5 Secrets for Massive Online Content Success
Internet marketing meets passionate writers
Nobody likes you like your mom, and being yourself takes a little help. That’s why you’re reading this post. Writing success is very much like any other business success. Sure, you can earn thousands on one lucky day of playing scrabble but that's rarely the case. Instant success is a miracle.
The reality is that you can’t rely on over-night success. Less than 6% of active writers earn more than $100 a month on Medium. A lucky few can actually earn a living on the platform.
You can take a second route. A meaningful online business takes time to build. And meaningful business means that your audience has a relationship with you and your content. Relationships are the key to making money.
A strong relationship with the audience is the reason why Joe Rogan can ask for a $100 million check to continue interviewing people on his podcast. And here are 5 secrets to forming long and meaningful relationships in the content business.
1. Generosity
Humans are simple in terms of receiving and giving. If you do nice stuff for me, I want to do nice stuff for you. Simple.
When you give, give, and give, the profits eventually explode. The biology calls it reciprocity. Living organisms tend to give back when they receive.
You are no different. When people give you stuff, you give back. This is the first step to forming an online relationship with your audience. Give valuable content to your reader.
You can’t give just any scrabble or a page from your morning journal. The content has to deliver results in advance. Writers that help their audience for free, don’t have trouble selling their mega-special courses.
Nicolas Cole gives 99% of his content for free, but then he charges $10 000 for live seminars. Cole’s content is valuable if you’re trying to make it as writers, and people can instantly recognize the value of his words. Give, give, and give is your new mantra.
2. Relatability
Nobody likes holier-than-thou preachers. Preachers don’t even like themselves. You don’t have to be one to make it online. I’ve done my fair share of preaching, only because I’ve never known better.
Your audience likes to hear the reason why you are just like them. Imagine the popular pop star Adele giving weight loss tips? You can’t dismiss it. Adele lost 100 pounds with her new lifestyle and the exercise routine. If Adele can do it, everyone can.
You’re eliminating the “I can’t do this part” by being relatable. You listen when Jordan Belford talks about starting a business, going to jail, and coming back to start another business. Belford is a person that you can become under the circumstances. He’s no different than you, and that helps sell his latest books.
You have to relate to your audience. If they can see themselves in you, then they’re buying into your exclusive content.
3. Likeability
Writing online is an attention business. Politicians deal in power, bankers in cold cash, and content creators deal in attention. You can attract attention in more than one way, but not every way is bringing you money and respect.
Sprawling insults and posting controversial stuff gets attention but comes with a lot of negative rapport for all the obvious reasons. JK Rowling runs on this model lately, and she’s attracting a lot of negative energy from the liberal communities for bashing transgender rights.
The other way is to be helpful, friendly, and crack a few jokes. This is the other side of being cool. You can create win-win scenarios for your reader and yourself. Sean Kernan is a great example of a cool online writer. He’s writing stories that captivate readers' attention, without insulting minorities in the process.
4. Frequency
Your content business — just like any other business — has to be reliable. Your audience likes predictable and frequent writing. If you’re coming out of the blue, you risk confusing and alienating your reader.
Posting multiple times a day brings the most leads, according to Hubspot. Many other writers might agree. I’m comfortable with posting every day on Medium and other platforms.
You can post once a week, or bi-weekly, or once a month. Don’t confuse your reader by posting sporadically. Shauna Grimes can pull it off because she has decades of experience and developed writing business, but you can hit a brick wall if you just post whenever you feel like it.
Frequency tells your readers that you’re capable of coming to work every day. You’re giving away a hint about your own character that speaks volumes about the safety and quality of your product.
5. Authority
You’re probably great at showing your true colors and being openly vulnerable online. Authority is what separates earning and struggling content creators. Do you know the reason why is everybody listening to big writing names?
Style and writing techniques usually have nothing to do with it. Great online writers that have massive followings like Niklas Göke are great at showing authority.
You have to demonstrate why is your lesson is relevant. And you can display this in at least two ways.
- Case study. Research. Quantify real-life examples with simple language.
- Expert in the field. If you already have a massive following, and you’re talking about how you got there, then we’re listening.
If you fall anywhere on the specter between the two, you have the right amount of authority. Thomas Oppong talks about learning faster, and Ayodeji Awosika talks about becoming a better writer and a better human being. Both men have huge following and proof of success. Both men can write from the position of authority.
Unknown authors have to research and add supporting data to their arguments. Otherwise, you might lose the reader in the first paragraph.
People search for valuable advice, and that value comes from authority. You’re not crazy over deadbeat brother-in-law financial suggestions because he’s barely scraping money for food and rent. Establish yourself as an authority and people will pay for your stories.
The Roundup
Internet business is just business. The same business principles apply. Relationship with your audience is the key ingredient in your content success. Everyone can journal and enjoy the benefit of being a personal writer.
But if you want to make money in the content game, you have to establish yourself as generous, likable, reliable, relatable, and relevant.
Otherwise, why would anyone pay attention? And remember attention is your superpower. Without attention, there is no success. Captivate your reader and build a great audience interested in quality content.
