Epic Content and the Art of Building an Audience

By Diamond-Michael Scott

My content writing career over the years has been wide and varied. As an aspiring writer, I began dabbling in the journalistic world in 2004, writing for a Northern California regional business publication. It is here where the idea of writing book reviews first came into my consciousness. 

This spawned an interest in cities and economic development where I wrote and curated my own blog along with writing feature pieces for digital publications like GovTech Magazine, Downtown Colorado, Inc, and AaronRenn.com. 

Later, I became one of the world’s first blockchain and cryptocurrency journalists, writing pieces for publications like BTC Manager, NASDAQ, and Bitcoin Magazine. 

Today, as an Independent Journalist and Global Book Influencer, I write feature articles on authors, bestselling books, and other trends in the publishing industry. All told over the past 18 years or so, I have written in excess of 950 articles.

So it should be no secret as to why the book Content, Inc: How Entrepreneurs Use Content To Build Massive Audiences and Create Radically Successful Businesses was of appeal to me in my quest to build an epic global audience for “Great Books, Great Minds.’ I stumbled upon it in the small business section of Barnes and Noble Booksellers in the Sugar House District of Salt Lake City while on my world bookstore tour. 

Author Joe Pulizzi, Founder and CEO of the Content Marketing Institute was kind enough to respond to my request for an interview via LinkedIn. Below are a few of his thoughts on the heels of the new version of his book, scheduled for release in a couple of months. 

Can you offer a brief overview of Content, Inc?

Content Inc. is a business model for content creators who want to become content entrepreneurs - build and grow a sustainable business. It's a seven-step strategy that was developed from interviewing hundreds of successful content creators.  Basically, instead of launching with a product, the question becomes “how do we launch a business by creating an audience first?” I am of the belief that once you build a loyal audience, you can sell your audience pretty much whatever you want.

What should readers expect from your forthcoming book update? 

Since the original version in 2015, we've tweaked the model a bit, focusing on more revenue strategies and newer distribution channels. But the biggest addition to this version is on exit strategy. In other words, once a content entrepreneur reaches a certain size, we have multiple chapters on how they can value and, if they wish, sell their business with a successful exit (like my wife and I did with our business in 2016).

How the pandemic impacted the narrative around content marketing, branding and curation? 

There are a couple of levels here. For individuals, starting a content business is perhaps the fastest growing area of entrepreneurship. For larger enterprises, content marketing is a must have for innovative companies, especially when it comes to first-party data. As more privacy concerns arise, having direct access to a target audience is critical for marketing (now that third-party data is almost being outlawed). There is currently a massive land grab to build audiences, which means that enterprises of all sizes are trying to create amazing content experiences to get and keep attention.

What 2-3 trends do you see emerging over the next 12-18 months? 

The biggest trend involves the acquisition space. Product brands are starting to swallow up content creators, especially since they are cash-rich. You've seen this recently with the Hubspot buyout of The Hustle. This trend is just getting started. You are also seeing a move away from Facebook for brands, and a continuous movement toward email, as one of the last channels a content creator has any control over.

What is your greatest hope in terms of what readers walk away from your revised book with? 

My aim is to help more people around the world become financially free. I believe the Content Inc. model is the best, least risky way to make that a reality.