Self-Help: A polluted source - makes it hard to turn a profit

Why Self Help is a Polluted Income Source and what makes it hard to turn a profit

Because the most expensive advice is free.

And everyone was born with an opinion to give away.

Also, since everyone has their own world view, everyone has a unique solution to handle any problem in front of them.

So we get 2 or 3 dozen or more articles every week which never pass muster - because they are based on a single, isolated world view and have no credence. You can't believe them because no one else says they are worth anything.

These guru's out there got their credibility by delivering the goods - going out on a limb and being actually entertaining, enlightening, and educational. The best are all three.

And guess what, these are the three points Charles Helflin points out as being the key points you have to have in social media. Yes, being a self help guru is social media governed. Any celebrity status is. No real surprise. Same governs all commerce, all marketing. It's just been hidden under the lack of a feedback loop until the Internet showed up - and evolved.

Solution: quote well-known authors who already made it - become an expert on these guys. You can't just "talk" about the "current fad" in self help. Some subcategories are hotter than others, some are evergreen - like weight loss and depression. But you have to know what you are talking about - and give real, valuable, worthwhile data when you talk. Real solutions for real situations. You have to do this in a style which is entertaining, educational, and enlightening - all three.

Wayne Dyer is a great example of the above paragraph. Dissect a few series of his tapes and you will quickly see that this is sooth.

Over to you.