How Amazon, Disney, and Patreon Monetize using Time-Based Pricing

Hayden Hillier-Smith’s editing masterclass uses two access tiers—standard release at $350 and instant VIP access at $400—to generate more revenue without modifying the content.

The only distinction lies in timing: one delivers weekly over four weeks, the other unlocks everything immediately. The product doesn’t change, but the pricing psychology does.

This strategy is a masterclass in monetizing impatience. It doesn’t rely on additional features, layered support, or artificial exclusivity. It simply turns time—something intangible—into a premium offering.

This is the kind of approach that startups, course creators, and even streaming platforms can adopt without adding operational overhead or compromising product quality.

A Simple Tier Structure That Unlocks Maximum Margin

At the core, Hillier-Smith’s offer is split into two speeds of access:

• $350 Dripped Course: Four modules released weekly across one month, with lifetime access.

• $400 VIP Access: The exact same material, unlocked all at once, also with lifetime access.

Operationally, there is no added cost. Both versions are digital, self-paced, and require no instructor time. That $50 difference is a pure margin play—built entirely around how buyers perceive time and value.

It’s a textbook example of second-degree price discrimination. Textbook second-degree price discrimination lets customers self-sort, expanding total surplus without guessing individual willingness to pay. Let the buyer choose their own path. One pays in time, the other in dollars.

This pricing model works because it aligns with the 3 levels of customers:

1. Low-intent browsers who rarely convert

2. Mid-tier learners who prioritize value and structure

3. High-WTP (willingness to pay) professionals who willingly pay more to skip delays.

By offering the same product at two speeds, each group self-selects based on how they value time versus money—maximizing revenue without increasing complexity.

The Psychological Triggers Behind Paying to Skip the Wait

What makes the $400 tier effective isn’t just speed—it’s how the offer interacts with human bias:

• Hyperbolic discounting makes waiting feel costly. Buyers overvalue immediate rewards and perceive delays as disproportionately painful, even if the wait saves money.

• Mental accounting encourages customers to silo their spending. An extra $50 inside an “education” budget feels easier to justify than reallocating from elsewhere.

• Signaling behavior plays a key role. Choosing the VIP tier communicates urgency, commitment, and status—especially in creative industries where self-perception matters. The “VIP” label isn’t just cosmetic; it conveys professional seriousness, something well-documented in HBR’s research on identity-based pricing.

None of these forces need to be invented or forced—they're already baked into how customers think.

Consumers can run a quick “Is $50 worth four weeks of my life?” heuristic. When opportunity-cost of time (e.g., getting client work sooner) exceeds the surcharge, immediate access feels like a bargain.

Paradoxically, delaying content can increase completion rates because learners can’t gorge and burn out; the weekly cadence acts like a built-in study schedule.

Time as the Differentiator, Not the Add-On

The genius of this model lies in using time itself as the product feature. In digital goods, where marginal costs approach zero, you don’t need to add more value—you just need to frame existing value differently.

The “drip” structure satisfies those who benefit from pacing and accountability, while the immediate access tier appeals to those who want velocity. Crucially, the base product doesn’t feel diminished. Both groups receive the same high-quality course—just on their terms.

It’s the “good-better-best” model, refined for digital education. The value isn’t in what the product is—it’s in how quickly you get it.

How Amazon, Disney, and Patreon Monetize Your Patience

This pricing model isn’t new—it mirrors how some of the biggest entertainment and creator platforms have learned to turn access speed into revenue, even when the content itself remains unchanged:

• Amazon Prime Video introduced a $2.99/month fee in 2024 to remain ad-free. The catalog stayed the same, but smoother, uninterrupted viewing became a paid feature. This is a clear case of monetizing impatience and converting a zero-marginal-cost experience upgrade into cash.

• Disney+ and HBO use weekly drops to extend engagement and stretch buzz across multiple weeks. Samba TV reported that House of the Dragon—released weekly—saw a 119% lift in cumulative viewership compared to binge-released titles. The effect isn’t just social; it reduces churn by maintaining a steady stream of “newness” over time.

• Patreon creators routinely lock early access behind premium tiers. For many creators, offering just 24–48 hours of early viewing is the #1 reason subscribers upgrade. With creator earnings reaching over $472M in 2024, early access is not just a perk—it’s a revenue driver built on timing.

All of these examples reinforce the same truth: time, not content, is the monetizable asset. Access speed alters perceived value, nudges user behavior, and shapes pricing models without introducing new production costs.

A Framework Startups Can Apply with Minimal Overhead

This strategy isn’t limited to content creators. Any digital product can apply the same principles. Here’s how:

1. Use a paced, structured experience as your baseline. This keeps engagement high and churn low, especially for new users.

2. Introduce an instant-access tier priced at a modest premium. The price difference doesn’t need to be dramatic—10–20% is usually enough to create meaningful self-segmentation.

3. Label the fast lane clearly. Whether it’s “VIP,” “Pro,” or “Early Access,” make sure the name implies momentum and focus.

4. Avoid features that increase marginal cost. Don't bundle support, community, or custom features into the premium tier unless you’re charging significantly more.

5. Track upgrade conversions and funnel movement. The percentage of mid-tier users moving up to the premium tier is one of the clearest signals of effective pricing design.

The beauty of time-based pricing is that it doesn’t rely on manufacturing artificial scarcity or padding the offer with filler. It simply recognizes that people value different things—some value savings, others value speed. Letting them choose is the most efficient path to both higher conversion and higher average revenue per customer.

When time is the feature, pricing becomes frictionless. Hayden Hillier-Smith didn’t reinvent the product—he restructured how people engage with it. By giving learners a choice between waiting and paying, he aligned his offer with how people already behave, not how we wish they did.

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