The typical reasons people give for not producing their own infoproduct are that they don’t know enough about the subject, or that they don’t have the time to create content. Let’s take a look at these two objections:

1 – The “I don’t know enough” excuse.

While it is true that having a great deal of knowledge on the subject makes it easier to write a valuable information product, expertise will not always ensure sales. In fact, many people that have expert knowledge tend to write over their reader’s head or overwhelm them with too much information. They have the tendency to believe all their readers will understand various concepts and do not take the time to explain their words to a complete beginner.

If you are choosing to write about a subject on, which you have little knowledge, there’s an opportunity to let your passion for the subject guide you instead. This can lead to you generating new ideas and taking a fresh perspective on the subject that other, more experienced writers may not be able to achieve.

Your infoproduct will also appeal to others that are new to the subject and require detailed explanations. Online customers are not necessarily looking for the number one authority on a subject – they are looking for real people that have some valuable insights, experiences and information to share with them.

2 – The “There’s not enough time to write” excuse.

The idea that an information product has to be a long piece of writing, or an e-book, is very far from the truth. If you choose to produce a written information product it can take the form of a series of short reports, articles, or even blog posts. Producing regular small chunks of writing is much easier than writing a whole e-book all in one go.

If you feel writing is not for you, you can always choose to create and sell an audio product or a video series. Transcribed, these can quickly be turned into a report or article series. And they can lead to further written products in the future.

How to move past the excuses

The real reason many people find it hard to even get started with creating an infoproduct is that they don’t have a clear strategy or plan for making it happen. Knowing the next steps will greatly increase your confidence in getting started. Here are three things you can do in the next 3 days to get started:

• Brainstorm a list of topics that your customers or clients will find valuable.
• Choose a topic and create a list of questions you want to answer about it.
• Write or record answers to those questions – if you don’t know the answers research it on your own or ask someone in your network to help you fill in the gaps.

Three things…three days…and you’ve got the beginning of a potentially profitable product!

The post 3 Simple Steps to Creating Content for Your Infoproduct appeared first on Tai Goodwin.

Now here’s the trick – in order to use your email list – you have to have one!

Wise business owners and solopreneurs realize that their opt-in list is their direct access to interested prospects. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are great places to generate leads – but your email list is where the magic happens – over and over again. When it comes to lead generation, social networking is a bit like playing the field – lots of connections, some fleeting, some that lasts a little longer. But when someone subscribes to your email list, the commitment level has just gotten an upgrade.  The more you can fill your list with genuinely interested leads (not just readers), the more profit potential you are creating.

If you’re just starting out or if you’re getting ready to launch a new product or service, you may want to grow your list quickly. Here are a few ideas to help you make it happen:

Prosper with Partnerships

Stop trying to build your list in a silo. You can speed up the growth of your list exponentially when you team up with others. Partnering up has a number of benefits:

• two heads instead of one thinking of a creative campaign
• being able to cast a wider net over two different networking circles instead of just one
• offering increased value to subscribers by having more content to give them
• immediate exposure to a group that you would otherwise have to work months to find and gain access to

You can work together to create the giveaway or you both contribute individual items to the giveaway. You both promote the giveaway on your websites and through your existing marketing techniques. And finally, you both share the email list. Of course, make sure that your subscribers know they’re signing up for two sites.

Another alternative: Ask an associate to share your offer with their list. In exchange you can pay them per sign-up or referral – it’s like a mini-affiliate program.

Profit with PPC or Facebook Ads

Ads are a great way to drive very targeted traffic to your opt-in page. They’re cost effective when you focus on unique keywords and keyword phrases. The key with ads is to focus on a single keyword phrase for each ad. Additionally, don’t market your opt-in list but rather promote your giveaway offer. For example, if you have a parenting website then you’ll want to motivate your visitors to sign up for your email by giving them something valuable in exchange. Parents might benefit from an ebook or checklists to make basic parenting chores quick and easy.

Facebook ads work especially well when you narrow down even further by targeting specific demographics. If you have a Facebook Fan Page you can use insights to see where your heavy traffic is coming from. (Think of Insights like Google Analytics for Facebook). If you have a well targeted goal, Facebook ads are extremely cost effective.

Use Your Social Network

If you have invested a good deal of time building up a great network online – here’s a great opportunity to put your network to work. Your social network has the ability to spread the word about your valuable offer around the world in a matter of seconds. In addition to sharing your(and other people’s) great content, make sure you’re promoting your giveaway. When posting on your social networking platform of choice, highlight the main benefits of your giveaway. What will people learn? How will their problems be solved? How will things improve for them?

Promote your opt-in opportunity with a few basic online marketing tactics. For example:

• Write a dozen articles and submit them to article marketing sites. In your author’s bio box include a link to your opt-in page.
• Link to your opt-in page on your forum profile and email signature, blog commenting registration and in your email signature.
• In handouts you create for speaking engagements or training sessions, include a link to your opt-in page.
• Basically promote your giveaway everywhere!

Growing your opt-in list is a matter of planning and focus. Create a top-notch giveaway, tell everyone about it and watch your list grow. To your success!

The post Four Practical Ways to Build a Profitable Email List appeared first on Tai Goodwin.

While it may be quite simple to create content, your goal should be to create a product that is perceived as highly valuable. Something that your customers will not only love but rave about to other people.

I see far too many well-intentioned, passionate coaches, speakers, and solopreneurs investing time and money to create products that seem like a good idea, but will fail when it comes to delivering what their target audience needs. Plan on generating a constant flow of revenue from your products? In a market where there is an overwhelming abundance of information (free and for fee), it s critical to make sure that your infoproducts consistently satisfy your audiences needs. You need to make a product that S.T.I.C.K.S. That’s my acronym to help you remember how to create products that will keep your customers coming back for more. Here’s what the letters stand for:

“S” is for Solution Oriented – it needs to solve a problem your customers have. Just because you have extensive knowledge of a topic, doesn’t mean that your target audience needs it AND will pay for it.  Before you write or record: observe and research. What blog topics do you get the most traffic to or the most comments about? What questions do you find yourself answering over and over again? What missteps and pitfalls does your audience fall into consistently? Where are they losing money and time? Don’t just go with your hunch or intuition, ask your audience. Start with your current client base and ask them directly or create an on-line poll for your readers and followers. Your best bet is to do both, start with an online survey and then follow up with current clients to confirm.

“T” is for Transforms. It needs to take your customers from point A to point B. If they don’t know more or can’t do more than before your product – there is no value for them. Have you ever bought an ebook or infoproduct, excited by the well written sales page, the long list of benefits, and the glowing stream of testimonials, only to be completely underwhelmed by what has been delivered? Remember, your clients can use Google and search the web just like you can. While there are many who are willing to pay for not having to search on their own, they will not pay again if what they pay for is so basic that it doesn’t improve their understanding, ability or results. This doesn’t mean that your product has to take them from 2 to 10 on the knowledge scale, in fact, small progress is sometimes better. But it does mean they need to make progress. If your product helps them grow, they are more likely to trust you enough to buy from you again and to recommend your product to others.

“I” is for Information, Instruction, Ideas, Innovation and Inspiration. Can you find a way to include each of these in your product? Information is not enough. There’s a popular book in the training industry called “Telling Ain’t Training,” and the premise is that most people will not learn from just being told about something. The best infoproducts  go beyond the encyclopedia approach of delivering knowledge. They provide how to instructions, spark ideas through real-world examples, and inspire creativity and innovation on how the information can be applied to specific circumstances. One of my pet peeves is information products that narrowly focus on one person’s success (usually the creator’s) without helping you think through how to apply it to or modify things for your situation.

“C” is for Covers relevant practical information. While a 15-hour video series may seem like just the right amount of space for you to share the knowledge and experience you’ve acquired over the last 10 years, that may not be the best package to offer your clients. No matter how hard you try, you can’t transfer every bit of information in one shot and have your audience reach the same level of mastery as you in a fraction of the time it took you. While it might make you feel good to show your stuff – your audience will end up overwhelmed and frustrated. And you also miss your opportunity to upsell and create additional products. Don’t give them everything and the kitchen sink. Keep it to exactly what they need to take action towards a specific result.

“K” is for Keeps their attention. The best products keep customers engaged from start to finish. Use stories, examples, facts, steps, explanations, images, infographics, worksheets, questions. For printed products make sure you find ways to break up the long sections of text. For audio, video, and live teleseminars, learn to break up your monologue with questions, stories, and humor. A great way to keep their attention is with frequent calls to action. Don’t just have them read, hear or watch for long stretches of time without having them do something. Brainstorm, journal, search, question, get feedback, give feedback. The goal here is to make it less of a one-way data dump of content and more of an interactive experience that sets them up to create small wins and success over the course of your product. This is especially key if the ultimate benefits or results will take some time to see, the sooner they can feel like they’ve accomplished something, the stronger the perception will be that your product helped them.

The last “S” is for Structure – make sure your content is organized in a clear and logical manner. This can be challenging for two reasons: 1) if you are an expert and have been practicing for a long period of time, it may be hard for you to break down exactly what you do in  a way that is most effective for newbies or those with intermediate skills. 2) On the other hand if you are just starting and with creating a product, it may be hard to figure out exactly how to organize your content so that it flows smoothly and naturally from one topic or step to the next. Either way, without a solid framework for your ebook or product, your customers will feel frustrated and may even dismiss the value of what you have provided. One solution could be as simple as providing a table of contents for your e-book or an outline they can follow for a larger home study course.

Does this mean that your infoproducts have to be complex and hard to develop? Not at all. But there does need to be some planning and consideration used if you are to ensure that you more than just a one-product wonder. The goal should be to deliver high quality products that consistently provide value in helping your clients get results.

The post How to Create an Infoproduct that Sells: Make It Stick appeared first on Tai Goodwin.

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#1 Break your writing project into bite-sized tasks. Then, start with the easiest thing on the list. Perhaps it will be easier to outline your content first or create a rough draft for the piece. Another strategy is to focus on one paragraph at a time.  Taking baby steps helps you find a little motivation and sometimes that’s all you need.

#2 Manufacture some inspiration. If the desire to write isn’t automatically bubbling up on the inside  – create it! A few quick ways to manufacture enough inspiration to get started…

• Go for a walk to clear your head. Sometimes the best ideas come to you when you’re away from your computer.
• Spend 20 minutes meditating. Ask your intuition for idea and insights to share.
• Listen to music or do something fun. Most often inspiration is lacking because you’re not feeling creative. Listening to music can tap into your creative side quickly.
• Read. Visit other relevant blogs. Read the news. Read a magazine. There are inspiring content ideas everywhere.

#3 Find a new writing spot. It’s easy to get into a rut. Changing your routine can pop you right out of writer’s block. Consider writing in a different room, at a different time of day or even at a different location all together. Head to your local coffee shop and enjoy the change of scenery.

#4 Write backwards. Instead of starting at the top and working your way through your article, start at the bottom. Write your call to action. Summarize your article. Then work your way backwards through the piece. Write the last point you want to make before you summarize and proceed up until you’re writing your headline.

#5 Go “old school” – close your computer! Grab a pen and paper and write the old-fashioned way. There’s something freeing about writing with a pen and paper. You can then type it up and edit it later. Or you can fax it to your assistant and ask them to type it up.

#6 Go “high tech.” At the other end of the spectrum  – if the physical act of writing is blocking your flow, try recording your posts instead. Use your computer, purchase a micro-recorder, or use your conference line with recording capabilities. Speak your post into a recorder and transcribe it later or outsource that tasks to a virtual assistant.

#7 Bribe yourself. There will be many times you just don’t feel like writing. Some people manage this type of writer’s block by pushing through it. If you are motivated by more tangible incentives – bribe yourself. Or a better way to put it: Reward yourself. Once you’ve gotten 5 posts written treat yourself to a movie, a pedicure, an hour of guilt-free anything you want to do time.

#8 Get a partner. Accountability – having a partner taking the same journey with you or having a coach to keep you on track can be great motivation if you need “live” support. Just knowing that you have someone to check in with, nudges you to get things done.

#9 Consider creating a few writing rituals. Rituals can help you set the mood. They help you turn your writing brain on and everything else off. Great rituals range from a cup of coffee and an outline to meditation or a quick walk around the block.

Writer’s block doesn’t have to stop you in your tracks. Push through it, work around it and get your blog content created quickly and easily.

Your turn: What helps you break free from writer’s block?

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