Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Why special reports are the easiest, most profitable product you can create
Who can write them and what to do if you can't write
Where to start and how to choose a format
Writing tips
Technical considerations
How to price them and market them
How to create a flier that advertises your special reports
Excerpt:
No other product is as easy and inexpensive to produce as special reports no matter if you are big company, a sole proprietor or a non-profit. A special report requires nothing more than a computer and a printer. There’s no fancy packaging. No investment up front. No damaged merchandise that will be returned. In some cases, no shipping costs. And people usually buy several at a time.
A special report is a multi-page report packed with valuable how-to information that buyers can begin using immediately. They’re my most profitable product, and you guys are snapping them up every week. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t profit from your own special reports.
Special reports can be a valuable revenue stream because:
There’s no investment whatsoever to create them, other than the time it might take to research your topic. You can recycle material from other sources. Authors can use information already discussed in their books. Speakers can use information from their presentations and handouts. Anyone can research a topic at the library for free, then write about it.
Customers often buy them in bulk. Present your customers with an array of reports on a variety of topics they want, and they will often buy more than one. If they buy only one report, read it and love it, they’ll be back for more.
They’re quick and easy to read.
They position you as an expert in your field.
They give you a chance to upsell.
They can produce far more revenue than a book. When I started creating special reports more than two years ago, I wrote them as individual chapters to an eventual book on how to get free publicity and work with the media. I figured I could start making money from the book long before it was finished. Now, with 43 special reports for sale at $9 each and many more in the works, I’d be crazy to compile them into a book, which would probably sell for no more than $20. Do the math and you can see why special reports are so profitable.
You don’t have to write them yourself. If you cannot write or don’t have the time, hire a freelancer.
You can shorten a special report, call it an article, and offer it free to editors of newspapers, magazines, and print and online newsletters where you can get valuable free publicity.
They are extremely profitable. If you offer your special report in electronic format, your costs are zero. The money you get for your special report is pure gravy.
They require no fancy packaging, which means no initial cost up front.
They’re easy to update. Because they are printed on your printer, you can make changes easily without having to incur the costs necessary to make changes to products like a book or an audio tape.
You’ll be amazed at how easy they are to produce and what a nice little revenue stream you can create.
