Get Over the Fear of Monetizing with This Simple Mindset Shift

Have you considered why you're actually creating content?

🤩 Hey! I’m Alberto. With my newsletter I want to help you reach your full potential and live your ideal life with a content-based business.
I talk about productivity, automation, strategy and mindset.

I have a dream. A world where I can create content all day and see money appear in my bank account automatically.

But that's all it is—a dream.

If you want to be a creator today, you have to monetize proactively. This means selling something such as affiliate products, your own products, services, or sponsorships.

This step is scary. But if you keep postponing it, your work will become unsustainable, and you’ll quit.

I think I found a mindset shift that will finally push you over this hurdle.

Why is monetization so scary?

On Substack, you can turn on paid subscriptions with a couple clicks. You don’t even need an offer, just ask for support.

Yet, creators keep wondering and procrastinating, "Should I turn on paid subscriptions?"

Why is it so daunting?

First, there's the good old fear of failure and judgement. Thirteen years ago, I published my first ebook both on my site and on Amazon. When a reviewer complained that it was a revised collection of articles from my blog, I removed it from Amazon… I know how disruptive this fear can be.

Second, monetization creates an infinite todo list of decisions about features, pricing, marketing, and so on. We already have enough on our plates.

But maybe more importantly, we fear ruining our relationship with our audience and our craft. When we create content purely for the love of the practice and to help our audience, our intentions are clear. When money gets involved, people (ourselves in the first place) may second guess our true purpose.

But we can’t create just free content indefinitely.

Why doesn't it work?

I am a guitarist and a singer. I love playing by myself and watching my skills improve as I learn new songs. It’s satisfying as just a hobby.

You could consider content creation as a hobby. Just keep writing, making videos and recording podcasts for the sake of it.

There's a key difference, though. Can you really be satisfied if just you, plus maybe a bunch of friends and relatives, consume what you create?

Content creation is about communication. Without an audience, who are you communicating with?

Sure, you could believe that "if you build it, they will come," but this happens once in a million. To reach an audience, you need time to understand the platforms and implement growth strategies (yuk! I know). And you may need money for learning, advertising and tools.

All of the above make content creation more expensive and time consuming.

But it’s worth it. Performing with my band is a totally different feeling than just learning songs and scales by myself. There’s more at stake. I can't let the audience, the venue owner, and my bandmates down.

So, it’s scary, like monetizing. But it’s extremely more satisfying. And it accelerates my learning: the audience is the only judge that counts.

Above all, you need time

When I became a full-time creator and solopreneur, I didn’t have kids yet. I had control on almost every minute of every day.

Then, almost 6 years ago, Leonardo was born. He’s a particularly gifted but extremely demanding child. My time, and my time freedom, were cut in half.

It’s much easier to see content creation as a part-time side hustle when you don’t have commitments outside your job. But once you have children, aging parents, or an illness in the family, for example, your free time vanishes. You can’t grow a YouTube channel, a newsletter or a podcast with just a few scattered hours each week.

But when you start earning money, you can consider cutting back your work hours. You’ll reduce stress and multiply your chances of success.

Here's the mindset shift

Why do you create content?

I started because I wanted freedom and fulfillment. Then I realized I wanted to make an impact. I wanted to help my readers solve their problems.

I guess for you it’s the same. Every creator I met or followed in the last 14 years wants something for them, like money and, let’s face it, recognition. But they also want to impact their audience.

So, consider this: without monetization, you won’t have an impact. Or it will be minimal.

This is your motivation. Money is the fuel that will keep you going so that you can have the impact you desire.

It’s not about becoming rich. It’s for a higher purpose. (Though I don’t have anything against retiring early!)

What do you think?

I come from an Italian catholic family. Money is dirty in our home (and in my country, to a degree).

We were never poor. But during the first 15 years of my life, money was a constant source of stress for my mother. We bought horrible clothes, we didn’t travel, toys were very limited because everything was “expensive”.

Even today, my mother struggles with managing money. And this seems common. Developing a healthy relationship with money is a challenge.

So, shift your mindset and override this challenge.

What impact do you want to make?

How can you start supporting it tomorrow?

Subscribe to The Unstoppable Creator to get free articles like this every week. Or upgrade your subscription to get:

• 🗂️ A monthly template for automating your business and boosting productivity

• 📙 My book: "Stress-free Niche Finding" (available Sep '24)

• 💬 Community and 1:1 coaching via chat