The book Doing Content Right by Steph Smith is packed with practical insights for building, growing, and monetizing content-based businesses (like blogs or newsletters). Here are the most valuable insights organized by key themes:
🔑 1. Build a Personal Monopoly
- Find your unique intersection of skills, interests, and experience—something you know deeply and few others do.
- Your “personal monopoly” makes you difficult to copy and gives you a natural edge in content creation.
- Example: Instead of being one more travel blogger, be the ex-tech lead turned solo backpacker teaching remote work systems.
🎯 2. Focus on Solving Real Problems
- Don’t create content just to write—solve a real problem for a real person.
- “Be a painkiller, not a vitamin.” Content that solves pain points is more likely to spread.
- Ask yourself: “Would someone forward this to a friend?”
📬 3. Blog and Newsletter Are Both Essential
- Blogs offer evergreen content discoverability (via SEO and search).
- Newsletters offer direct access to your audience’s inbox and higher retention.
- Together, they compound your reach and trust.
🚀 4. Distribution is a Multiplier
- Creating great content is not enough. You must master distribution.
- Choose your primary channels wisely (e.g., Twitter for thinkers, Instagram for visuals).
- Use platforms, communities, and SEO strategically, and build a distribution flywheel over time.
🔍 5. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Matters
- Even if you’re early, thinking about SEO helps your content rank and compound traffic.
- Understand search intent, not just keywords.
- Update and optimize old content to extend its lifespan.
💡 6. Niche Isn’t Small — It’s Specific
- Being niche means being precise about who you serve and how—not limiting your audience size.
- Examples: “News for nerdy professionals” (Numlock), “Tech insights for millennials” (Morning Brew).
- Start narrow, earn trust, and expand later.
🧠 7. Think Like a Startup
- A content business works like a startup:
- Find product–market fit (do people really want what you’re offering?).
- Iterate based on feedback.
- Grow with scalable channels (SEO, social, syndication).
- Monetize in stages (products, services, memberships, ads).
💰 8. Monetization Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All
- Options include:
- Donations/patronage
- Affiliate marketing
- Paid newsletters
- Digital products (ebooks, courses)
- Sponsorships
- Software or services
- Choose methods that align with your audience’s trust and your brand.
📐 9. Measure What Matters
- Avoid “vanity metrics” (likes, followers); focus on engagement and retention.
- Identify your 100 true fans: people who’d miss you if you stopped publishing.
📘 10. Action Is Everything
- Most people will never use this book—even if they read it.
- Steph emphasizes taking action, not just consuming information.
- Treat this book as a workbook—there are 22 exercises to build your content strategy step by step.
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