How to Monetize Content

Key Topics Covered

• Give to Ask Ratio
• Examples from Gary Vaynerchuk
• Televison and Social Media Platforms
• Fast/Slow Growing Platforms
• Asking Publicly vs. Privately
• Tactical Advice & Personal Experiences
• Integrating & Intermittent Asks
• Scaling Content
• Personal Content Strategy
• Lessons Learned

Give to Ask Ratio

• Concept by Gary Vaynerchuk
  • Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook (Give, Give, Give, Ask)
• Works Because of Reciprocity
  • People feel indebted and willing to give back.
  • Example metrics: television has a 3.6:1 ratio (content to ads) and Facebook has a 4:1 ratio.
• Maintaining Goodwill
  • Maximizing monetization vs. maintaining/growing audience.

Audience Growth vs. Monetization

• Balance Between Giving and Asking
  • Mature platforms (like TV and Facebook): 3.6-4:1 ratio.
  • Fast-growing platforms (like TikTok): Primarily giving.
• Personal Choice
  • Focus on either growing audience or maximizing monetization.
• Pro Tip: Give in Public, Ask in Private.
  • Maintaining a reputation of giving.

How to Make the Ask

• Two Methods for Public Asks
  • Integrated: Ads within your content.
  • Intermittent: Dedicated ask pieces among regular content.
• Lead Magnet Example
  • Provide additional valuable content in exchange for engagement.
• Offer Example
  • Direct sales pitch ensuring value and positive outgrowth.

Scaling Content

• Two Approaches
  • Depth and Width: Focus deeply on one platform, then expand.
  • Width and Depth: Spread across multiple platforms, then deepen.
• Personal Strategy
  • Record short clips and longer videos twice a month.

Why It's Worth It

• Content Drives Sales
  • Content establishes trust and value, helping in conversions.
  • Free content also retains paying customers.

Lessons Learned

1. Switch from 'How-To' to 'How I'
   • Personalizes and removes ego.
2. Remind More Than Teach
   • Repetition is key.
3. Stages of Growth
   • Compete in smaller niches before going broader.
4. Content as Sales Tools
   • Create lists of valuable content to support sales.
5. Retention Through Free Content
   • Provides continuous value to paying customers.
6. Attention Span Fallacy
   • Higher standards, not shorter attention spans.
7. Manual Posting Over Scheduling
   • Importance of immediate feedback.

First Post Example

• State of the union announcement, combining ask with long-term goodwill.

Benchmarks

• Growth Metrics
  • Measure total followers, reach, and rate of growth monthly.
  • Focus on input metrics over output metrics.

Action Steps

• Pick Strategy and Type of Ask
• Consistent Posting
• Measure and Compare Monthly Growth