This is exactly what i was thinking.
Hopefully there are a lot of people who will at least become gold members.

Thanks, guys. I really appreciate the kind words. Honestly, I've asked myself a few times if I might be giving away too much in the Fitness series. But one thing I've learned over the years is that I get the most in return when I give. When I try to hold back and just tease, or "gate keep," it doesn't really help anyone. I'd rather give people something useful, because that way they can actually see my teaching style and the depth I go into.

Sure, some people will just take the free content and never become paying students. That's always going to happen. On YouTube, maybe 95% of viewers never convert to members. But that's the nature of advertising in general - whether it's YouTube, TV, or anywhere else, you need a huge audience before you get that smaller percentage who see the value and invest. And honestly, most of my best students over the years have discovered me through the free content, not through paid ads. The last time I seriously ran paid advertising was back before Google consolidated all those individual ad networks, when the cost per click was still affordable. We're talking like 2003.

And while I do put out a lot of free videos, nothing beats a full course that's laid out step by step. The free content is like a library - you can learn a lot if you're willing to dig around - but the full course is like taking a college class where everything is structured in order. Both have value, but they're very different experiences.

I've already seen a few people become paid members because of the extended cuts I put in the Fitness series, so if giving away a little more converts even a handful of new students, then I'm more than happy with that balance. At the end of the day, I want to teach as much as possible, and if that means some extra knowledge gets out there for free, I'm good with it.

I watched your free videos over the years. I even used some of the code you taught. I felt bad using it for free as you were operating a business. As soon as I put away my pride (I wanted to do everything myself), I joined, and my skills improved tremendously. I wish more people would realize this and become paid members. You are one of the best teachers I have had in my lifetime. FYI: I always watch at FAST speed. It really makes you sound smart as a whip! It allows me to consume the content quicker too. Thanks for including the playback speed controls.

My wife says she tried watching one of my videos and accidentally clicked on the slow button, and I sound like I'm drunk lol.

Joe
It was somewhat similar for me.
I actually dug around on YouTube with the TechHelp videos until I had more or less seen the whole picture.
I don't usually subscribe to online services; I'm really cautious about that.
But then I immediately asked myself whether I should become a Platinum Member right away (i.e. no Gold Membership because of the decoy effect or something like that ^^), because the free content was already worth the Platinum price.
In a way, it was similar to the Radiohead album ‘In Rainbows’, where, in retrospect, every ‘buyer’ could decide for themselves how much the album was worth to them.

I have honestly thought about offering different membership prices for different countries. I get emails from people in places where $5.99 a month can literally feed their family, so it is not that they do not want to pay, it is that they simply cannot. At the same time, I do not want to devalue it for everyone else who is already paying that price. So I think the best balance is to keep offering good value through both the paid and free content and trust that those who can support the site will see the benefit in upgrading.

Richard  You said recently that the Fitness series hasn't got the views that you had hoped for:

     https://youtu.be/WFsYO_OzMFE?si=NnpW7zM0QNRXP9gG

I wonder if things have improved.

Does the combined views of all the Fitness videos make it a success in your view?

Yeah, from what I can see in the logs and analytics, the Fitness series has a pretty long tail. Someone might stumble across Part 38 in a search, and then go back and watch the whole series. Individually the videos do not get as many views as a single flashy one-off video, but together they bring in a steady stream of viewers. I have also seen people join as members because of the series, so I count that as a success.

Most importantly, I am enjoying making them. I plan to keep it going for the foreseeable future. Honestly, a big part of my business decisions come down to working on things I enjoy, and the Fitness series fits that perfectly.

That's why is why I stopped doing consulting years ago... good money, but I didn't enjoy it anymore.