3 Ways To Get Ready For The VR Boom

I know I sound like a broken record, but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the VR boom is coming, and it’s going to completely change the publishing game. Publishing giants like Refinery29 and The New York Times have invested in in-house VR teams to crank out content and get ahead of the curve for the inevitable explosion in popularity that VR is due. And while it hasn’t gained mainstream traction with consumers just yet, most people agree it’s only a matter of time; 64% of people believe watching VR content through a headset will soon be as common as watching a video clip on a smartphone.

So again, it’s not a matter of if VR is going to happen… it’s a matter of when. And if you want to fully harness the power of the VR boom, you’ve got to be ready.

Get The Right Equipment

The first thing you’ll need to do to prepare for the VR boom is invest in the right equipment. Publishers that want to create immersive experiences will need tools that aren’t necessarily commonplace at the moment, specifically a 360 degree camera.

The beauty of virtual reality is that it completely immerses viewers in the experience. Everywhere they turn, every direction they go, there’s a new part of the experience to explore. This immersive feeling created by this type of video is the cornerstone of virtual reality, and it’s made possible by 360 degree cameras.

360 cameras are worn by content creators and used to - you guessed it - capture video from every possible angle, covering the entire 360 degrees of their line of vision.

There is a few different setups that work for capturing 360 degree video. You could purchase a sphere-shaped camera with multiple lenses spread throughout the surface, like the Nokia OZO, or you can mount multiple cameras to cover your entire field of view, like the Freedom360 GoPro Mount which allows you to mount 6 GoPro cameras to create immersive video.

Whatever route you decide to go, if you want to get in on the VR trend, you need a camera to do it. Make the investment in whatever camera will work best for your publishing needs.

Develop Your Content Strategy

We’ve already covered how you can leverage content marketing to prep your audience for VR, but you’ve also got to start thinking about what kind of content you’re going to create once the VR boom arrives.

The publishers who are going to find the most success in the VR world are the ones who have a solid content strategy, a plan to execute, and a clear idea of how to monetize that content to drive revenue. And the time to develop that strategy? Right NOW. If you wait until every publisher under the sun is pouring their resources into VR, you’ll miss out on the opportunity to create innovative content and establish yourself as a leader in the world of VR.

Think about how you can create unique, immersive VR experiences. Look at what large publishers like Huffington Post and CNN are doing to develop and monetize their VR content and apply those lessons to your industry.

The more you can lock in your strategy now, the more successful you’re going to be in rolling that strategy out when the time is right. You’ll be ten steps ahead of the competition, which is only going to help drive revenue.

Start Thinking About Partnerships

One of the best monetization strategies for VR publishers is partnerships. What brands in your space would be a slam dunk for your audience? How can you pitch those brands and sell them on your audience? And how can you integrate those partners into your VR experience?

Put together a list of potential partners and start reaching out to key contacts. Paint the picture of how you see your partnership operating and build the benefit of how working with you and getting exposure to your audience will help them reach their business goals. The more you can show them how you plan to leverage VR to drive profits for both yourself AND your partners, the better chance you’ll have at closing the business.

The sooner you have those partnership conversations, the sooner you can lock in the best brand partners - and the less likely you are to lose them to the competition.

Like I said, it’s only a matter of time (and, at this point, a very short amount of time) until the VR boom hits. Will you be ready?