TMAI #218: An Experiment in Content Monetization.

The Marketing < > Analytics Intersect, by Avinash Kaushik

[Web Version]

One of the hardest problems on the internet? Monetizing content!

I offer, with humility, that so, so, so much that is disappointing about the internet is connected to the underlying root-cause that it is hard (impossible?) to monetize content. Or, monetize it more easily. Or, the staggering effort it takes to get someone to pay for good content.

You have a million use cases of this problem, let me point you to the latest: Is Anyone Watching Quibi?

Despite ambitious content, a $1.75 BILLION war chest, the initial accomplishment is 8% retention rate (on small raw numbers) after the 3-month trial is over. (Benjamin Wallace has done a masterful job of telling the story, absolutely read it.)

#humbling

Yet, monetizing content is exactly what I'm off to do.

After four years, I’m converting TMAI to a paid subscription. $10/month or a discounted $100/year.

I'll be donating 100% of my earnings from paid subscriptions to charity.

A little backstory first.

As some of you know, writing for me has been a true labor of love and a way to give back.

My blog Occam's Razor has never had any ads on it (except links on the right nav to my books).

When I got a $10,000 check as an advance for writing my first book, it was the largest check I'd ever received in my life for anything. In the spirit of giving back via my writing efforts, my wife and I decided that we would donate the money to charity. We did it again for the second book.

To date, 100% of my earnings from both books, including affiliate links, have been donated to three charities: Doctors Without Borders. The Smile Train. Ekal Vidyalaya. The total is approx $400,000, and counting.

This is far (far, far!) more money than my professional earnings would have allowed me to donate. Converting my content into help for others brings me a deep sense of pride.

And, it is because of all of you. Thank you for buying my books.

A little bit of the present moment.

As the recent protests on societal inequity and systematic racism started, our family went to protests and we brought forward our year-end donation budget and sent it to worthy causes.

But our sense was that the problem is so big, what little we can do is not enough.

I was racking my brains about how to donate more (look, passion is good but money matters). Then it hit me: The Marketing < > Analytics Intersect!

I’ve worked really hard over the last four+ years to contribute something incredible and of value each week. I have, literally, thousands of you as a part of this community. The formula was too obvious:

Insightful Unique Weekly Stories + Passionate Audience = Cash For Goodness!

The 411.

I'm splitting TMAI into two editions: TMAI Standard and TMAI Premium.

TMAI Premium will be a paid subscription. $10/Month or a discounted $100/Year. It will be published once a week, around 50x per year.

You can continue to expect sharp commentary, solutions to specific work challenges, and frameworks to empower you to think smart and move fast.

Additionally, since the list of paid subscribers will be small, I plan for a more intimate conversation, to share more artifacts you can use, provide access to more historical TMAIs, and experiment with holding some VC sessions where we can talk live!

TMAI Standard subscription will be free. It will be published once a month, around 10x per year.

It will be that week's Premium newsletter - so no change in the quality you've come to expect.

Your current subscription will automatically be converted into TMAI Standard.

Next week's newsletter will be the last one on a weekly cadence.

Achieving high standards. / Holding myself accountable.

By subscribing to TMAI Premium you’ll get unique content AND your money will be donated to good causes.

Additionally, on your behalf, I want to hold myself to a higher standard of accountability.

Hence, the annual subscription of TMAI will come with a money-back guarantee:

If in 12 months TMAI Premium does not deliver 10x value to you, you can ask for a refund.

Your $100 subscription will deliver (at least) $1,000 of value to you each year.

That value to you will come from:

An increase in your job compensation, via knowledge shared.
You doing well in a job interview and getting a new job.
Additional praise you'll earn from your co-workers and boss/s (priceless!).
Your feeling of pride from having increased your professional and critical thinking skills.
Analytics and marketing certifications that'll be easier to pass.
Achieving higher ranking amongst speakers at an internal or external event.
Your mom's observation that she's noticed you seem happy at your job (!).

I'm sure there are other ways in which you'll uniquely value the newsletter.

BUT, if your assessment is that some, or all, of the above was not equivalent to $1,000 of annual value from TMAI Premium, you can ask for your money back and it will be quickly refunded.

It is my hope that you'll sense just how much pressure this'll be for me, to constantly ensure I deliver value so that the money can go to charity instead of having to be returned.

And. With a money-back guarantee, you, literally, have nothing to lose.

Bottom line: TMAI was a little experiment at the height of Social Media’s power over company marketing budgets. It has been successful beyond my wildest dreams (thank you!). It brings me joy each week to receive your emails with stories of TMAI's positive impact on you personally and professionally.

As we begin this next chapter, I hope you’ll join me in converting attention into cash for charities that support civil rights, early childhood education, and the UN OCHA.

I value your support. Arigato.

-Avinash.

TMAI #218: An Experiment in Content Monetization.

Older messages

TMAI #217: Stop Collecting Data and Do This.

TMAI # 157: Well done! Compared to what?

TMAI #216: "Defund The Police."

TMAI #215: Dispatches from Spamlandia.

TMAI #214: Leadership: Always be Learning & Teaching.

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