10 Honest Lessons From 10 Years of Monetizing Content

I swear to say nothing but the unfiltered truth

Listen to the deep dive:

A decade of content creation will humble you.

Ten years of writing, recording, and publishing taught me what no “how-to” guide ever could.

In that decade, I’ve seen:

• Trends come and go.

• Platforms rise and fall.

• Countless creators burn out before they ever hit their stride.

I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way. Here are the honest, no-BS lessons I’ve learned.

1. Your content isn’t as valuable as you think

Sorry to burst your bubble.

But your 280-character tweet isn’t worth $97.

I used to think my words and thoughts were gold. That people would throw money at me just to read my brain farts.

The truth? People don’t give a rat’s arse about your content.

They care about what your content can do for them.

And the best way to actually make people care (when you’re not a gossip celebrity), is to focus on one thing: solving problems.

Then, what you do is create content teasing and solving that problem. Then, you package that into something people want to buy.

Publish content that solves problems.

2. Email is still king (and it’s not even close)

I’ve tried (almost) every platform under the sun. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Medium, Substack – you name it.

But you know what’s consistently brought in the money? Good ol’ email.

Here’s why:

• Email is intimate. It’s like whispering directly into your reader’s ear.

• You own your list. No algorithm can take that away.

• You can sell your own stuff. No middleman.

You probably already heard it before. But it hurts like a kick in the genitalia when I see people procrastinating on building their list.

If you’re not building an email list, you’re not in business. Period.

3. Dang it. Ship it

I used to spend days crafting the “perfect” article. Tweaking every word, agonizing over every comma.

What a waste of time.

Do you know what really moves the needle? Showing up. Every. Single. Day.

Even if it’s imperfect. I still have typos, and grammatical errors (even though I’m using AI & Grammarly). Heck, even the robots can’t get it perfect.

Same goes for my courses.

They are not perfect. But they provide a solution. As if you and I were sitting in a coffee shop and having a conversation.

Your audience will forgive your tiny flaws if you know how to capture their attention, not behave like a stupid navel-gazing idiot, and provide real solutions.

Stop trying to be perfect. Start being prolific (and real).

4. AI is not the enemy (ignore it at your peril)

I was one of those “AI will never replace real writers” snobs.

Stupid me.

AI isn’t replacing writers. It’s replacing mediocre writers and giving unfair superpowers to the good ones.

I now use AI for:

• Coming up with headline ideas

• Editing and proofreading my stuff

• Generating first drafts within a few seconds

Heck, even this article has been written with AI. (I said written with, not written by. Notice the difference?)

AI can mimic your voice and tone if you know how to train it. You also want to spend some time editing and making sure it reflects your ideas. (I’ve edited and added the last 4 sentences myself because the AI draft didn’t include them.)

It’s like having a 24/7 writing assistant for the price of 5 overpriced lattes.

5. Writing is overrated

This one will hit most of you like a ton of bricks.

The internet is full of “writing is a rare skill” kinda motivation mumbo-jumbo.

Give me a break.

Did you know that 50% of full-time authors earn less than the federal poverty level of $12,488?

The problem is that most writers sacralize writing like Hindus sacralize desi cows. Writing is nothing else than a medium. In a few years from now, everyone will be able to pump out good content with AI-powered text editors.

Writing is a cheap skill.

If you’re lucky, you can sell your book for $9.99 on Kindle. Or earn $2 with your Medium article. Or go compete against ChatGPT who can spit out 10,000 words for a penny.

You can’t do much about it. Books and articles have a very low perceived value.

What has more value is:

• Consulting

• Online courses

• Coaching programs

And they all go back to one thing: solving problems.

So stop thinking like a broke writer. Start thinking like a problem solver and use writing as a medium. It’s a means. Nothing else.

6. This is your unique differentiator

We are all drowning in content.

And the best way to get forgotten is to be just another talking head giving away information. Thank you, Mr. Wikipedia.

Early in my career, I tried to sound “professional” and “authoritative.” I thought that I had to hard teach. My writing was technically correct but boring as watching paint dry.

People don’t connect with perfect writing. They connect with people.

Now, I make sure every piece I write is infused with my slightly irreverent, no-BS style.

Here are some tips to stand out:

• Go on a rant.

• Write like you talk.

• Show what you believe in.

• Weave in personal stories.

• Call out the BS in your industry.

• Talk about your miserable failures.

• Humble brag about your successes to inspire your audience.

Your personality makes your content uniquely valuable in a sea of sameness.

It’s not just a nice-to-have add-on to your content. It’s why people are reading.

Personality > Information.

7. Treat platforms like toilet paper

Platforms destroyed the Internet.

They’re rigging elections, pushing teens to suicide, and promoting hate speech 24/7.

Thanks to Fakebook & co we’re all living in our own echo chambers.

The reason why platforms are the devil is because their incentive is not aligned with yours.

They want to keep people hooked on their platforms so that they can sell more ads. They want you to worship audience retention. They punish you if you dare to add a link to your lead magnet.

To hell with these platforms.

I don’t worship platforms. I give their vanity metrics the finger. I squeeze what I have out of them to get people on my list.

Most people obsess over their follower count. They do a happy dance every time they hit a new milestone. They share their screenshots navel-gazing. Good for them. But those numbers don’t translate to cash in your pocket.

Squeeze every eyeball you possibly can out of these platforms and onto your email list.

8. There are only 3 ways to make money

Online business ain’t complicated.

You could either:

1. Build a massive audience and sell cheap (or not-so-cheap) stuff a la influencer.

2. Sell more products to a small audience.

3. Raise your prices.

I’m an introvert with undiagnosed ADHD.

I’m terrible at audience acquisition. I’m not going viral anytime soon. So option #1 doesn’t make sense.

Raising prices is nice. But there’s a limit to how much people will pay for a single product.

So I focus on option #2: selling more stuff to a small (but mighty) audience.

I believe in the depth of relationships over treating subs like numbers on a spreadsheet. Each person on my list isn’t just a potential sale – they’re a real human I can help in multiple ways.

Take my course on email marketing. Some students loved it so much, they asked for more. So I created a coaching program. Then a series of other courses. And so on and so forth.

Every time I launch a new product I see the same names (and new names that will become super buyers).

So thank you from the heart: Rich, Mike, Annabel, Christopher, Paul, Victor, Floyd, Rodney, Nicole (and sorry for all those I’ve forgotten).

This approach isn’t just more profitable – it’s more fulfilling. I get to know my audience deeply. I understand their struggles, their goals, their quirks. And in turn, I can serve them better.

Don’t get me wrong – a big audience is great if you can get it. But don’t underestimate the power of a small, engaged group of true fans. Treat them right, offer them real value, and they’ll stick with you for the long haul.

It’s not about having the most customers. It’s about having the right ones – and serving them exceptionally deep & well.

9. Stop believing what you’re seeing

The internet is drowning in “make millions overnight” garbage.

Is your newsfeed full of screenshots? Cool. But did you know that you can fake these with a free Chrome plugin?

I’m not saying everyone is lying. I’m saying you shouldn’t believe everything or everyone. People who built massive successes overnight usually don’t tell the full truth.

So what are you left with?

Setting realistic expectations.

You’re not going to get rich by next Tuesday. You’re not going to build a 6-figure business in 30 days. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either lying or selling something (usually both).

I’ve been in this game for over a decade. Want to know how long it took me to make a full-time income? Four years. And that was grinding every single day like a slave, making plenty of mistakes along the way.

But here’s the tricky part: While you need to be realistic, you also need to have faith that you’ll make it. It’s a fine line to walk.

You need time to:

• Build an audience

• Develop your skills

• Figure out what the hell you’re doing

Everything good in life takes time. Your content business is no different.

Does this mean you should wait 5 years before expecting any results? No. You should see progress along the way. Small wins. Gradual growth.

But the big, life-changing success? That takes what 99% of you don’t have: patience.

I remember feeling discouraged 6 months in when I wasn’t a millionaire yet. I’m exaggerating. But that’s what happens when you buy into the overnight success myth.

Set realistic expectations. Commit to the long game. Celebrate small victories.

The ones who succeed aren’t always the most talented – they’re the ones who stick around long enough to see results.

10. It’s you against you

I used to spend hours scrolling through other creators’ profiles, comparing my measly view counts to their viral hits.

I’d see someone younger, with less experience, making more money than me. I was screaming inside me.

So I stopped looking at their numbers and started focusing on my own progress.

I either muted their profiles, blocked them, or unsubscribed from their newsletters.

The only person you’re really competing against is yourself.

It’s not about beating someone else’s best day. It’s about beating your own worst day.

Did you write more words today than yesterday? Good.

Did you help one more person understand a complex topic? Even better.

Did you finally figure out how to explain that tricky concept you’ve been struggling with? You rock!

These are the metrics that matter. Not how many followers @ContentGuru9000 gained this week.

Everyone’s journey is different. Some people blow up overnight. Others (like me) are slow burners. Some have a head start. Others have hidden advantages you can’t see.

Comparing your chapter 1 to someone else’s chapter 20 is a fool’s game.

Instead, compare yourself to where you were a month ago, a year ago. That’s where you’ll see real growth. That’s where you’ll find motivation.

So the next time you’re tempted to play the comparison game, stop. Close that browser tab. Put down your phone. And ask yourself: “How can I be better than I was yesterday?”

That’s the only comparison that counts.

Let’s finish with a call-to-action

Creating content doesn’t have to be complicated.

The best way to succeed at this game is to set up a simple system that you enjoy applying every day.

I’ve got a free email course that breaks it all down.

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