Getting Users To Pay You To Create Content For Your Site

Predictions

from the now-there's-a-business-model dept

There’s been some talk about how in the “influence economy,” publishers who are influential may even be able to get people to pay them to be able to write on the site — rather than paying the writers. There is at least one well known media organization that I’ve heard about who has convinced a top technology company to pay the media company to allow someone from the company to blog on their site. However, with so much of today’s content being “user generated,” the line continues to get fuzzy. Take, for instance, this report about how The Sporting News is looking to beef up their interactive offerings by getting users to blog and be part of various fantasy league offerings — where the highest ranked participants will have their content highlighted on the site, and will be able to interact with TSN’s paid staff. Since getting involved with these fantasy leagues costs money, effectively, TSN has figured out how to get users to pay them money in order to generate content for their own site. Perhaps the future of publishing is getting people to pay you to write for you as a way to promote their own “personal brand.” Of course, you have to wonder how sustainable that is — as once someone builds up their own brand, they’ll be able to go off on their own.