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• How to Get Reader Feedback that Helps Shape Your Next Product
  

  In our first article from the series Build Blog Products that Sell, Greg McFarlane makes an interesting point.

  “Don't be afraid to solicit feedback,” he says, “but on the other hand, don't cede the responsibility of initiative by asking your readers, ‘So, what would you like to see?’”

  I wanted to touch on this in a little more detail, because I know that for those just starting out on their first foray into building blog products, and possibly doing reader research, the distinction can be unclear.

  How Copyblogger did it

  A great example of someone who relied very heavily on his audience for direction in product development was Brian Clark of Copyblogger.

  When we interviewed Brian for our Blog Wise ebook, he explained that he’d started the blog with no clear idea of how he’d monetize it. But all along, he knew that if he grew a strong readership, they would tell him what they wanted.

  Did he ask them outright, “what do you want?” No. In our interview, Brian explains that through engaging with his readership over time, he got to know them, and what they were struggling with.

  “As time went, on I realised that what I needed as a publisher and a marketer online, was what they needed,” Brian told us. So he had those products developed, and built Copyblogger Media into the successful business it is today.

  Soliciting feedback

  In this way, the idea of “soliciting” feedback can be a more subtle one than many first-time product developers expect.

  Of course, many bloggers, having talked with their audiences and struggled with the same challenges, will come up with a product idea that they then float with the readership by asking directly for feedback. I’ve done this with my readers on Twitter, Google Plus, and Facebook, and it’s always interesting and valuable.

  But the point here is that you need a clear idea of what benefit or solution you’re “pitching” to your audience before you approach them. This is very important if you want the feedback to be at all representative of readers’ actual feelings or intentions with regards to your idea. We all know how easy it is to say, “Yes! I’d buy that” and then feel uninspired when we see the finished product itself.

  That’s why asking for direct feedback has limited value to most bloggers. The more time you can spend, as Brian did, getting to know your readers, walking around in their shoes, fighting their fights and finding good solutions, the more closely you’ll understand the challenges they may not even realize that they face.

  Once you have that deep understanding, you can devise a unique, valuable product solution that’s difficult to replicate—which is exactly what Brian’s done with his copywriting and blogging products.

  Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger
  

  How to Get Reader Feedback that Helps Shape Your Next Product

  
  
  

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• Build Blog Products That Sell 1: Match a Unique Idea to Your Audience
  

  This guest series is by Greg McFarlane of Control Your Cash.

  How do you get readers to part with their money, especially when said money is scarce?

  As the worldwide recession enters its umpteenth year, it's difficult for most merchants of any kind to make a sale. It’s particularly so if you're a blogger who wants to advance from engaging readers about your subject of interest to getting those readers to buy something. In an average-to-booming economy, it's easy to get people to part with their discretionary income, and not that much of a deal if they don't.

  But when belts are tightening across the globe, how do you get readers to buy from you?

  This post is the first in a series. Every Friday for the next six weeks, we'll systematically prescribe a foolproof way for you to create worthwhile, lasting products that your readers can actually use—and that they'll pay for the privilege of owning.

  If you're blogging regularly, and are the kind of blogger who reads ProBlogger, it's safe to assume that you're at least amenable to the idea of a digital storefront. Yes, maybe you consider your blog to be strictly a labor of love: something that serves solely to convey your thoughts about woodworking, or Pacific Island languages, for the sheer satisfaction of sharing such with your readers. If that describes you, great.

  Yet if you could monetize your blog—sell a product or service of your own creation—you'd at least think about whether any profit you'd make would be worth the effort, right?

  We all want a bigger audience. Even J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer would gladly accept more readers. But how can we turn regular readers into paying customers? Having half a million unique visitors means a lot more if even 1% stop to buy what you're selling. Of course, that implies you're selling something in the first place.

  But what should you sell? Where do we begin?

  You need an idea

  It all starts with an idea. Really, it does. That's not just an empty axiom.

  (Apologies in advance. The next couple of paragraphs might read like an end-of-chapter exercise from a self-help book. That's not the intention. Take them literally and don't read between the lines.)

  Answer the following questions, one series at a time. Explanations to follow:

  1. What do I have to offer?

  • How am I different?
  • What makes me unique?
  • What can I offer to readers/customers that'd be hard for someone else to duplicate or automate?

  Obviously you can only answer these questions for yourself, but I'll walk you through it with my own set of answers.

  My blog, Control Your Cash, is one of a few dozen personal finance advice blogs in existence. But "personal finance" is a wide umbrella. Most of my competitors can be placed into one of several subcategories. Some blogs focus on listing inventive ways to save money; others talk about personal finance exclusively from a Christian perspective; still others do nothing but spend every post comparing different credit cards.

  Then there's mine, which is probably most distinguished by a tone that readers have described as everything from "uncompromising" to "snarky". Also, Control Your Cash explains complex and arcane personal finance topics in something of a readable and not altogether unfunny style, a skill that took a few years to develop.

  That isn't bragging. That's determining what makes my site different, and what makes its author's offerings of potential interest to a customer.

  Understanding difference

  My blog's central feature is its thrice-weekly posts, there for the reading and delivered free to whomever subscribes to the site's RSS feed. I also sell a full-length book on the fundamentals of personal finance for people who know that they know nothing about money, and a series of inexpensive ebooks, each of which deals with a particular topic. (How to read financial statements, how to buy a house, etc.)

  The wonderful thing about taking the steps to create products is that few of my competitors, and presumably few of yours, are going to bother. The discipline required to write something 6000 words long, let alone 75,000 words long, intimidates most bloggers. The majority would rather just throw a bunch of unconnected thoughts on the page, run spellcheck (or not), then publish.

  One of the elite bloggers in my field of interest is Mike Piper of Oblivious Investor. Even though we both write about personal finance, I hesitate to call him a "rival" because there's little overlap in what we do. Mike's tagline describes his site succinctly: "simple, low-maintenance investing." To that end, he's written a series of books—one on income taxes, one on accounting basics, and so on. As a certified public accountant, but one who can write captivatingly and with minimal jargon, Mike knew he could own that niche with little fear of serious competition.

  You answered the questions, right? The ones at the start of the section?

  If it took you more than a few seconds to answer them, stop. If you can't effortlessly determine what makes your blog and your perspective unique, you can't very well expect your readers to do it. Remember that they aren't in the market for a faceless product that had dozens if not hundreds of hands in its creation, like a car or a jacket.

  For better or worse, they're buying you and whatever it is you're identified with.

  Accepting an ugly truth

  If you answered the questions and came away with the conclusion that your blog just isn't that distinctive, save yourself hours of frustration now by acknowledging that. It'll be far better than creating a suite of products that hardly anyone will buy.

  There's no shame in coming to this realization at the outset. If anything, it gives you a chance to start afresh and establish your point of differentiation before you embark on anything else.

  You don't necessarily need a dedicated following to sell products—many of the people who buy my ebooks do so on their first visit to my site. (Which makes sense. What would compel an 89-time visitor to finally break down and buy something on his 90th visit?)

  Now that you've determined what makes you different, consider your audience.

  2. How can I build a following?

  The speed with which people blog and get feedback makes it easy to confuse traditional roles in commerce. Just because someone leaves an insightful comment on your site doesn't make him your confidant.

  Keep it professional. Many bloggers forget that their customers, their advisors, their test marketers, and their collaborators should not all be the same people.

  All too often, I'll see bloggers make this dangerous transition when conversing with their readers. Don't be afraid to solicit feedback, but on the other hand, don't cede the responsibility of initiative by asking your readers, "So, what would you like to see?" That's the equivalent of the chef coming out of the kitchen, wooden spoon in hand, going up to the couple awaiting dinner and saying, "Here, taste this. Tell me what you think."

  The above "strategy", or non-strategy, is pervasive among bloggers, yet bears little fruit. Name a successful company—any company. Nike, for instance. Their research and development is a little more sophisticated than asking potential customers, "Would you like to see a running shoe with a waffle sole?" Or "How about workout gear that wicks away moisture?"

  Sell yourself

  If you're going to sell via your site, you have to be bold. It starts with you, not your customers. Say "I've got a sales method that will revolutionize the industry. Here it is in four easy lessons." Or "Sick of not knowing how to work on your car? Stop putting yourself at the mercy of repair shops. Download my series of instructional videos instead."

  Personalize it. Add value. Sell yourself. Take the examples from the preceding paragraph. Theoretically anyone could offer them. What makes your methods different? Is it your style and demeanor? Have you done research that no one else has done before? Are you creating a service or product that people don't even know that they require, but won't be able to live without once you're done with them?

  Ultimately, you want to understand what your readers want and need. But how urgently do they need it? When money is hard to come by, will they pay to have their pain assuaged? (People are much more interested in reducing pain than in embracing pleasure.) How can you improve their lives, and/or make their businesses more profitable?

  Know your audience, and get inside their heads—specifically, the product-buying part of their heads. Read the comments they leave. Gauge their interest in and commitment to your blog. Only then can you create and sell content that resonates with and delights your readers, while staying true to your unique voice.

  Key points

  • It all starts with you. Work out what’s unique about you and your blog.
  • Don’t be afraid to start again if your point of difference isn’t easy to define.
  • To build a paying clientele, offer something to your readers to gauge their interest.
  • Build yourself—your unique point of difference—into what you offer.
  • Use these offerings, and your blog as a whole, to get inside your readers heads, and understand how you can uniquely meet their needs.

  Next time out, we'll discuss how to research your competitors, and how to stand out from among them when readers are counting every penny. But later today, Darren will be sharing his secrets for securing reader feedback that can help you develop your next product. Don’t miss it!

  Greg McFarlane is an advertising copywriter who lives in Las Vegas. He recently wrote Control Your Cash: Making Money Make Sense, a financial primer for people in their 20s and 30s who know nothing about money. You can buy the book here (physical) or here (Kindle) and reach Greg at greg@ControlYourCash.com.

  Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger
  

  Build Blog Products That Sell 1: Match a Unique Idea to Your Audience

  
  
  

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• How to Pitch Your Dream Company for a Win/Win/Win Blogging Collaboration [Case Study]
  

  Recently at a parenting blogger conference here Melbourne, I was listening to a panel discussion on business models when Aussie blogger—Laney from Crash Test Mummy—made a statement that connected strongly with my own recent experience.

  I’m paraphrasing here, but Laney talked about how as bloggers we’re often on the receiving end of bad PR pitches from companies, and that we should learn from those bad pitches to make good ones ourselves.

  This struck a chord with me because over the last year, I’ve decided to do just that.

  It struck me that I was on the receiving end of a lot of bad pitches from companies and agencies. The pitches were often bad for a number of reasons:

  • The company was pitching a product that was irrelevant to the topic of my blog.
  • The company was pitching for the wrong geographic location (I get a lot of pitches from Aussie companies who don’t realize most of my audience is international).
  • The pitch was impersonal and non-relational.
  • The pitch wasn’t a win/win/win pitch. By this I mean that many times the pitch is only really of benefit to the company—there’s no win for me as a blogger or for my readers.

  The list could go on. Not a day goes by when I don’t get at least two or three bad pitches (sometimes it’s closer to ten).

  It is a frustrating process. I’ve worked hard to build my audience and I know there are companies out there that I could serve well as partners, but they never seemed to come knocking.

  I decided to take matters into my own hands

  As I wrote earlier in the week, a couple of years back I wrote a list of companies, organisations, and products that it was my dream to work with. They were things I not only used and loved—they were companies that I believed I could serve well, based upon my knowledge of my own audience.

  Some examples:

  • Apple: I use Apple products 24/7. My audience (of bloggers and photographers) also are computer users. It’s a match made in heaven (in my humble opinion).
  • Qantas/Virgin Australia: I’ve flown with both companies regularly and appreciate the services of both. Both are looking to expand their reach and the audience on my blogs is very international.
  • Canon/Nikon etc.: My biggest audience is around photography. I’ve used Canon gear for many years and have a real admiration for Nikon (as well as other companies like Leica, Sony, etc.). As a result, all of these manufacturers made my dream list.
  • Aussie Tourism Organisations: This one has been on my mind a lot. I obviously live in Australia, I love living here (and travelling around the country), and my audience always asks me questions about Australia—many have expressed a desire to visit. It seems to me like a no-brainer of a partnership and I added numerous Aussie tourism operators to my list.

  The list was longer, but you get the picture. I identified 20 or so companies that I thought were a match in terms of my genuine love or admiration for them, but also in terms of my audience needs and what I saw as each company’s needs.

  With that list in hand, I began to pitch

  At this point, I’ve pitched most of the companies listed above—and numerous others. The experience has been fascinating and so far there have been a few expressions of interest (nibbles), a couple of “no” responses, a few more silences, and one bite.

  The bite was from Tourism Queensland, and the result is the current competition we’re running with them to fly 10 bloggers in from around the world to experience the Great Barrier Reef first hand.

  The idea gathered steam as a tweet I sent out in an airport last year, but I had Aussie tourism organizations on my list long before that tweet. So when I got responses from such organisations inviting me to talk to them, I was ready to move with an idea that I’d been pondering.

  WIth the invitation to pitch them I put together a short PDF document titled, ProBlogger: Tour Down Under. Here’s the front cover.

  

  The following page briefly outlined the idea.

  I followed it up with some details of my own audience at the time (although this information is now quite dated):

  

  The last page was an invitation to continue the discussion, along with my contact details. I sent the PDF out with a cover email that had a little more information, including a few variations on the idea.

  The PDF was just three pages long: short, sharp and to the point. It outlined how the I thought the organizations I was pitching would benefit from the project, and made it clear I was open to evolving the idea to further meet their needs.

  I actually ended up sending a variation of this PDF to a few organizations that had expressed interest. In the end, two of them came back to me to continue the conversation. The conversation with Tourism Queensland continued (they’ve been amazing to deal with) and the idea gathered steam until it became a reality last week.

  Become a pitching blogger

  This whole experience has been an eye-opening one for me. Rather than waiting for the perfect company to come along to work with, I decided to put myself in a position to identify and pursue that relationship myself. In doing so I was able to devise a pitch that was a win for that organization, a win for me as a blogger, and a win for my readers.

  I was able to pitch something relevant to all parties, and that idea has a much better chance of working for my audience than most of what companies come to me with. While my hit rate is low from the companies I’ve pitched (so far), this experience has given me enough hope that I will no doubt be continuing the approach.

  Take-home lessons

  • Identify who you’d love to work with. Make a list of companies that you use and recommend, and that are relevant to your readers and topic.
  • Identify those companies’ needs and how you can help them in those areas.
  • Reach out—you might not start with a “pitch” at first. Be relational, and learn from all those bad pitches you receive yourself.
  • Don’t be timid. You know your audience best. Be creative and bold.

  I’d love to hear your own stories about reaching out for dream collaborations. Please let us know your stories and ideas in the comments below.

  P.S.: Don’t forget to enter our Great Barrier Reef Competition—there’s not long now till the cutoff for submissions!

  Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger
  

  How to Pitch Your Dream Company for a Win/Win/Win Blogging Collaboration [Case Study]

  
  
  

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