Creating Products: Which Product Should You Create?

After creating the product. What product will you make? It first appeared on ProBlogger.

Photo by Mark Fletcher Brown on Unsplash

Dare Says : Today, Shane Tilley continues our series on creating products for your blog by asking the important question, "What products should you make?"

I know ProBlogger readers think a lot about this question because it's been asked of me a lot.

• “Should I create an e-book, course, members area, or something else?”
• "What theme should I create for the product?"

If you are asking such questions, then Shane's advice in this post is for you.

As I did in last week's post, I'll give my point as well.

Maybe it's just me, but my opinion on this is the second biggest decision you'll make as a blogger. “What should I write about?” second after that. So if you're stressing about the answer, congratulations, you're a natural.

Even though I've been involved in hundreds of products in my career, I still argue with myself and those who work on them. This is a discussion worth getting into.

In this post, I'll share with you the process I went through to answer this question, whether it's in my head or someone else's.

This process is the culmination of my own personal experience and learning from great entrepreneurs like Darren, Matt Mickiewicz, Marc Herbotle and others you may not have heard of.

This process does not guarantee success, but hopefully it will give you some guidance when you answer this question yourself. Remember that every blogger has a different situation, audience, topic, and goal, and this is ultimately a question that you must answer on your own.

So let's get started.

What not, but why?

The first thing we'll do is not decide what we're going to build, but decide why we're going to build it, and that's part of the reason.

what is your problem

The first thing to answer is why you want to create this product.

What is your motive?

The answer may be money, and for many of you it will be money, but it has to go deeper.

At this point, your motivation and theoretical meaning for money will drop if you work on your product at 2 a.m. on a Sunday morning. If you find that it takes twice the time and costs twice as much as you thought it would start, you need to offer more incentives.

I recommend watching Simon Sinek The Golden Circle's video to understand what it means

Let me share what I mean with a clear view.

A question. Why am I writing this post on a sunny Saturday afternoon and doing nothing else outside?

ANSWER: Because the idea that this post might inspire someone to create their own awesome product that could change the course of their life forever has been more rewarding to me than anything I can do outside of it.

So I wrote...

I want you to be able to explain your personal reasons.

Darren said, " It's been a long time since I've seen Simon Sinek's video. Thanks Shay for the encouragement to do this again, it was a great reminder to do some “why” reflection.

personal example. When we launched the ProBlogger Australia event over ten years ago, I did so with a "why" explanation. I want to encourage, inspire and empower Australian bloggers to do amazing things with their blogs

I've told this story a few times so I won't repeat it here, but my goals from the show are very unique, and profit is the last thing on my mind. My vision is clear enough that I can quickly communicate it once I start sharing the dream with many other people. I found that she got the idea from others.

I really believe knowing the "why" helps us build a successful event year after year.

Knowing why you keep me going (even when it gets hard)

Knowing why helped me put together a core team working toward a common goal.

Knowing why helped us inform attendees of the event.

Finding out why we are actually doing the 'what' in the event.

The reason for your customer

The second reason you want to think about is: Why are your customers buying your product? Ask this as well as additional questions about who they are and their problems.

It's time to get out the pen and paper or spreadsheet.

What is your reader's problem?

I want you to list as many problems as possible for your readers.

In last week's post, I shared with you the importance of understanding your readers, and this is where the benefits begin to emerge.

Do not rush to solutions. I repeat, do not rush to solutions.

At this point, you are only exploring, not creating a story. We'll work it out, I promise.

List all of your readers' problems, big and small.

For example, for a blog about cannabis (silly example to illustrate):

All of my readers have lawns, and they all take pride in their lawns. No wonder I blog about it. On the way to spring, these lawns will quickly spiral out of control without care and attention. When I polled my readers, their biggest concern was mowing the lawn.

Problem: I have to mow the lawn before I show off.

Herb-loving blog readers might have a little more to it.

- I need to get rid of the weeds

- I have to keep my side alive

- I want to make a herb, but I don't know where to start

With a little effort, you should be able to find more than 20 problems for your readers. There is no blog that I can't discover anymore.

When thinking about a problem, it is often easier to focus on the practical problem or "problem" that readers are facing. But don't forget that people like to have fun too (boredom can be the problem). They like to tell stories and appreciate creativity (their problem may be lack of motivation).

I'm Darren . One of the main lessons from many of my keywords is to be fully aware of the issues (yours and others). I truly believe this awareness of other people's problems puts you in an ideal position to serve others and creates the most important ingredient in a successful business: ease of use.

I previously suggested 11 ways to troubleshoot readers' issues in this post in the ProBlogger archive .

This method will not only help you find product ideas but also help you find ideas for blog posts.

solution

Now that we have a problem, let's see if we can solve it.

The next step is to think of possible solutions to each of these problems. Let's talk about legal hay.

The solution. I can cut my own lawn

The solution. I can ask someone else to mow the lawn

Both are possible and both solve the problem 100%. There are always many solutions to the same problem, you just have to think about them.

We did it! or us?

So here are our readers' solutions to their big lawn mowing problems. This is basically DIY or done for you. From there, we then identified some of the barriers to making DIY solutions possible.

Barriers. I don't have a lawn mower

Barriers. I don't know how to drive a lawn mower

Barriers. I have a lawn mower but it's broken

Well, now you can see the range of products. What can I do to overcome this hurdle of a DIY lawnmower problem? First of all, I don't own a lawn mower. Other problems!

The solution. Well, you can buy it.

obstacle. Do not know which one to buy

Barriers. I don't know where to buy

Barriers. I do not have money

And it continues like this...

Problem: I don't know which one to buy

The solution. A guide or some tips or training on buying a lawn mower.

Our product idea.

This is a clear. Repeat Bakhlan.

All you do is take the reader's problem, break it down into smaller problems to understand the obstacle, and then break it down until you have a very narrow and specific solution to that problem.

I intentionally solve my problems with the educational output, but some will be action oriented (eg other solutions can sell lawn mowers), some service oriented (eg lawn mower service manual) and some training and education oriented.

Regardless of the genre, they are all needed and valued by some.

Take each problem on your list and look for solutions by identifying obstacles and small problems until you have a list of product ideas.

At this point, you have a long list of potential products. When you see it on paper (or in a spreadsheet), isn't it surprising that you're not sure what product to make?

Darren says : I hope you can see some strength in this strategy. Rather than just thinking of a product idea, Shen suggests creating a product idea from the perspective of a potential customer.

Thinking about your problem in this way will not only help you come up with a product idea (it will likely help you come up with some viable ideas), but it will put you in a better position to write that product and move on. . Bringing it to market is a good thing because you better understand the questions the product is supposed to answer and what motivates people to buy.

Share and focus

It's time to align and focus.

Now you can take the red pen or finish delete button and start working from the top and delete all the products that are not possible or that you don't care about.

For example, as a blogger, you might not be interested in selling lawn mowers directly, so it doesn't make sense.

Once you have completed the above exercise, you will find that you will find many, if not most, solutions. That's fine, but don't delete it, put it in the pile some day/maybe because your situation has changed when you think of your next product.

Let's say you have three valid product ideas. All this is an informative product for this herbal little blogger.

1. Information and training on buying a lawn mower
2. Information on how to keep your lawn mower in top condition
3. Information on how to use a lawn mower effectively

Our next step is to explore the potential and feasibility of each of these products; We can do this in several ways.

What is the price

You have to decide (and put your best guesses at) how many people will want this product.

You don't sell it to everyone, but you use it to compare. We know that only people who want to buy a lawn mower can ask for purchase training, lawn mower owners and people who buy a lawn mower want to know how to maintain and use it.

So we know there is a bigger market for products 2 and 3.

How much money does it cost?

The balance is as follows. How much do people value you for solving problems for them (that is, how much are they willing to pay you)?

When you buy a lawn mower, you spend a lot of money, so readers may think it's worth more. Although using a lawn mower is easy enough.

Take the market size and multiply the cost and you have the total potential value of each of these products and put them in order.

Inquire now about our small cutting projects

1. Information about the use of the herb
2. Information and training on buying a lawn mower
3. Information on how to keep your lawn mower in top condition

Darren Says : Think you still need to mow your lawn? I am ready!

My first tip in this brainstorming section is to do this exercise first, because it's usually the hardest. Hopefully, by doing this now, you'll come up with several ideas that can improve your product development strategy for the next year or so.

When you go through this process for the first time, you will find that it actually becomes much easier and a natural part of your job.

When you get used to doing this analysis, you'll get a better idea of ​​what types of products work for your audience and what don't.

competitive analysis

Now that we know our lawn mower works, it's time to take a look at our competitors.

For our lawn mower example, let's look at existing products that teach people how to use lawn mowers.

Write down everything you can about these products' feature, layout, convenience, cost, size.

If there is no competition for the project, great! It's impossible, but you have a real chance.

If there is competition for one of your product ideas, start with your main product and detail why your product is unique.

Simply reply, " I will buy my product instead of the product because... "

One of three things will happen.

1. You cannot specify anything to differentiate your product. In this case you may need to continue.
2. They have a unique difference, but it's not entirely a difference. You can continue.
3. You will have a unique approach to this product that people will love.

We are about to decide on a product. We just need to define it more precisely now.

The remaining products in our lawn removal project are:

1. Information and training on buying a lawn mower

Size and Features

The last step is to determine the shape and characteristics of this product.

With information and training, you can.

• Digital (eBook, video series, mixed course, content)
• Physical (Book, Training Manual, DVD)
• Face to face (training program)

This category is difficult to define because it depends on what your readers like, what you can convey, and what might already be in the market.

As a result, many questions are answered with the word "whatever" and the answer will be different for each person reading this article.

Pros and Cons of eBooks, Videos, and Courses

I know many ProBlogger readers aren't sure which way to go from a digital data producer's perspective, so let me share my thoughts on that.

1. E-book

amenities.

• the cheapest
• hurry to market
• Ease of sending and formatting
• Not a huge technical burden
• Just sell yourself in the open market with leverage
• Easy to update
• Online or Offline

count

• limited price
• Some things are hard to put into words and pictures
• Not everyone is a reader
• It is very easy to share copyright and difficult to control

2. Video series or video

amenities

• Modern and highly visible (you can show it and tell it)
• Good for non-book
• Today's equipment makes manufacturing easy
• Much more personal experience
• Online or Offline

count

• Compliance costs and technical challenges
• Difficult to update maintenance content
• Not all reader technologies can handle it (yet).
• You need tools, software (and knowledge) to take it apart

Third session

amenities

• The best of both worlds - audio, photos and video if needed
• Two-way communication - Q&A forum, etc.
• The growing open market
• This seems to be the way of the future

count

• প্রাথমিক সেটআপের জন্য সবচেয়ে বড় সময় প্রয়োজন
• সম্মতি খরচ এবং প্রযুক্তিগত চ্যালেঞ্জ
• রক্ষণ
• সবাই প্রযুক্তি (এখনও) পরিচালনা করতে পারে না।
• এটিকে আল written
• অটোপাইলটে থাকা কঠিন (আপনাকে সব সময় জড়িত থাকতে হবে)।

আমি আবারও বলি যে এই বিষয়ে কোন সঠিক বা ভুল পছন্দ নেই। এটা আপনি স্বাচ্ছন্দ্য পছন্দ করা সম্পর্কে.

ড্যারেন বলেছেন : স্পষ্টতই, আমি গত কয়েক বছর ধরে বেশিরভাগ ই-বুকগুলিতে মনোনিবেশ করেছি। সেই সময়ে এটি কর কর জন্য আম ক একটি অংশ ছিল ছিল যে একটি ইবুক তৈরি কর আম আম জন্য সবচেয়ে সহজ ছিল ছিল, কিন্তু সেই সময়ে (প পাঁচ বছর আগে) আমি এট এটাও অনুভব করেছি যে সম্ভবত ার প ার ার প জন্য .

আমি পর দিচ্ছি যে আপন পণ্য তৈরি কর ার সময়, আপনি যতট চিবিয়ে নিতে প ত ন ন আপন পণ্যের বিক স ,

বাড়িতে নিয়ে যান:

এই পোস্টটি পড় একটি একটি উন্নয়ন প্রকল্পের জন্য বেশ তীব্র অনুভব করতে প প হয়ত কিছুট কিছুট অপ্রতিরোধ্য।

কিন্তু এই সহজ ধাপে এটি সংক্ষিপ্ত করে, আমি আশা করি এটির মত দেখাবে না।

1. পণ্য তৈরি করার জন্য আপনার নিজের উদ্দেশ্য নির্ধারণ করুন
2. আপন
3. সমস্যার সমাধান নির্ধারণ করুন
4. বাজারে আপনার অনন্য পার্থক্য সংজ্ঞায়িত করুন
5. বাজারের আকার এটিকে বিনিয়োগের যোগ্য করে তোলে কিনা তা খুঁজে বের করুন
6. আপনি আপনার পণ্য নিতে চান কি ফর্ম সিদ্ধান্ত

দেখুন, এটা এত কঠিন নয়!

উত্প কর :

???

যে পণ্যটি এটির প্রতিশ্রুতি দেয় তা সরবরাহ করে, সর্বাধিক বৈশিষ্ট্যযুক্ত পণ্য নয়।

আপন নিজের চ গুগল ইন্টারনেটে প্রথম সার্চ ইঞ্জিন নয়, তবে এটি সেরা।

আপনি যদি অর্থের চেয়ে বেশি বিশ্বাস করেন তবে এটি আপনাকে আরও এগিয়ে নিয়ে যাবে।

ত জন্য য ক

একটি পণ্য যা আপনাকে কীভাবে একটি পণ্য তৈরি করতে হয় ত তা শেখায়, যেটি অন্যকে কীভাবে একটি পণ্য তৈরি করতে হয় তা শেখায়... একটি পণ্য নয়।

সবসময় মনে করবেন ন একজন ব্লগ হিস াবে আপন একটি তথ্য পণ্য তৈরি করতে হবে। ই-বুক এবং কোর্স অর্ড কর চেয়ে পরিষেব এবং সরঞ্জ সময়ের স স মূল্যব হয়ে উঠতে প

আজকের জন্য এটাই! পরের সপ্তাহে আমরা কিছু জিনিস তৈরি করতে পারি।

এই নিবন্ধটি 13 অক্টোবর, 2022-এ আপডেট কর কর

পণ্য বিপণন এবং অর্থ ব্লগিং করার অন্যান্য উপায় সম্পর্কে আরও জানতে চান?

তারপর আমাদের ব্লগিং এর চারটি স্তম্ভ দেখুন: দ্য মেকিং মানি কোর্স।

পণ্য তৈরি করার পরে: আপনি কোন পণ্য তৈরি করবেন? ProBlogger এ প্রথম হাজির.