The Social Schmuck

Access and Action: Premium Content and Business Blogging
by Mike Sansone

Earlier this week, I read this post on Premium Content and thought about cost and value.

Stephen P. Smith is heading towards a more systematic approach to publishing his work. I have an eye and ear towards Stephen’s work on Twitter and via RSS, but some of his content on Google+ has caught my attention. It’s those longer, deeper thoughts that he speaks about in his post about Premium Content

In his post uses two key words: Access and Action.

And I believe these two words are the keys to creating premium content that will add an additional revenue stream to many small and independent business owners.

We use a blog (or other streams and content) to give a taste-on-a-toothpick, not wanting to give away the farm. But many small business owners wonder when the farm gets shown.

Premium Content with Access and Action for you might look like a workshop in a Google Plus Hangout; an in-depth video training on YouTube (but with a limited access URL); or a membership site like The Dialing 8 Project. In each of these scenarios, the intended audience has special access (to the content and creator) and actionable responses – the take-aways are tangible.

Back to Stephen – His premium content has two choices. The first, a weekly delivery, is less expensive than just about everything and slightly more than a freely published blog post. Another, a monthly subscription, is offered at $25 month.

Hmm, I thought. Less expensive than a full consult and if I glean one thing that adds $25 of revenue to my practice – it’s worth it. Ah, but I love this line: The thinking is free, I get paid to answer the email. Subscribers get to engage privately with Smith on things that they find a challenge – and Smith responds with an in-depth reply.

For less than small cup of coffee a day. But with more and longer-lasting benefits.

How might you create a greater, in-depth form of content that includes Access and Action for your audience?