EDITOR’S NOTE: The links below are now going to a DIFFERENT (but still good) video – the prior program of free videos has NOW CLOSED. You can still watch the new video (it’s about an hour) to get some good information without any obligation to sign up for his course.
Every day I get email – lots of it – from travel writers, both experienced and aspiring.
By far, the biggest question I get is “How can I make money with my writing skills?”
The best advice I can give boils down to this: your knowledge is valuable, so why not sell it?
Do you want some really valuable – and free – ‘How to’ training on exactly that?
I just returned from a trip I took to San Diego to learn more about online marketing (it was at the Hard Rock Hotel and was a hoot, but that’s another blog post! )
While I was gone, my team found this info, which is some free videos on:
How To Turn What You Already Know Into Information Products That Sell For High Prices Online
by Eben Pagan. He asks you to sign up, and you can use a fake name and email address if you don’t want any emails from him, but I can tell you that I’ve learned a great deal from his emails and videos, and he doesn’t spam anyone.
Okay….I don’t like the name of the program, but Eben Pagan – who is one of the most successful information marketers on the planet – is releasing a course he calls “Guru Blueprint”.
I highly respect Eben and his teaching – so I settled in last night with a glass of wine and watched all of the videos he is offering (they are free as a way to entice you to sign up for his course, of course).
However, you don’t have to buy anything to learn everything you need to know.
I have found that most internet marketing courses are just rehashing old information and they are great at hype-y marketing – but bad at providing actionable information, usually they are just fluff.
Not these training videos. Eben is giving away the most valuable free content I have ever seen.
So valuable in fact, that I took over 6 pages of notes AND I signed up for his course.
I believe that of all the methods of making money online, – Google Adsense, sponsored links, affiliate programs, etc., – writing your own information product (ebook) has the best chance of making you very successful, and I’ve consistently encouraged writers to do this.
Here’s why:
- The release of smart devices like the iPod, iPhone & Android is creating a HUGE need for good information.
- Apple sold 300,000 iPad’s the day it launched…
…and the same day sold over 250,000 books, ebooks & info products of all kinds. - Amazon, as of January 2010, has sold millions of Kindles. In fact they now sell 6 Kindle books for every 10 physical books. If you add in the free ebooks downloaded to the Kindle the number is staggering.
- Clickbank is one of the largest retailers of online ebook products in the world, with something like over 100 million in products sold so far.
- It is extremely easy to upload your writing or podcast to iTunes, Amazon or Clickbank.
This is a HUGE market
And they are starving for good information of all kinds….research, product reviews, advice, guide books, etc.
Some ideas:
- If someone were to ask you the best place in your City to sleep, eat, drink, sight-see, or go out for a night on the town, could you help them? Do you know how many MILLIONS of people are looking for insider information into areas they are traveling to? Throw in a few freebie coupons from your local newspaper and help someone out.
- If you’re writing your personal War & Peace, you still have eat. Why not break the chapters down into short, concise lessons or teasers and sell one lesson at a time? Some of the best writers test book ideas by writing short chapters and giving them away on Amazon or iTunes to determine customer interest.
- Got a hobby or an insanely passionate interest? Tell the world everything you know about it.
Your writing does not have to be long (most people’s attention spans are short). But it does have to be valuable.
Need another good reason? It costs you nothing to get started today.
Here is a checklist of some of the things in Eben’s videos.
- Unique ways he Identifies and Targets his Audience
- .PDF checklist(s) on how to turn what you know into an Information Product
- New ways to test your content or product for free
- A way to create valuable content in minutes – he actually walks you through how
- Serialize your content – where to drum up traffic
- Packaging your content for the highest price
- How to set up your product on Clickbank
- An information Billionaire you haven’t heard of
His biggest point is that “You must embrace the new ways people consume information that they are starving for.”
Anyway, your time won’t be wasted……if you missed the link above, here it is:
How To Turn What You Already Know Into Information Products That Sell For High Prices Online.
Again, you can use a fake email address if you want to just get in and browse the videos, but you may miss out on future free videos from him – your choice. Personally, I love being on his mailing list!
If you DO happen to join his course, please let me know. I am taking it too, and we can share some of his ideas and learn together.
Enjoy!
~Trisha
After you watch the videos, drop me a quick comment with your opinion!
Trisha,
so glad to stumble upon this post. Thanks for the share.. we’re very curious now for sure.
Hello Aye – thanks for stopping by! I’d love to hear your opinion after you’ve watched the videos – I was blown away by how much good information Eban gives away for free!
Really interesting and so glad that you’re rec’ing a free product too – I’ve bookmarked this so that I can really dive in and learn more about this side of the business when I am home over the summer.
Thanks for this link, Trisha. It does sound very intriguing and I have also bookmarked it.
.-= Maria Staal´s last blog post: The Vikings In The Low Lands =-.
Ok, I am sold. When we get back from our travels next month, I am going to settle in with my own glass of wine and watch the videos:-) I trust and value the information that Travel Writiers Exchange offers and if you love it, I know that it is going to be very valuable to me. Thanks for sharing great new products and courses with us all.
.-= Dave and Deb´s last blog post: Cinque Terre’s Five Villages Hike =-.