Purpose

This study examines the phenomenon of “knowledge influencers,” individuals who convey expert information to non-expert audiences and attract users to subscribe to their self-created knowledge products. It seeks to address two research questions: (1) What are the antecedents that promote perceived attractiveness of knowledge influencers? and (2) How does perceived attractiveness of knowledge influencers affect users’ willingness to subscribe to knowledge products?

Design/methodology/approach

Guided by self-branding theory, which suggests that individuals strategically shape user perceptions and interactions to create an appealing image, the study employed a sequential mixed-methods approach. Qualitative interviews were conducted with knowledge influencers and their subscribers, followed by a quantitative survey of users with knowledge subscription experience to validate the findings.

Findings

Results suggested that knowledge influencers could enhance their attractiveness to users by promoting perceived professionalism, perceived familiarity, and perceived connectedness. Perceived attractiveness of knowledge influencers could directly affect users’ willingness to subscribe or indirectly through the role of users’ attachment to knowledge influencers.

Practical implications

By understanding the factors driving users’ subscription intentions, platform operators and influencers can refine their strategies to enhance user attachment and optimize monetization opportunities through personalized interactions and tailored content offerings.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature by elucidating the relationship between perceived attractiveness and users’ subscription intentions, offering new insights into the dynamics of online knowledge consumption.

中文翻译：

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从吸引到变现：知识影响者如何触发用户订阅知识产品的意愿？

 目的

本研究考察了“知识影响者”现象，即向非专家受众传达专家信息并吸引用户订阅其自行创建的知识产品的个人。它试图解决两个研究问题：（1） 促进知识影响者感知吸引力的前因是什么？（2） 知识影响者的感知吸引力如何影响用户订阅知识产品的意愿？

设计/方法/方法

在自我品牌理论的指导下，该理论表明个人战略性地塑造用户感知和互动以创造吸引人的形象，该研究采用了顺序混合方法。对知识影响者及其订阅者进行了定性访谈，然后对具有知识订阅经验的用户进行了定量调查，以验证调查结果。

 发现

结果表明，知识影响者可以通过提高感知的专业性、感知的熟悉度和感知的联系性来提高他们对用户的吸引力。知识影响者的感知吸引力可以直接影响用户的订阅意愿，也可以通过用户对知识影响者的依恋角色间接影响用户。

 实际意义

通过了解驱动用户订阅意愿的因素，平台运营商和影响者可以改进他们的策略，通过个性化互动和量身定制的内容产品来增强用户依恋并优化变现机会。

 原创性/价值

本研究通过阐明感知吸引力与用户订阅意愿之间的关系为文献做出了贡献，为在线知识消费的动态提供了新的见解。