I recently received an email from one of my readers asking me why I chose not to charge for my content. This got me thinking about why I decided not to do so. After giving it some thought, I realized there are nine main reasons or so I do not charge for my articles.
Accessibility
To begin with, I believe that everyone has the right to access information and education. Writing for monetized blogs like medium would mean that only those who could afford it would have access to my articles, which goes against my belief that everyone deserves to learn and be informed. I also worry that if I were to charge for my blog, I would lose readership because people can find similar content elsewhere for free.
Audience
This reason is related to the previous; I hope to reach as many people as possible by making my articles accessible for free of charge. My goal is not just to write for a select few but to share my knowledge with as many people as possible in the hopes of helping them somehow.
Passion
Now, you may be wondering: "what is keeping you alive? I mean, if you are writing for free, how are you able to pay for your needs?" The answer is relatively simple: I am financially stable/independent. My passion for writing keeps me going. I love to write and would do it even if I was not getting paid, which is the case. This passion drives me to continue learning and improving my craft so that one day I may be able to make a living from writing. In the meantime, I am content to keep writing for free because it brings joy into my life.
Value
I believe that if you're providing value, money will follow. If my readers are getting value from my articles, they'll be more likely to share them and recommend them to others. This, in turn, will help me grow my audience and build my brand. And as my brand grows, so will my opportunities to monetize my work.
Freedom
I believe that knowledge should be shared freely and that monetary barriers should not be placed on learning. I want my articles to be accessible to as many people as possible, and charging for them would limit that.
Worthless
This one may sound funny, but I don't believe my content is worth charging for. I write because I enjoy it and want to share my knowledge with others, not because I'm looking to make a profit. If I can help others by writing for free, I'm happy to do so.
Enjoyer
I believe monetizing my content would take away from my enjoyment of writing. I write because I enjoy it, and the thought of having to produce sub-par content to make a profit is not something I am willing to do.
Unavailable
I simply can't monetize my work. I live in a restricted country where I don't have access to e-wallets. This makes it very difficult to make any money from my work, which is a shame because I pour a lot of time and effort into it.
Clout
Now you may wonder: Well, you are doing it for clout. And the response is obviously not. I am not writing for clout. I am writing for several reasons like the ones mentioned above. I want to help people. I want to make a difference. And I want to be heard. These are all valid reasons to write. And if people enjoy my writing and it helps them somehow, that is just a bonus.
Conclusion
So, those are my main reasons for not monetizing my articles. What do you think? Do you agree or not?
Note: Cover Image by Robinraj Premchand from Pixabay
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