Old Dog Learns New Trick...

I'm hitting a major list on Thursday promoting one of my ebooks. 100,000 people. Scares the crap outta me to be honest.

I wanted to make the most of hitting this list. So here's what I thought up.

On the download page I added a link to another product. Basically said 'Hey since you bought this product you might want to check outthis other one.'

Well it's worked already.

Someone who bought Inspired Attraction saw the link and went on to buy Applied Psychology.

Cool.

Now maybe you're thinking 'Well that's okay for him. But I've only got one product to sell.' But how about a product you're an affiliate for. Something that ties in nicely with your own product?

Worth a short I reckon.

I'll see you on the back roads...

Colin

Bad Karma Copywriting

Another story from the front lines...

I've got a new ebook coming out soon called The Magic of Finger Yoga. I was having a hard time in writing the sales copy so I went and hired a freelance copywriter.

The copywriter just came back to me and said the sales letter was almost ready. She was just plugging in my qualifications and maybe "a couple more testimonials if you don't mind them being made up."

Well I do mind.

I'd already told her I had no qualifications. I'd simply stumbled on a cool meditation technique and written a book about. I'm no yoga master.

But here she was going to write about my "qualifications". And going to make up some more testimonials.

I don't want to be part of that. It's bad karma.

I'm going to let her finish writing the copy to see if it's any good. But I reckon a copywriter who'll make up qualifications and testimonials won't produce the kind of copy I'm looking for. And even if it's good I'm not going to use it.

So I'm back to writing my own copy. It's a struggle but at least it's an honest struggle.

I'll see you on the back roads...

Colin

P.S. Keep an eye out for the launch of www.magicoffingeryoga.com

The Danger of Feeding a Hungry List

Here's a lesson from the front lines.

When you're choosing your niche, choose carefully. It's not just about whether you've got a great idea for a product, it's also about have you got enough content to share with your list on an ongoing basis.

Say you've decided your niche is how to start and run your own bed and breakfast. You've picked this niche because you've always wanted to run your own bed and breakfast. You've read lots of books, stayed in a few bed and breakfasts, and you know there's a market.

But at present you're not running a bed and breakfast. So you write an ebook on starting and running a bed and breakfast and it starts to sell. You build up a small list of people who want to run their own bed and breakfasts. But here's the rub.

Because you're not actively running your own bed and breakfast you've no stories to tell these people about the pitfalls of running a bed and breakfast. You've nothing to tell them what to look out for.

In short, you've no personal experience.

So you end up with no content for them. You struggle to find something to tell them every week. And when you do email them it's simply to tell them about other products related to running a bed and breakfast.

Two things happen. 1) You get frustrated that you've nothing to say and emailing your list becomes a chore. 2) You piss off your list because all you end up doing is promoting product after product.

How do I know this? Well if you substitute bed and breakfast for success principles, that's me.

I've created a few products on success techniques. Now don't get me wrong. They're damn good products.

But on a day to day basis I've little personal experience of success techniques. On a day to day basis I'm an IT Project Manager for a major UK bank.

So I've got no content to share with my list. And I reckon it's starting to piss 'em off.

What's the solution?

I'm not gonna stop producing success technique products cos I love doing it. But I'm simply going to sell them as stand alone products.

So what's a niche where I can add value to a list, where I can provide content and advice. Strangely enough it's internet marketing.

I live and breathe IM. It's all I think about. And I know I can share what I learn with a list.

So be warned!

Choose your niche carefully. Sure you may have a great idea for an ebook but can you leverage it into enough content to feed a hungry list on an ongoing basis?

I'll see you on the back roads...

Colin

P.S. Keep an eye out for www.backroadsmarketing.com launching soon!