Scott has also pointed out a few blogs that qualified themselves to charge for a premium:
All you have to do is look at the top blogs to see examples of blogs that might be able to charge for their content, e.g., Engadget, Gizmodo, GigaOm, TechCrunch, Problogger, Seth Godin, TMZ, Ars Technica, PaidContent. (I am purposely not mentioning The Blog Herald to avoid a conflict of interest.)
In this case, Darren at ProBlogger.net thinks it is possible for blogs to start charging, observing some obstacles as well as the likely reasons for readers to pay.
Most blogs mentioned above have an edge in their industry. They are either very committed to produce quality content, particularly enlightening, or they are always the first to discuss on something. This makes them popular. Should they hide away the content and only paid members can access, the impact of their blog will no longer be there.
Instead of charging for blog content, bloggers can create a training course which only paid members have access to. In this case, say Darren can create a blogging course, teaching his secrets more deeply, giving more insightful content than his blog. This can work.
Some of the models I can think of:
1) Create a membership site focusing on discussion and consultation (monthly fee)
2) Create a course teaching and sharing deeper knowledge (monthly fee)
3) Create an ebook, audio or video course (one time sale)
4) Personal coaching programs
The main problem with charging for content is there are too many free content on the internet. People will search for them, until they give up. Internet is also a competitive landscape. Most internet marketers will offer something others do not have in order to gain an edge over the others.
Say on a topic, there are 5 secrets. Internet marketer #1 will offer secret 1 for free, just to get some leads. Internet marketer #2, in order to be different, offers secret 2. If there are more than 5 internet marketers in that niches, you can almost find any information for free.
It is not surprising to buy a course or ebook just to realize you already possess the knowledge.
The only thing people can charge on the internet is personal experience. You can no longer sell information. Information is everywhere for free. Google is improving everyday to ease people searching for information. But you are lucky, you can still sell experience.
What if Darren decides to let you join him for a day, so you can observe how he do research, what RSS he reads, how he reply to emails, how he talks in phones, how he network with other bloggers, how he manage to come up with thoughtful posts, would you pay? I will.
I am not as big as Darren. I am a behind-the-scene, small and little blogger who manage to make some money off my blog. Best part is, I am sharing my limited experience in Ultimate Blogging Master Blueprint, a blueprint that teaches you how to setup a blog to make $500 a month, step-by-step. If I can, you can too.
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