra value for your monthly fee.
Best for – wordpress users who already use jetpack, or would like the extra performance, backup and security services
Bad for – People who want a free service, or to host a few paid for videos