The post Creating a Product: How to Create a Product for Your Blog first appeared on ProBlogger.
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Today is Part 4 of our Building a Product series here at ProBlogger, and now that we've done a lot of work and decided what product to build, we're moving on to the general task of creating the product we want to sell our blog. This is a very broad topic and we can't go into it as it really depends on the type of product you want to build, but below Shane gives a good overview of how we do it at ProBlogger. As always, I will add my point of view. 
When I suggested this as the subject of a post to the ProBlogger team about a product, I may have underestimated the true scope of what I was saying. The reality is to give you all the details a blogger needs to create their own product, it would be worth a few books!
So what I'm going to do today is take a look behind the scenes at how ProBlogger builds products so you can customize what we do for your specific situation.
I also assume that you have read what to do before making a product and what product should I make so we can focus on the production side.
First think of "selling".
When we agree to create a particular product (it could be an e-book, a service (like our SnapnDeals website), a private community (like ProBlogger.com, or even an event), the first thing we do is " sell " it.
By "selling" I don't mean selling to our readers, but selling to ourselves.
This could be a group discussion or, more formally, what I call a " sales sheet" - a document containing all the important information about a product (based on most of what I would have done in yesterday's post).
The reason I like to sell first and build later is because sometimes you can get so caught up in the romance of an idea that its practicality and benefit to your readers are lost in the excitement.
Darren says , “Today, when we create products, we as a team go through a more conscious process of selling ideas to ourselves as a team.
However, for my first ebook, I didn't have a team and "sales" was mostly the internal dialogue I had in mind.
I remember that for my first e-book on photography, I had three topics that I planned to create an e-book on. I browse e-books on landscapes, portraits and something more general engineering.
I went through some of the things that Shane talked about in yesterday's post to decide which one to pick, but also as part of that process, I started thinking about the "benefits" of each e-book and how I would sell it.
I listed each of them on paper and in doing so discovered not only because I know which one I think will sell the most, but by listing how I will sell e-books, I can write something, what corresponds to these benefits (for example, what makes the product better).
I don't know, but in many ways I did the "sales page" that Shane was talking about earlier.
Learn how to create a "sales page" in this video. This is a short excerpt from a webinar Shane and I hosted last week for members of ProBlogger.com on the topic of creating and selling eBooks. The full webinar has more details, but I think this little section can help you figure out what to include on your sales page.
Planning
After creating the "sales page" we set the launch date.
These dates are chosen not only by product readiness, but also other factors are taken into account, for example, what else is happening with the content on the site, what else is happening in the company in terms of holidays, and other seasonal factors. . We usually give you 4-6 months to create an ebook and even more time for things like the ProBlogger community.
One of us, depending on the type of product we are developing, will start planning how to make the product.
We have not formalized this process too much, but have focused on identifying:
- key stages of production
- much needed resource
- expenses we incur
We know it's important to have a plan, but even that plan changes so we don't want to be too strict.
When you create your first product, you may not know all the steps. That's when I went for advice. Find a mentor or group of mentors who have experience with this type of product. Help someone you know who has gone through the same thing. Walk them through all the important steps and take lots of notes.
This may lead to more questions than answers, but at least now you know the question!
Darren said : Our planning process is now more complex than when I started. For example, when we create an e-book, Jasmine (who handles all production) sets important dates and deadlines for all of our various processes.
This way we know in advance when the ebook plan will be ready, when the writing needs to be finished, when the content will be handed over to our designer, when we need to finalize the title and cover concept, when we need to start creating sales. . pages when we need to review the copy for the right affiliates, etc.
It is very important to have these dates before the production of the product begins. We have several e-books in various stages of production at any given time (along with other ongoing projects and events), so there is no such timeline.
For my first e-book, I didn't have such a formal process, but I still created a basic timeline and made a list of things I needed to get done. I also make a list of things I need to learn (like a shopping cart), help I need to get (designer), and skills I need to learn that I haven't mastered yet (like how to "write a sales page") .
My list is basic and written in a notepad next to my computer. I have to add a lot as I move forward, but having at least something in front of me every day keeps my momentum going.
Presentation of your product
Once you're comfortable with the plan, it's time to start describing your product in more detail.
If it's an ebook, this will be your table of contents, if it's an online lesson plan, structure, and modules, if it's a community or service, start displaying all the different and mobile parts of the website and tie them together.
Think of it like a blueprint for a house you are about to build yourself, or hire someone to build it for you.
Now it's time to build. You will be yourself or give the green light to someone else.
If you are alone, you need to make time. It could be a specific day that you share, or an hour each morning, or you could get lucky and take a few weeks off to write all at once.
Figure out the approach you are likely to take and make sure you block that time in your log. Once you do, you must continue to use it.
In creative mode, you should be constantly reviewing your "sales sheet" to make sure you're still solving the same problem you've identified, but don't let that slow you down. We'll have time to review later: keep building and building.
If you're in the middle of a write or build phase, if you're anything like me, you'll have a case of mid-build depression .
You may start to feel tired, exhausted, irritated and wonder if anyone will buy what you are doing.
This is where a lot of great products die, and it's a shame.
When you feel these emotions wash over you, I want you to dig deep, find whatever motivation or inspiration you can and keep moving forward ! Just push it to that 60 percent, 70 percent, 80 percent completion point and you'll feel like you're nearing the end.
When you're done, you'll be glad you did!
From Darren : I'm not going to lie to you here... some of my least favorite moments in the last 12 years have happened in the middle of a product.
The reality is that building something like this is difficult, and in order to achieve it, you have to find a way to focus and discipline yourself (this blogger struggled with this with a very short attention span and weak willpower).
For me, that meant holding those around me accountable, taking time to focus (I've been known to lock myself in a motel room on the weekends), and rewarding myself with small rewards for hitting a certain milestone.
Another problem I often encounter in mediation is fear and doubt. How will people see what I'm doing? Anyone buy? He's good. Am I wasting my time?
I write here about how I dealt with these fears and doubts.
Finally, try to focus on the WHY of what you're doing (for more on WHY it's so important, see last week's article).
polish your product
Just when you think you're done... then I can give you the bad news... it's not!
It's time to polish.
It's the last 5% that can really make your product stand out.
At this point, you should switch from Build Mode to View Mode, and I'm sure you'll find small changes that will improve things.
Involve some of your friends, family members or even some of your readers in the review process and you will improve your product greatly.
Listen to the feedback you receive and act on what you hear, but be aware that there is a problem.
The main thing to remember is that you are "polishing", not "perfecting". No product is perfect, you must discard the idea.
There will always be things you want to change and add to theoretically fix things. It's endless and I can tell you with 100% certainty that you will never make a single dollar if you don't finish your product, parts or not, ALWAYS SUBMIT!
Darren said : I think most people now fall into one of two categories.
The first group "finished" and never wanted to see their product again. As a result, they edit/polish a bit and release a product that could be better.
The second group spent so much time tweaking and refining that they never delivered the product because the product was never ready or they received a product that was too complex.
It is important to determine in advance which group you belong to and find a strategy to deal with your weaknesses.
If you're in the first group (like me), it might be helpful to have someone else involved in the checking and polishing. It's also important to set aside time for this important task before moving on to the next idea.
If you are in the second group, it may also be important to set a deadline. There must be a point where we stop!
My last tip at this point is to repeat what Shane said to get other people involved. If you're the author of your own product, you may be too close to objectivity and miss out on glaring bugs and glitches, either by paying someone else to edit/correct, or by getting free access to a small group of readers to offer in return. for reviews: Get reviews from others before you launch your product.
Outsourcing
A special note to those of you who use vendors to build your product: for many of you, the biggest resource you will use is yourself. However, the technical services you may create or online courses and communities may include a large team.
Choosing who will work on your project can have a huge impact on the end result. Don't pick someone at random or the cheapest resource you can find.
Make sure they understand exactly what you want to achieve, make sure they have the skills and experience to give you what you want, and make sure they are determined to go the extra mile.
After all, it is your name that is attached to the product, not theirs, so choosing the right name is very important.
Pride
Above all, be proud of what you do.
Even if the product is not as commercially successful as you would like, know that by creating it, you have achieved something that only a handful of people in their lives are capable of.
That's why you get tips from me!
This article was last updated on October 20, 2022.
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The post Creating a Product: How to Create a Product for Your Blog first appeared on ProBlogger.