How To Create Successful Info Products In 12 Simple Steps

Have you heard about the book “Think and Grow Rich?”

It was published during the Great Depression period and 100 million copies have been sold since then.

How about “How To Win Friends and Influence People?”

Another book published during the same time and is #11 on the Amazon’s all time best seller and it is still selling more than 100,000 copies every year.

And both the books are 80 years old.

But, why are they still selling?

Or the better question is why people are still buying them?

Almost everything you want to learn is out there available on the internet for free.

Do you want to become a better digital marketer? Millions of blog posts can help you.

Do you want to become a better writer? Another million blog posts to help you.

But still, you are buying books or courses.

Why?

Because we have an insatiable desire to get better at things.

We want to be better than what we are right now.

We want to earn more than our colleagues.

We want to be better than our neighbours or relatives or friends.

We want to live better.

We want to own better gadgets.

We want to own a better car or motorcycle.

And we are willing to buy books or courses or programs that could help us to get better.

That’s what info products do and that’s why info products sell.

That’s why info marketing is thriving.

And that’s why you should consider creating an info product.

Because the info product gives you a unique advantage.

Create once and sell multiple times without needing to produce more or running out of stock.

It works in almost all niches. Because every market has these people, who want to get better.

That’s what makes info product marketing as the key to your freedom.

Freedom from working 9 to 5 and being a slave to it.

Freedom to choose your work hours and vacation without seeking anybody’s permission.

Freedom to live as you wish and dream.

It worked for me. It helped me to break my rat race and become an entrepreneur.

And I want the same for you.

In this blog post, you are going to learn how to create your successful info product even if you have never built one before.

I have come up with a 12-step product creation process which is tested and fine-tuned based on my experience of producing around 8+ info products in the last couple of years and generating around 1 crore + revenue from them.

Let’s get to it.

Step #1: Choose The Niche

First, you need to decide the market in which you are going to create the info product.

Choose one based on your interest, experience, and the demand in the market.

Even if you don’t have much interest or experience in the market you have chosen, it’s alright.

But you need to make sure the market has a demand. The market should have unmet needs. The market should have a problem it wants to get rid off.

If you have interest and experience in the niche, it will be little more comfortable to create the product. Otherwise, you need to learn the topic enough to produce the product. But, it’s not impossible.

Successful info marketers do that all the time.

So, what are you good at?

• Do you have something that you can teach to others?
• Do you know how to do something better than others?
• Do you have a process that helps you complete a task quicker and efficient than others?

Trust me.

There will be something you are good at it. Every one of us has the gift. Maybe you haven’t realized it. But it’s there.

I never thought I would become a digital marketer and become good enough to create info products in digital marketing topics.

I was on my way to becoming a civil engineer. But, it happened. I stumbled upon internet marketing, learned the ropes and got good at it.

So, what are you good at?

One of the biggest excuses we have for doing what we do and living the way we live is, I’m not good at things.

That’s the biggest lie we tell to ourselves, fooling ourselves that we aren’t good enough to change things.

Take a moment to find out what you are good at and choose your niche.

Step #2: Pick An Idea

The next step is to find an idea for the product.

An idea is

• a solution to a problem your market wants to solve.
• something that can make the target audience’s life better.
• something that can transform your target audience into a better version of themselves.

So think about it.

• What’s it your market wants to solve?
• How can you make your target audience better?
• Can you help them earn more?
• Can you help them to do their job in less time [aka efficiently]?
• Can you help them to get healthier?
• Can you help them to get fitter?
• Can you help them to manage themselves better?
• Can you help them to save more?

Find out the problem you can solve and by solving you’ll make them better.

And that’s your product idea.

For example, when I was thinking about creating my first info product, I realized that a lot of people want to learn Google Adwords.

There are already a ton of tutorial out there. But people were still asking questions and doubts. It’s because they want to hear it from someone they know.

So I thought if I created a course teaching Adwords, they might buy the course. Because those people already knew me. They knew I’ve worked with Adwords and I am good at it.

And it worked. I created the course and people purchased from me.

There will be something like this in your market. There will be something people turn to you for answers which you can convert into a course or ebook.

Find out what it is and you’ve found your product idea.

Step #3: Validate Your Idea

You have found the idea. But, you can’t jump in and create the product.

First, you need to confirm that your idea is profitable and there is a need for the product.

If you have a following or a blog or an email list or a Facebook page or a Facebook group, you can ask them.

You can write a blog post and ask for feedback.

You can make a social post and ask them to vote.

You can ask leading questions in your group like “Are you struggling with your [problem]?”

“Do you feel there is a better way to do [problem]?”

“If there is a product solving [problem], will you be interested?” and know their response.

If you don’t have any of them, then you could run an ad targeting your audience and ask the same questions.

It might cost you a couple of bucks, but it will save you from wasting precious hours on a wrong idea and ending up with a huge heartbreak.

Step #4: Choose Your Audience

Every product should have a specific target audience. You cannot create a product for everyone. Because there is no such product and you’ll end up reaching no one and selling nothing.

Look at the fast moving consumer goods market.

• There is toothpaste for someone who wants fresh breath.
• There is toothpaste for someone who wants strong gums.
• There is toothpaste for someone who wants white teeth.
• There is toothpaste for someone who prefers Ayurvedic ingredients.

They don’t have just one toothpaste for everyone.

It’s not just for toothpaste. It’s the same for everything out there.

Because every audience is different. Everyone has different preferences, problems, and want a product that’s specific to them.

Now, you need to decide who it is for?

• Who is your target audience?
• Who will benefit the most from your product?

It is vital to know your audience before you start creating the product.

Because knowing your audience will help you in creating a better product by using your audience language and establishing a connection with them.

So, choose your audience. Understand their preferences. Understand their awareness level. Understand their learning limitations.

And when you do that, you’ll create a much better product and get better results.

Step #5: Pick The Format

Info products come in a variety of formats.

Ebooks. Audio courses. Video courses. Masterminds. Webinars. Self-paced and instructor-lead online courses. Recordings of an offline training session.

And people have different preferences.

Some prefer to read. Some prefer to listen. Some prefer to watch and learn.

Some prefer personal interaction with the trainer or the mentor. Some prefer to learn in a live environment with people like them.

And some prefer to learn from their room at their preferred pace and time.

You need to pick the right format that fits both your product idea and your audience preference.

You also need to consider the cost of producing the product in the format and whether your audience will be able to afford it.

If you are starting fresh, you can start with the ebook format.

• Because it is easy to produce.
• There is literally no production cost associated with it.
• You can also price it low and attract your first set of buyers and grow your customer base.
• You can get their testimonials.
• And then you can create advanced products like video courses or webinars which requires you to invest in hardware and software.

So pick the format for your info product.

Step #6: Research Your Topic

You have completed all the foundational stuff.

You have chosen the niche. You have picked the idea. You have validated the concept. You have identified your target audience, and you have selected the format for your product.

It’s time to work on your product. And it starts with research.

You may know all about the topic related to your product. You may probably have an idea of how you want to present the product. What details you want to add and omit, you might have an idea about all of it.

But, still, it is good to do research.

Because you need to understand

• What information is already presented in the blog posts or ebooks out there?
• What other products are out there in the market and how they are approaching the topic?
• Is there a new update or new strategy or new tactic or new method has surfaced that you aren’t aware?
• Is there a better way you can organize the information than you have already planned?

It is good to know them so that you can fix any gap that might exist between what you know and what else is out there.

Because you have an obligation.

When you create the product, a set of people are going to place their trust in you enough to buy the product hoping that it might change their lives.

Your obligation is not to fail them.

Not to fail them because you didn’t do proper research on the topic to find out all the possible information that could have helped your customers.

Also, going through the same information that you already know in others perspective might give you more ideas to communicate it effectively.

Remember, the success of the product is not about how much you know.

It’s all about how effective you are communicating to the customer so that they can understand it clearly and put their learnings into action.

So do the research and learn as much as you can about the topic.

Step #7: Create The Outline

It’s time to put it on the paper.

All your knowledge, ideas are in your brain and scattered across places.

You might have thought a lot about how you are going to structure that knowledge and insights into your product. Putting them in writing makes it solid.

Create your outline for the product.

• How are you going to introduce the concept?
• What will you be teaching them first, second, third and so on.
• What’s going to be the chapter 1, 2, and so on.

Put them all in writing.

Remember, you need not to go into details. Just do the top-level outline.

For example, for this blog post, I wrote down the 12 steps as the outline. Nothing else.

Because everything else comes later.

First, you want to understand the structure. Understand the sub-topics you are going to cover and make sure that you aren’t missing anything.

Once you have created the outline, check whether it contains any unnecessary steps that can be skipped.

Because your product should help your customer to get better in as few as possible steps.

Step #8: Dump Your Knowledge

It’s time to go beyond the outline. It’s time to create a brain dump on the topic.

Open a document or take a notebook and list out everything you are planning to teach your customer. List everything you want to put in the product.

Don’t think about the outline.

Don’t think about the order.

Don’t try to elaborate.

Just note down all the points that come to you at that moment.

It’s better to repeat this exercise a few times.

Go, sit in a peaceful environment and start jotting down the points as they come to your mind till your thought train stops. When it stops, close down the notebook or the document. Leave it for a while. Come back to it later.

Go through the list you have created and see whether you want to add something to it. Don’t delete anything from the list. If you have something to add, add it. If not leave it as it.

Come back to it again and see whether anything new pops out in your head. If yes, then add it to the list.

Repeat this a couple of times till you feel there is nothing else you could add to the list.

Also, write down the examples you want to use or the stories you are going to tell. Because when you are putting the content together, you might not remember the examples and stories. And you don’t want your product to be dry and dull to the customers.

And that’s when your brain dump is complete.

You might be wondering why you need to do all this.

Let me explain.

Most people dive headfirst into content creation. They will be excited at the beginning and start typing [or recording]. But then suddenly they will hit the brick wall. Not sure what to do next or how to proceed. And it might take a while to get out of that situation.

I don’t want this to happen to you.

When you are jotting down the information without any constraints or boundaries, you’ll remember a lot. And then you could choose either to use it or not. But this list will protect you from hitting the wall during the creation time.

Step #9: Organise The Information

You probably knew it.

The next step is organizing those points you have listed in the previous step.

First, look for duplicates. Is there something you have listed twice or more? Delete them. Now you are holding the list with unique points.

Then open a new document and write down your outline. Now copy the points that go into the first section of the outline.

Repeat it for each part of the outline.

Well, there it is. You have arranged them all into your outline structure.

And by now, if you feel some of the sections are lacking points or information, then go back to research and see you could find additional points related to the part.

See how all these steps are helping you to create a better product than you have envisioned.

Repeat the steps till you are happy with this organized, outlined information.

Take a break before the next step. Because that’s where the whole magic happens.

Step #10: Expand The Points Into The First Draft

You have got the outline. You have the points. And it’s time to play God and create your product.

Expand those points you have listed and organized into text or video.

Read the point. Let it sink. Let your mind work its magic around the point. You’ll have a thought cloud around the point. Let it pour.

If an example comes to your mind, then talk about it. If a story related to the point comes up, then talk about it.

If you couldn’t write as fast as the words are coming, you could choose to record it. And then listen leisurely and write them down.

Remember, in this step you are only focused on creating content.

Not editing it or correcting it.

Your cursor should only be moving in the forward direction. Which means no deleting either.

And don’t try to create the product overnight. It never works.

Work in chunks. Work for 45 minutes and take a break.

Or you could use the Pomodoro technique. Work for 25 minutes and then take a break.

Because breaks are crucial to avoid repetition and keep it fresh.

Do like 4 sessions a day.

Don’t push hard. You are doing creative work. Let it come naturally.

Take as many days it takes to create the complete first draft.

Step #11: Edit

Congrats.

Your first draft is ready.

It’s rough. It’s unpolished. It’s like the diamond you have unearthed. It’s ready.

But, it’s not ready for the store. Not ready to be put on sale.

Just like the diamond, it needs to be cut and polished. Only then it’ll be valued and appreciated.

That’s what you are going to do in this step.

You are going to edit the draft and give it a shape.

But, don’t sharpen your knives yet.

First, read the entire book or watch the whole recording and see whether the flow is excellent and natural. If you feel somewhere it’s not smooth or deviating from the topic, then make a note of it and mark it for editing.

Next, check the entire product for factual correctness. You don’t want have a blunder in the product. You don’t want to sound like someone who will say anything without checking it twice. It’s very critical for your positioning as an expert.

Then sharpen your knives. It’s time to do the cuts.

If there is a paragraph that’s not needed or a sentence that’s not required or a word that’s not needed, cut it.

If there is a paragraph that’s not needed or a sentence that’s not adding value to the product, cut it.
Remember, your audience’s time is precious. He or she is finding time between their life’s demands to learn something. Respect it.

For example, I have initially planned this blog post as a 15 step approach. Then I realized I could cut three steps and make it a 12 step approach and still get the same result. So I deleted the 3 steps.

At the same time, don’t make it dry. Use plenty of examples and stories to make the reading or watching pleasurable and memorable. They are not expecting a textbook from you.

Editing is vital.

If J.K.Rowling believes she needs an editor to make her works better, you definitely need to edit your work.

Step #12: Make It Even Better

Well, you have cut the stone. It’s looking great now.

But, you can still make it better with polishing right?

Think about it

How can you make your product even better?

• Can you add some checklists to it?
• Can you add some templates that can make it easy to implement the learnings?
• Can you give them notes for each lesson they can refer to retain the information better?
• Can you add an illustration to make the concepts easy to understand?
• Can you give some worksheets to go with the lessons?
• Can you add an accountability system to the product to help the user to progress?

Think about the possible ways you can help the customers.

Remember, the goal of the product is to make the audience’s life better.

Identify all the supportive materials you could add to the product and work on them. And when you offer them as a bonus, it will boost your sales.

It’s a win-win for both. You and the audience.

That’s it.

Your product is all polished and ready to put on the showcase. Ready for the customers to swarm in and buy.

All you need to do is plan your launch and promotions so that your audience know that you have a product that could help them and make their lives better.

Wondering how to do that?

Stay tuned.

Blog posts are coming up to help you with the launch and promotions.

While you are waiting let me know your feedback about this post. Leave a comment below.

And don’t forget to share this with your friends and network. They’ll appreciate it, and I’ll appreciate it.

Also, my newest ebook Product Launch Success Blueprint – How To Create & Launch Your First Product In 5 Simple Steps is up for sale.

You will learn everything I have learned from creating and launching 8+ info products in the last 2 years and generating more than 1 crore in revenue.