Hit the Mother Lode – Six Info Product Platforms

Getting started in the info product realm? Looking to try a new product or format for your information? Here you will find the InfoMedia take on the six most popular info product platforms and an inventory of their strengths/weaknesses.

Books

If you are new in any industry and looking to gain instant credibility, there is little else that will establish you as an expert as quickly as becoming a published author. Publishing a book rarely ensures windfalls of profits, but it can be a powerful lead generation tool, and it can help to build trust and rapport with your potential customer base. There is little cost associated with beginning a great book, just time, organization, and a word processor. Once you have a manuscript, it will most likely be in your best interest to have it reviewed and polished by a professional. Not a writer? Don’t fret; utilizing ghostwriters, editors, and other industry professionals can help you sound polished, professional, and poised. If you are looking for a leg up in getting your first book published, visit madeeasypublishing.com, for news of an exclusive deal with our publisher, Morgan James. If you choose to self publish, gaining distribution can be difficult, and it may be in your best interest to look into publishing an ebook/whitepaper. A published book isn’t going to create fast cash, as in a traditional book publishing environment you can’t expect those checks to be rolling in until a good amount of time after the sale.

Strength: Simply the best tool to establish credibility.

Weakness: Not a huge moneymaker.

Pick this one if: You are an established expert within a niche and looking to expand your personal brand.

Webinars / Webinar Series

Hosting a webinar or series of webinars can be a fruitful venture. To produce a basic webinar, you need little besides a camera (which most laptops now come with standard), your knowledge, and meeting software and hosting. For InfoMedia webinars, we use gotowebinar.com. For less than $100 a month you can host unlimited webinars. Invited attendees receive an invitation code allowing them access to the webinar. Webinars can take many different shapes; some fall into a question and answer format, a traditional lesson plan followed by a Q & A, or an interactive period where attendees are interacting with each other and you merely present the platform and act as moderator. To add value to webinars, include special guests, professionally produced segments, or (in a class format) supporting documents.

Strength: Easy to plan and implement. Little up-front investment costs.

Weakness: Once the webinar is over, so is the income.

Pick this one if: You have a blog and email list, and are looking to take your business to the next level.

Coaching Programs

Coaching or monthly membership programs can range from introductory, low-level guidance (and low dollar), to high-dollar intensive programs. Most coaching programs are on a subscription basis and can be for a set time (often programs with a particular coursework or goal in mind) or indefinite (for information which does not have a particular matriculation date). While the format of coaching programs can be as varied as the topics they cover, most include fresh information and resources on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Coaching programs may include any level of resources, from informational emails, tool resources, videos, special offers, webinars, and more.

Strength: Creates reliable, regular income and brand loyalty.

Weakness: Consistent responsibility to create new exciting content.

Pick this one if: You have a strong list with some established brand loyalty.

Ebook or White Paper

If you are just getting started with your info business, a well-planned ebook or white paper can be a great way to generate income, gain recognition, or if you play your cards right, both! With little to no initial investment, you can literally get started on this info product by putting pen to paper or finger to keys. Publishing on the Web cuts out the middleman of the publisher (and their share of the profits), making it a truly self-sufficient endeavor. Ebooks and white papers help to create brand recognition for you or your company, establish you as an expert, and can turn a healthy profit (read about Joel’s first success in this month’s Ask Joel). A true DIY product, this is a great place for the budding infopreneur to get started.

Strength: No initial investment needed!

Weakness: When you make something available on the Internet, it ends up on the Internet.

Pick this one if: You are just getting started.

Newsletter

Creating your own newsletter can be an extremely rewarding info product. Not only will you be creating a recurring monthly revenue stream, print and e-newsletters alike can literally place your brand in your customer’s hands each month. Be warned though, creation of a monthly print piece is labor-intensive and brings with it a good deal of up-front cost. First, you must have a source of fresh, pertinent, quality content each month. Even if you are the most innovative, intelligent, well-read entrepreneur out there, you will get writer’s block from time to time. Whether you choose to feature guest writers or pay for content, plan to have other sources of information each month. If you select a print piece, you are going to incur up-front costs, printing and mail house costs, and your designer will be looking for their paycheck before the first issue even makes it to your audience.

Strength: Recurring income and brand loyalty!

Weakness: Large investment, responsibility to produce a hard product each month.

Pick this one if: You have investment capital you are willing to leverage for a fruitful ROI.

DVDs

A professionally-produced DVD can truly take your info product business to the next level. However, to create a truly impressive product, you will need a good deal of resources and investment in physical product to get it off the shelf. While you can film straight from your computer or a flip, that video is better digested via the web. If you feel your information would best be presented by DVD but don’t want to make the long-term investment in funding your own studio, find a local video production company to do the work for you. Another excellent resource is to find students or recent graduates who have resources available and are eager to be flexible on price. When it comes time to produce and ship your product, you can create and produce it yourself, using a variety of software programs and products, or if you want a more professionally finished product, there are many fulfillment houses with whom you can contract. They will often provide services to ship and fulfill orders as well.

Strength: Sleek, sassy, professional platform for a high-end product.

Weakness: Initial time and money investment is extremely high.

Pick this one if: You’ve created several other info products, and are teaching a course or set. This option is also invaluable if you are looking to establish yourself as a speaker for conferences or events.