How to Monetise an Audience
Building an audience with content has become a priority for many businesses looking to develop a brand that resonates with their customers, to replicate what many creators are naturally gifted at doing: being authentic, interesting, and attractive to the right people.
Whether content is an add-on of your business or at the heart of it, authenticity and the desire to truly serve an audience is what'll pay you back in the end.
YouTubers, writers, cartoonists, musicians, artists and creators of all kinds—are in an amazing position to build a business around the large and loyal audiences that consume their work. From merchandise to endorsements to speaking engagements to book sales, there’s ample opportunity for these creators to monetise their creativity.
Differences between content marketing and building a business on top of a content site
Content can go much further than products, if that’s the game you’re in, there’s plenty of ways to make money.
It scales infinitely because of the written word and the internet. You can have a monopoly on it if your voice is authentic, if there’s that “something” no one else can copy.
Challenges when building a business around content
It’s always about the brand’s promise.
What’s the promise you’re trying to make to the audience? What the voice you’re trying to reach them with? Who are you to your audience, what are their expectations around that?
How important is frequency when you’re producing content
Asking someone to read something is a huge task for them. It’s more important than that, when you get their attention, you deliver on your promise.
Off coarse frequency matters for some sites. But there’s so much content out there that’s just mediocre. It’s more about being aligned with whatever your promise is.
At what point should consider developing avenues to monetise their work
There’s a million people on the internet creating content and doing different things. It needs to be relevant. People will share content that’s relevant to them.
If your extra 10 hours is going to monetisation as opposed to creating content, that means you’re only putting out good content, that marginal amount of effort is what makes the difference.
You’re better off getting as big as possible first, to really build your following of fans and your super fans. Once you do, there’s a lot of ways you can start to monetise.
Looking to build a business around an audience
Find your niche and stick to your authentic voice. If your content can be relevant and important to a small group of people, it’s better than having unimportant content that everyone reads.
Next Steps:
Today's creators and influencers have audiences that are willing to give them something more scarce than their money, and that is their attention and their trust.
If you have an established audience, one that is real and loves what you do for them, you're arguably in the best position to build a lasting business.
