If you own a business, whether it’s strictly online or at a physical location, you can benefit from creating your own information products. This is especially true, if you sell standard products but don’t have a lot of money to invest in new stock or inventory. Information products allow you to add new products with little or no expense.
This can establish your credibility and show others that you’re knowledgeable in a particular field as well as, increase your followers on social media, and get more people on your e-mail list.
Another benefit is that the digital content you put out on the internet allows your business to work all the time. Even while you’re sleeping or away from the internet, people can read your articles, and purchase your products with no further effort on your part (although you will want to regularly check your e-mails and make yourself available in case they have any questions or problems.)
Here are some information product examples:
-E-books. E-books are an electronic equivalent to regular hardback or paperback books. An e-book doesn’t have a set amount of words. I’ve created e-books with as few as 2800 words but they can have as many words as you like. They’re created to be read in ereaders, and the text in an e-book is reflowable, just like a web page. Because of this, they don’t have page numbers.
-PDFs. PDFs are fixed. You can add images, and make the text whatever size you want. The reader can’t change it, like they can with an e-book. PDFs can be read on your computer online or as a download. They can also be printed out and read as a physical copy.
-Workbooks. Workbooks or sheets are a way to supplement your courses, articles or coaching sessions. It’s a way to help students contemplate the information they received and how they can apply it. You can add assessments, quizzes, or questions with enough space for the students to answer. These can be created as printables.
-Digital templates. Digital templates can be customized by adding your own text or images. For example, a template for a how-to article might have spaces to write the title of the article, supplies that are needed, and the steps that need to be taken. Or (if you sell home decor items), you could create a template that people could fill in to help them decorate their home.
-Cheat sheet. A cheat sheet is a short set of instructions to help get a specific end result. The person does not have to read a whole book or take class, they can simply look at the cheat sheet to get the information they need. For example, if you sold fresh flowers, you might have a cheat sheet on 7 things to do to keep your flowers looking great.
-White papers. White papers are mostly created for marketing purposes. They give information about a complex topic, laying out the problem as well as the solution from the writer’s perspective. It’s a way to let potential customers know the ins and outs of a specific problem and show them how a particular service or product is the solution. A white paper can be rather lengthy, perhaps around 1500 to 2000 words.
-E-mail course. An e-mail course is usually a series of 5 to 7 related articles on a particular topic that you put into your autoresponder. For the first e-mail, you can write an introduction that gives your subscriber an idea of the overall topic and what you will be covering over the next few days.
The e-mails that follow will have the actual lessons, or articles and the final e-mail in the series will have a brief recap and some information on where they go from here. For example, you could recommend some additional resource books, products, or websites.
-Tutorials. Tutorials are created for the purpose of helping someone solve a particular problem. They should be simple and easy to understand. Tutorials can be in the form of a video, audio or text document. When creating a tutorial, give all the information that’s needed for the person to accomplish a particular end result. Don’t leave any of the steps out.
In creating an information product, get started by deciding on a topic that works well for your niche. For example, if you sell culinary spices, you may want to create some printable recipes that incorporate the spices you sell. Or you might want to create an e-book talking about the benefits of using spices.
As you can see in this post about different types of information product examples, whatever your niche is, you can create an information product to help you either market your business or service or generate additional streams of income (or both). Whether these products are e-books, online courses, or webinars, they help establish you as an expert in your field. They can also attract new customers or clients. Information products offer endless possibilities to grow your brand and wallet. So, don’t hesitate. Start brainstorming ideas and share your expertise with the world!
I’m Lorene Troyer and I enjoy helping organizations and entrepreneurs with their content needs- whether they prefer to purchase editable content that they can edit, brand and monetize as their own or write it from scratch. For example, maybe you’re interested in writing a book but don’t feel like you have time? Today, I’m presenting the “How To Write a Book When You Don’t Have Time To Write” 50+ page planner (it comes with supporting exercises). Book Writing Planner
Free PLR (private label rights, editable) “Finding Clarity” Article Pack- 5 PLR articles on topics such as 6 Pitfalls of a Fast-Paced Life, 8 Benefits of Finding Clarity, 12 Negative Effects of Living Without Clarity, etc. “Finding Clarity” Article Pack
I don’t know if others realize it but you gave a solid tutorial in this blog post.
I appreciate that, Rick.