6. Balancing value in GCC
Kevin O'Leary, a prominent investor, suggested that the best deals are those where neither party gets everything they want but both make concessions. This wisdom holds in Guest Content Creation (GCC). The art lies in striking a balance where both the content creator and the platform feel they are giving up something valuable, yet both stand to gain significantly.
Understanding the exchange in GCC
As a content creator, you might create something of such intrinsic value that the feed owner or platform editor feels compelled to accept your branding message or promotion embedded within the content. This could be through an insistence on your part or because it's so inherently integrated, like a label, web address, or handle in a video or text built on your customer success story.
Negotiating a win-win deal
In this exchange, your effort and the value you invest in the post should be something you almost regret parting with just for the promotion you'll receive. Conversely, the platform should feel that they are providing an exceptional promotional opportunity, so valuable that they might question if the quality of your post justifies it. This interpretation of O'Leary's saying doesn't imply a loss for either party. Instead, it's about winning and knowing the value of what's being exchanged: you give away compelling content, and the medium owner provides substantial personal brand promotion for free.
Meeting the gold standard
In practical terms, this means two things for your content creation strategy. First, your post must be genuinely valuable, representing your expertise and insights – not something you'd give away lightly. Second, the platform that publishes your content should have an engaged readership where your content will be seen and appreciated.
The goal is to find a balance where both parties might feel slightly uncomfortable with the deal but fully recognize its inherent value. This ensures that both the content creator and the publishing platform are committed to the success of the guest post, with neither feeling they've compromised too much or too little. Such collaborations are more likely to be successful, benefiting both the brow artist and the host platform. Entering negotiations requires that your “currency" - your content - meets this gold standard, far from mere fluff and truly valuable.