Creating and Earning in a Bottom-up News Cycle
Hello, I am Jane — a general interpretation of a Happs News Contributor. Today I am going to bring you along as I create value in the Happs News cycle and capture that value in money. This will be an example of the day in the life of a news focused content creator.
Data is the new oil
If data is the new oil, then we all have the ability to create data in the form of consumable content, and our personal devices act as our pocket portable oil rigs. I have set my life up in a manner that I can earn from the data I create.
From the time I get out of bed to the time I climb back in bed I have a schedule of data creating opportunities and each of those data points has ways of receiving a monetary value exchange.
An agent of the attention economy
In the spirit of “to thy own self be true,” I must recognize my role as a node in the attention economy — a competitive marketplace set on winning the focused consciousness of consumers. Acknowledging my role helps me craft my content to bring value to those who see my content and to receive that value in return in the form of money.
Affiliate marketing
I have a few products I incorporated into my life that I share with my followers. These products offer affiliate marketing agreements that allow me to special links that track the sales my content directs to their websites. When one of my followers purchases a product I earn a commission of that sale.
Upon waking up I broadcast a sleep journal. I share with my followers a quick video journal entry of my sleep and post my affiliate marketing links to a few sleep inducing products like CBD, hemp bed sheets, online mattress brands, and an app that plays soothing sounds developed by a neuroscientist to put you to sleep.
Sleep journaling is a healthy activity for anyone, I choose to share my sleep data with my followers in an attempt to help them sleep better and in return earn money whenever anyone buys products through my affiliate marketing links.
For breakfast I snap a picture of me making a protein smoothie and I post the picture with my affiliate marketing link to the protein shake. I do the same with my morning cup of coffee.
My news blog and podcast
Each morning I make comments on news stories on both a written blog and a daily podcast. I use new and unique sources of news to bring a fresh perspective from outside the centralized control of the big established media outlets.
Each blog post and podcast episode has links to my Patreon.com paid subscription site and Cash App. This way followers can give small amounts of money for content they found useful. The goal with this strategy is to consistently provide value to a growing pool of followers and increase earnings as my following grows. Opening up this line of value harvesting at a large global scale can be profitable — imagine having a 10k person following and getting $1 dollar from 20% ($2,000) of those followers each month. Now I can pay bills just by offering my opinion on the news.
Building a following with Happs
Happs is an organization built for the future workforce. Happs created a working dynamic where growth hacking Happs is good for Happs and the independent Contributor/journalist. Making content around and about Happs’ content is a good way to align my professional interests with Happs’.
Today on my morning podcast I spoke about an anti-government protest happening in my home city. I walked my followers through filling out the Happs News pitch sheet. One of my Patreon.com subscribers is a community college journalism class, walking them through the Happs pitch process provides students real world story development.
Happs open editorial call
I continue to podcast my participation in the Happs News open editorial call. This daily call is open to anyone that would like to pitch a story to Happs. I put the call on speaker and I broadcast my pitch to the Happs producers. In my pitch to Happs I provide the producers some cultural and historic context to my story idea. I make sure to share with the producers my access to the protest and my timetable.
Content before the content
After getting my story accepted by Happs leadership I snap and post a few pictures of myself preparing my camera bag with links to more affiliate marketing links and a link to my Patreon.com subscription site.
On my way to the protest I post a few selfies on the subway. I soon start getting Cash App alerts that fans are sending me $1 and $2 dollar tips to cover the cost of travel.
Livestreaming with Happs
As I get to the protest and the livestream with Happs hits the global audience my Cash App alerts keep buzzing my personal phone. Its known around the world that I’m covering this anti-government protest at great personal risk and that my efforts are bringing light to change. My documentation democratizes the narrative and protects human life as I stand as a deterrent for state forces to use their monopoly on violence to end calls for change. Around the world followers of Happs and my personal-professional following will tip in the moment or subscribe to my Patreon.com in reciprocation of the value I create.
The Happs system will reward unique and rare content. As I get to the front lines of a protest, or find some interesting nuanced fact, fans will tip to reciprocate value of the content.
After the fact
After my livestream with Happs, I post a few more pictures of my journey home from the protest. Fans continue their financial support to cover my travel costs, to the extent, a few fans send larger amounts of money with messages requesting I use the money to buy myself a nice dinner and a well-deserved beer.
Before bed, I snap a picture of showing my bottle of CBD oil on my night stand and post it with my affiliate link.
Throughout the day I created valuable data at the same time had avenues open to receive value in return.
Post Script: Happs News’ business model is prime to be supported by a meta-value crypto economy. Imagine a news based Pokemon Go where Contributors earn digital rewards for livestreaming the news as it happens. However, this is a topic all unto itself.