A friend of mine and a super smart gal, Rebecca Thorman, just launched a new blog, Kontrary. Ordinarily, this might be news worthy for all of you because she’s a solid writer with great insights. Her blog is one of the first I took to when I entered this ‘social’ realm.
Kontrary is newsworthy for a different reason — she’s charging you to read it. It’s relatively unprecedented waters for an individual blogger, but Rebecca is asking $5/month for full access to her content. It’s bold, perhaps even a little arrogant.
I like it. And I’m watching it closely.
Here’s some things I suspect to see as a result:
- Rebecca writes more frequently AND takes her content to another level. Getting paid holds her accountable for good shit.
- The comments section becomes a goldmine of knowledge. $5/mo isn’t that much. It’s probably what you pay for a couple of magazine subscriptions, BUT that cost of entry will deter idiots, trolls, and most window shoppers from flooding the comments with nonsense. It won’t be big, but a small community will emerge around her content — one in which they all learn, a lot.
- A handful of people will try to duplicate this model and charge for their content, few, if any succeed. Why shouldn’t you get paid for good content that benefits people’s lives? Most of us have invested HOURS and HOURS into our blogs. But you have to do it for the right reasons — not because you want more money. That can’t be the end goal. And if you didn’t do it first the likelihood of you acquiring overlap readers isn’t very high.
Despite the fact that I love what Rebecca is doing, I assure you that Ryan Stephens Marketing will always be free.
The value I’ve acquired from having this blog goes far beyond any monetary value I could’ve obtained at this point. (Rebecca does acknowledge all the value Modite provided her throughout it’s duration).
I’ve received job offers. I’ve been asked to speak. I’ve met countless intelligent people that have impacted my life in a number of ways. Frankly, this blog has opened doors I never could’ve imagined.
More importantly than any of that I don’t want to exclude anyone from the value I’m trying to provide here. There will certainly be projects, endeavors, etc. in the future in which I will ask people to fork over their hard earned cash in exchange for something, but the content on this blog will remain free.
Occasionally I get notes from college-kids, people who hate their jobs, people starting new companies, etc. all thanking me for something I’ve written here. First, that blows my mind. Second, that’s what this blog is about for me. It’s about learning and growing, not only through writing, but from your comments, and it’s about impacting someone I never could’ve reached otherwise.
It’s so humbling and so gratifying and I know that charging for this content would invariably reduce the amount of people who read this blog, and who add value by inspiring me and educating me with their comments and e-mails.
That’s why this blog will always be free.
But… if you’re looking for a deeper dive from a super savvy gal then I encourage you to check out Rebecca’s Kontrary and give the $5/mo a chance.You can cancel at any time and there’s nothing to lose.
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Ryan, I’m right there with you. Rebecca is boldly going where no one (at least in my inner circle) has gone before. And I’m really looking forward to it; like you said, she’ll be writing more frequently, and it’ll be great stuff. I think for me, however it’s not something I’d ever consider. I still don’t accept advertisers because if I am working hard to just maintain quality, I don’t want to detract or run the risk of underpromising when I’m up against real-life issues like exams. Value, to me, isn’t ever going to be in the monetary value of my blog. My bottom line will be in the currency of writing, sharing stories, and hearing back from readers. We just had someone admitted to the MBA program here who wrote me a personal note about how much she is looking forward to getting to learn from me in person since I’m someone she’s following online. That’s powerful stuff! It’s all I need to keep doing what I do. And I know you’re going to do the same thing.
I’ve always been reluctant to put much advertising on RSM, unless it I genuinely felt like it was a good fit for my audience. Like you, a big part of me understands the realities of my life. I’m not scared that my content isn’t valuable enough, but I like that I have the ability to prioritize other things over my blog on a whim. Knowing myself, and my other workload/projects, etc. I suspect it would quickly become an obligation. I promised myself when I started if it ever became a chore I was done. I really like and respect the approach Rebecca is taking — it’s just not for me.
I love your analysis, Ryan.
I have so much to say on the matter, but will try to keep my comments brief…
It’s fascinating to me that you would have such a great analysis of the benefits of paid blogging and then say you’ll never do it. The job-offers, the invitations to speak, that could all happen with a blog that you charge for which you seem to know, so what really stops you from doing it is accessibility. But I am offering scholarships to any one who really can’t pay so that solves that issue No one has asked though – so my sense is that the people who pay are really your true fans. And in the real world, that is how things work. You have to pay.
Jason Fried said in a recent interview, “If you pour your heart into something and make it great, sell it. For real money. Even if there are free options, even if the market is flooded with free. People will pay for things they love.” Suffice to say, I agree.
I understand though that people who just happen upon the blog might not pay and move on and never receive the value and that’s the person you’re talking about.
So yes, I’m exchanging a potentially larger audience for a more intimate one. I have to say, my brief experience with this has already been incredibly transformative and freeing.
Money is simply an exchange for value. It’s neither good nor bad. Some people use subscriber/follower/traffic numbers (and the supposed influence that may bring) as their exchange for value. But I think we can all agree numbers are so inflated, particularly if you have been around for awhile.
Anyway, so I would argue – rather harshly, so I hope I don’t offend – that most people don’t want to put in the time/effort and tender loving care that it would take to have a successful paid blog. Ultimately, they don’t want to make it a priority. But for me – and it’s not a judgement against others, I understand others value different things – I am living one of my highest values and linking it to another of my highest values, financial independence.
And the internet (and knowledge) is not free, despite what we have come to believe in the past decade. Incidentally, I’ll be writing about that on my blog sometime soon 🙂
Thanks for this great post. I’m excited to see where things go next for all of the bloggers I know.
Haha, so much for brief.
A.) I love, and agree with Fried’s quote, and I’ll offer another from Seth today: “Price is often a signaling mechanism, and perhaps nowhere more than in the area of content. Free enables your idea to spread, price, on the other hand, signals individuals and often ends up putting your idea in the right place. Mass shouldn’t always be the goal. Impact may matter more.”
And I think you’re doing that. I think that the more intimate group that pays for your content are going to be significantly more likely to use the ideas and knowledge you share to make impactful things happen.
B.) You don’t ever have to worry about offending me with a blog comment. That’s what I love most about people like you, Monica, Carlos, et al is that at this point I think we have enough respect for each other that we can critique points without ever lamenting against the person.
And maybe that’s another thing for me, is that I feel like a I get a lot of value having conversations with that group — without it having to be tied to my blog content — have to think more about that.
C.) You’re right. Check out my comment to Emily. Part of it is about accessibility, but the other half of the equation is that I just don’t ever envisioning making my blog a priority, consistently enough to charge for it. I would miss too many long runs, workouts, lazy pool days, dinners on the town, bar shenanigans, etc.
When I devise a way to strategically monetize some of those activities for the betterment of my community. That’s when I’ll start charging. And that may not be that far away…
I think more people would pay me NOT to write.
Very interested in Kontrary’s experiment.
I might pay you to rant as long as each one elicited a waterfall of angry responses.
We think a lot alike, Ryan. You may take that as an insult or as a compliment, however you see fit. 🙂
Actually, I started writing my own little post the other day on this very topic – the debate of giving it away vs paying for it. But looks like you beat me to it. Anyway…
Like you, I too will never ask readers to ever pay for any blog I write for. Kind of like how I will never password protect my blog. Both tactics seclude readers and that just doesn’t sit right with me. Personally, I LOVE the fact that ANYONE can read my stuff and share it with ANYONE. That is one of the reasons I write in the first place, not because I don’t value my writing by giving it away for free, but because I value my readers even more! Therefore I want the largest audience possible to be able to access it. And by making people pay to read your content, it limits your audience and your potential to gain new readers.
Although from my understanding, some of Rebecca’s content is going to be free and other parts are going to be paid for. Giving some of it away for free is a good idea! Why? Because if you had to pay to access the entire site, it really limits new readers from getting a taste of what you deliver and that makes it very difficult to sell them on a subscription fee.
I think it’s an interesting experiment. Down the road I would be curious to see how it’s worked out for Rebecca and other bloggers like Gwen Bell that charge a subscription fee. They may enjoy the smaller/tighter community. But for me, I like to expand out. And it’s a good thing I do because how else would a 12-year-old girl on the other side of the world (New Zealand to be exact) been able to find my blog and e-mail me that something I posted actually made her change her mind about killing herself that day – true story! Thankfully, $5 wasn’t required.
So yes, I’m going to continue to give it away for free like the dirty, dirty whore that I am. Something about that just feels good to me.
Why is money good or bad? It’s just an exchange for value. Increasingly I wonder why we would give an education to someone for free when that’s not how the world works. A lot of what we pay for in society is absolute crap. I’d like to put out as a possibility that the reason so much “free!” came about in the past decade or so is that everything that we paid for was thick with corporatism. We’ve taken that idea to the extreme then and made accessibility, authenticity and transparency the new ideals – to the great detriment of our economy I might add. I think we’re just swinging too far in the other direction. Seems to me we have our priorities mixed up of what we’re willing to put a value on. Perhaps by charging for something that is traditionally free we can restore some balance. It doesn’t have to be one way or the other. Everyone should live within their own values.
Just some ideas…
Like I said, I think this is an interesting experiment and I’m curious to know how it turns out for you. However, it seems to me the biggest and best things on the Internet have always been, and most likely always will be, free! Ex: Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc.
Just think if Google said “ok, give me $5 a month to perform your searchs.” I think we can all agree that Google search delivers value, but because it’s always been free and has been successful operating free, people expect it to remain that way. Even though $5 isn’t a lot, people would be outraged and most likely find another search site giving away a similar/comparable service for free.
So the fact that blogs started out free and the vast majority of them still remain free, people may find it off-putting being asked to pony up a few bucks now.
These days a lot of people don’t even have to pay for high speed Internet access thanks to all the free hotspots being offered in cities. I believe one day it will be almost unheard of to pay for Internet access at all! And people will look back, scratching their heads, and ask…”why would anyone ever pay for something that everyone else offers for free?”
Rebecca, you put out good content. You’re not some mediocre writer. You provides substance. And while I understand your reasoning for charging and think it is $5 worthy, I too am worried like Ryan. Worried that everyone will jump on the “subscription fee blog” trend hoping to make a few bucks off their own content. That of course will lead to the downward spiraling of the blogosphere because it will make it impossible to distinguish between blogs that are worthy $5 a month and those that are simply garbage charing $5 a month.
No matter what side of the debate you’re on, I have to say this entire conversation really has me thinking in all different directions! I like that and thank you for it.
A.) They’re bigger because their model is essentially free for people which enables their service to spread to many more people. I think Rebecca is willing to exchange the likelihood of her content spreading far and wide to have it analyzed, commented on, and acted on by an intimate (and intelligent) group of peers.
B.) Another point, she’s not charging for Modite. She created a new entity in Kontrary – a smart, and necessary move because of the exact point you bring up — people aren’t going to pay for something that’s traditionally been free.
Good thoughts/vantage points here from both of you. Thanks for contributing!
I agree with what Ryan said below, but Google, Facebook and Twitter are not free in truest sense of the word (but most blogs are). You’re paying for all of those with advertising that competes for your attention. And corporatism is dominating how those platforms evolve and how they allow us to interact, communicate, search. It’s something to think about – do we want corporations controlling our platforms or do we want to control our platforms?
You brought up something I failed to mention. One of the flaws of the ‘paid’ model is that other than hearsay, people don’t often know what they’re missing. Rebecca obviously aims to alleviate that (she can correct me if I’m mistaken), by having some content that will be free.
I’m not worried about Rebecca or Gwen’s success, I think they’ll both do well. What I don’t want to see is all these people who have decent-sized audiences switching to this approach because they see dollar signs.
Exchanging content for money requires really good and really consistent posts. At least it should. People that don’t feel like they’re getting enough value wouldn’t pay for mediocre content. Except the problem is that they often do. Then we have the same mess we have with garbage info products = shitty writing being validated by people who invariably feel swindled, but shelled out some cash because they though if this person can charge for their content they must be smart. That bothers me.
Agree completely.
I love the conversation here and Ryan, this is an awesome post with great analysis of Rebecca’s model.
I love Rebecca’s writing and when Modite slowed down/wasn’t posting, I was bummed. When I heard she was launching another site, but paid, I wasn’t sure if I would pay, but I think a lot of people were curious so they signed up because what does $5 hurt?
You will see on her first post that I first asked (before signing up) what “consistent” meant (how often? what can we expect as paying customers/readers?) and she is ad free, but is running Google Custom Search which has ads all around the search results.
We had a great conversation, back and forth in the comments and like she said, she’s pulling together an intimate audience and is prepared to provide consistent posts (at least weekly) but isn’t sticking to a number. The thing that struck me most is as Rebecca said, “the reader will determine the value.” You can opt in or our whenever. So I signed up. I’m going to take a ride, check it out and see how it works.
A big thing for me is accessibility. Rebecca is gaining this readership because she has been blogging for 3+ years and has a large following. Can someone charge right off the bat? No, I would consider them arrogant and move on. Rebecca put in a lot of writing, a lot of posts, time on the Internet and on her blog (Modite). Now, she’s gaining people who are most likely her old followers. To gain new ones, she will rely on who she is now and word of mouth. It’s hard to advertise for yourself, if no one can see your writing or they don’t know you. There isn’t quite a test period.
When a new reader lands on my site, I see they stay over 4:00 minutes. They look at old posts, they go to my “Best Of” page and they usually leave a comment or two saying they’re new and hello. I want that to always remain the same. I am not blogging to make money. I work full-time and have other paid side gigs, that pay me well.
I want to be accessible. I think the model Rebecca is suggesting isn’t as accessible. I totally get what she’s doing, but I don’t think it’s for everyone.
I will be interested to see who else does this, if it will continue, fall off, etc. After all, $5 a month is $60 a year and multiply that times 500 or even 1,000 subscribers. Yeah, that’s pretty sweet.
Cool post, Ryan. I think it makes sense to charge for content, because really the internet is going that way. It’s a very economical shift in that the people who have talent want to make a living. It’s a shot in the dark to make a living through writing of any sort, but the people who should, will. And those people have to find some way to charge for things.
I don’t think Rebecca will have any trouble growing her community despite the monthly fee, because she has talent. When the price is at micropayment level ($5 or under IMO), price is not a huge barrier (think iTunes). Rebecca has so much free content out there already too.
I’m kind of surprised that charging for a blog is a “radical move” these days. It really wasn’t even a question for me whether I was going to sign up or not. Frankly, I don’t care if Rebecca posts once a month, I want to keep reading her blog and that’s worth $5 to me.
Great post on all accounts. Good discussion here.
I was the first person to sign up for Kontrary. When Rebecca said she’d be writing more, I jumped at the chance. Whatever form it were to take, I’d pay for Rebecca’s writing (book, message in a bottle, fortune cookies). She’s good. I could name 20 other people I’d pay to read what they write, too.
That said, I’m not going to charge for my blog, either. I would charge for another content vehicle, one that’s more focused in theme and content, perhaps. Then again, I charge for speaking engagements and my books, all of which contain original content.
In my opinion, the world of content is changing (for the better). And we’re all becoming smarter about what great content looks like. The bar has been raised for everyone.
What Sam said. And I’m not just agreeing with him because I ate Mexican food with him at lunch today and spend entirely too much time with the guy.
Like most have said here, I signed up because Rebecca has always provided valuable, thought provoking content since I started reading her blog a couple years ago. Content that makes you think, content that inspires you to learn, has value.
Sam said it best – “the bar has been raised for everyone” – and this is a good thing. Like you, Ryan, my blog will always be free – but also like you, my blog has opened the door for opportunity after opportunity, and for that it has more than served it’s “purpose” and will continue open those doors.
I feel like our “group” of bloggers all graduated from high school together. It’s been great and inspiring to see everyone go down their own evolutionary paths over the past couple years.