How to Build a Successful Blog or Newsletter: Key Insights from Doing Content Right

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:

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🔑 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.

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🎯 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?”

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📬 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.

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🚀 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.

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🔍 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.

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💡 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.

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🧠 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).

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💰 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.

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📐 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.

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📘 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.