Re:Making money twice
by pchristensen on Tuesday September 23, 2008 @12:10PM
(#312495)
"at least one third of the people on this site could create the same content if they put their mind to it"
I'll give you that your one third could produce the ideas, but how many could also produce the straightforward, simple, clear writing? It's harder than it looks.
If I've learned anything on Hacker News, its not the idea that matters, its the execution.
The content is niche. And they advertise well, since this is a 'customer base' for them. If I were selling car parts, I'd have articles about cars, and post on message boards that are car focused.
They are a good example of what you could do in your niche industry.
An excellent example.
It's interesting that for years 'industry magazines' have produced glossy dungheaps to sell ads on. They can do this because advertisers want to believe that there is a publication that reaches 70% of all HR people in the tech industry or 45% of all OH&S people in the mining industry. In some cases there is such a paper. In many there just isn't. In the latter, the ads are carried by these idiot mags.
Now there's a way. Create your own. If you can.
What is amazing though is the marketing - which is what this post is all about. I'm sure that at least one third of the people on this site could create the same content if they put their mind to it. What almost nobody can do though is market it like 37signals.