Last Updated on October 1, 2023 at 9:25 pm
Wanting an extra income or side hustle and wanting to make that online is a popular desire. However, many people make the mistake of assuming that they need to become popular – more followers, more site views, more videos views etc. – in order to make good money. This is a misconception. We discuss why significant money can be made online via specialization or even super-specialization instead of trying to be popular. May is our site anniversary month. Until May 31st 2021, we have a special 40% discount on our Earn from Skills Course! Use it to build trust and build your income!
The standard example given by marketers fits well here. Who makes more money? The general physician? Or the super-specialist? The specialist has fewer patients but charges significantly more per patient. This is the simple secret to making money online in a sustainable way.
(1) Offer something special, unique. (2) Offer a good chunk of it for free. (3) Offer it without bias or conflict of interest. This will gradually build a community of trusted followers who would buy your expertise, your services or your products.
The catch is, it would take time and consistency. If you tell yourself that you would write a new article every week or a new video every week, or a new tweet every other day, then come what may, you must do your best to stick to it without worrying about traffic, results or engagement.
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The problem is, most people agree that it would take time and it would take consistency, but they have nothing to offer! They do not know what area they would work on but say they want to make money online. If this is you, then I would recommend trying things out.
Try writing a blog or making videos; try it with different things that interest you. Do this for, say, three months and see how people react. See what gives them the most value, and then you can change. No one knows their “niche” from day one. They evolve towards it. We must give ourselves time and space to develop our online personality before worrying about making money from it.
Getting back to why popularity is not a smart idea. Think of the typical “popular” YouTuber. They would literally plead with you to subscribe and hit that bell icon. Why? They need the views and watch time to make money from Google Adsense and sponsorships.
The money from Adsense is a pittance, and sponsorships depend on the topic and reach. They need to keep making videos, or the money would dry out. This is no different than being a salaried employee.
Instead, a person making specialised videos with just a few thousand or even a few hundred subscribers can make a good deal of money from their own products or services without the frenzy. The same is true for website articles or social media posts.
By aiming for popularity, one creates content that is pretty basic. This means they have to compete with hundreds of other content creators doing the same. If you go super specialised, you will not be popular, but the competition is nearly non-existent. All you need to do is wait until like-minded people start following you. So do not chase after popularity for making money online.
If you are a professional with a service or product to offer or if you are trying to develop your skills over time and then gradually make money off that, we have a special course for you: Make more money by getting people to pay for your skills!
We discuss how you can build your main business or a side income by showcasing your expertise online. How you can create a community of readers and viewers based on expertise and trust and generate an income that will gradually grow to become significant.
At the time of writing this article, 570 members have signed up for the course (10+ hours of video content) in an exclusive Facebook group. They include professionals, financial advisors and salaried individuals and homemakers.
Sricharan Monigari, an Oracle HCM cloud solution architect, has to say the following about the course:
Course Objective: A complete framework to build online visibility with your skills; Create a community of readers and viewers based on expertise and trust and generate an income that will gradually grow to become significant.
Course Format: Videos (20-30 min duration) in a Facebook Group.
Course FAQ
- Is the fee one-time or recurring? It is one-time.
- Can I watch the videos any time I want? Yes. Access is forever. You will need a Facebook Account to access the course (the email used for Facebook and the email used to buy the course can be different)
- I would like to resell the course. Is this possible? Yes, it is.
- I am a professional, entrepreneur or small business owner. Will this course help? Yes! It will help you quickly set up your website and online profiles right and show you how you can leverage them for building a brand, a community that trusts you and would buy from you or hire you.
- I am salaried with some interests I want to develop. Will this course help? Yes! The course discusses how you can use online communities to understand problems and issues that you can address to increase visibility.
- I want to earn some extra income, but I am not sure about the area. Will this course help? The core idea of online money making is to help others without expectations, and the money will come. Tom Cruise said, “everyone has a story. Similarly, “everyone has something to offer”. Some way in which they can help others. It should not take long for you to list that. Even if you are not an expert in that area, you can learn while you create content. This is what I did and am doing with freefincal. Once you think of at least one way to help someone else, the course will help you get ideas and create content around that.
- Will this help me set up a website? Yes. A start to finish guide is included along with “how to write SEO optimised content?”
- When can I start seeing results? This is not a get rich quick scheme. Results will depend on your circumstances and the topic. For example, a financial advisor may see faster results than a salaried person working on this as a side project. Simply because for the financial advisor, online visibility is bread and butter. Similarly, a person writing about politics may get more revenue than a person writing poems because of the community size interested in each area. Increasing visibility in the area we are good at is more productive than chasing after a “hot topic” we know nothing about.
About Me
Check out this video if you wish to know more about my experience and expertise?
Course Contents
(Each number will correspond to one video approximately)
1: Overview of objective and what will be covered. (This will be free for all). Watch this part below
2: Step Zero: What is your goal? How to define success and making money.
Step one: What will make you truly happy? Some members may already know what they want to do (e.g. sell mattresses or become a financial advisor), and some members may still be searching for what topic they would like to work on. We shall keep this in mind as we discuss.
What is a ‘solution gap’? How this will decide your online presence, trust, following and income.
3: Steps two-four: Choosing a topic to work with. Choosing a format. How to find problems in a particular topic that you can address
4: Basics of setting up a website – why it is indispensable. Different ways to showcase your competence. Pros and cons of each method.
5: Overview of making money online. Pros and cons of each method
6: Deciding your game plan (whether you are sure about what to do or not!). Choosing a monetization strategy that is right for you.
7: Website site walk-through Part 1: From buying a domain, hosting to setting it up before you write your first blog post.
8: Website site walk-through Part 2. I have purchased a new domain – earnfromskills.com for this purpose. (screenshot below).
9: Social Media Account Set up. How to develop a following without trolling others
10: Why and how to develop an email list
11: Setting up a Google My Business Page and how to maintain it
12: Youtube: How to use it, how not to, how to get started and what to expect.
13: Automating tasks: Tips and Tools
14: How to always have ten ideas to create content with
15: How to let potential products and services evolve from content and community
16: Active vs Passive Income: What Should You use. What does passive really mean?
17: When to start selling products; How to ensure consistent sales?
18: How to launch a product? When to advertise and when not to! What to advertise and what not to!
19: How to stay updated on the latest developments in your area and online visibility. How to stay ahead of the curve by not being afraid to experiment.
20: How to exploit features specific to mobile to showcase our content to new audiences
21: A look at all the tools I use strategies
22: Plus other topics that you think would help. Send an email to pattu “at” freefincal.com if you have suggestions.
Features of the course
- The course will mention popular products/services you should not waste money on. The total cost of this alone will be 3-5 times the full price of the course.
- All products mentioned in the course are those I use. You can get to see the methods and plugins I use.
- Interested members can resell the course (Details inside the group)
- If you a professional consultant, even the full fee will be a fraction of what you charge from a single client.
- Essentially what I have learned over the last eight years will be part of the course.
- There is a lot of nonsense peddled around in the marketing and SEO worlds. The course will aim to dispel much of this.
Course Fee: Normal fee is Rs. 5000. Since it is our anniversary month, you can join the Earn From Skills course at a special price of Rs. 3000 (one-time fee, lifetime access) 40% discount). Valid only until May 31st 2021.
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About The Author
Dr M. Pattabiraman(PhD) is the founder, managing editor and primary author of freefincal. He is an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. He has over ten years of experience publishing news analysis, research and financial product development. Connect with him via Twitter(X), Linkedin, or YouTube. Pattabiraman has co-authored three print books: (1) You can be rich too with goal-based investing (CNBC TV18) for DIY investors. (2) Gamechanger for young earners. (3) Chinchu Gets a Superpower! for kids. He has also written seven other free e-books on various money management topics. He is a patron and co-founder of “Fee-only India,” an organisation promoting unbiased, commission-free investment advice.Our flagship course! Learn to manage your portfolio like a pro to achieve your goals regardless of market conditions! ⇐ More than 3,000 investors and advisors are part of our exclusive community! Get clarity on how to plan for your goals and achieve the necessary corpus no matter the market condition is!! Watch the first lecture for free! One-time payment! No recurring fees! Life-long access to videos! Reduce fear, uncertainty and doubt while investing! Learn how to plan for your goals before and after retirement with confidence.
Our new course! Increase your income by getting people to pay for your skills! ⇐ More than 700 salaried employees, entrepreneurs and financial advisors are part of our exclusive community! Learn how to get people to pay for your skills! Whether you are a professional or small business owner who wants more clients via online visibility or a salaried person wanting a side income or passive income, we will show you how to achieve this by showcasing your skills and building a community that trusts and pays you! (watch 1st lecture for free). One-time payment! No recurring fees! Life-long access to videos!
Our new book for kids: “Chinchu Gets a Superpower!” is now available!
Must-read book even for adults! This is something that every parent should teach their kids right from their young age. The importance of money management and decision making based on their wants and needs. Very nicely written in simple terms. - Arun.Buy the book: Chinchu gets a superpower for your child!
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