One of the biggest barriers to information product creation is the perceived lack of time. After all, you’re already busy running your business and living your life. So what are the chances you can carve out the time you need to create a series of Information Products?
It all comes down to rethinking the Information Product Creation process. With the five tips presented here, you will start to see how busy entrepreneurs just like you are cranking out products daily.
1. Determine the scope of the project. This is typically where most people become overwhelmed. For example, someone told them they need to create a “big ticket” item, encompassing a comprehensive “system” that they will be known for.
While that may be your long-term goal, you can’t start there. Instead, determine which ONE piece you are going to create. Make it an hour-long project. Something like a one-hour interview. Or a one-hour tutorial. That’s enough to sell as a stand-alone product.
It’s a way for you to start sharing your information with the world. It will not only help you learn the sales and marketing processes, but it will be building your reputation so that your next product already has a ready-made audience.
And in the process, you’ve already saved a lot of time and hassle by not feeling like you have to conquer the world in your first information product.
2. Make it simple. You have a preferred production style. It may be writing. It may be audio or you might prefer video. But choose ONE primary method of production for this product.
By choosing ONE tool to learn and use for this project, you’ve now reduced your learning curve and the time needed to master a new production tool. You can always add more formats later. But for now, stick to just one production method.
3. Build it into your day. When you’re working with information all the time, you’re already doing some of the things you want to include in your product.
Keep a list of the topics you want to use in your product or in marketing your product. Refer to it often throughout the day. Then look for opportunities to produce that content.
For example, if you are answering a client question, take a few extra minutes and turn that answer into an article. Or record the answer and have it transcribed as a section of your ebook.
It didn’t cost you any extra time and you’ll be that much closer to your goal of finishing and selling your product.
4. Repurpose your content. Just as you can turn an answer into an article or record and transcribe it for an ebook, you can repurpose almost all of your content.
Before you do anything in your normal work day, ask yourself “how ELSE can I use this information?”
Consider your members’ site. You can add content to that easily in the form of FAQs – at the same time you’re answering questions. You can add a bonus interview – taken from the same interview you’re including in your product. Or vice versa, taking an interview from your members’ site and using it as part of your product.
When you don’t have to dedicate “separate” time for creating membership content, you’ll find you have more time for product creation. And when you look at each content item as a flexible piece, you will quickly find you are producing more content than you know what to do with!
5. Use templates and checklists. One of the biggest deterrents to easy information product development is the time it takes you to get ready, get the tools together, and figure out what steps to take.
Once you have your tools and steps, record the process in writing. Sure, you can use video to record what you’re doing. But it’s hard to refer back to video.
Instead, jot down each step as you do it and create a procedure or checklist from your steps. As you repeat the process, use your checklist and make any corrections. By your third time through the process you’ll have a refined procedure that you can follow six months from now – without having to reinvent your system!
Likewise, once you have a method for doing something, turn it into a template. For example, by using the same slide design for all of the slides in a series, you save the time of redesigning from scratch each time. Plus it “brands” the slides as all belonging to the same product.
When you start using these five tips, you’ll quickly see that you DO have time to create an entire line of information products!
Dr. Jeanette Cates shares tips and how-to’s in her comprehensive video-based course on how to DesignYourOnlineCourse.com
Great ideas Jeanette! thanks for laying it out for us (again) but in such a stepwise fashion and letting us know it’s ok to break it down into steps too.
You are phenomenal but I imagine you’re tired of hearing that from me…lol
terrie