Want to know how to create your first information product in 30 Days? I am going to show you how. Today I will give you the steps, and over the next few episodes I will let you behind the scenes as I create a product. I invite you to join me and create a product of your own.
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Topic of the Week: How to Create Your First Information Product in 30 Days
While it might not really take 30 days to create your first information product, I like the idea of a deadline. So, instead of telling you what and how to do this, I am going to show you how I did it. In the next few posts and podcasts, I will let you look over my shoulder to watch me create an information product in 30 days.
First, the goal is not to get an information product that makes millions. Right now let us just focus on the idea of getting something done, getting it on the market, and starting the flow of money. This process is all about creating momentum.
Second, the goal is not to quit your job and start a company selling information products, but instead to generate some amount of income from products. Your goal should be 25% of your income from your own business. See my post on Why You Need to Start Your Own Business Now.
So lets get started. I will outline the process and then do what I can today.
How to Create Your First Information Product in 30 Days – The Steps I Will Take
First things first, commit. I put on my calendar for February 13th (30 days from when I am writing this) to “release information product.” (And, February 13th is my anniversary!)
Second, define a process. I am going to roughly define the process for you here, but we will change as needed:
Week #1 – Find the idea. Here is where you find something you know about that others would be interested in knowing. What unique message do you have? Note – it will not really be unique as a message, instead it will be unique in the way you present it.
Try to determine the following:
- What is the idea?
- What is the pain is remedies?
- Who does it serve?
- Who would buy this?
My due date is January 21st for this activity.
Week #2 – Write the advertisement copy. The key here is to communicate to the buyer once they find the product page. I must confess, advertisement copy (or copy) is a weak point for me. I choke here, never taking the action to make it happen. So this will be a struggle for me. Here is a great site that shows you how to write your copy. 10 Ways to Write Damn Good Copy
My due date is January 28th for this activity.
Week #3 – Develop the product. Start with an outline of a mind map stating the key points your audience needs to know. In other words, outline it. Can be on paper, in MS Word, Mindmap, or any other tool.
Warning: Stick to the basic key points. Do not get into the weeds and try to explain everything. If you are teaching people how to refinish a piece of furniture, no need to start out with a dissertation of how furniture came to be or how wood is processed from the tree to the furniture. (Yes, I see it all the time! We all feel the urge to start at the very beginning.)
Also at this stage you can think about delivery. Here are some common formats with examples. Note that the samples I have linked you to are free, but they could just as well be paid for products.
- Ebook (done in either Powerpoint slides or an actual document)
- Audio (mp3 download)
- Slideshow with audio. This is a powerpoint with audio over it – share as a video. Camtasia is a great tool for this. Several great examples can be found at podcastanswerman. These are VERY well done.
- Actual video, shot with cameras. Great examples can be found at Wistia. (BONUS – these videos also show you HOW to do videos.) Again, these videos are very well done.
Week #4 – Release it and begin connecting.
Use a tool that exposes your product on the web. Some good examples are:
GUMROAD – Will take payment and deliver your product for a small fee,
E-Junkie – Shopping cart for downloads. You can post to your site if you have one. You can also post to PINTEREST, Facebook, etc.
There are hundreds of other ways to do this, but I like GUMROAD because it is simple.
At this point you are done! You have a product on the market. Now comes the non-passive part of passive income, marketing the product. Once we get through the process, we will talk about how to grow the audience.
My Challenge and Invitation for You
BONUS
Episode Resources
In this episode I mentioned some resources, including:
- How to Design Your First Information Product – Video by me
- Why You Need to Start Your Own Business Now – Podcast by me (Dale Callahan)
- 10 Ways to Write Damn Good Copy by Demian Farnworth on CopyBlogger
- 4 Simple Ways To Use Videos For Your Blog – by Jonathan Milligan – links to good video tools
- My Offer – let me know if you want help defining your product. Put in comments, email, etc – just let me know.
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[reminder]Ready to take the challenge? [/reminder]
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I am working on a course (Life Vision Quest) that we plan to also share over the internet. My course is seven sessions based on years of research. I am thinking about 90 days because we hope to create some quality seminar videos, course workbooks and resources to assist with living the concepts beyond learning them. It would be awesome to get your input on our venture.
Great John. Looking forward to seeing what you create! Tell me more – what is the topic? Who is it for? What pain will it address?
Dale, very interested in what you’re doing here, in terms of your overall philosophy (what you talk about on your About page) and in this challenge in particular. I’m interested in taking you up on your Bonus you mention above… what’s the best way to connect? Thanks so much.
There will be seven sessions.
1. Reality Mapping
2. For Better For Worse
3. Improving the Journey
4. The Right Mix
5. The Real Reason
6. Surviving Change
7. Persistent Success
I have considered doing a Kickstarter for cloud funding the creation of the course consumables. My friends, family and business associates express support and encouragement for the course.
Who is it for? Anyone who wants clarity in discovering who they are vs what people tell them they are. It is for parents trying to communicate with teens as well as teens with parents struggling to communicate. It is for adults figuring out how to win at work and how to find meaning outside the job.
If you are choosing a college, choosing a career change at fifty or choosing what to do after retiring this course speaks to the common threads that will direct men and women to clarity and gratifying answers.
What pain will it address? We all face insecurity in life. How we spot it is the bigger challenge. Some dress for success without learning how to dress comfortable in who they are. Others think dressing like friends expresses independence.
Some choose careers to be accepted by peers that don’t begin to resonate with who they are. There are those who do things to dull the senses because they can deal with life but they know something is missing.
The bottom line is the course is aimed and guiding us to discovering a gratifying life where we thrive in who we are. The goal is to relieve us from the pain of chasing the goals of others in the mind of others.
Yes, we do have to quit things that are counter productive but each of us have value to find a clear vision for who we are, what motivates us and how we thrive.
Shoot me an email at and we will setup a time!
Looks like you have written the copy – or part of it. The statement “guiding us to discovering a gratifying life where we thrive in who we are.”
I might look for more action words though. What are the RESULTS of these pains? What happens it I do NOT solve these issues – what does life look like later.
For instance – paint a picture…
You chose to follow the crowd and the personality tests that put you in a box. Instead of discovering your God given gifts (my view) and doing what you love and how you can best serve, you follow the path of mediocrity. Only years to wake up later wondering “is this all there is” and finding my children are following in the same empty footsteps of life living for the almighty dollar.
Agreed – anyone. BUT, hard to hit everyone. Instead I would shoot for a narrow target. Others will buy also. Those retiring might be perfect? In my experience, most people feel this pain after about 5-10 years in the workforce. Hard to get to college students here. They think the future is something else. So I might shoot for a narrow niche of people who you can reach with facebook ads (age groups, zip codes, degrees, male/female, etc) just to make marketing easier to start with. In other words – define your customer.
For instance, Chick-Filet markets to women between ages (forget 20-35 I think), who are middle class and above, active, and with strong moral values. Do I eat there – yes. But they target that market.
Sounds like a good outline. But, you could do this without much $. I would think of doing workshops or talks free on the subject to see how it resonates. As much as you work to determine the real pain etc, you get great clarity when people talk back and ask questions. My networking for introverts I am doing came after workshops. I really understand the pain because 1) I have lived it and 2) I have talked to so many. The questions have shocked me. The number one issue I get is “how do I write and email to someone I do not know?” Really? That is the big pain. The other is “how do I know what I want to do?” Again – really? So I harp on these questions.
What about what Steve Blank talks about in the Startup Owners Manual in finding out if your idea works by seeing if anyone will pay for it initially? When would you say the transition should be made from gratis promotion to pay? He says that by doing the pay test you can access the value faster and if you have a product market mix that works. When you do it for free how do you answer those questions?
I am curious who the responsive market will be for this also. It makes sense to differentiate between who the active customers are and the effective marketing focus. There are many people who actually don’t like to be marketed to for different products even though they are loyal consumers. Very interesting thought.
I think to paint the picture it will require me to do what you said in another thread here. When we see who will take time to let us channel an outreach to let people know what we have the approach should be tailored to those people. Why does it matter to them. It is unusual though as I speak to teens, young adults, adults with teens, adults with grown children and grandparents they response does seem to be universal. I do not yet have a way to determine the target audience as they all want to know when it ships. Seeking to narrow the audience failed in that it seems to have a broad appeal.
Agreed that it can be hard – and if you can find a way to get in front of a broad audience that is great. But, when you advertise you might have to pick the audience. Even COKE advertises to specific markets. So the challenge is where you spend your time and money reaching what group.
I do agree with that point – and the sooner you get to that the better. My issue is you need some experience with the topic and the reaction. Sounds like you have that.
So what I would do it this…
1. Put on a webinar or workshop for about $99 where you will address so key points of the pain. Put it out 10 weeks or so – maybe shorter.
2. Do some free talks where you give some solid content away for free as promos to your webinar
3. When you get X number of signups, start developing content.
This allows you to move faster and develop product while hearing all the questions from the customers. The questions from paying customers is where you get the real value.
Then record that webinar or seminar and sell it as your product.
I’ve got an ideas for DIY Christmas gifts. My biggest issue I think will be the same as yours, advertisement copy. I look forward to joining you on this journey, now let’s go make some money.
Buck
Welcome Buck. Next weeks podcast will have some hints on getting the copy written quickly!
Thanks. I enjoy and have learned alot from your live talks, but the podcast audio not my cup of tea.- 7 minutes in and no usable info yet and I’ve got a full plate today. Do you have print and/or are you taking this show on the road.
Perle I can count on your to be direct;) Most people listen to podcasts in car or while working out – and then they work. I agree, hard to do sitting at a desk. So I have two thoughts:
1. Perhaps I need to get to the point faster;)
2. Would a transcript of the podcast help so you have written down? I know friends who do this and I have not done it yet myself by considering.
On the road? Might be doing webinars or workshops on this in the future – not planned yet.
Sorry if I sounded terse. I don’t commute except from to my desk just off the living room. I love print, as I read faster than most (been known to read a 400 page book in a night). If you ever do, let me know. Editing an RFP for client today, but I did print off the outline from your blog for later tonight – it gives me a brainstorming starting point for some ideas I’m working on. Thanks again.
Hello Dale. Revisited the class that you taught at Briarwood, via this
podcast. Since that training I now have a published book. (Yes) as you
stated “It will give you more credibility and help establishing your
authority on your topic”, it has! I now have an overflow of clients. I
had created a blog but had not done anything with it. I revisited this
blog to get back to the simple and now am beginning to break down my
material into bite sizes to offer on my blog page. Thanks for your
conversation and input last year. I will keep you updated, as I now move
into the next phase.
Thanks Herbert Gooden
Glad to hear it! Share your link to your blog here when you get it ready!
Hi Dale,
Just clicked on the link within your blog for “how to design your first information product”, it would appear that you’ve setup the link using the preview link for the article, which isn’t available to anyone other than yourself when logged in.
Besides that, it’s a great article and will definitely help me get started on creating an information product of my own.
Thanks Peter! Got it fixed!
How to Create Your Information Product with New Mindsight from Thought Leader. Kind Regards, Sergey .
Thanks Sergey for your feedback.
Hi Dale, I’ve seen a youtube video of your webinar and also enjoyed reading this blog very much. I have a diet/fitness product in mind and already bought a domain name + have a rough idea of what i will be an outline. That’s about as far as i got before getting crippled by second-guessing my product title/domain name and the whole idea to be honest – now i am afraid it might seem too broad to people, maybe i didn’t pick a small enough niche and will fail because of that? But domain name is bought already. How do i get over this “creators block”? Many thanks!
The good thing is you are normal. The bad thing is — you are normal;)
Seriously EVERYONE has this issue – even seasoned people.
What to do? Start. Plow forward as if you have something chasing you. You are certainly wrong in many areas – problem is until you start you are not sure what those areas are.
So just start offering the products, getting out there, and listen and adjust. When you have real customers talking to you – then you know.
Remember – the most common reason for business failure is they never start.