Transforming Your Story into Profitable Content

Turn your troubled history into a profitable digital enterprise

Opportunity in the Creator Economy

Monetizing your troubled past might seem like a crazy idea. You’ve moved on because you’ve changed your life, right? What if I told you that, not only does your story have value, but with the right approach, it can become a powerful tool for both personal healing and financial success? Would you change your mind if you knew that your story had the potential to change someone’s life for the better?

If you’re like me, and ‘troubled past” equals ‘convicted felon,’ it’s been drilled into your psyche that you’re less of a person, or somehow inadequate because of your previous bad choices. Becoming a content creator and sharing your story is one of the very few ways you can turn something so negative into a positive. As a content creator, sharing your authentic experiences can not only connect you with your audience on a deep level but also open up various monetization opportunities.

Finding Your Unique Selling Point (USP)

Your troubled past holds unique stories and lessons that can set you apart from other creators. It's essential to identify what makes your narrative compelling and relatable to your audience. Authenticity is key here – don't shy away from showcasing the real struggles and growth you've undergone.

For me, I never felt ready to make the leap until I understood why I made the choices I made. It’s taken years of self-reflection and uncovering what led to my self-destructive behaviors. It’s a difficult and therapeutic process, but your story contains a lesson that can serve many purposes if you choose.

Choosing the Right Platform

Select a platform that aligns with your content style and target audience. Blogs allow for in-depth exploration, vlogs add a personal touch, podcasts offer a voice-centric connection, and social media platforms provide quick, engaging snippets. Consider your strengths, skills, and the preferences of your potential audience.

Defining Your Target Audience

Understand the demographics and interests of the audience you want to reach. Tailor your content to address their pain points, offer solutions, or share insights based on your experiences. With that said, all you have to do is look no further than in the mirror. You are your target audience. That doesn’t mean this is an easy task. It is much easier to analyze another person than ourselves, it just takes a little practice.

Crafting Compelling Narratives

Storytelling is a powerful tool that goes back to the beginning of time. Storytelling is the single most effective way to elicit empathy and establish a connection with your audience. Make no mistake about it, storytelling is a skill and even if you are a natural, you must study the art of crafting a compelling narrative. If you don’t take the time to study how to properly tell a story, you risk being like Uncle Frank who after a few beers, tells the infinite tale with no end in sight. Being on the other end of that scenario is brutal. Don’t be that guy. Begin with a hook to grab your audience's attention, build tension, share pivotal moments, and conclude with a meaningful resolution. Beginning. Middle. End. Use vivid descriptions and relatable emotions to immerse your audience in your story.

Navigating Privacy and Ethics

While sharing personal stories, respect your boundaries and those of others involved. Consider using pseudonyms or altering details to maintain privacy. Prioritize ethics by avoiding harmful sensationalism or exploiting sensitive topics for views. The internet is forever. You won’t gain the respect of your audience by embarrassing or belittling others. Just don’t do it. You can craft your story in a way that still gets your point across without dragging someone else through the mud. I can’t stress how unattractive this is from an audience standpoint. You will end up costing yourself engagement and followers if you choose to take this route. It’s a lose-lose situation. Study other writers and how they navigate around exposing their douchey exes. Do you see how I did that?

Leveraging Emotions for Connection

Emotional resonance creates a strong bond between you and your audience. Be genuine in expressing your emotions, but avoid exaggeration. Share vulnerability without oversharing, aiming to foster empathy and understanding. Another thing to consider is personal responsibility. Avoid the blame game in your story. Of course, there will be the need to talk about the pain and trauma at the hands of another, but it’s important to center the narrative around you and the steps you’ve taken to overcome your past. Your story will be much less impactful if you trash someone the entire time. It’s much better to establish the douchiness of the person responsible and then move on to how you made it through this terrible experience. That’s what people really want to know, and that’s part of the story that has the potential to help or prevent someone else from going down the same path.

Diversifying Content Formats

Different audience segments prefer different content types. Repurpose your core stories into various formats to cater to diverse preferences, expanding your reach and engagement. This is huge. The possibilities are endless here, but that doesn’t mean you should just fly by the seat of your pants. The creator economy has opened up revenue streams in ways that were never possible before. I highly recommend dropping the bread on your own domain. Relying solely on social media for your income can be a mistake. Social media should act as a guide, a pointer, towards your own website where you own all of the content and whatever revenue is generated is yours. Structuring your revenue streams in this manner prevents nightmare situations from happening. What happens if your primary source of income is a social media platform that decides to adjust its algorithm one day out of the blue? You are fucked. Again, use social media to direct your traffic back to a website that you own and control.

Building a Community

Engage with your audience by responding to comments, participating in discussions, and actively involving them in your content journey. A loyal community can become patrons, supporters, and customers. It’s important to note that not everyone will think you’re amazing. If you’re anything like me, you have a polarizing personality and sometimes people are put off by my foul mouth. This is going to be especially true if you have a troubled past. People are going to talk shit. Your best recourse is not to engage directly unless you have to. When it’s all said and done the only thing people will remember is how you reacted. They won’t remember what provoked you. Just remember that if someone is taking the time to talk shit, they’re still choosing to give your content their energy, so who’s really winning? Set aside an hour a day to read/answer user comments and questions. An hour a day is plenty of time to interact with your audience and maintain your sanity. It’s easy to allow this necessary part of your business to take over your life. Don’t let it go down like that. Limit yourself to one or two hours a day, max.

Monetization Strategies

There’s more than one way to monetize your content, however, your main focus should be on creating value-driven content. In my opinion, people are tired of being sold to, directly. Consider this, companies like Apple, who are leaders in the arena of marketing and advertising, didn’t get that way by accident. Brand loyalty is often determined by whether or not the audience believes that a company’s beliefs are in alignment with their own. The conversion from passive viewer to active customer is a byproduct of that shared belief. Your product offerings should represent your beliefs and the ways in which you have solved your own problems. Consider offering free content. This establishes trust with your audience and makes you look less scammy. You have a wide range of options: consulting, courses, ebooks, guides, ghostwriting, and Patreon. They each have different advantages. You’ll have to see which one works for you and the style of content you plan on creating.

Staying the Course

Striking a balance between creative expression and financial gain is crucial. While monetization is important, maintaining the authenticity that draws your audience in is equally vital. Keep refining your approach to preserve the soul of your content. Iteration is key to finding your place in the creator economy. Think about how much time and effort you put into other areas of your life that you knew, deep down, wouldn’t work out. Why not do the same for yourself? Don’t expect perfection immediately. It’s not going to happen. It’s ok, I promise. Have a little patience with the process and yourself. You’ll get it right, you just have to be determined to stay with it. Give yourself a little credit. Look at the bullshit you’ve put up with to get where you’re at now. Show up for yourself the same way you show up for everyone else.

Scaling Your Efforts

As your audience grows, so does your potential income. Consistency is key to maintaining engagement. If you’re monetizing your past, whether it’s bad choices or criminal history, it’s essential to your story to show a character arc, the difference between who you were back then and who you are today. How? Good question. Sit down and make a list of your current problems. Are you struggling to find employment? Housing? Is your criminal history holding you back in some way? Are you trying to learn more about web design? Does your dog have separation anxiety? Publically solving your problems serves multiple purposes. This is value-driven content and helps you establish your niche.

Overcoming Challenges

Monetizing personal struggles can be emotionally taxing. It can also be cathartic and lead to healing for both you and your audience. Set realistic boundaries to prevent burnout or losing interest. You’re a complex person with a multifaceted life, which leaves you with options when it comes to content. If facing your biggest problems feels overwhelming, start small to get yourself used to the process of creating daily.

Case Studies

One of the best case studies for demonstrating how to monetize a troubled past is Jelly Roll. Who doesn’t love Jelly? Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, has talked about his past battles with drug addiction and mental health openly. He was arrested at age 16 for aggravated robbery and spent his 15th through 20th birthdays in prison. He has said that he regrets the armed robbery every day of his life.

Jelly Roll has said that his struggles led to his successful career. He has sold out arenas and topped the charts in multiple genres. His net worth is estimated at $4 million. He has been very open about who he is and how his past decisions have helped him connect with his audience.

In December 2022, Jelly Roll sold out a hometown show at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. He donated the proceeds from the show to build a recording studio at the Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center. He worked with the local nonprofit Impact Youth Outreach to build the studio.

Your past doesn’t have to be the reason for your failure

Your troubled past is a wellspring of potential – not only for financial gain but also for personal growth and connection. By sharing your story authentically and strategically, you can inspire others, build a supportive community, and create a sustainable online venture. The key here is mindset. What matters more? The way the world sees you or the way that you see the world?

Jacklyn Miller - Chief Rebel at Renegade Art Co