A True 4HWW Case Study: Part 5 – But Not Just Any Content…

Hey everyone, if last week it was all about content, this week is about a very specific type of content...

Link-worthy content.

Also known as "linkable asset" or simply put, a proper piece of content where you cover a topic like no-one in the whole of the internets has done ever before.

Sort of.

Will my efforts succeed or have I just wasted a full week of work on my site trying to emulate the big players?

Let's figure out:​

Week 4 Summary

• Research Skyscraper Post - Check
• Place order - Pending

Time input and Expenses for the week

Like I mentioned above, I've spent a total of 6 hours (more if you count back-of-the-head-while-commuting time) looking for a topic that was interesting enough to create an epic piece of content around it.

Given that the research is actually only 80%  done (I still need to figure out minor details before I have a proper guideline) I haven't placed an order with any writer yet.

Besides, I still need to sort out WHO will write it. The average $15 per 1,000 words product review article writer won't cut it.

The ugly face of content.

I'll be straight forward: It's f**king expensive. Sure, it's the backbone of this business model so obviously if good content was cheap AF there would be virtually no barriers to entry  (I'd say there's more than enough know-how spread across the web at this moment so anyone can learn how to, but investing mentally and financially and doing the work are the real barriers to entry here)

Let's have a look at the option I'm considering:

PBNbutler's Expert Content: $40 per 500words. 80USD (Eight-zero) for 1,000 words.

I've read great reviews about these guys, but when I look at the price a dormant tic I've got on my left eye wakes up and my vision gets blurry.

I mean, best result about the topic I've chosen has around 3,000 words of content.

I'm not spending $240 on a blog post. I'm just not.

SO, dear readers, PLEASE do tell me about any content agency/writer that you know produces good quality content and won't charge me that crazy amount. Thank you.

This said, let's see how and why have I chosen that topic for my skyscraper post.

Finding a good topic for your epic post.

Alright so first things first, click here to open Brian Dean's skyscraper guide so we're all on the same page.

No ahrefs account for me so I'll do it with buzzsumo.

I started by checking the generic name of the product I recommend:​

Great results, 2 image boards, one affiliate site with bought shares and the biggest eCom in this niche.  Let's try again.

Much better results this time. I checked for the problem instead of the product. I'm pretty sure the first one got a few nice juicy links on top of that half million shares.

The problem? Its a super-duper thorough medicine article written by a doctor. And the random thing is way too random to make sense to talk about it on my site.

I do a lot of that random thing (eat X) so I did read the whole post. 0 chances I can beat that. 

Then on the next results are a few lists, which is a great format. The problem though, is that it treats the end state as a problem, while my people who use the product I recommend have the exact opposite problem. I'm not sure I can give it the right twist. 

Let's make another check.

Alright so results looked ok on the surface. Then I checked the actual sites. Pure garbage. Here comes the question then: Is that good, bad?

Good because it's easy for me to do a better job, bad because probably the shares are fake or worse? I honestly don't know.

​This are my actual results in the exact order I started analyzing the topic using buzzsumo. By now you've probably seen how, unless you know really what you're looking for, the buzzsumo results on their own don't prove very useful and can become one of those never-ending rabbit holes.

BUT, after perhaps another 5 checks, I had what I wanted. Nope, it wasn't a clear answer. It was an amalgamation of another​ 5 pages of results exaclty as the ones above.

What people share the most on this space are lists with tricks to "achieve desired state"

So I had a conversation with my business partner to see if he had any insights. He suggested we do a blog post on the best 5 ways to achieve desired state​.

Good vs Best

I love cooking. I'm a half decent amateur cook considering I slaved my arse on professional kitchens during most of my teenage years.. 

Now, if you enjoy yourself around the stoves, you have probably messed up a few dishes​, trying to do something overly-complex.

​Let's say for the sake of arguments (and I'll grab a sandwhich after this section because it's hunger driving my writing right now) that your site is about kitchen appliances. And you decide your skyscraper post is going to be a list of awesome things to do with the kitchen appliance you promote. 

Always remember WHY you do things

You only want the post so that you can email people, tell them to check it 'cuz iz awesome, and they'll link to you. You'll get cool shares. It'll hopefully help your other articles (the ones with affiliate links) rank  better.

Now, would you spend $250 on that post? Well, if it gets you 100 links after 1000 emails, the price per link is ridiculous so sure thing why not.

But what if it gets you... 5 links? Hell, that's already a lot more links per email than some outreach campaigns ever get! And that's $50 per link (not counting research time value, VA outreach cost and whatever else you may need)

I know a lot of PBN sellers who have really good links at that price. (And you have control over the anchor text)

So, what I'm trying to explain here is:

If your BLT sandwhich is good enough and you can't afford a Double Club Sandwich with wild caviar on it, just be happy with what you've got.​

So this time I'll take what I consider is a good enough topic "The top 5 things you can do to achieve desired state" and after deciding what those 5 things are with the help of my broscience-free business partner and finding a good writer for the topic, we should have a content piece that is good enough to promote on social channels, pitch via email and maybe even merge with the infographic (still on the oven) so that we keep moving forward.

How many times did you NOT do something thinking you wouldn't be the best? How many opportunities do we miss by thinking only the best will get them?

First month recap and next stages:

Let's do a quick recap of what I got done on MMG during the first weeks.

It isn't a lot, but it's definitely progress and things will compound over time. More links, more content, better website. It can only go right. And remember, I'm barely putting 4-5 hours of work per week on the site...

Monthly SEMrush snapshot:

I'll try to add one of these each 4-5 weeks to see how the site is going in terms of ranking for new keywords.

In the next episodes of A True 4HWW:

Alright guys and gals, I hope this episode serves you of help when you're doing your next skyscraper post and that you're enjoying this updates!

See you down in the comments 😉 (Don't forget your writer recommendations if you have any!)​