How to choose the right topic for your paid product

This is the third article in the series of “monetize your blog with a premium product” articles. First I looked at why it is a good idea to sell a product on your blog, and I also explained why I went for an e-book format instead of the very popular membership site.

Today I will try to explain how I came about creating a product about how to promote your blog / product / service on Twitter.

Take a look inside

The product that you publish should be related to what you stand for and what you blog about. The best way of seeing if there is a demand for a specific topic is to look at what works best on your own blog.

What type of articles did get the most buzz, the most page views and comments? About what do people contact you with questions the most? This will give you an idea of what people like from your content, and what people see you as someone with authority and knowledge about.

How I decided to create a Twitter product

I wrote a series of Twitter marketing articles in December 2008 / January 2009. The articles got a lot of attention and are to this day the most popular series of articles on my blog. 5 of the top 10 most popular articles on my blog are from the Twitter series. Articles were enjoyed by more than 20,000 people, more than 200 people commented on them, and more than 200 people retweeted them on Twitter.

I compiled all the articles and published them as a free PDF report in late January 2009. More than 3500 people downloaded the PDF in the first week. A lot of people were shocked that I gave the Twitter marketing report away for free, even without collecting any email addresses.

Demand didn’t stop

In March 2009, I was asked to write a Twitter marketing article for Leo Babauta’s WriteToDone blog. This resulted in another successful article with more than 30 comments and more than 80 retweets.

With all my articles out there, the demand didn’t stop. I still received lots of questions and comments. People wanted my opinion on Twitter topics. That is how I knew that this topic could be made into a more-detailed, premium product.

Compared to the articles, my e-book features more specific help with the practical details. It is in a more in-depth format and features detailed information on how to create a successful Twitter account and how to get customers and traffic from Twitter. All in one place.

My Twitter marketing e-book sample

I hope my story inspires you and gives you more ideas on what you can do on your own blog. It doesn’t even need to be a paid product at first. You can do as I did, and release a free report to help spread the word about your blog.

My Twitter marketing e-book is coming out shortly and it will show you how to create a great and trustable Twitter account, how to build a following, become an authority in your field and use your Twitter account to grow your blog / site / business. Check out a 4-page sample of my Twitter viral marketing e-book here and keep an eye out for the book next week.

Image by Kyle May