Should You Write for Free?
It’s kind of like playing a video game
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Writing and publishing free content is a bit like releasing a video game demo. A casual gamer plays for a hour or two, puts the controller away and moves on.
A more serious gamer buys the game. They invest their time and attention in getting to the next level. Both get value but in radically different ways.
It’s ok for casual players to enjoy your free stuff, but build a premium offering for your dedicated fans. Help them breakthrough to the next level.
I set up my site Become a Writer Today in 2014 and wrote and published articles with all my best ideas for a year. While learning about creating online courses and digital products, I worried about giving too much away for free.
Since then, I spent over twenty thousand dollars in online courses and masterminds.
I discovered anyone can cobble together the nuts and bolts of a premium course or product for free. But, those who take the time to do it will never buy from you anyway.
People buy a product, like a digital course, because they want convenient results and not just information.
A content creator who publishes consistently is an expert in a specific topic. They can arrange and present information, even if already available, in an accessible format that followers enjoy.
Anyone can find out information about a topic or issue for free. But content creators bring a deep level of insight that’s harder to access without help.
People will pay for that over scrubbing through free YouTube videos and reading old blog posts.
Don’t assume all your followers and fans saw or consumed all of this content, first time around.
Some are new to your ecosystem, while others probably didn’t pay attention last time. It takes up to seven different touchpoints before a potential customer presses the buy button.
Giving free content enables you to validate and test ideas faster rather than keeping it behind a paywall. If something you teach isn’t working, you can change direction much faster.
