The boss's favorite? The loser's counterattack? The school hunk's F4 competition? Do you think this is the domestic Douyin and Kuaishou? No. This is the short drama content that is popular overseas recently! According to the "2024 Short Drama Overseas Marketing White Paper", domestic "earthy" short dramas have gone international and become the new favorite of global audiences.

The United States is the largest overseas market for short dramas, and markets such as Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, and Europe also have strong development potential. The prosperity of short video content and the innovation of short drama formats make this market full of infinite possibilities. However, to successfully enter foreign markets, it is not enough to rely solely on creative content. It also requires precise platform selection, effective monetization models, and sophisticated marketing strategies. This article will explore how to achieve international success in short dramas through platform selection , monetization models , and marketing methods .

1. Differences in platform delivery: TikTok vs. YouTube

1. TikTok

– Content characteristics: TikTok is known for its short, fast and powerful content. Videos are usually between 15 seconds and 1 minute long. It is the platform that best fits the current characteristics of short dramas, which are faster, more enjoyable and more convenient. And users interact frequently, which can easily lead to viral spread.

– Audience: Users of this platform have a relatively mature understanding of skits, which saves education costs. 91% of TikTok skit users have liked skit content.

– Promotion method: TikTok's algorithm can quickly push potential video content to a wide range of user groups to increase exposure. You can also use the platform's advertising tools for precise delivery, such as In-Feed ads, brand takeover ads, etc.

2. YouTube

– Content characteristics: YouTube is suitable for longer video content, usually 1 minute to 15 minutes or even longer. The platform supports various types of short dramas, including drama clips, mini series, etc.

– Audience: Audiences have higher requirements for content and prefer to watch high-quality and in-depth videos.

– Promotion method: Promote through YouTube ads (such as display ads, video ads, overlay ads, etc.). At the same time, using SEO optimization, social media sharing and YouTube's push mechanism can increase the number of video views.

2. Monetization Model

1. In-app purchase model (IPA)

l Single-episode payment unlock : This is one of the main ways for short dramas to monetize overseas. Users need to pay for each episode of the short drama separately, and the price is usually adjusted according to the premiere of the series, the total number of episodes, the content quality and the regional market. This model allows users to purchase on demand and flexibly control content consumption. Users who have been exposed to short dramas generally have a higher acceptance of paying by episode, especially for shorter episodes, and their preference is higher than that of potential users.

l Membership subscription : This model is more popular in the European and American markets. Currently, American short drama users are most receptive to the form of unlocking content by watching ads. In terms of content payment, the subscription payment method is more popular, allowing users to unlock all or most of the short drama content by paying monthly or annual fees. However, not all short drama apps support this model. The subscription model can provide a stable income stream and attract long-term users.

2. In-app advertising monetization model (IAA)

lAd viewing unlock : This model allows users to unlock short drama content for free by watching ads. Advertisers pay to display ads in the APP, and users gain access to content by watching ads. This method is suitable for markets with low user ARPU (average revenue per user) but high user stock, such as Southeast Asia. Although the revenue of this model may be lower than direct payment, it can effectively increase the user base and activity.

3. Advertising strategy recommendations

l Newcomers : For manufacturers who have just entered the market, they can choose "APP direct investment". This method has a low threshold and can steadily increase the user base, which is suitable for the initial stage.

Advanced advertisers : For manufacturers who already have a certain user base, the "Web to APP (W2A)" model will be more suitable. By optimizing the user experience, such as reducing content searches after redirection and synchronizing viewing progress with one click, user churn can be effectively reduced and conversion rates can be increased. In addition, this method can provide more complete and timely data feedback, helping manufacturers further optimize their delivery strategies.

For manufacturers who have not yet developed an APP, they can open an enterprise account, directly launch the drama content on the TikTok site, and set up in-site payment through "Paid Content Promotion" to achieve rapid monetization. This method can quickly enter the market and start revenue flow.

3. Promotional methods: content marketing and account matrix

1. Content Marketing

For producers:

l High-quality content production: Ensure that the short drama content has high-quality scripts, production and performances, which can resonate with and arouse discussion among the audience. For example, because American audiences have always loved supernatural and fantasy elements, werewolf romance themes are popular in the US market. In the Southeast Asian market, the theme of a domineering boss and a rich daughter may be more popular, focusing on elements such as romance, power and wealth.

l Local dramas and translated dramas: Audiences in the United States and English-speaking markets have a good habit of paying for short dramas. We can focus on local dramas with strong originality and longer life cycles, which can also increase the freshness of short drama audiences in the European and American markets. However, considering the faster growth of the short drama market in Southeast Asia and the relatively weaker payment habits of audiences, translated dramas with lower production costs are more suitable for investment.

l Seize the 6 seconds golden time: The "golden formula for hot-selling materials" for overseas short dramas is that the first 6 seconds are the initial attraction period, 1-2 minutes are the secondary loss period, at this time it is necessary to add new specific events to maintain the audience's interest, and the next 2 minutes is the strong marketing loss period, which mainly emphasizes the need to guide further downloads/clicks by leaving suspense.

For brands:

lBrand placement and naming : Through brand placement, series naming and other means, brand information can be naturally integrated into the content of the short series to increase brand exposure and generate revenue in this way.

lIn -stream advertising : inserting advertisements or brand information at the beginning or end of a skit to provide additional exposure opportunities for the brand and generate additional revenue for the skit manufacturer.

2. Account Matrix Model

l Create multiple accounts: Create multiple accounts on the platform at the same time to promote different types of content. Note that in order to allow the product to reach the local population, it is necessary to configure multiple pure overseas proxy IPs in the target market, such as US IPs, preferably static residential IPs. This type of IP is closer to the local real IP address, so that platform ads can be accurately placed and pushed. This proxy IP can be configured in your account to open multiple simulators or fingerprint browsers to complete the final multi-account network configuration and account isolation to prevent account blocking. The following are the proxy brands and types we are configuring.

l Brand linkage: Use matrix accounts to link across platforms, unify brand image, and increase exposure. For example, release a trailer on one platform and release behind-the-scenes footage and production process on another platform.

l Co-promotion: Collaborate with other creators or brands to promote each other. For example, you can cooperate with well-known YouTubers and use their influence to promote short dramas.

Conclusion

In summary, the success of short dramas going global does not only depend on the content itself, but also requires a comprehensive strategy to optimize platform selection, monetization model and marketing methods. Understanding the characteristics of each platform, choosing the right monetization method, and implementing effective and accurate marketing strategies will make short dramas stand out in the international market and win the love of more audiences. Through refined operations and innovative marketing methods, short dramas are expected to achieve greater success worldwide.