How to ensure your ebook is not a flop

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An ebook is one of the best digital products to sell on a blog. But not all ebooks are successful. Want to make sure your ebook is not a flop? Here’s how…

I recently shared why I believe an ebook is one of the best digital products to sell on a blog – and in particular why it makes the perfect second rung of your product ladder.

But not all ebooks are successful.

Many people launch ebooks that flop.

So how do you ensure that yours doesn’t?

Here’s how…

How to ensure your ebook is not a flop

1. Do market research

Want to know the most important part of creating a successful ebook?

It’s not the quality of your writing…

It’s not the sales page…

It’s not picking the right price point…

It’s choosing the right topic!

You can do everything else right, but if you don’t pick the right topic, your ebook will flop.

On the other hand, if you pick the right topic, your audience will bite your hand off for it!

So how do you find out what your audience want? How do you find out what your audience need so badly they are willing to part with good money to get it?

Two words: market research

Look at your analytics, practice audience listening, ask your audience directly and do competitor research. This will tell you what your audience really need and are willing to pay for.

2. Solve ONE specific problem

One common mistake bloggers make when choosing an ebook topic is they try to create an ebook which is too broad – an ebook which attempts to answer all their readers’ problems in one go.

However, the most successful ebooks are those which solve just ONE specific problem.

So, for example, if you blog about parenting, don’t attempt to create an ebook which solves every parenting related problem… Attempt to solve just 1 main problem… like ‘how to get your baby into a good sleep routine’ or ‘how to get your toddler to eat more vegetables’.

As the saying goes, ‘the riches are in the niches’ and this is never more true than with ebooks!

3. Deliver a transformation

The real key to creating a successful ebook (or indeed any digital product) is not so much choosing a TOPIC your audience want to learn about as picking a RESULT your readers want so much they are willing to pay to get it.

So instead of just thinking in terms of picking a ‘topic’ for your ebook, think instead about picking a ‘transformation’ or a ‘result’.

Shattered new parents do not want an ebook on sleep, they want a baby who sleeps through the night!

Wannabe runners don’t want an ebook on running, they want to finish their first 5K race!

Novice bakers don’t want an ebook on decorating cakes, they want to be able to wow their friends and family with their amazing bakes!

It’s a subtle mindset shift, but an important one.

4. Be the next step

It’s really important that your ebook ‘follows on’ somehow from your lead magnet and nurture sequence…

Your ebook should be the ‘next step’ on your product ladder.

If your ebook is completely unrelated to your lead magnet and new subscriber nurture sequence, it’s much less likely to succeed, as you will have warmed your subscribers up for the wrong thing.

5. Launch properly

One of the biggest mistakes I see in the digital product world is not launching properly.

It is not enough to create your ebook, pop it on your blog somewhere, write one email to your subscribers about it and do a couple of social media posts.

A successful launch involves a lot more razmataz.

You need:

To build up your KNOW-LIKE-TRUST factor with your audience via value packed emails and blog posts, before you even think about launching
To ‘tease’ your ebook BEFORE the launch, so your audience is eagerly anticipating it
To create a high-converting sales page and attractive sales graphics
To send an email to your audience EVERY DAY during your launch
For your launch emails to be well written – persuasive but not overly ‘pushy’ or ‘salesy’
To support your emails with an effective social media strategy
A discount and a deadline – give people a strong reason to buy during your launch

Ready to create your first ebook?

If you’re excited about creating your own ebook, you’re going to love The 40 Day Ebook Challenge!

It will support you with all of the success criteria above and much, much more.

In this challenge, you will:

Research and select the most profitable ebook topic
Write, edit, and design your ebook
Choose the best platform for selling your ebook
Learn how to price your ebook for success
Launch your ebook PROPERLY and make those all-important first sales
Get tons of support every step of the way inside the DPSA Community!

Join the Digital Product Success Academy today and turn your ebook dream into a reality!

Not yet a member?

The 40 Day Ebook Challenge is available as part of the Digital Product Success Academy.

If you are not yet a member of the DPSA, I have some very good news…

Right now you can join as an Early Adopter for just $39 per month.

This is incredibly good value for everything you get. (Every challenge is worth at least $97 and the ebook challenge alone is worth $297!)

This price is grandfathered in, so it will never be more than $39 per month for you.

(I will increase the ‘new member’ price over time to reflect the increasing value of the membership, but once you’re in, your price remains the same… even if one day the DPSA is $99 per month for new members!)

A ROADMAP TO DIGITAL PRODUCT SUCCESS…

Building a successful digital product business requires a lot of moving parts: market research, email marketing, product creation, pricing strategy, building a product ladder, writing a high converting sales page, nurture sequences, sales sequences, evergreen sales funnels, tripwires, beta launches, flash sales, gathering testimonials, digital product specific SEO and more!

When you join the DPSA, you let me worry about all of the moving parts, and you just focus on following the next step on the roadmap, knowing I’ve got everything planned and happening at exactly the right time…

DPSA is for you, if you want to…

👉 Earn more from the traffic you already have: Digital product RPMs are considerably better than RPMs from ads, affiliates and sponsored posts.

👉 Stop worrying about whether you’ll be wiped out in the next Google algorithm update: Because you don’t need those crazy-high pageviews, selling digital products makes you A LOT less dependent on Google.

👉 Be ahead of the curve: If future Google updates are bad for bloggers, guess what every blogger will be doing to try and get back the income they have lost? Get ahead of the curve by starting NOW!

👉 Have a less precarious business: If you get the majority of your traffic from Google and the majority of your income from ads, you don’t need me to tell you that is a very precarious place to be… Diversifying into digital products reduces risk and increases income – so it’s a win-win!

👉 Have a lot of fun along the way: Join a community of like-minded bloggers and online business owners who are all working towards the same goal!

Want to know what it’s like on the inside?

If you’re wondering what it’s actually like inside the Digital Product Success Academy, you can check out what other DPSAers are saying about the DPSA experience here.

Here’s a sneak peek:

“What I love about DPSA is that it is a hands-on, guided, and methodical approach to creating information products. Each step builds upon the previous one, and each task is small enough so there is no overwhelm.

Information is provided in multiple formats, which reduces confusion and fosters focus. The community is refreshingly helpful and supportive”

Michelle Dear-Moncrief, Makers Corner Crafts

“As a food blogger who’s put off digital product marketing for a long time, I find Eb’s DPSA incredibly useful.

It feels like she’s done all the tedious planning for me—from starting out, to what’s needed, and how to reach my goals.

I also really enjoy the DPSA Facebook community. It’s a fantastic place to ask questions. Eb answers each one personally and provides valuable feedback and ideas. You can really tell she has a background in teaching.”

Zerrin Gunaydin, Give Recipe

“With the information provided so far I feel much more confident that I can build a successful digital product side to my business. The way Eb delivers the information is easy to understand and follow. There is so much support from Eb and the other members of the DPSA. I am loving it so far!”

Lauren Woodger, The Scatty Mum

“If you’re looking to launch your next digital product, Digital Product Success Academy is for you. It’s not just about the easy-to-follow challenges on marketing strategy, and how to launch your product the right way. It’s also about a community of like-minded people to bounce ideas off and get feedback and help from. And I love that you get direct feedback from Eb as well.”

Mariska Ramondino, My Chef’s Apron

If that sounds like something you’d love to be a part of, head here to find out more >>> Digital Product Success Academy

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