If you’re a marketer, you need to have a product.
But you only get between 30%-75% commissions from affiliate marketing on average.
When you have your own product, 100% of that sale goes to your pocket.
Most people are scared to create their own products. Aside from the usual worries that include “I have nothing of value to say,” “No one will listen to me,” “No one will buy my shit” etc.
The main reason why people don’t create their own product is because they don’t know how to even get started.
How to get started creating your own product
Just. Start.
I know, easier said than done.
But no. It is really that easy. Once you get started, it will just flow out of you. Trust me. I’ve created hundreds of products. The only difficult part is deciding when to start.
Just sit down and start writing.
My first product was a 17 page guide for World of Warcraft. I slapped on a $7 price tag and managed to sell it.
I am not a professional writer. I am nothing extraordinary. I’m just a guy who gets things done.
That means you can, too.
The easiest product to create, in my opinion, is the eBook. So start there. Once you have your first product up, I swear you’ll be inspired to create more and more.
I see you shaking your head at the prospect of eBooks.
But here’s the thing.
1. They Sell
When it comes to digital products, e-Books are the easiest for you to get started with. And they sell well.
A couple years back Amazon reported that the sales of digital books had surpassed that of physical books.
So don’t you dare look down on them 😛
2. It’s Quick, Easy, Cheap & Profitable
My four favorite words.
Anyone can publish an e-book. It’s not as difficult as you think. And when it comes to publishing, it’s much easier to publish an e-book than it is to be published in print. In fact, some people see e-books as a way to escape having to go through publishing houses.
And there’s always Clickbank… so… yeah.
3. Give It Away For Free
say what now?
Look, truth be told, it’s unlikely that you’ll become a bejillionaire by selling one e-book.
Instead, you can use it as a bribe incentive to encourage people to sign up for your email list or start following you on social media. You can offer it as a free gift if they do.
Giving away a free e-book can also help you stand out in your niche, because you’re offering something of value to those who visit your website.
Now, before you decide to go write an e-book, keep this in mind:
- It’s not complicated, but writing and publishing an e-book will still take some effort on your part.
- It’s not necessarily easy to find people who want to buy your e-book.
But if you already have connections and an online presence, then you have nothing to worry about.
Right, so here are some tips on how to write an e-book.
Tip #1 – Stay focused
Writing an e-book isn’t going to work if you’re distracted with other things. You need to dedicate some time each day to writing, and stay focused on your project.
Some days, you might have more time to focus on writing. If so, that’s great.
If not, just keep writing. It’ll just take a little longer before you really see some progress.
Tip #2 – Pick a good topic
You do need to put some thought into what topic you’ll be writing about. As with real books, you can’t just write anything and expect people to be interested.
Do some research.
When choosing a topic, there are three things you could consider writing about:
– solving a problem
– addressing a fear
– or satisfying a curiosity
In fact, it would be even better if you could write an e-book that does all of the three.
Or you could do what I did. Write about something you know, that you’re passionate about.
Or write about something related to your niche. If you’re an online marketer, you could obviously write about how to make money online.
Tip #3 – Don’t be a perfectionist
If you keep stopping to format and recheck what you’ve written, you’re not going to get very far.
Don’t keep editing or stopping to bold things or checking to see if your paragraphs are all a certain length.
It’s a digital product.
You can always go back and make changes once you start selling it.
Otherwise you could easily be stuck writing the same part for days on end.
And save often, and have several backups set up. Saving it on your computer is fine, but what if something happens and it crashes one day?
Or if you’re like me and you drop your brand new 3-day old laptop smack on the edge of the table after which it smashes on the floor and your warranty won’t cover it because it was entirely your fault?
So backup, and if you have to, save the draft and email it to yourself. Make use of programs like Dropbox, so you won’t end up losing all your stuff and have to start from scratch.
Tip #4 – Mind map
To avoid writer’s block, create a mind map and sketch out a rough outline of what you’re planning to write.
If you have a plan, you’re less likely to get stuck because you don’t know what you want to write next.
Tip #5 – Determine a deadline
Pull out a calendar, day planner, diary, whatever you use to plan. Pick a date. You should know your rhythm and routine, so you should know how long it will take you to complete your e-book.
Pick the date you will finish writing your book, and from there, determine when you will publish and launch it.
But don’t just pick any date. Consider your topic and audience.
For example, if you’re writing a self-help book, that’s fine. People buy those when they need them, so it’s not a time-specific topic.
If you’re writing something more specific, like “How to pick the perfect Christmas gift”, obviously you want to try launching your e-book somewhere around Christmastime.
So when you’re done writing your e-book, you can do the Snoopy dance.
