How much would you pay to join a Facebook Group? That’s the question you could soon be asking yourself after the social network revealed that it was testing a new subscription model.
The feature allows Group admins to create a ‘Premium’ sub-group that allows their existing members to access exclusive content whether it’s video tutorials, written self-help guides or even recipes.
It’s not clear how many groups have been given access to this feature, or indeed if there are any in the UK that will be able to try it out. What we do know is that the prices can range anywhere from $4.99 to $29.99 per month.
Some examples Facebook gave in its blog post include Sarah Mueller’s Declutter My Home Group which will now be offering a $14.99 subscription to the Organize My Home premium group.
Once signed up members will be taught how to stay tidy in their lives and at home with checklists and video guides. Another group called Cooking On A Budget: Recipes & Meal Planning will give you access to exclusive recipes and meal planning ideas for $9.99 per month.
Facebook says that its development of subscription groups was a natural evolution of what they were already seeing taking place. According to the social network many groups already run unofficial subscription models through third-party tools.
While it looks as though technically anyone could start a paid group on Facebook the social network is clearly aiming to tackle a very particular type of service.
There are literally thousands of self-improvement apps available via Apple’s App Store or the Google Play Store. Many of them contain subscription models which then give either a cut to Apple or Google because of the way they operate.
It’s not entirely surprising then that Facebook wants to utilise its online communities to try and get a percentage of this business model.
Writing in a blog post which unveiled the feature Alex Deve, Product Director, Groups said: “As we learn from this pilot and understand how group members feel about subscription groups, we’ll continue to improve this experience to help admins offer more to their members and continue to invest in their communities.”