Reading time: 6 minutes and 58 seconds. Per Forbes, the average reader reads 300 words per minute.
The digital goods commerce is growing twice as fast as physical goods commerce, and accelerating.
It’s a $950 BILLION dollar industry!
In this growth guide, I’m going to reveal how you can get a slice of that pie.
There are dozens of different types of digital products such as ebooks, online courses, graphics, music/audio, photography, videos, documents, guides, templates, spreadsheets, and software.
I recommend getting started with ebooks for a few simple reasons;
- Low cost to get started ($10 – $20)
- Can use Google Docs to write the ebook
- Can write and publish in a matter of days
We’re not selling these ebooks on Amazon.
We’re selling these ebooks on our own website or a platform (examples down below).
These are simple ebooks, like guides, that we write based on our expereiences.
Please do not be fooled by the simple 5 step process.
I purposelty left out the confusion, overwhelm and comlexity.
Here’s a Tik Tok follower of mine who watched my FREE Tik Tok content, put it to use, and is putting more of the green stuff in his bank account;
The pricess works, IF you apply it!
If you’re a fan of video, I have a video for you to watch below.
If you’re a fan of the written word, just scroll on by the video.
Let’s dive in…
#1. Solve a Specific Problem for a Specific Person
I see far too many entrepreneurs try to target everyone with their products and services.
They feel if they target everyone, they have a much better chance of someone buying.
Ironically, it’s the exact opposite.
I’m reminded by this quote from marketing maven, Seth Godin;
“When you speak to everyone, you speak to no one”
Here’s another gem from Mr. Godin;
We’re going to apply Seth’s wisdom, as he was induced into American Marketing Association’s Marketing Hall of Fame in 2018.
The guy knows a thing or 23,192 when it comes to marketing.
Some examples of getting ultra specific;
- Help new Moms get back to their pre-pregnancy weight
- Help online business coaches get their first 500 email subscribers
- Help divorced Dads gain confidence to get back on the dating scene
All of these are SPECIFIC people who have SPECIFIC problems.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Here are a few questions to get the juices in your head to come up with ideas…
- What is a problem you’ve solved for yourself (there is power in pain)?
- What is a challenge you’ve conquered?
- What is an obstacle you’ve overcome?
- Do you have a specific skill you could teach others?
- What do family & friends ask you for help with?
- What do you enjoy talking about?
You Do Not Have to Be the Best
When I ask people if they have a skillset they could teach, many times they freeze up, “Me? Why would anyone listen to me? I don’t have any credentials. I’m not the best at XYZ”
You don’t have to be.
You just have to be one step ahead of the person you’re teaching.
That’s it.
Door Dash Driver Example
Last summer, I was on a livestream and a 19-year old was watching.
He commented, “Adam, I just graduated from high school. I don’t have wisdom or any experience”
I responded, “What do you do to make money now?”
HIM: I drive for Door Dash.
ME: How long have you been doing that?
HIM: 3 years.
ME: What were you earning per hour when you started? What are you earning now?
HIM: When I started, I was making about $13 – $14 per hour. Now I make about $28 – $29 per hour.
ME: So you doubled your hourly rate in three years? What did you do in those three years?
HIM: When I started, I’d get lost, as I was still learning the process. When I delivered the food, it was warm. I had no idea what to say to the customers, so I was very monotone/shy. Very rarely did I get tips, as the customers could sense it.
Now I have 2-3 questions I ask them, speak with much more confidence and typically crack a joke. I also bring a bag of milk bones, and if I hear a dog barking I offer a mile bone for ‘Fido’ so he can enjoy his food, while they enjoy theirs. This always get s smile out of pet owners.”
ME: Is this something you could teach other delivery drivers? Do you think you could help new drivers increase their tips, be more efficient and earn more money?
HIM: Absolutely!
ME: There ya go! This is a great topic for an ebook. You could create a Tik Tok channel teaching what you’ve learned over the years that would benefit new delivery drivers. I bet you could help them increase their hourly rate by 20% in 90 days, don’t you?
HIM: I could probably help them increase it a lot more than that!
It really can be as simple as that.
You have some type of experience in your life that could be massively beneficial to thousands of people.
What we’re doing for people is drastically reducing the “trial & error” period of learning a new skill or solving a problem/challenge/obstacle.
#2 Write a 20 – 40 Page Ebook
We’re not publishing these ebooks on Amazon.
We’re not solving world hunger with these ebooks.
We’re solving a specific problem for a specific person based off our experiences.
A Battle Tested Outline
We start with an introduction that is a few sentences or paragraphs.
Hell Island (present pain) = Where our customer currently is with their problem.
Heaven Island (future gain) = Where our customer wants to go WITHOUT the problem.
Our ebook (or any of your products or services) is the bridge between Hell Island and Heaven Island.
Your Ebook Introduction
In our introduction, we’re going to briefly share what our Hell Island was like for us. Share the emotions you felt, the pain you were in, etc. This lets the reader (your customer) know that you’ve been in their shoes before. You understand what it’s like to have that problem.
Empathy is your secret weapon when it comes to marketing.
You’ll also share what it’s like to be on Heaven Island (no longer having that problem).
You’re painting a picture in your customer’s mind of what this future gain will look like for them.
Your Ebook Body
This is where 80% – 90% of your content will be.
I recommend you outline your 3, 5, 7 or 10 step process for how you went from Hell Island to Heaven Island.
Weight Loss Example
Step #1 – You set a goal to walk 10,000 steps each day. You bought an Apple Watch, FitBit or something that measures your daily steps. You explain how you achieve this each day and any tipcs you can share (ex: I walk for 30 minutes — roughly 3,000 steps — first thing in the morning).
Step #2 – If they want to lose weight and not muscle, you explain to them, they need to consume a certain number of grams of protein per day. Share how they can calculate this number and any tips/tricks to hit this number every day.
Step #3 – You track your calories. You share how you came up with your daily caloric limit, any apps you use to track, why it’s important, etc.
Step #4 – You lift weights 3x per week. You can share the days you work out, the length of your workouts, the body parts you work out and which exercises you do (and why). You can share any tips with them (supplements, for example).
Step #5 – You educate them on the benefits of intermittent fasting, and how it’s a “cheat code” for losing weight. Explain how it works, the many benefits to it, and how it’;s not nearly as hard as it seems.
This is a basic 5 step outline I’d use if I were writing an ebook on losing weight without dieting.
BTW, this is basically what I’ve done in the last 90 days to shed 16 lbs while still eating pizza, bacon cheeseburgers, french fires and Oreo blizzards from Dairy Queen.
Weight loss is simple.
Your Ebook Conclusion
This is where you’re share any links to social media accounts where your customers can connect with you. Include links to other ebooks or products (if available). Include your email address where they can reach out with comments, questions or concerns. If you offer coaching, mentorship or some type of accountability, this is a great spot to mention that and how they can go about getting more details.
#3 Hire a Designer
This is an investment, not an expense.
Meaning: A professionally designed cover will help you sell more ebooks.
There are a plethora of platforms out there where you can hire graphic designers. Fiverr, UpWork and Funnel Rolodex to name a few.
I recommend (and use) Fiverr as there are thousands of ebook cover designers on there. You can expect to pay $10 – $25 for a cover, and many of the designers will get you a design within 24 hours of placing the order.
#4 Where to Sell Your Ebook
There are hundreds of platforms that you can use.
I’m going to share three platforms that I have experience, ranked by ease of use.
You only need ONE of these.
Gumroad – A powerful, but simple, e-commerce platform. They make it easy to earn your first dollar online by selling digital products, memberships and more.
Stan Store – Your all-in-one creator store. Your calendar bookings, digital products and affiliate links all in one place.
Systeme.IO – All the tools you need to grow your online business. The only tool you need to launch your business. Click here to create your Free account. No Credit Card Required. Best Price Guaranteed. Easy To Use. Instant Access. Better Value. Social proof.
I use and recommend Systeme.IO as it’s a robust tool that runs my entire business. It’s a simple tool to learn, and they provide lightning quick customer support. If you’re interested in Systeme.IO, check out the bonus package I offer at the link below (for FREE, if you sign up for an account).
Related: Check out the Systeme.IO bonuses
The amount of mental master baiting I see in these Facebook groups where entrepreneurs are searching for the “best” funnel builder or the “best” email software is absolutely astounding.
All the tools are very similar.
They all work.
Pick one and run with it.
It shouldn’t take you longer than a day or two to decide.
Here’s what’s 100x more important than the tools or platforms that you use: Your market, your message and your offer.
Focus on those three things, and the tools and platform don’t matter.
#5 Create 1 -3 Short Form Videos/Day
These can be Tik Toks, Facebook/Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts.
I recommend Tik Tok as it’s still a newer platform and a great way to build an engaged audience quickly. However, Facebook Reels are so new that people are building up hundreds of thousands of followers quickly.
“I Don’t Have Time”
This is a common excuse I hear.
I laid out the 5 steps to start earning money selling ebooks.
The first 4 steps can be done in a matter of days.
Step #5 is ongoing.
You find the time for what’s important to you.
I ask for 30 minutes/day. That’s it.
I’m not promising you’ll be able to retire your wife in 30 days.
Here’s what I am promosing in 30 days;
- You’ll be making progres.
- You’ll be gainining momentum
- Most importantly, you’ll be building confidence.
And confidence is what 96.3% of people are lacking.
This is a confidence game.
Every successful person you see has unshakable confidence.
How to Find Time
You wake up 10 minutes earlier, you go to bed 7 miuntes later, you slash your lunch break by 10 minutes, you reduce Netflix/screen time. We all can find 30 minutes in our day.
We all have 24 hours in a day.
The successful ones make sacrifices.
Type of Content to Create
You want to create content around the problems your market is facing.
Just 1 -3 videos per day.
If you’re brand spanking new, this will take some time to get used to. Once you get the hang of it, it’s not too difficult to crank out a couple of videos a day.
Exclusive: Break the Algorithm with 100 “Scroll Stopping” Social Media Prompts
Why I Recommend Short Form Content
Everyone copied Tik Tok.
Facebook and Instagram launched Reels.
YouTube launched Shorts.
Pinterest launched Idea Pins.
Spotify and Netflix are both experimenting with short form video content.
Short form video content is the future, and the future is here.
One more reason…
My buddy Josh generated 5,431 leads in ONE day with Facebook Reels;
As you can see, a two-day total of 9,481 leads!
Mind-blowing.
What an opportunity short form video presents to all of us (or to the one’s who are willing to get over their fear of judgement 😜).
You can leap at the opportunity and take advanatge of it.
Or you can sit on the sidelines and watch others prosper from it.
It’s simply a choice.
Choose wisely.
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Get Paid to Write Your Ebook!
To motivate you to take massive action, I’ll do something that very few people would do…
I’ll personally BUY a copy of your ebook WHEN you write and publish it in 48 hours!
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