This guest post is by Henri Junttila of WakeUpCloud.com.
Creating your own products can take you from earning a few dollars a month to a few thousand. It can be scary, but as you learn to take action, and learn from the feedback you receive, you get better and better.
There are many mistakes I see beginning product creators make. The good news is that these mistakes are very easy to avoid if you keep them in mind.
Copyright photocreo - Fotolia.com
Most bloggers know exactly what these mistakes are but don’t incorporate that knowledge into what they are doing.
Don’t let that be you. Take control of your life and your blogging by avoiding the most common product creation mistakes.
Mistake 1. Not asking what people want
One of the biggest mistakes I see new bloggers make when they are creating the first product is not asking their audience what they want.
This can be as simple as surveying your audience and asking them what their biggest frustrations and problems are in the area of your expertise. I also suggest you drill down from their answers to get even more specifics about what exactly it is that they want a solution to.
For example, you may discover that people want to learn how to blog, but as you drill down, you discover that what they really want is to learn how to create their own products.
You just never know until you ask.
Mistake 2. Aiming for perfection
Another big obstacle is perfection. It’s easy to believe that you need to get everything perfect in order to get your product out there and selling.
The truth of the matter? You can do a pre-launch, where you give your audience a discount and tell them that you want feedback on how you can improve your product before you release it fully.
The beauty of the Internet is that you can tweak and revise your product at any time. Don’t be afraid to get your product out there even if you don’t think it’s perfect.
Often our minds play tricks on us. It’s impossible for you to know what “perfect” means for your audience. You might as well get your product out there, and ask them.
Mistake 3. Pricing and value misperceptions
If you feel that you’re not ready to create your own products, instead, you may want to create a short and to the point report that you sell for $7.
This will give you confidence—if you’ve surveyed your audience and you’re solving a problem, people will buy, and they will be happy to do so.
After you’ve gotten a few sales, you can set up an email autoresponder that automatically asks your buyers to give you feedback on your product. Ask them to rate your product on a scale from 1 to 10. And if they answer anything below a 10, simply ask them the following: What would I have to do to make this product worthy of a 10?
This is a simple way to build on what works. As you do this with more and more products, you’ll see patterns around what people like and don’t like. But the only way to learn how to do this is by taking action and getting feedback.
Mistake 4. Failing to build anticipation
A great way to get people fired up about what you’re doing is to build anticipation. Just look at how Apple does this with each new product they launch: they tell you about what they are doing long beforehand.
You don’t have to make this a big show. You may just want to tell your audience what you’re up to and what they will be getting once you launch your product.
As you do this more frequently, you’ll notice new insights about what your audience likes and how you can make the whole process better and more effective.
Mistake 5. Trying to make the perfect launch
Last, but not least is the launch. I see a lot of people having problems launching their products, because while the content of the product may be good, they just don’t know how to go about launching it.
The truth is that you probably won’t have a perfect launch on your first try. You may not even need to get affiliates for your products right away. I personally love to focus on getting things done instead of trying to get them perfect. It helps me learn and make progress that much faster.
Creating your own products can be highly profitable and a great way to monetize your blog. And always remember: the only thing standing in your way is you.
What kinds of mistakes have you seen beginning bloggers make when they create their first products?
Henri writes at Wake Up Cloud, where you can get his free course: Find Your Passion in 5 Days or Less. And if you liked this article, you will enjoy one of his top articles: How I Made $46,305.38 in My First Full Year Online.
