The 3 hurdles info product gurus never talk about that keep you from creating passive income

May 10, 2010 12:19 PM

Have you ever wanted to create an information product--an ebook or audio, for example--and gotten stuck in the process? There's a reason for this, and it's not that there's something wrong with you. When you understand the reason, you can jump the three hurdles that keep you from the holy grail of passive income.

Info product gurus make producing passive income sound easy. All you have to do is bang out a few pages of content or record a quickie teleclass, wrap it in a glossy package, and write some killer sales copy. Then you can relax while the money pours in.

But when you care at least as much about doing good work as you do about money, you instantly run into three hurdles.

1. The sleaze factor
2. The slickness factor
3. The hump factor

The sleaze factor
-----------------------------
The first hurdle to creating an info product is that so many of them appear (I dare say are) sleazy. They're not created to guide clients toward a desired goal but to lead them into buying another product or service. In other words, they are thinly disguised advertisements.

Even though you are clear that this is not what you're up to, the sleaze factor contaminates the whole process, eating away at your vision and enthusiasm. It's hard to even start an info product when the whole idea makes your stomach turn.

It can seem as if info products are for the sleazy-minded, and since you're not, you figure they're not for you.

Fortunately, this is a hurdle you can jump. But before we go into that, let's talk about the other two hurdles.

The slickness factor
Info products that sell well are packaged well. Sometimes it seems they are packaged too well. More time and attention is invested in slick packaging than in valuable content.

The emphasis on slick packaging can keep you from promoting your product effectively because you don't want your buyers to feel let down when they come to use the product. You need a good package to sell it, but what if your product doesn't stand up to its image?

Because of the slickness factor, you can doubt the value of your product. And that can be enough to close off the income stream.

The hump factor
The third hurdle to creating passive income with an info product is the hump factor.

The good news and not-so-good news is that creating a product is a creative process. It's got ups and downs, humps and bumps. And if you believe it's supposed to be easy, you'll think there's something wrong with your idea. The product is stopped before it starts.

3 keys to jumping the hurdles and creating passive income
None of these hurdles is so high that you can't jump it. In fact, when you can see them clearly, you may find that getting over or around them is pretty easy.

And to make sure of that, here are three keys to jumping the hurdles so you can create info products that delight your clients and bring in income.

The first key: Know where you're going
A hurdle is only an obstacle if it's actually blocking your path. When you are clear about what you are going to create and how it serves both your clients and your biz, the first hurdle tends to dissolve.

The sleaze factor dissolves because it doesn't apply to you. The very fact that it turns you off proves this.

To be clear about how your product is not sleazy, you need:

1. A simple statement of what your product will do for your clients.

2. A simple summary of what the product will do for your biz.

For example, a graphic artist might write down the following for an info product about about do-it-yourself business card design.

Will do for my clients: Give people who aren't ready or able to invest in professional design a template so their own designs are more effective.

Will do for my biz: Give new clients a way to make a small investment to get to know me. Show clients the limits of do-it-yourself design without pressuring them to hire me. Bring in passive income as it attracts new clients.

With these two things in mind, the graphic artist can jump the sleaze hurdle gracefully.

The second key: Understand how packaging helps clients
No doubt about it, packaging is super important for selling your info product. But that's not it's only function. Done correctly, packaging makes your product more useful and increases the likelihood that your clients will actually use it.

Packaging makes products more useful. A well-designed product is easier to use. Good packaging (which includes how the product is organized as well as how the outer package looks) makes the most important points stand out from the rest. It makes it easier to find specific bits of information. And it draws the user in so s/he engages more with the content.

Packaging makes it more likely your clients will use your info product. Who wants to sell an info product that ends up on a shelf or languishes on your client's hard drive? That's what usually happens with ordinary-looking info products. A stand-out cover and attractive insides make your product more memorable and thus more likely to get used.

When you understand how packaging helps the buyer, it won't seem to be a slick gimmick. You're over that hurdle.

The third key: Have a structure for the creative process
When you're very familiar with a particular art or craft, you may not need to spell out the steps in the creative process. But when you're creating something unfamiliar, knowing the steps of the process will help you get over the hump and stay on track.

When it comes to info products, one of the most misunderstood parts of the creative process is gestation.

Gestation is the phase where an idea goes underground. During gestation, your idea is less clear, even invisible. If you aren't paying attention, you'll overlook the idea when it sprouts. You'll mistake it for one more random possibility that won't turn into anything concrete.

To get over the gestation hump, record your idea so you can keep track of its growth. It's like checking to see if a seed has sprouted so you can either tend it or start over.

You can do this
You can create info products that serve your clients and bring you passive income. With a little practice and support of others on a similar path, you'll end up with a product you can be proud of--and one that your just-right clients will gladly buy and use.

Why this is up for me right now...
One of the things we've focused on in Shaboom County is creating info products. We did a teleclass on it and I even wrote an ebook about it for the Shaboom County Library.

Right now Shaboom County is closed to new members. But in a few weeks this online community will be open to new members for just one week. Before membership reopens, you'll have a chance to download 5 different goodies from the Shaboom County Library so you can get a taste of what's there for you.

In other words, stay tuned. ;-)

Photo by: n.kuzma via flickr
Under a Creative Commons License

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Comments

Yummy Molly! This is such great information. It's too easy to beat ourselves up over not getting done what the gurus paint as so easy. You've really done a lovely job of breaking down the challenges, then showing how folks in your tribe can face those challenges with authenticity, integrity, and get it done in a just-right way. Thanks again! Looking forward to continuing conex!
Bobbye Middendorf
The Write Synergies Guru

Posted by: Bobbye Middendorf at May 10, 2010 1:34 PM

This is a terrific post, Molly. (And why am I not surprised?) Thank you!

With info products I think a lot of us get mired before we even start, just because we've either experienced so many awful examples or have been pitched in one way or another. Gak! Reading your take on all this was a real shot in the arm. So, again, thank you.

Did you record the teleclass, and is it for sale?

Posted by: Lynda at May 11, 2010 6:56 AM

Funny thing, I've "known" you for 2 years, and seem to see you near daily via twitter, and have a whole file named "Shaboom" for my email subscription of your posts to self-sort into for reading "someday when I have time." Yeah, right!

But, to be brutally honest (cause I'm both), I accidentally clicked this email open, figured I might as well read it to lighten the bulging un-seen folder by at least this one, and SHABOOM! What a delight! I mean, I know we were on the same page, brilliant, gorgeous and clever... natch...
~ but your content is swell (familiar but not tired, and with new reminders); your sidebar headlines are enticing and smart (and I'm jaded so that matters); and we know and like all the same kids -- ha!

Long-comment-short, THANKS a lot for mucking up my simple "file it = read it" system and making me actually want to open, read, and maybe... just maybe... act on something I know I should. Yeesh!

Your pal,
~ @TheGirlPie

Posted by: TheGirlPie at May 11, 2010 10:01 AM

@Bobbye--Thank you. Now, girl, I want to see you create one!

@Lynda--I so appreciate your feedback. The Shaboom County telecons are not for sale, but beginning June 7 I'm offering a week of free downloads--samples of Shaboom County Library content. It's a pre-launch for reopening the County to new members.

Anyway, my point is that one of the downloads will be the info product telecon.

@TheGirlPie I abso-friggin-lutely love your screen name, and I'm so happy to disturb your time management system. ;-) Especially when the content is truly useful to you and other peeps in your world.

Posted by: Molly Gordon at May 11, 2010 10:50 AM

Thanks for writing about this, Molly. The sleaze factor is absolutely what's stopped me from creating an e-book. I'm still very skeptical, since most of what I see out there is of questionable value. I'm also amazed at the pricing on e-books; I wrote about it last year - "Dark Magic and the $97 Book." Lately, though, I've seen $97 books dropping to $47 then to $20. So maybe people are catching on. And my goal this year is to create something of value that doesn't turn people off the minute they see it.

Posted by: Patty - Why Not Start Now? at May 11, 2010 11:04 AM

I really appreciate your comments on the usefulness of packaging too, Molly- It's too easy to get 'rushed' and think that the design aspect is just a frill- but when you put it in terms of making it easy for the reader to make use of the info, then it really makes sense to take the extra time and actually make use of some of the great templates that are available in Word, for example!

Thanks for your wonderful, practical encouragement, as always.

(a satisfied Shaboom County member who is now going to revisit our library...)

Posted by: Bonnie Miller at May 12, 2010 5:24 AM

@Patty: Thank you for taking the time to comment. I agree that some ebooks are over-priced and add to the hype surrounding info products. At the same time, it's important that Accidental Entrepreneurs price their products in a way that allows them to make a real living. Provided products are supplemented with additional materials that add real value (not b.s. bonuses), these higher price points can be legitimate.

@Bonnie: Thanks for the plug for Shaboom County! One of the reasons our community is so successful is people like you.

Posted by: Molly Gordon, Self-Employment Coach at May 17, 2010 8:49 AM