How Much Content Should I Giveaway On My Blog?
Monday, July 26th, 2010 at
4:18 am
I recently received an email from a reader with a great question, so I thought I would share it with you and get your opinion.
The question was “As a blogger, where do I draw the line of how much free content I should put on my blog versus creating and charging for a content packed e-book? Should that ebook be exclusive information that is not posted on my blog or should it be an edited and nicely formatted version of my best posts?”
What’s your opinion about this question?
Related posts:
- Four Ways To Create Blog Content
- 5 Ways to Generate Quality Blog Content
- How To Get More Reader Engagement
- Generate More Comments With This Simple Step
- 6 Blogging Mistakes To Avoid
Filed under: Blogging • Internet Marketing • Make Money Online
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
Hey Rick,
That is a good question. I think you should offer one really great product for free. I believe this really focus the reader on one marketing idea and avoids information overload.
Here let me give you an example Yaro Starak one of my favorite “Authority Bloggers” gives away a single eBook on the best way to market your blog. Yaro is one of the top IM bloggers in the world. His eBook leads to a coaching membership. So if you like the eBook you may what to invest in Yaro’s coaching program.
Here is a link to Yaro’s free eBook. http://internetmarketinghits.com/Blog-Profits-Blueprint That’s my take away.
Thanks for the question,
Steven
.-= Steven Keltsch´s last blog ..Cool Internet Marketing Techniques for Surviving the Recession =-.
[Reply]
Rick Reply:
July 27th, 2010 at 7:49 am
@Steven Keltsch,
I have read Yaro’s ebook and it is fantastic. Focusing on one marketing idea to avoid information overload is really great advice. Using that one marketing idea to funnel to a membership site is even better.
When I think back, even Alex Jeffreys used the method of a content filled ebook to get people to join his coaching program. It worked for me.
- Rick
[Reply]
Hey Rick,
I am beginning work on my first ebook now, and I see it this way. Both are interconnected & both can benefit from being linked to each other. So, if you decide on a specific topic for the ebook, put supporting posts on your site. Then point to the other from inside of each.
My two cents. Have a great day!
.-= mark´s last blog ..The 7links Challenge To Write A Sneeze Page =-.
[Reply]
Rick Reply:
July 27th, 2010 at 7:51 am
@mark,
I never really thought about linking to my posts from within my ebook. I only thought about linking to my ebook from within related posts.
Thanks for sharing!
- Rick
[Reply]
I sometimes wonder about this too and in my opinion, your blog is the “face” of your brand.
I think it’s important to give good information and stuff that can really help people, but you don’t have to give away the farm, because really, sometimes you do need to have a full course on a topic which is impossible to do on just ablog post!
Bailey
.-= Bailey Ing´s last blog ..The Key To Creating Killer Products That Sell Like Hot Cakes =-.
[Reply]
Rick Reply:
July 27th, 2010 at 7:55 am
@Bailey Ing,
That is so true. Sometimes it is hard to narrow down a blog post when you could talk about it for hours. This is similar to what Alex has done with his ebooks and coaching program. He gave us just enough information to really wet our appetite and then offered the paid coaching program.
Talk to you soon!
- Rick
[Reply]
I think that you should give away as much stuff as you can possibly handle, but never stop marketing your own products at the same time.
Some of the biggest, most successful bloggers on the planet are giving away thousands of dollars in free content every day, but they also understand how important it is to show that if the customer likes the free stuff, just think of how great the paid stuff will be.
If you give out wishy-washy free content, then people won’t think your paid content is worht much either.
-Joshua Black
The Underdog Millionaire
.-= Joshua Black | The Underdog Millionaire´s last blog ..Happy 1st Birthday Underdog Millionaire Blog-A Year in Re-Cap =-.
[Reply]
Rick Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 8:09 pm
@Joshua Black | The Underdog Millionaire,
You make a good point about the perception of the free content having the same relation as the paid content.
I totally agree and this is definitely the opinion that I have.
Thanks for sharing.
- Rick
[Reply]
Hey Rick,
I definitely think it would be a case of putting everything I learn and know on my blog especially things that I find work.
You can always do step by step video of what you are writing about as a product at a later time
Glyn
[Reply]
Rick Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
@Glyn Lafferty,
Interesting point. Making video content from written content and then selling the videos or maybe even having a membership site with the videos.
Thanks for sharing.
- Rick
[Reply]
The ebook I am currently working on is a combination of rewritten posts and new info.
The book is built around posts I had previously written, but I have rewritten and exapanded considerably on the content included in those posts.
I’m also trying to include real world examples and lots of good images, charts, etc to help illustrate the concepts visually.
The book gives the content a logical structure that is lacking in the original blog posts. The book gives readers an organized and expanded view that they would not otherwise get by just browsing my blog.
For me this works.
.-= Blog Angel a.k.a. Joella´s last blog ..Encourage Guest Blog Posts By Providing A Guest Posting Form =-.
[Reply]
Rick Reply:
July 31st, 2010 at 10:37 am
@Blog Angel a.k.a. Joella,
Thanks for sharing the idea of creating an ebook based upon the combination of rewritten post and some new content.
I look forward to the ebook.
Question: Are you selling the ebook or are you giving it away?
- Rick
[Reply]
Hey Rick,
My plan is to give away a lot of information for free, and sprinkle in a bit of “buzz” about the paid ebooks I intend to create.
Of course, even the ebooks could be for free with an upsell or one time offer from that sign up.
The backend is always the most profitable anyway.
Plus giving away information for free establishes you as an authority, and proves you know what your talking about and not just winging it.
I give away some of my tips, but certainly not all of them, so for ebook launches, I will give away one my best tips, then say, if you want more tips like this get the ebook here etc.
Ultimately the more info you give for away free on your blog, the more people will visit and the more they visit it the more they will get to know YOU and trust you.
Really cool post, I enjoyed reading it.
Sally
.-= Sally Neill´s last blog ..How To Create An Ebook Ecover In 5 Minutes =-.
[Reply]
Rick Reply:
July 31st, 2010 at 11:10 am
@Sally Neill,
Thanks for sharing.
I totally agree about building trust with people. And an easy way to do that is to provide free information that is valuable to them.
I still wonder if I continue to giveaway free ebooks or other free information will the people that sign-up for the free stuff ever consider making a purchase or will they always be tire kickers?
I guess there will always be people that look and never buy.
- Rick
[Reply]
Hi,
I had been at another blog and saw the question and came over to see how everyone answered it. I have been thinking about that myself. I can’t say I have a full answer, but it would seem that one general idea or topic you can give away in an ebook, but then more extensive “how-to-do” information can be paid. It can be difficult drawing a line, particularly if you are used to just being “helpful” to say, this I give, this other information I sell.
.-= Cheryl Jones´s last blog ..Thank you to my visitors =-.
[Reply]
Rick Reply:
August 15th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
@Cheryl Jones,
Thanks for coming over and sharing.
I have been trained in the mold of helping other people to build relationships. I do beleive this is important but at the same time I have a business to run and I need to make money.
I do agree that it is a fine line to follow.
- Rick
[Reply]
Hi Rick,
I am a student of Mark Terrell’s coaching and this is a great post with good info when I am writing for my blog I just keep going until my brain shuts down. I want to give the best content that I can.
I would like if you could stop by my blog and check it out
Thank You
Karen
[Reply]
In my opinion, one must not hold back any information. People read blogs because they find value meaning they find the posts really sufficient. There’s no way you’re going to achieve that by holding back information, then telling them to buy an ebook that would contain all the information they need. They will just associate the quality of your ebook with the quality of the posts they read. To sell the ebook with pretty much the same information, one can explain the info in a more in-depth fashion which includes illustration and the likes.
[Reply]