The Renegade Writer Blog

Stephanie Chandler is the author of From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur: Make Money with Books, eBooks, and Information Products (John Wiley & Sons, December 2006). We spoke with Stephanie about how freelancers can make more money as infopreneurs.

Can you tell us a bit about your experiences as an infopreneur?

It all began when I was writing my first book (The Business Startup Checklist and Planning Guide). I wanted a quick way to draw an audience of readers before the book was published so I launched a website with resources for entrepreneurs (BusinessInfoGuide.com).

Soon I realized that I had an audience that would also be interested in other products. I looked for a book on how to create information products and couldn’t find one! So I began doing some research and before I knew it, I had several products ready for sale (special reports and ebooks). They sold well from day one so I’ve continued adding new products including workbooks and teleseminars. Incidentally, thanks to the business website, I began receiving pre-orders for my first book a full two months before it was released.

I also realized I had come across a unique opportunity to write a book that nobody else had covered yet. John Wiley and Sons picked it up and the rest is history.

What are the benefits of becoming an infopreneur?

Without a doubt the best benefit is passive income — money you make while you sleep! In most cases, once you create a product you can sell it over and over again for years. And after you automate the sales and delivery process on your website, all you really have to do is continue to market your site and create new products (new revenue streams!).

I’d assume that magazine writers have an edge when it comes to becoming infopreneurs because of their writing abilities. What else do they need besides writing skills?

An audience! The real key to success is to pick a niche topic and develop a website that attracts the right audience. For example, if you’re a writer who likes to cover nutrition, you could create a website loaded with tips and nutrition information. First give away some free information, and then if visitors like what they see, you can convert them into buyers of your information products.

How can a budding infopreneur decide on what topic to focus on?

I suggest that you choose something you’re passionate about because that will come through in everything you do. Remember that the key is to pick a niche topic. And don’t worry too much if someone else is covering a similar topic. Just make sure your website and products are different or better than the competition.

What’s the best way to market your information products to your target audience?

The best marketing tool is an e-zine. Studies show that the average consumer needs to be exposed to a product six-eight times before making a decision to buy. Publishing a monthly or weekly e-zine gives you the opportunity to get in front of your customers over and over again-and it can be a lot of fun too.

Next, publish articles. As writers you are probably already doing this, but drill down and focus on publications — print and online — that reach your target audience. Include your website in your author bio with everything you write.

Many freelancers will gasp at this suggestion, but most online marketers will tell you to publish articles for free. You can post them to content sites that allow others to reprint them on their websites and in their e-zines (I like ezinearticles.com and ideamarketers.com). Keep in mind that these aren’t really free since you are trading them for website publicity.

The good news is that this is your chance to write about anything you want! And you don’t have to interview sources and spend a lot of time on research. Just write short how-to pieces and include a nice author bio. Submit your articles over and over again to websites and trade magazines that reach your target audience. Soon you’ll see your website traffic start to explode — really! And you might be surprised by the opportunities that end up coming your way. I’ve received all kinds of paid writing opportunities and speaking engagements as a result of publishing my reprints across the web.

What challenges do most people face when they become infopreneurs?

It can be frustrating at first because it takes time to make your business successful. If you focus on building website traffic and creating products that people need, the rest should fall into place.

How can they overcome these challenges?

Building website traffic should always be a priority. Run a Google search on “Search Engine Optimization” and you’ll find all kinds of tips for making your site as effective as possible.

Focus on the needs of your target audience. Remember that it’s easier to fill a need than to create one. You can survey your site visitors to find out what kind of information they want to know. If you receive questions from your visitors, see if there is a pattern. Could you create a product by simply answering some of those frequently asked questions?

Also, take an inventory of what you have that others want. For example, I created a special report based on a database that I was keeping for myself: 100 Websites That Accept Article Submissions. You can sell your databases, formatted spreadsheets, templates, forms and other types of tools that you are currently using.

What you know is also marketable. I own a bookstore and one of my best selling products is my workbook/ebook: How to Start and Run a Used Bookstore. The key here is to teach people how to do something that you know how to do.

Do you have any dos and don’ts for aspiring infopreneurs?

Do:

• Focus on building a killer website.
• Target a niche audience.
• Create quality products so you can generate repeat buyers.
• Automate the sales process. I like payloadz.com for electronic products.
• Treat your website and products like an actual business. Devote time to cultivating your success every day.

Don’t:

• Overprice your products! Too many are trying to make a mint by selling ebooks for $50 or $100. Give me a break!
• Get discouraged. Listen to your audience and find out what they want. Study others who are successful and emulate what’s working for them.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

For those who teach classes or conduct speaking engagements, remember to convert your products into formats that you can sell at the back of the room. Ebooks can be loaded onto CDs or printed in workbook format (check out Lulu.com). Teleseminars can also be loaded onto CDs. Upsell, upsell, upsell! Bundle your products and offer a discount. The possibilities are really endless.

Oh, and don’t forget to have fun! I love my online business and the creative freedom to design products that help people. This shouldn’t feel like drudgery. If it does, then you haven’t selected a topic that you are passionate about. [lf]

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