Flickr photo by Mason Bryant
Information isn’t hard to find thanks to the Internet. We should thank Google for that. Their search algorithms have made information easy to uncover. That has created a world that allows us and makes it advantageous for us to share the information for free.
And there is plenty of it. We’re swimming in it.
This isn’t perfect. Often research requires us to do a deeper dive than Google. To get useful information, we may need to interview experts or purchase content.
Of course you can make the argument that you can find all the information you need on the surface. And it doesn’t cost you money. But there is so much that you don’t need, it will cost you time to find it.
Most people are content to surf around the surface of the Internet for almost free. I say almost because they are paying providers to give them access to it. But otherwise, they’re not paying to read blogs or newspapers, listen to podcasts or view video. For the most part. And why should they? There is so much free content to choose.
For some people that’s the problem. They don’t have the time to get through all the free content to find information that helps them make better decisions in life and business.
They need filters.
Filters would just give them content they want or need. They exist. Google’s search is basically a filter. But it’s not all that efficient. It gives you thousands of choices when you search for content. Amazon and Netflix have made very powerful recommendation engines that filter out things we’re not likely to want.
But sometimes we need humans to filter out the content we don’t need. Someone we like and trust. There must be value in that.
Of course there is. That’s why we buy books. They are basically filters that give us just the content that authors believe is useful. Same goes for magazines. They are content filters that serve specific niches.
If people trust you to be a filter, they will pay you for content. Even if it is found elsewhere on the Internet for free. It will save them the time it takes to find good, trustworthy content.
The content needs to serve a niche. And it must come in a form that the niche can consume efficiently. That may mean:
- Books
- Magazines
- Newsletters
- Videos
- Audio
- Phone calls
- Seminars
Note this content can delivered electronically or in hard copy or in real life. Depends on your audience. Find out how they want to receive filtered content. It’s just as important as what content you deliver to them.
What I’m saying….
What I have here is the foundation for a premium content model. It’s the reason we can make passive income by selling content. By starting here, it ensures we are creating something of value instead of simply charging for information that is found elsewhere. The next step is to find a niche.
