"Make sure you don't share everything on your social media. You want to save something for behind the paywall."
That was the first bit of unsolicited social media advice I received when I started building McEwen Media. It's the business equivalent of "why would someone buy the cow when they can get the milk for free".
Here's why it's a load of bull.
If you're starting out, you have zero credibility. You're barely dipping your toe, let alone leaving a digital footprint.
If all of your thought leadership is behind the paywall, you're not giving your audience enough runway to see the value of what you offer.
To continue the barnyard metaphor, you're putting the cart before the horse.
Your thought leadership creates value for what's behind the paywall. If you only give your following crumbs, you're training them to expect crumbs. They have no way to gauge the value of any products or services you have for sale.
A better concept I've learned is that of the value bank. I learned of this phrase from Stacey Boehman. It's the idea that the more information and advice you give "for free", the more value you create for the items you have behind the paywall.
For me, I share a lot of advice and insight on social media. Not just here, but on Instagram and in various podcast appearances. My approach is, if you can get what you need from what I share here, you're not in a position where you need to invest in working with me.
It's when you feel like you can't move forward without my creative collaboration. It's when you follow my advice, see some improvement but feel like you need a bigger push. That's when we need to talk about working together. For some people this journey might only be a few days. For others it's a year. But if I start keeping things behind the paywall, only offering easy or obvious tips, I'm not doing much to create value for my paid services.
If you put everything behind the paywall, you risk devaluing the lot.
Sharing and selling can be one in the same. This is one of the many topics we'll be covering in our workshop: Social Media for Solopreneurs. If you want to learn about a social media strategy that works AND lets you work on your business, get your ticket today!
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