"Does anyone still read the official account?"
"Are you still an official account?"
"What opportunities are there in the official account?"
As early as 2018, there were similar voices. Every year in the future, there will be soul tortures sent out.
In July last year, the service account had Do Not Disturb news, but recently, the subscription account has no starred account, and the published content, the headlines will most likely not display the big picture cover.
At the same time, the pictures and news of the official account were upgraded, which looked like Xiaohongshu. However, in the information flow of the subscription account, the headline picture message can display a large picture.
This has caused many creators to adapt to the new changes while also changing their tricks to "seek stars".
It is becoming more and more difficult to operate official accounts. In the face of the video account of "Whole Village Hope" and the impact of other short video platforms, is it worth doing an official account mainly based on pictures and texts?
1. Changes in struggle and anxiety
Graphics/pictures or short videos/live broadcasts?
Some users may find that the accounts they follow have recently started to publish content like Xiaohongshu, but they have not found that the headlines and covers of many accounts are not displayed, but feel "I can't find it" or "Stop posting more? ".
"Forcing" many creators to write articles to explain, and teach everyone to star; or add gif guides at the beginning and end of the article, and some ask for stars at the top of the message area.
▲ Image source: "It turned out to be Mrs. Ximen" public account
Watermelon data found that some "playable" accounts take advantage of the newly upgraded picture message that can display the cover to "gain people's attention".
For recent feature changes, you can view historical articles:
"WeChat "Little Green Book" PK Little Red Book, what is the winning rate?" "
"Official accounts are constantly changing, what should content creators do?" "
For example, "Xiaosheng Bibi", the headline picture message has a striking cover, the arrow indicates that the article is below, the content of the second article is the main text, and the headline is only for the drainage of the next article.
▲ Image source: "Xiaosheng Bibi" public account
On February 22, "Xiaosheng Bibi" released his first picture message, frankly saying that he was distressed, but he couldn't wait to have plastic surgery. It also allows users to make suggestions and make suggestions.
And he himself took the time to study countermeasures, and tried many picture messages, it can be seen that he really racked his brains.
But readers didn't buy it, and still liked the previous content form. They also learned from the painful experience and summed up four reasons.
▲ Image source: "Xiaosheng Bibi" public account
As they concluded, many readers are accustomed to long articles, and find it difficult to accept the form of Xiaohongshu. If they like it, they would have gone to the next door. Furthermore, the depth of long pictures and texts is logical, which is suitable for reading interspersed with pictures and texts, rather than separating pictures and texts.
Zhang Xiaolong, president of the WeChat business group, once revealed in a WeChat public class that he accidentally made the WeChat public platform into an article content carrier, and this also caused WeChat to lack short content.
Unintentionally, the WeChat official account has become the main graphic platform in China. Over the past ten years, thousands of readers have already formed the habit of reading long pictures and in-depth content on the official account.
Looking at the content of the circle of friends and the opinion analysis content related to social hotspots, most of them are also from the pictures and texts of the WeChat official account.
However, with the rise of short videos and live broadcasts, users' reading habits are gradually fragmented, and attention is taken away by short video platforms.
According to "LatePost" news: A Tencent source revealed that although the heavy users of the WeChat official account (reading more than 400 articles per month) did not lose much, they are only a very small group. More users have no rigid demand for long content, and they have gradually shifted to platforms such as Douyin and Bilibili.
Whether it's the picture message upgrade of the official account, or the short video and live broadcast of the video account, we can feel that WeChat is using short content to make up for anxiety.
From the changes in the form of content and the voices of the creators, we can also see the full desire for survival of the creators and operators, as well as the compromises and changes that have to be made in the face of changes in platform rules.
And change can be a danger or an opportunity.
Perhaps in the eyes of many creators, they are relatively pessimistic about the recent changes in the official account, but Ah Yi, the editor-in-chief of "Fan Shuyuan Fan Deng Reading", is optimistic and a little bit happy. I am happy to see that the current official account still has some new things to try again.
Ayi believes that this kind of change is a pain that both the platform and creators will go through. Although they may worry about the decline in data, this is something that creators and platforms need to create and face together, and creators also need to make efforts Change and innovation.
Today's subscription account information flow page, watermelon data observations found that the top is the frequently read official account, followed by the "live broadcast" followed subscription accounts, and then the followed but not necessarily starred subscription accounts that have been shuffled in order Information, if you pull down a little more, the content of the video account will appear, and the content of the official account and video account will appear interspersed.
▲ Image source: Screenshot of subscription account message
Whether it is graphic/picture news, short video/live broadcast, it can be displayed fairly in the same information flow. Creators work hard to make content, add some operational actions, and leave the rest to users to choose.
Those who like to read long pictures and texts will continue to read, and the users who can be retained are your users.
2. Persevere, transform or give up?
Is the official account still worth doing?
After years of development and multiple rounds of reshuffle, the official account has already passed the stage of barbaric growth. After good money drives out bad money, those who can survive today have passed the test of time, users and the market.
Not long ago, Watermelon Data saw the news from Luo Xiaoyue, the head of the WeChat ecosystem of "Fan Shuyuan Fan Deng Reading", that their official account exceeded 5 million users at the beginning of the new year, and the net increase of users of the official account in 2022 will be 70. How much.
▲ Picture source: Screenshot of Moments
From 2013 to 2023, the "Fanden Reading" brand has gone through its first 10 years, which is about the same age as the official account. Now the brand is renewed, renamed "Fanshu", and set sail again.
As Xiaoyue said: "It's not easy at all to be a 'tears of the times' product of the official account."
From the earliest public account knowledge payment, to fission and follower growth, to the later content growth operation, to deliver value to users and arouse resonance, Fan Deng has accumulated many loyal readers bit by bit.
Even though the platform functions and rules of the official account are still changing, the editor-in-chief Ah Yi told Xigua Data frankly that there is not much fluctuation in the data of their official account.
On the one hand, relying on brand influence, "Souyisou" contributed nearly 40% of the traffic to the article exposure, but more importantly, it attracts users through high-quality content to ensure the stability of traffic.
"Fan Shuyuan Fan Deng Reading" shared some of their practices with Watermelon Data:
1) Guarantee that the original rate of the article is more than 50%
Some users may find that the accounts they follow are reposting the same content, or the accounts of the same subject and the same company are reprinting each other, and the homogenization of content is becoming more and more serious.
"The irreplaceability of the account is getting lower and lower. Users can watch it here and there. Over time, when you can't see the original content representing the account here, it will lead to an increase in unfollowing and a decline in user stickiness. .”
Therefore, "Fanshu" relies on editors and contracted authors to continuously innovate content.
2) Make a column that can represent the tonality of the account
For example, the column "Meeting Good Books" recommends good books to readers. At that time, I did it for 3 months, and it became the best type of content for account growth. It is also because this column has attracted the attention of many users and has been reproduced by many high-quality tens of millions of large accounts in the industry.
▲ Image source: Official account of "Fan Shu Yuan Fan Deng Reading"
3) Keep content tonality free from data anxiety
Negative news, hot spots of entertainment and gossip are not pursued, and the content principle of "relaxed, friendly and inspiring" is adhered to, and content that is truly helpful to users is produced. Therefore, whether it is to find topics, find materials, or start titles, daily editors will not deliberately gain attention for traffic.
"Those short-term traffic that doesn't fit the account's values are unnecessary, and they will go away sooner or later. Although part of the opening or popularity will be sacrificed, over time, those users who really agree with and like us will be screened out. Guarantee user stickiness."
4) Maintain a sense of interaction with users as friends
Although it is a brand account, "Fanshu" operates the account as a personal IP and as friends with users.
On the one hand, ensuring the iteration of content innovation can make users feel that the content is advancing with the times, and add a dialogue-like introduction to the article to let users know why such content is recommended today.
On the other hand, the high proportion of replies in the message area ensures that the reply rate is above 50%, improves interaction with users, stimulates users' creativity and expression rates, and establishes communication and trust with users.
It is true that for an official account like "Fanshu" that has accumulated a huge number of users in the early years, especially brand accounts and institutional accounts, it is inevitable to continue to operate the official account.
These accounts can maintain solid and stable traffic, have a mature business monetization model, and have their own products and relatively little dependence on advertising, which can better cope with changes in the ecology and the market.
With the emergence of the video account, with the help of the super connection of the video account, the public account, corporate WeChat, and mini-programs can be opened up, and grass is planted in the community and circle of friends, and then transformed into mini-program transactions. content ecology and business ecology.
Whether it is the official account or the current video account, it is an indispensable content and business platform for the development and growth of the "Fanshu" brand.
3. Do individual creators
continue to be official accounts?
If you still want to use the official account to become popular overnight, increase followers, and quickly realize money, then these people can be persuaded to quit.
But the official account is still a good platform for those who like to write and want to be an IP, and it is still not too late to start.
In November 2020, Runyu began to work as a personal IP on the individual entrepreneurial track. While operating the video account, the official account "Runyu Entrepreneurship Notes" began to be frequently updated, sharing his entrepreneurial experience, personal growth, workplace and other content with everyone. Soon after, it reached a state of almost daily change.
After two years of continuous writing, the official account has attracted more than 110,000 followers.
Runyu began to feel that he had a mind and a cognition among his fans. These cognitions are deeply rooted in the minds of users, and cannot be easily washed away by advertisements. "Although it is slow, it is the best reward for those who work hard."
In 2019, Yugu Niang registered the public account of the same name "Yu Mushroom Niang", hoping to increase her sideline income by writing a public account. But as a new media novice, she struggled to manage her own account.
She and Watermelon Data frankly said that for two years, there was no realization and no feedback. During those dark days, the thought of giving up countless times flickered in my heart.
But if you want to really give up, you will feel unwilling, so you doubt yourself while persisting silently.
▲ Image source: "Fish Mushroom Girl" public account
It wasn't until last year that it slowly started to improve. The reading of articles gradually increased, and the income also increased. At present, it has insisted on outputting more than 400 original content.
An Qi, who is still a post-2000 student, started later.
In 2020, I registered my own official account "Anqi Growth Circle". The idea is very simple. I only want to have a platform to carry my own words, so I post my own.
The result was as expected, there was no positive feedback, and the update was stopped. It will be picked up again in 2022, and it will not be officially launched until 2023.
In addition to updating articles twice a week, like many creators, she has gradually attracted more than 3,000 followers by doing "stupid methods" such as mutual promotion of accounts and red envelope draws to increase fans and increase user stickiness.
To her relief, some of her articles were recommended by the system. The daily reading of her articles is around 200-500. After being recommended by the system, it can reach tens of thousands, and the highest reading reaches 44,000.
▲ Image source: "Anqi Growth Circle" public account
An Qi believes that the current mechanism of the official account is relatively fair, and it is more friendly to small accounts, and there are opportunities for public domain recommendation.
For this reason, she studies these recommended articles from the topics, titles, etc., and deliberately practices going in these directions when the topic selection idea is appropriate.
Some time ago, Watermelon Data also invited guest Tang Xiaoxiao to share relevant content. For details, see "Double reading after being recommended by the system? The owner of the million-fan account shares the operating skills of the official account to increase the number of fans! "
Perhaps the trumpet masters struggling at the bottom like Yugu Niang and An Qi are the epitome of many creators. There are more than 30 million official accounts. After all, there are only a small number of top accounts, and most of them are creators with a middle waist and below who work quietly.
Although there is no team, and there is no way to talk about how many advertisements you can earn, you can express your opinions, gain personal growth, and meet like-minded friends through writing on the official account. Perhaps these are more valuable.
4. At the end
Transformation, struggle, stick to it or give up, I have to admit that the official account, which has been around for more than ten years, is indeed not as influential as before. This is a stage that every platform has to go through, and it is also a problem that every creator will encounter.
But those who really like writing and make content seriously will continue to be official accounts.
Ayi also firmly believes that there are still many users who are willing to read and grow through text. Even though short video live broadcasts are prevalent now, platforms with long pictures and relatively in-depth content like Official Accounts are irreplaceable.
As Xiaoyue said, "Because words are alive."
Today's official account, in Xiaoyue's view, is like an authoritative certification. Whether it is for corporate brand content promotion, product service promotion, or personal IP influence, the official account is an indispensable platform. The channel where users find you and link to you.
Xiaoyue also admitted frankly that although the focus of "Fanshu" in the WeChat ecosystem in the future is the video account, as an infrastructure public account, it must continue to operate well.
Yugu Niang has also gone through the most difficult stage. The official account has changed from a sideline business to her full-time self-media main business. In the future, she will continue to write official accounts to share her life, and will also try to make short videos to keep pace with the times. Strive for diversified development.
An Qi, who is a senior graduate, is exploring self-media while working as an assistant to a blogger who is bigger than herself, making progress in her studies.
She plans to attract fans from other platforms to her official account, because there are more content deposits and a more comprehensive and three-dimensional personal display.