The surprising downside of going viral

Hi Reader,

I spent years building a website all about writing.

I wrote and published dozens of articles every month.

I gave away a lot of my best content for free.

Tutorials. Guides. Explainers.

I grew a large audience by publishing this type of valuable content on my website and social media every week.

Readers loved it.

I even went viral a few times.

But I built my audience by providing too much value for free.

In theory, that sounds like a good thing.

It's nice to be helpful.

And who doesn't want a big audience?

Well, publishing so much helpful FREE content doesn't attract buyers.

I still get emails from people who read my tutorials and guides.

They love filling out my contact form and leaving comments.

They'll ask questions, point out omissions, and follow up if I don't reply.

Sure, it's nice to hear from readers.

But, they'll never buy, no matter how much I can help them.

“Let me try your free stuff before I buy your paid stuff..... oh wait, I don't need you anymore.”

You see... people don't respect what they get for free.

In fact, providing so much value has a hidden cost.

I was wasting time and creative energy on free content instead of helping paying clients and growing a business.

So, I don't follow this approach anymore.

If you're a content creator who wants serious clients.

If you want to build a business and not just go viral, you shouldn't either.

In the world of content creation, respect is directly proportional to the price tag.

So these days, I put a price tag on my services.

I run paid workshops and offer high-ticket coaching for a select few creators.

It's not for everyone.

People unsubscribe when I send out an offer.

And I'm capping my audience growth.

But pricing my services does far more for my clients and my bottom line.

If you want to do the same for your business, reply “CLIENTS” and I’ll get you the details.

Write on,

Bryan Collins