Considerations when choosing between free or paid content

I am constantly evaluating the way I deliver content. Eventually, the question turns to free or paid. I have been working through a predicament for a couple of months now. I want to offer some tips to those of you who may be considering creating paid content, including deciding if you should do it.

Why consider charging for anything at all?

OK, first, we must make some assumptions to answer this.

• This is not your primary source of income.
• You accept that this has to be a long-term plan.

You know or at least have an idea of what it is you are going to sell. You have to give people a reason to trust you and their hard-earned money before handing it over to you.

We are knowledge workers as developers or anyone creating digital content to distribute. That has to clear right now. What we know has value to someone, hopefully many.

We spend years learning our craft and working to be as good as possible. That has a value, so if you plan to share knowledge in some form, be it a book, video, or some other medium, you need to recognize there is a value and not give it all away for free. After all, think of the expenses you incurred gaining that talent.

It is only fair that you have decided to share what you know and probably paid to learn that others do the same. But that does not mean charging for everything. It would be best to be rewarded and give back to communities that helped you get where you are today.

How do you decide whether it is free or paid?

What would I want to see to make me comfortable buying my product?

The first thing to understand is that some things should be free. You have to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise on the subject(s) you share; people will not take it blindly and give you money, and that’s how it should be.

So, provide plenty of free content to demonstrate the value you are offering them. Show samples of the paid content, for example, a clip from a video or a chapter from a book.

You have to give people a reason to trust you and their hard-earned money before handing it over to you.

Another great way to build trust and provide value is to make yourself available to answer their questions, either a simple form they can fill in or something more interactive like a forum or online chat. One-to-one sessions are also popular and personal.

Showing people that you are accessible and willing to help answer their questions or problems goes a long way to showing that you again want to provide value to a customer.

When it comes to the content, think balance. As I mentioned, if you have a book or video, consider providing some free and offering the rest as a paid value to the customer. But make sure the content you provide free is still helpful and of value; don’t just make it the opening chapter or introduction video. Give them applicable in-depth content.

When it comes to software, you often see a free or lite version with features withheld or perhaps a time-limited, fully functional version. This allows the potential customer to evaluate the product and decide if it is valid.

It comes down to a simple question: “What would I need to see to feel comfortable buying my product?”

What are the best ways to start offering paid content?

There are many options available. A lot will depend on the content you want to make public. I chose to go with Patreon.com. Content can be made available to different groups of customers, and to set the price for each. It also makes things very simple as they handle everything for you; all you have to do is create and upload the content.

Another benefit is that I am using a recognized and trusted service. Building your system is not recommended when starting to build customer confidence.

Another popular option is using a service like gumroad.com. Again, you upload the content for users to purchase from the Gumroad site.

Do Your Homework

It would help if you considered looking at the ways other people are delivering content similar to yours.

• What services are they using?
• What options are they offering?
• What about pricing structures?

Do not just copy them. Please take a look and consider ways to adapt what they do to suit your situation and then act on it.

The Wrap

The best service to a customer is a personal one, which means you need to decide what to offer and how.

I hope this article has sparked your thoughts and helped you on a path of discovery and planning.

I would love to hear what you decide to do and your thoughts.

And finally, if this was helpful and valuable content, why not say thanks and Buy me a Coffee? I’d appreciate both the feedback and that coffee.