Why should you Create a Free eBook?

How disappointed would you be if no one opted in at your blog ever?

I did have another post in mind today, but today was one of those moments when I though to myself, that can wait. I want to write about this instead. I have mentioned over the last few weeks about opt-in’s and also blog design and this post is totally related.

During the planning phase of the ‘My Blog Sucks’ series I wanted to create a great experience for the visitor to my blog. By doing this I should be able to help more people find exactly what they are looking for, which should add to a greater blog experience.

This post is quite long, so I have added a little surprise at the end.

A simple way to increase your list, brand and reputation

Do you have your own free eBook?

Yes it’s as simple as that. Do you have a free eBook which you can leverage to gain subscribers, loyalty and reputation?

I know everyone wants to make money, create products, sell them for 100’s of dollars to the masses and make thousands of dollars in return. But it’s not all about making money. Reputation and trust must come first.

Every corner we seem to turn these days, every email list we sign up for, and just about every eBook downloaded will try to sell you something at some point or another. Do you buy from them? Or rather would you buy from them?

Look at it this way, how many door to door sales people do you buy from? How many people would you buy from in the street? The percentage is pretty low right?

By no fault of their own, these door to door guys and street sellers are missing one major factor when it comes to selling. Why would I want to buy from someone that I have never met, communicated with or had the time to get to know? It all boils down to trust, trust is a major influence in sales. If the person you are trying to sell to doesn’t trust you then your sales conversion is going to plummet. ‘Trust me’ I have been there.

Why creating a free eBook is great

I have created 4 personal free eBooks during my time of blogging and Internet Marketing. 2 of those eBooks are available here on this blog 1 has not been released yet and the other is obsolete. All of these free eBooks have allowed me to build subscribers, provide information for free and gain trust. So ask yourself why creating an eBook isn’t a good idea?

With a free eBook you can:

1. Increase subscriber loyalty
2. Increase your reputation
3. Build Trust
4. Build your brand
5. Show your expertise in your niche
6. Increase your opt-in
7. Earn an affiliate income (if that’s what you want from your eBook)

lazy

As humans we are a naturally lazy, if we can find a shortcut we generally do. If there is a way of having or doing something quicker we probably will. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it helps us to move forward faster and grow quicker. But is it the best practice?

When I created an opt-in course for this blog, I supplied everyone who took part in it 3 eBooks which they could brand and distribute from their own blog. This was a fast solution, a quick solution to the harder task of creating your own eBook.

The people who decide to use the free eBook benefited from some great, instant free information to supply their readers with. As well as the opt-in, they also have the opportunity to benefit from an affiliate commission to 3 alternative products.

At this point everyone is winning, the reader wins as they are grabbing some great free info, and the blog owner wins as they are getting the subscription and the possibility of an affiliate commission. I also win as I supply the info and it links back to me and my products.

Now ask yourself who gains the trust? The blog owner gains trust for giving away the info, but more so the person writing the free eBook and supplying the free info as they are perceived as being the expert. What’s your take on this?

The next time you are blog hopping or reading a new blog, take a look at the giveaway and where it is linking too. Is it the blog owner’s material or someone else’s? You will be surprised at how many people use other people’s material for opt-ins and affiliate commissions.

Let’s not be lazy

I would really really really (that’s 3) like to see you create your own eBook. Seriously, if you own your own blog you should create your own free eBook.

Creating your own eBook can provide you with so much in the long term and give so much to others. It really is rewarding on a personal level, as well as having the benefits I described earlier. Here they are again:

1. Increase subscriber loyalty
2. Increase your reputation
3. Build Trust
4. Build your brand
5. Show your expertise in your niche
6. Increase your opt-in
7. Earn an affiliate income (if that’s what you want from your eBook)

What can you create an eBook about?

This is probably one of the most asked questions when it comes to creating your own eBooks. And it really isn’t that hard.

If you already have your own blog then it really shouldn’t be a problem. You already have your passion! You just need to channel that passion into a larger eBook size post, or take an existing post and expand on it. You can even take a group of posts and create an eBook from repurposing these posts.

As long as you have your passion, you will have no problem creating an eBook. You have the knowledge, you blog about it on a regular basis, you just have to put it all together.

Writing without passion and knowledge

For me this is a hard task. I like to know my niche before I commit to writing a report. This is not to say that I haven’t done it, because I have. I used to write content for PLR monthly in the early days. It would take me like a week of research to get a 10k eBook, so be prepared to put the time in.

If you don’t have your own blog or your own passions then you have to research and research good. Take your time and immerse yourself in your chosen niche. Read it well and absorb all the content you can before you start to create your free product.

The last thing you need is to create content that doesn’t work or gets a bad rep. Do your home work so to speak and you shouldn’t have a problem.

Tools for the job

There is not a great deal of tools you need to create your own eBook. A simple word processor and PDF converter are the tools of the trade. You will also find that most word processors have these tools integrated into the control panels anyway.

To create a free eBook you will need:

1. Word processor – Microsoft Word or Open Office (free) are both ok. I use IA Writer for the Mac which is awesome. All of these have a PDF convertor integrated.
2. Aweber or similar email subscription service to collect opt-in subscriptions.
3. Graphics – eCover for your eBook. This will cost you somewhere in the region of $10 – $20 for graphics creation.

These tools are the basics of what you will need to create an eBook. You can add to the eBook by adding graphics and images inside the eBook from sites such as fotolia and iStock. There are also some free images from Microsoft, but please check the usage rights if you use them.

Well done you got this far (freebie)

I know this was a long post and I do hope I made an impression on how important it is to create your own eBook.

As a thank you for reading this post I want to give you access to the eBook Cycle and the full 10 video training series to help you create your own killer eBook.

Here is what you need to do to get access to the members area:

Step 1 – Click Here to gain access to the eBook Cycle (not yet)

Step 2 – Insert the JV code – wsodom to gain free access

Step 3 – Check the downloads section for full access

Step 4 – Share the hell out of this post

What are you waiting for?

If you don’t have your own free eBook giveaway, then why not get started today and create one? The benefits are awesome!

Have you created a free eBook? Do you feel it does well for your readers?

Have you ever wanted to create your own eBook, just don’t know how?

Let me know, I would love to hear what you think and how you are doing.

Related posts:

1. Creating Your First eBook
2. What is eBook to Book?
3. Creating Your First eBook Part 2
4. What can you do to get the most out of something free!
5. The Power of the Brandable eBook

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