How to Get Started and Get Going
Creating info-products is so simple that many people never even begin because
“nothing,” they say, “can be that simple.” The truth is—it is that simple. You can
produce a info-product e-book, audio mp3 download, or even a downloadable video. All
you really need is the desire and a computer. So let’s get started.
Getting started is the hard part. What to write about? Although it has become some what
of cliché: Write about what you know. And trust me; you know a lot about a lot of
things. The first step is to brainstorm. Make a list of all the things you like to do and all
the things you hate doing. For instance, maybe you love to go camping but hate to
balance your check book. Both have great possibilities to become info-products. Try
make your lists as long as possible. That way, you’ll never be at a loss for ideas.
Next pick out two ideas from you list and test them to see just how much information is
already out there. The easiest way to test them is to do a Google Search for each idea.
For example, with “camping” Google returned 18,200,000 hits, and with “balancing
checkbook” Google returned 66,900 hits. Without revising the topics, it appears that
“balancing the checkbook” has the greater appeal because the market is not over-
saturated.
Once you choose and test an idea, the next step is another brainstorming session. Set a
timer for five minutes and write down everything that comes to mind about your topic,
whether it makes sense or not. When you’ve finished look over all the information you
came up with in the brainstorming session and prepare your outline. Mark the places in
your outline where you will need more information and get to work on the research.
When your outline and research are complete write the first draft. Use a conversational
style and write quickly. Once you’ve finished the first draft, ask someone to read it and
ask them if it makes sense to them. For instance, if you use the “balancing a checkbook”
idea, ask if they could balance their checkbook with the information you provided.
Listen for feedback. Did you miss a step? Was anything unclear? Did you friend not think
it would be useful? Ask them why? This is all valuable information that will make your
info-product better.
Finally develop the final product using the feedback. If you are writing an e-book, design
the cover and table of contents and convert all to a PDF file. There are many on-line
sources that will convert your Word document to PDF for free. One site is doc2pdf.net.
If you preparing an audio info-product, record the audio from your script. Assuming that
you already have a microphone, you can get audio recording software for free at
Audacity. Once you’ve completed the recording, listen and edit.
Creating info-products is easy. So what’s stopping you? You’ve got all the tools you need
to get started right now. You could be making money as soon as tomorrow.