The Value Is In the Story - CM #8
Insights, trends, tools and real-world examples of how to create profitable online projects by organizing existing information.
Welcome to issue #8 of Curation Monetized.
I am Robin Good, a passionate researcher of content curation since 2004, writing you from Holbox island in Mexico.
My goal is to assist indie entrepreneurs who are expert about a topic in creating valuable resources that are useful for others and that are also economically profitable.
Who is this for:
indie entrepreneurs
journalists
subject-matter experts
consultants, advisors
trainers, teachers, coaches
The Free edition of this newsletter offers:
- key insights and trends
relating to content curation, organizing information and related monetization and business models.
The Premium edition provides:
- additional insights plus
- a unique selection of tools and apps
- real-world examples with detailed info (niche, business model, platforms, authors) along with my notes on the curator’s job and connected business opportunities.
Key Curation Insights
1) What Makes Value
You hear it constantly: create value for others!
But if you try to understand and define what exactly that “value” is, you may suddenly realise that something that is so much talked about, can be at times more than a little elusive to define with precision.
So my question is: is it possible to define what “value” really is when it comes to content?
Is value just a personal, subjective construct or is it something objective, that can be verified and even measured?
Source: Robin Good - The Content Value Identikit
2) The Story Is the Essence, Not the Collection
Collecting apparently useful or interesting stuff, one pearl at a time is one thing. Another one is to connect multiple pearls, coming from different places and explorers, into one, wonderful necklace. That’s what a curator does.
“Museum curators organize collections into themes that tell stories. Individual curators create stories by collecting ideas or items they have a passion for.
Either way, the goal of curation is always taking individual items and examples and weaving them together into a narrative.
In other words, curation adds meaning to isolated beautiful things.”
Source: Rohit Barghava - These Five Essential Habits of Curators Will Make You a Smarter Marketer
3) To Augment Authority: Curate
The editorial strategy that makes a hell of a lot of sense for those seeking to increase their credibility and authority, those who want to be identified as the go-to-person or brand in a specific niche, is to curate content rather than creating it.
What makes one an authority, an expert standing above the others is the time, sensitivity and attention devoted to blend into a cohesive whole multiple sources, tools or ideas converging over a specific issue.
The curator, in this respect, doesn’t have a view.
He sees and reports the full panorama.
“Content curation not only alleviates the pressure of having to devote valuable time to creating original content, but it also adds credibility and third-party validations to your efforts.”
Source: Jason Miller - “The Power of Content Curation”
Key Curation Trends
Curation Monetized Bullet-Point Stories
Cool, high-earning directory-based business
Stan Bright is the founder - started it back in 2014
Shows a listing page for different tech tools
Brings in 1.3 million views a month
Costs $130/mo to be on the featured page
With 106 featured listings, that's $13,780 per month in revenue
Interesting is that the content seems to be mostly user generated.
SaaS companies submit their products by filling out a form, and can opt-in to pay to be featured
Owner of Saas Hub explains here why companies take the time to submit
Spoiler: They you will get a permanent do-follow link + relevant presence
Stan's has another site: LibHunt.com
Pretty much the same thing except it is focused on open source projects
Gets apx 1.7 million visitors per month
But open source projects don't have money to spend
LibHunt monetized entirely with display ads
Good chance that this site is also earning apx $10,000+ per month
It can be hard to get traction on these directory sites
but they seem to be a very good business once established
especially when the content is mostly user generated.
Source: Niall Doherty - “2 Directory Sites Earning $10,000+ Per Month”
In the June Premium Edition:
Recommended Curation Tools & Resources
Interesting curation tools and apps available in the June Premium Edition:
40+ Tools To Create Online Directories
I have put together an updated collection of the 40+ best tools, themes (Wordpress, Webflow, Ghost), plugins and platforms designed for those who want to build online directories and catalogs.
Get the details / Premium subscription
Curation Monetized: Real World Examples
Profitable curation projects available in the June Premium Edition:
Web Design Inspiration Gallery
Library of hand-picked website designs and ideas for creatives.Catalog of Best Online Communities
Directory of 2K+ online communities across 130+ topicsNewsradar on Available Grants for Creatives
Monthly newsletter that curates grants and other funding opportunities for US creative artists and authorsOne-Page Newsradar on Tech
Real-time online one-page newsradar on technology, innovation, VCs, funds, Silicon Valley, aggregating and organizing the top breaking news and storiesWorlds Largest Business Model Database
Catalog of real-world validated business model ideasWeb Design Inspiration Feed
Hand-curated feed / newsletter of high-quality 1K+ website designs organized in categoriesThe above are all online projects that monetize by organizing existing information.
Subscribe to Curation Monetized Premium to get the details on each one of these projects and to support my work in this direction.
To get a look at a Premium issue check out the first issue of CM.
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P.S.: Feedback and comments are always welcome.
Just reply to this newsletter email or write me at robingood@substack.com
from sunny Holbox island (MX)
Robin Good