Info Products, or ebooks, have been a hot topic in Internet Marketing for several years now... If you havent been creating and selling them, you have likely been buying them. At the very least, you have promoted them as an affiliate. There is no doubt that there is A LOT of money to be made online in Information Marketing.
The recent report titled $7 secrets (note: do NOT order it) that spread through Internet Marketing circles like wildfire, changed Information Marketing for good though. The days of [easy sales on] $47 and $97 ebooks sold through ClickBank are slowly phasing out.
Just last night I was looking at an Info Product that I would like to read. It was an ebook priced at $47 and sold through ClickBank. Interestingly the ebook was on a current topic, Web 2.0 and Social Networking etc, yet it was being sold "old school" style...
I decided to pass on the buy. There was no contact information on the site and the domain was under private registration. I didnt know the author personally, so I was hoping to at least find a bio or a blog on Google under a search for the authors name. No luck. I had no way to contact them, and I couldnt find any information about this person online at all.
I took note of my mental response: I had come to expect more. The "web page" no longer makes the sales online. It's the author. The sales copy can only do so much. Visitors want to actually know the information publisher, and even "taste-test" the content.
It occurred to me that I would have ordered this particular book if it was only $7. Does 40 bucks really make the difference between an impulse buy and reconsidering? Sure it does.
It also occurred to me that I probably would have paid $47 for this ebook if I had known and followed the author for even a short amount of time. Perhaps I had read a report he wrote recently, was subscribed to his newsletter or was a regular reader of his blog. Then I would have likely been "pre-sold" by association...
Here's a wake-up call: Internet Marketing is changing dramatically right now, in case you havent noticed. Visitor expectation has risen, and the responsibility of an Internet Marketer has to rise to meet that expectation. Marketers have been talking about Networking and Relationship Marketing for years now... but it is all finally coming to a head.
You have to "be somebody" or you have to provide something of exceptional value to succeed as an Information Publisher. By that I mean a blogger, author or content site owner. And that is just what the $7 Secrets report addressed in its recent splash on the web...
Dont let that intimidate you, though - becoming 'somebody' is as easy as that report is cheap. In fact, I had never heard of Jonathan Leger (author of $7 Secrets) until he released that report... but he quickly became someone that I listen to, and I open every email he sends the minute it arrives in my Inbox.
How did Jonathan Leger go from "nobody" to "somebody" in his niche overnight? He used the exact strategy that he taught in his own report...
Now Jonathan is not new on the scene by any means. While he just started his blog in August 2006 (a few short months ago), you can find him firmly embedded in Google search results under his own name. His blog too, while relatively new, is chock full of exceptional content. But even without those 'assets', Jonathan's report would have undoubtedly been a huge success, simply due to the strategy used. In fact, he covers that in his latest report, the sequel to $7 secrets.
Jonathan reports that he earned just under $25,000 on the $7 Secrets project (again, dont buy). If you are familiar with the report, then you already know that he offered 100% commission to his affiliates. Each person that recommended the report, or sent traffic to the site, earned the full $7 on each sale.
That may leave you scratching your head, wondering how he earned over $24k when the majority of sales were obviously made by his affiliates - who earned the full sale price. Of course, it's all covered in the report.
And what makes this report so incredibly valuable to its ideal reader is that it serves as a perfect example of the concept it is teaching. (Yet, I'm still encouraging you not to order it if you havent already - and I'll tell you why in a minute...)
The $7 method works, and it works well even though I can understand how it might be hard to wrap your mind around earning a substantial profit when you are giving away 100% of the sale price to your affiliates.
Its about building a quality responsive list, earning money on backend sales, gaining exposure and becoming an expert in your niche, etc. There's more to it than just creating an Info Product that you can make sales on.
It ONLY works though, if you write a quality report. The content needs to be exceptional, on target for your ideal reader, and a decent length - around 30 pages. And this can work in any niche - yes, even outside of Internet Marketing. In fact, people have been launching $7 Reports left and right under the instruction given in Jonathan's report, and in a wide variety of niches.
Jonathan has a website set up to feature these $7 Offers, categorized by niche.
The latest report is titled Write That Report! and is a follow-up to $7 Secrets. It is offered in the same manner - for only $7, and including 100% commission to affiliates.
In this report, Jonathan gives you the step-by-step method that he uses to easily create these reports that are allowing him (and his affiliates) to pocket large sums of cash. All pure profit, of course. What he doesnt tell you upfront is this:
As an unadvertised bonus to Write That Report!, Jonathan gives you a free copy of $7 Secrets. That's right, you can get them both for only $7 😉 Now you see why I encouraged you not to buy $7 Secrets if you havent already...
It's still a great deal of course, even if you already ordered a copy of $7 Secrets. I purchased them both myself, and 7 OR 14 bucks is still 'pocket change' for this kind of detailed information.
I ordered my copy last night, and read it over coffee this morning... and its GOOD. For starters, it served as a great motivator to get to work on my own report. Second, once again it served as a great example of how well the $7 method works - and proved that you can successfully follow up with sequential reports (keep in mind that by now Jonathan has built a substantial list of subscribers that have already bought from him at that price!).
And to top it off, the report literally contained the outline for successfully publishing and marketing your own report using this same method. It's a no-brainer if you follow Jonathan's outline, and it is the absolute easiest way to write a report or ebook that I have ever seen.
I also really liked the chapter on marketing your report, which discussed finding & contacting potential affiliates. He even shows you a method to use, even if you dont have your own mailing list in that niche yet.
Think about it. This Information Marketing tactic may blanket your niche soon. Do you want to be the one that wrote the report and built the monster list? Or do you want to be the one recommending the report - earning commissions of course - and helping that marketer firmly establish themselves in that niche? Write That Report!
Forget spending 6 months writing a 300 page Ebook and trying to sell it for $47+. Overdeliver doesnt mean Overwhelm.
Best,
Technorati Tags: info products, information marketing, ebooks, writing reports, 7 dollar secrets
About Lynn Terry
sorry..didn't read this page to the very end, just noticed last post was in december about these reports.. I'll get them
Thanks!
Hi Zal - Welcome to ClickNewz 😀
Yes to both - but if I had to recommend one over the other I would highly recommend you order Write That Report (which also comes with $7 Secrets as an unadvertised bonus). For only $7 you cant go wrong... and that one package alone kickstarted some great money for me in the last year 😉 Here's the link again: http://www.clicknewz.com/writereports.htm
Thanks Lynn,
About BANS...I was thinking about it while walking my dog. I saw a few websites created with BANS.
They don't look professional. Especially the top part, where the name and banner/logo are.
The font for the name of the website is boring.
Do you know if it can be changed?
And the whole structure, can it be also adjusted?
Another thing, basically I can create a blog and gather all kinds of links and articles from all over the place on one subject, make it look valuable..
Is it the only difference between manual method and BANS way, time ?
Or there is something else ?
Yes, you can completely customize the header and the entire template. You can view different sites from one of the top tabs at the BANS site.
BANS stands for Build A Niche Store, and builds your store using the eBay affiliate program. So its not the same as a blog - two completely different models there.
Whew! I just finished reading all the way through the comments section. Now I am off to order the $7 Write that Report. Thanks for sharing Smart Lady!
This is confusing, I ordered a report a bit back called 7 Dollar Secrets by Don Morris. Is this different?
One and the same Terese - Jon sold out to Don awhile back 😉
Thank you. I'll add the new Write That Report to my wish list 🙂
Hi Lynn- I bought this last week and have to say that it is wonderful!!
The information and tips in there are truly fantastic and definitely worth it.
If you add the info there with your Fast Cash Strategy ebook --that is a sure way to earn money fast.
Thanks for the review and recommendation 🙂
Thank you Eren - Your feedback is most appreciated! For anyone who hasnt yet picked up these two low-cost reports, you can get them here:
- Fast Cash Strategy (Only for ClickNewz readers)
- Write That Report
I'll have to check this out.
Checked out the link, definitely will think about buying it, I mean, its only 7 bucks, right?
Right 😉
And I can tell you MY personal experience: As a result of buying WTR, I've made thousands in report sales. This report was the turning point for me in getting that first report written & selling!
Still my top recommendation for a great start!
The link is: http://www.clicknewz.com/writereports.htm
I didn't get this one, but I also earned thousands of dollars with the $7 secret.
It was a good investment.
I agree Franck - I can easily say that was the best $7 I've spent! 😉
n my opinion, Write That Report is a great starting point for people who want to start their own reports business online because it lays everything out in a precise mannor that is easy to understand and follow.
Now I don’t personally use the $7 scripts because I do not have an affiliate program. However, I strongly believe in the whole concept of the $7 price tag that so many reports are selling for.
Cheers
Rahul
Thanks Lynn, sound advise as far as deciding what to buy. There have been several times when I purchased something only to have a problem and not be able to contact the seller. It's good advice to use before purchasing services too. I didn't mind losing a couple bucks, but on the higher priced products, it ticked me off.
If I'm going to invest any significant amt of money, I now want to know I can contact them- and have my questions answered.
thanks again.
The info products at clickbank still sell quite well. The reports are a totally different concept and is a good one. I think its about what kind of a value you are giving your customer.
This looks like a good deal at $7. Great that you're sharing it.
I am new to all the blogging and related stuff so posts like this make me wear my thinking hat. Can I scale up my offline business to online without involving too much of costs.
Lynn Terry , your info and tips are great! Straight forward, not wordy, lean cut, and of great value. By the way, here is a free report, "5 Steps to a Profitable Report Business", written by Jimmy D. Brown, which supports what you wrote about, in terms of short content but good content, with basic step-by-step instructions, with good nuggets of information, worth reading. Enjoy!
Look in : Recent Posts: 5 Steps to a Profitable Report Business
The info products at click bank still sell quite well. Creating Reports and selling them is really a good idea.
I vote this in stumbleupon! I need more article like this. I want to work at home. there are many success story in blogosfer. i want prove it my self
A few years ago I read a really good report (an ebook, on how to write ebooks) on the whole ebook phenomena. I think there is still good money to be made in this area of Internet Marketing, but I still went with affiliate marketing (earning with elottery). Maybe I'll come back to the ebook stuff when I'm a millionaire 🙂
Interestingly, I hadn't really heard of Jonathan Leger before I read this, but now I feel compelled to do more research. I keep hearing all this stuff about affiliate marketing from my coworkers and I feel like it's about time I explored it.
Hi William,
Let me know if you have any questions. As for Affiliate Marketing, that is how I earn the majority of my income online. I studied from Rosalind Gardner and use her methods, and have an overview of her guide here: http://www.clicknewz.com/2074/super-affiliate-handbook-review/
Lynn:
I note that this post is a couple years old. Do you still consider this method and Jonathan Leger's techniuqe and info to be a good source?
Absolutely! Jonathan, and specifically Write That Report, really inspired me to start creating and selling reports online - which I am still doing and still profiting from every single month. His methods in this report also inspired my "how to write a blog post" and "how to write a product review" models. Love it!
Lynn,
this sounds very exciting! but i am a complete newbie, don't even have a website up as of now. would this be jumping the gun for me?
I bought Write That Report based on your recommendation - and am glad I did. It breaks the process down into such a straightforward and easy-to-understand format.
This strategy will be a big part of my business as I move from a service-based to more passive income model.
Great article about the $7 secrets script and the concept behind it. I'm currently still using Clickbank for my natural health product and this might change my thinking about how i would run my business
I got ahold of 'write that report' a few years ago and love it. Let's face it having an internet business means writing and there are so many effective ways to use your writing in your business.
If you can crank out good quality reports that people can use, you've got a great way to increase traffic, find followers and ultimately make sales. Thanks Lynn!
It's so much easier to buy something for $7 or $10 as you mention but often times a cheaper price might indicate less value. I thought Jonathon's book was a quick and easy read but it over delivers on value which is really what online buyers have come to expect.
Thanks Lynn I just got Write That Report and it is probably one of the best decisions I've made in a while. The software in the one time offer is no longer valid, but it was definitely still a great buy which introduced me to John Ledger and he has other fantastic products that I was able to access. I'm estimating my $34 ($7 for the report plus the OTO) will easily have a DIRECT return of at least 1,000 times that... in 2011, and that's no exaggeration. I'll keep you updated 🙂
It's amazing what a clever pschological price point can do. And that price point is very different online to a retail shop. Paypal/plastic for 7 bucks really does feel like nothing. But $7 cash in your hand takes a little more parting with 🙂
Of course, the most important thing is what happens after they spend the $7...
Hi Lynn thank you very much for this article. I really like John concept. Give 100% commission to build a huge lists and he can offer another backend. I think this method work in any niches
Hehehe Lyn, you are a master at building supense and curiosity - now I know why you are damn good at selling. All that while 'don't buy that report', 'don't'...I got curious but it all ended well - you revealing a sneaky way to grab 2 for the price of one.
Boy, di I just learn an art there? Oh yes, thanks - I enjoyed this post greatly.
I was considering buying a product about amazon reviews when it popped up at $97. Since, I have spent and wasted some money already in learning this internet marketing stuff, I just couldn't spend anymore. But $7.....I think this might be worth it. The original post was in 2007, does this strategy still work today?
Absolutely - it's still a very successful strategy 😉
This strategy reminds me a little of "As Seen On TV" marketing. That is, whoever is the first in wins.
I'd spend the $7 if I knew there wasn't some special software recommended that I didn't have to buy in order to complete my ebooks. Don't you have to have Adobe? It costs money.
Nope, no special software to buy. I use openoffice.org, which is free and open source. I use the word processor in that suite, and it converts documents to PDF files with one click. 🙂
Great investment on the book. It opens your eyes to things you never thought of.
Great article about the $7 secrets script .Thank you very much for this article.
Never did anything else for $$$$ except blogging...And after reading this post, I'm feeling something under my skin which is pushing me to get this eBook..Thank you so much for your post.
Hi Lynn,
I haven't heard of $7 secrets, not sure if I have heard or read it somewhere, but it really sounds like the kind of books that I was introduced to when I was still a newbie. Thanks for the great write up and advise.
Cindy
Hi Lynn,
New to your site. Looks real good, full of great info.
The link above to get both of the $7 Report books is being redirected to an international dating site.
Is there an updated link for that?
Thanks!