I get frustrated sometimes when my coaching clients create obstacles in the way of creating products that could start generating more income for them. Here are some of the things they say:
- But then I have to write some copy
- People won’t pay for that because it’s available for free elsewhere
- I don’t have the time
- I haven’t figured out yet what I want to sell
There are also other issues that get drawn into the mix:
- I can’t link to a product in my book because I don’t have a product yet
- I can’t link to my website because it isn’t ready yet
- I can’t get my website ready because I don’t have anything to sell yet
- I can’t email my list because my newsletter needs to be updated
- I can’t email my list because I don’t have anything to sell
When you work online, you often have to find ways to work quickly, especially if you aren’t selling very expensive products. There’s a constant cycle of creation and promotion, creation and promotion. As you build up your business, you can develop more passive income, such as a membership program or affiliate income– but even then you need to be regularly creating new content or promoting regularly.
Of course, the solutions depend on the situation, but here are some suggestions if you aren’t getting products out there to sell:
1) Compile existing information
If you have blog posts or training videos, you can create a low-priced product by compiling them. It might seem dishonest to sell something that’s available for free but you are providing a service to your customers by curating the content elements and organizing them around a topic. In fact, you’re also just helping people find the content.
Old blog posts are not easily found, so when you put the content into an ebook, all of a sudden, you can bring it to people’s attention.
I did this with 5 blog posts about getting video on a website. I turned it into an ebook and have sold many copies.
2) Create a worksheet or checklist
A worksheet or checklist is an outline of steps with lines to fill in (for a worksheet) or checkboxes to check off (for a checklist). This type of product helps people organize a project and get through it successfully. It doesn’t have much content (so you can create it quickly), yet is valuable. Worksheets and checklists are often given away as list builders but can also be a low-priced product. A tip sheet is similar.
Be sure that the worksheet, checklist or tip sheet is related to products you have or want to create so you can upsell to a higher-priced product.
3) Get help
There are lots of ways to get help. You can find people on Fiverr to design an ebook cover, edit your ebook, format your text and images (interior design), even upload a book to Amazon Kindle.
Ask friends and family for their suggestions. Do a barter with someone.
However, when you outsource, be sure to provide clear instructions about what you want. Too often, I see people not get what they want because their instructions were vague. People you hire can’t read your mind.
You can often outsource a report or ebook cover while you are writing it, so that both are ready at the same time.
Don’t forget about…
Creating a product or freebie is only part of the job. You’ll also need:
- A sales page with a Buy button
- A delivery and/or thank you page — these should have an upsell offer
- Autoresponders (follow-up emails) to provide download instructions, a welcome to your new customers, and an upsell offer.
Get ongoing support and guidance
If you need help creating products, getting them ready for sale, and promoting them, sign up for Reach the Stars Club to get:
- Biweekly reports on all aspects of running a successful online business
- A helpful online community, including daily Facebook Live training and inspiration
- Free access to selected reports and workshops
- 1-on-1 Coaching from me
6 replies to "How to quickly create a product or freebie"
I am very much guilty of finding excuses not to get my website and email marketing going. Hoping to change that come 2019.
This is challenging for me. But I know I can do it. I just need to really allot time to make my own products. I have so many materials I just didn’t know where to start. Now, I know better. Thank you.
This is awesome! I definitely need to do these. Thanks for the reminder.
This is exciting! I already have a ton of content to work with from a blog I’ve been maintaining on and off for years. Hopefully it works out.
Thank you for this guide!
Thank you, immensely, Ellen, for all these extremely helpful steps and all your resources. The ‘ball’ is definitely in my court and my success is now up to me. No lack of how-to guides for me thanks to all these resources of yours. Thanks, again, Ellen 🙂