Hive itself has value as a place to talk that is not censored or bombarded
Oh yes, completely agree with this. This is a very strong use case for people who value privacy and censorship resistance. But remember that there are also people out there looking for ways to make money. Freelance designers, musicians, developers, inventors... You name it. These people can easily exchange value (in one of its many forms) and receive value (in another form. Could be $HBD,$DASH or something else) in return.
Shifting the narrative from "blog, get paid" to "participate in a value for value ecosystem" can potentially attract more users who are able to share a skill in exchange for something else.