How Much Is *Content* Worth To You?

Paul Hancox · 08-10-2009, 12:13 PM

Hi Folks

I just replied to someone and gave the following illustration, which I'd like to expand upon, because I think it's worth discussing.

Take a popular blog like Copyblogger (no connection, unfortunately). According to Google, the domain has been around since February 2006.

That's just three and a half years. A baby, in the Internet world.

And yet it currently has nearly 70,000 RSS and email subscribers.

If Brian Clark (the founder, I believe) were to sell up today, what do you think that blog would be worth?

Personally, I'd hate to hazard a guess, but I'm guessing that $100,000 would be an insult. (I imagine someone would be willing to pay a lot more for it.)

What made it what it is today?

First and foremost, it was, and is, the CONTENT. Without the content, it wouldn't be much of anything.

Now, let's say, for argument's sake, that he's posted every week day for the past three and a half years.

5 articles a day, 52 weeks a year over 3.5 years is 910 articles.

It took 910 articles to build Copyblogger into what it is today. If it sold for a mere $100,000, that is...

Over $109 an article.

Folks, how much do you value CONTENT?

Now, I appreciate that other factors make it valuable, such as backlinks. Yahoo! says he has nearly HALF A MILLION!

But one of the main reasons people link to it in the first place is because of the content.

So I ask again... how much do you value your content? Are you still trying to skimp on article costs?

I ask this question because some people think that $x or $y is too high a price for an article.

But if Brian Clark sold up today, he'd probably get - at a bare MINIMUM - the equivalent of about $109 an article.

What would YOU pay for that kind of return, per article?

By focusing just on the short term costs (and perhaps skimping on quality to save a few initial bucks), might we be missing the bigger picture?

What do you think? Am I on the right track? Or am I hopelessly lost in a sea of idealism?

Steve Peters Benn · 08-10-2009, 01:28 PM

Hi Paul,

I think it depends on the traffic the content gets. It could be great traffic, but if it is hidden away then it isn't really worth that much. Sure it could be repurposed, but in terms of selling a portal, traffic then content seems to be the hierarchy, for me at at least.

andymurray · 08-10-2009, 01:44 PM

Hi Paul,

I agree. Content is King! Good content that is. And
I would pay what ever I could afford to get the best.
Ideally I'd like to be able to write it myself.

I like the way you broke it down with the worst case
scenario of the $100,000 sale, if he decided to sell
up that is

When you look at it that way you can see how
valuable good content really is.

Andy

Jon Alexander · 08-10-2009, 01:51 PM

He has great content, true. As do several million other blogs that get nowhere near the attention he does.

It's like the old 'great music' argument. Great music doesn't guarantee a hit band. And crap music doesn't guarantee a failure.

Martin Luxton · 08-10-2009, 01:52 PM

Paul,

I don't think he'd even consider selling because most of the contributions nowadays are by co-editors and guest writers (and if you factor in that some of the guests are doing it for free to get the exposure then Brian's getting more than $109 per post for his own stuff).

The whole thing seems to be set up on semi autopilot with Brian take a less central role, overseeing the "house style" (the 4 hour working week?).

This has given him time to develop a few other products recently that launched off the back of Copyblogger, which raises the value per post even more.

It's so true what you said.

Put in the hard work, produce quality > get noticed > attract quality people to work for you > step back a little > enjoy a longterm income stream > move on to next quality content project > rinse and repeat.

Martin

Paul Hancox · 08-10-2009, 03:01 PM

@Steve, Jon... true, traffic is still a very important part of the equation, without a doubt. However, I wonder how many of those millions of blogs aren't going to get there simply because their content is average, rather than outstanding. On the other hand, Brian probably did use some smart guerilla marketing to get where he is today with his blog.

@Martin, yes I also doubt he'd sell up any time soon. He now basically has a nice money spigot, after just three and a half years of hard work. Pretty impressive! $109 an article is waaaaay underestimated, I just had to put some figures there to give people an idea of what can be achieved with good content (plus, I should add, good traffic). I'd love to know how much money he's already made from his blog over the past 3 1/2 years.

@Andy, I understand why most people start off writing their own articles. It might be the cost, and also the control aspects. (I'm a control freak, myself). The winning combination, to my mind, is always great content combined with great promotional strategies.

08-10-2009, 12:13 PM	#1
Paul Hancox Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 2,028 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 433 Thanked 554 Times in 229 Posts Social Networking	*How Much Is Content* Worth To You?** Hi Folks I just replied to someone and gave the following illustration, which I'd like to expand upon, because I think it's worth discussing. Take a popular blog like Copyblogger (no connection, unfortunately). According to Google, the domain has been around since February 2006. That's just three and a half years. A baby, in the Internet world. And yet it currently has nearly 70,000 RSS and email subscribers. If Brian Clark (the founder, I believe) were to sell up today, what do you think that blog would be worth? Personally, I'd hate to hazard a guess, but I'm guessing that $100,000 would be an insult. (I imagine someone would be willing to pay a lot more for it.) What made it what it is today? First and foremost, it was, and is, the CONTENT. Without the content, it wouldn't be much of anything. Now, let's say, for argument's sake, that he's posted every week day for the past three and a half years. 5 articles a day, 52 weeks a year over 3.5 years is 910 articles. It took 910 articles to build Copyblogger into what it is today. If it sold for a mere $100,000, that is... Over $109 an article. Folks, how much do you value CONTENT? Now, I appreciate that other factors make it valuable, such as backlinks. Yahoo! says he has nearly HALF A MILLION! But one of the main reasons people link to it in the first place is because of the content. So I ask again... how much do you value your content? Are you still trying to skimp on article costs? I ask this question because some people think that $x or $y is too high a price for an article. But if Brian Clark sold up today, he'd probably get - at a bare MINIMUM - the equivalent of about $109 an article. What would YOU pay for that kind of return, per article? By focusing just on the short term costs (and perhaps skimping on quality to save a few initial bucks), might we be missing the bigger picture? What do you think? Am I on the right track? Or am I hopelessly lost in a sea of idealism?
	PRESELL MASTERY: What you thought you knew about "preselling" is about to radically change. Forever. Click Here. BECOME A COPYWRITER, WITH CLIENTS, IN AS LITTLE AS 6 MONTHS...CLICK HERE.

08-10-2009, 01:28 PM	#2
Steve Peters Benn Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Leeds, United Kingdom. Posts: 3,519 Thanks: 598 Thanked 334 Times in 165 Posts Social Networking	*Re: How Much Is Content* Worth To You?** Hi Paul, I think it depends on the traffic the content gets. It could be great traffic, but if it is hidden away then it isn't really worth that much. Sure it could be repurposed, but in terms of selling a portal, traffic then content seems to be the hierarchy, for me at at least.

08-10-2009, 01:44 PM	#3
andymurray Active Warrior Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Up North, UK Posts: 64 Thanks: 25 Thanked 8 Times in 5 Posts	*Re: How Much Is Content* Worth To You?** Hi Paul, I agree. Content is King! Good content that is. And I would pay what ever I could afford to get the best. Ideally I'd like to be able to write it myself. I like the way you broke it down with the worst case scenario of the $100,000 sale, if he decided to sell up that is When you look at it that way you can see how valuable good content really is. Andy

08-10-2009, 01:51 PM	#4
Jon Alexander Senior Warrior Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: , , USA. Posts: 1,543 Thanks: 0 Thanked 42 Times in 34 Posts	*Re: How Much Is Content* Worth To You?** He has great content, true. As do several million other blogs that get nowhere near the attention he does. It's like the old 'great music' argument. Great music doesn't guarantee a hit band. And crap music doesn't guarantee a failure.
	http://www.contentboss.com - automated article rewriting software gives you unique content at a few CENTS per article!. New - Put text into jetspinner format automatically! http://www.autojetspinner.com PS my PM system is broken. Sorry I can't help anymore.

08-10-2009, 01:52 PM	#5
Martin Luxton Christmas Rocker Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: North Pole Posts: 2,380 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 545 Thanked 696 Times in 372 Posts	*Re: How Much Is Content* Worth To You?** Paul, I don't think he'd even consider selling because most of the contributions nowadays are by co-editors and guest writers (and if you factor in that some of the guests are doing it for free to get the exposure then Brian's getting more than $109 per post for his own stuff). The whole thing seems to be set up on semi autopilot with Brian take a less central role, overseeing the "house style" (the 4 hour working week?). This has given him time to develop a few other products recently that launched off the back of Copyblogger, which raises the value per post even more. It's so true what you said. Put in the hard work, produce quality > get noticed > attract quality people to work for you > step back a little > enjoy a longterm income stream > move on to next quality content project > rinse and repeat. Martin
	"Merda taurorum animas conturbit"

08-10-2009, 03:01 PM	#6
Paul Hancox Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 2,028 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 433 Thanked 554 Times in 229 Posts Social Networking	*Re: How Much Is Content* Worth To You?** @Steve, Jon... true, traffic is still a very important part of the equation, without a doubt. However, I wonder how many of those millions of blogs aren't going to get there simply because their content is average, rather than outstanding. On the other hand, Brian probably did use some smart guerilla marketing to get where he is today with his blog. @Martin, yes I also doubt he'd sell up any time soon. He now basically has a nice money spigot, after just three and a half years of hard work. Pretty impressive! $109 an article is waaaaay underestimated, I just had to put some figures there to give people an idea of what can be achieved with good content (plus, I should add, good traffic). I'd love to know how much money he's already made from his blog over the past 3 1/2 years. @Andy, I understand why most people start off writing their own articles. It might be the cost, and also the control aspects. (I'm a control freak, myself). The winning combination, to my mind, is always great content combined with great promotional strategies.
	PRESELL MASTERY: What you thought you knew about "preselling" is about to radically change. Forever. Click Here. BECOME A COPYWRITER, WITH CLIENTS, IN AS LITTLE AS 6 MONTHS...CLICK HERE.