Here's Why You Can't Sell Your Stupid E-Book.

[Scott Murdaugh]

No one buys "e-books".

People buy information. They buy solutions.

They buy complete courses, niche specific reports with "insider secrets"...

They buy ways to make more money, or to improve their way of life. They buy solutions to problems...

They buy "systems" and "treatments" and "programs". But they don't buy e-books.

Why?

Because "e-books" are perceived to be of little to no value. They're junk content that sits on your hard drive... Usually less valuable than free information found on Wikipedia or forums.

I'm not just talking about internet marketing.

My mom would never buy a "scammy e-book" but she'll spend money all day long on courses that teach her how to make more money as a wholesale print distributor.

When I was joining the military (2003) I wouldn't have bought an "e-book" on basic training but I would have definitely invested in a "How To Survive BMT" course written by a former Drill Instructor.

The term "e-book" KILLS credibility and value. They're officially dead. (I'm not just talking ****, I have data to back this up.)

Want to sell your product? Don't mention the word "e-book" anywhere on the sales page.

Focus on selling a solution...

A "comprehensive course that teaches you the inside secrets to xyz"...

"Your step by step guide to mastering..."

"Don't even think about x... Until you discover this shockingly simple solution to y, on page 53 of this training manual"...

In conclusion, if you want to sell an "e-book", don't focus on selling an e-book.

Sell the solution to your customers problems... And offer them something they want to buy.

Hint: Nobody wants to buy an "e-book". And I'm telling you right now that if the word "e-book" is on your sales page, it's hurting your conversions.

If you currently have the word "e-book" on your sales page, and you change the terminology to "comprehensive training course" or something of that nature, and it doesn't improve the conversion rate, PLEASE PM me because I'd be curious as hell about your results.

A HUGE point to remember in marketing is positioning your product... And you have a choice.

You can position it as another crappy "e-book" thrown together by a nobody or you can position it as an all inclusive "training course" written by an authority on the subject that takes your prospect by the hand and solves all of their problems.

The bottom line is to stop selling "e-books" and start selling solutions.

This is probably common sense to a lot of you but I see enough sales pages pitching "e-books" on a daily basis to warrant the post.

Any thoughts on the subject?

Thanks for reading,

-Scott

[Daniel Scott]

Fantastic post Scott.

Most people know I had a product that was converting quite poorly.

I changed the positioning (Vin's idea), similar to what you mentioned above, and added a little bit about who I was. In essence, I changed the positioning.

I only re-wrote the intro to that letter (maybe the first quarter, up to the bullet points). I also took out any references to an "ebook" and replaced it with "proven system" or whatever...

Guess what? CR shot up to 2% straight away.

Now this letter still needs a LOT of work... which I haven't gotten around to doing yet, because I have client stuff to do... but I imagine when all is said and done I should be getting a respectable 3% or so.

Still, going from "craptacular" to "acceptable" just by changing the positioning is pretty cool.

Just wanted to share some results that would back up your findings.

-Dan

[MaskedMarketer]

Originally Posted by senve

you can name them anyway you want, but it is still an e-book !

In reality, this may be true, but since sales is based very much on emotions, the name you choose, the positioning in the mind of the consumer, and the way the offer is framed, plays a huge role in conversions. Your logic may be right, but sales isn't an all logical decision!

Its true that e-book does "devalue" the "information" your selling. In fact, selling information is also devaluing what you have to offer. Information can be had free. Its a specific system that people pay top dollar for. Its the magic pill.


great post scott.

[Thomas]

It seems like a moot point. If you grabbed 10,000 people off the streets, it's likely that 9,999 of them will have never even heard the term "e-book" before.

Unless you're selling to people who already know what an e-book is, then it's far more likely people won't buy because they'll be too busy wondering what the hell an e-book is, rather than saying, "Oh, an e-book! I don't like those!"

Originally Posted by scottspfd82

I'm not just talking ****, I have data to back this up.

Can we see it?

Tommy.

[Scott Murdaugh]

Originally Posted by Thomas

Can we see it?

Tommy.

No.

Every time I've rewritten a sales letter for a client, and changed the product positioning from "ebook" to something of more value, it's helped conversions.

You'll just have to take my word for it... If you don't believe me that's fine.

And the point you made earlier "Take 10,000 people and 9,999 won't know what an e-book is" (I'd love to see some data on that statistic) just backs me up.

So let's say I'm a loan officer. Let's say you're right, I've never heard of an "e-book".

So I'm surfing the internet looking for ways to generate more leads... I come across a sales letter that speaks right at me...

Let's say this guy was testing two lines in his close...

"Download my e-book today and discover how to generate more leads than you can handle.."

So, I don't know what an e-book is... I'll just assume it's another one of those "internet scams" and probably pass.

Same line in the close, except e-book is taken out...

"Download the Loan Officer Lead Gen Explosion Learning Suite today and discover how to generate more leads than you can handle.."

You can say learning suite, masters course, training program... Whatever, and I'd bet money it'll out pull "e-book" every time on every product.

If I don't know what an e-book is, it's certainly not credible or valuable to me... I know what a "course" is, and hey, I need a course on making more money as a loan officer.

I wouldn't say it's a moot point. Product positioning isn't a moot point.

Let's say it's a minor detail... Minor details matter. Minor details make money.

-Scott

[CDarklock]

Originally Posted by scottspfd82

No.

Then you don't have data. You have experience. That's rather an important distinction.

[Scott Murdaugh]

I do have data. It's just not available for public viewing.

Can I see the conversion data for your niches and websites?

Do you think my clients would appreciate me sharing theirs?

I didn't start this thread to start an argument. I actually made the post after a friend and I had a conversation about what I do for a living.

He said "So, you sell those e-books and stuff?"... In sort of a condescending tone. Because the word "e-book" makes him think scam, and it does the same for a lot of people.

I explained that I write copy for all kinds of products, training courses, membership sites, whatever.

It made me think about product positioning, and I made a quick post on the forum...

So... If you don't think it impacts conversions, or that I've said anything that isn't true, feel free to prove me wrong.

I'm not trying to start a pissing match with people here... I'm making a pretty obvious statement.

That a big reason why a lot of people have trouble selling digital information is because they don't position the product the right way.

Peace,

-Scott

[CDarklock]

Originally Posted by scottspfd82

I do have data. It's just not available for public viewing.

Then don't advertise it.

How hard is that?

[Scott Murdaugh]

Fair enough.

[Star Riley]

I'll have to test that since I'm in the middle of a project I will split test and hopefully remember to come back and share =:-)

[Jackbgd]

Great post, thank you very much!

[bilt]

i think people are trying to make money selling the ebook rather than working their own method thats so stupid and others think that they are actually trying to help them but i might be wrong

[John_S]

People buy information. They buy solutions.

They buy complete courses, niche specific reports with "insider secrets"...

e-books became worthless because of their content. Not the word used to describe them.

The people spitting out ebooks really never stop to consider what information is, or how to turn data into information.

That is what's stupid about eBooks.

On the old forum was an interesting thread titled "I Don't Have Time For Your Bloated Product." Essentially the course was on many DVDs ...an instant turn-off to the person trying to find anything.

If you can't find what you're looking for, it's not information, it's a paperweight.

Learn from search engines. The killer app of search is FIND. Explain how you made any particular item easy to find and apply. That's the first of many, many items missing from information marketing.

You've got the marketing down. Time to learn information design.

[mixelplik]

Wow, I know this particular thread is a little dusty but I'm still going to through in my two bits worth. I agree "ebook" is a deal breaker. I'm starting to wonder about the words "course" and "guide" too. I think as we all frantically run from one term to another in droves that we create this effect. I think people are always a little dubious of information that they buy online, let's face it, we compete with porn, male enhancement products, and itunes. I wonder why the previously mentioned products all seem to enjoy a better standing than online information products?

[scartego]

I think we may be going a bit overboard with the negativity towards ebooks. There are some ebooks still out there that provide great information on its subject. I'm not just talking about pages and pages of words here. I'm talking about pages and pages of useful information which can be applied to one's problems. Information products are great! I do agree that some people just slap together what they think is information and call it an ebook, which therefore gives the real information providers a bad name. But overall, there's nothing wrong with ebooks. They are top sellers.

[AnneE]

Thanks, I will add making this change on my sales page and let you know.

Stupid-ebook-author-no-more
Anne

[icering87]

does anybody here actually read ebooks? I don't think I've ever really read an ebook. I'll read real books transformed but I don't think I've ever read an ebook that started as an ebook.

[Matt Jutras]

I always print them out and read them.

I have several VERY expensive copywriting courses...including one that shouldn't be available to anyone on earth, let alone me... that started out in PDF format, and ended up being printed out on 24# superbrite paper and shoved into heavy duty 3 ring binders.

[Jon Steel]

Very true...it's all about how your frame your offer and its benefits...

js

[Realdeals228]

I personally read tons of ebooks. Not alot of them are good but the few that are good are worth all the bads ones inbetween. This post reminds me of the old saying, "Sell Benefits not features". Thank you for the advice

[Loren Woirhaye]

.
.
..
Maybe it's just because my ebook is Stupid.
.
.

[Amfire]

Not reading E-book related to MMO has improved my productivity a lot

They are biggest time killer.

Originally Posted by Realdeals228

I personally read tons of ebooks. Not alot of them are good but the few that are good are worth all the bads ones inbetween. This post reminds me of the old saying, "Sell Benefits not features". Thank you for the advice

[Realdeals228]

Originally Posted by Amfire

Not reading E-book related to MMO has improved my productivity a lot

They are biggest time killer.

I find that most of them are short and it becomes pretty obvious which ones are useless quickly.

[CDarklock]

Originally Posted by Loren Woirhaye

.
Maybe it's just because my ebook is Stupid.

I have been thinking that ever since the start of this thread.

Any idiot can make an ebook, and sometimes any idiot does.

[Treborrevo]

Scott's insights go far beyond "ebooks". He is dead on about packaging and positioning. In fact, packaging and positioning often ARE the Product.

Take a fellow I worked with. He took the info out of a real book. One you could find used all day long for $5 bucks. He repackaged the information into a seminar, added some high value perceived bonuses. He then took the info out of the copywriting/direct marketing world into general business marketing world.

And he slapped a $5000 price tag on it.

Then he had leading guru's endorse it.

He made $3 million in a weekend.

It get's better...

Some 'friends' of his took the same information and re-packaged it again into the accounting niche. They positioned it as a way for accountants to escape hourly fees and get into the business strategy arena. They created a chunk of software to help with the information and packaged the whole deal for $10,000.

They secured an endorsement from the leading CPA association in California.

400 CPA's fought to get in.

We took a piece of software in the mortgage industry that helped analyze one loan against another based on true life-time cost. It was selling for $295. We repositioned it as a tool to get referrals from CPA's and Financial planners and raised the price to $895 - and sold more.

Scott didn't just give a nice idea for increasing a few sales. He gave an insight for re-visioning your business.

[sethczerepak]

People don't buy information just as they don't buy products or services, they buy solutions to problems.

[Cybria]

I think it also helps to think of your product as a course/suite/package etc. when creating it instead of an ebook...that mindset works both ways. It makes me want to put more effort into my product to make it worthwhile.

[betanet]

wow--great advice. I was actually looking to write an ebook next week, but youve definitely got me thinking about making a vid series or at the very least renaming it to a "comprehensive course" =)

[aaallday2010]

Really good stuff here, but you should always make it known somewhere on the page (preferably by the ADD TO CART button) that the "book" is a digital download. In the past before I did this, I used to receive refund requests because the customer thought the "book" would be physically shipped to them.

[The Lighthouse]

Woohhh! Got my brain really thinking a lot after reading the posts here. My own conclusion about what I read: Scott, thank you for sharing this post. For all those who have replied, thank you as well. Everyone has got his/her idea worth reading and learning from. As for me, the words we use to market a product does matter, and where we sell it matters as much! And I hope that in the future, e book writers will just sell those that are really worth one's time. (like what the authors from the old age write)

[Centurian]

Absolutely correct!

Even the word ebook makes you cringe.

Find out the problems in your market or niche.

Sell solutions and systems.

Build your own empire.

That's how business is done and bank accounts are filled.

End of story.

[MsQue]

Thank you for this! I was wondering why I couldn't sell my "ebook"

[Calskinator]

So true... and it pains me that some of my clients believe they will make a fortune reselling all these ebooks they have the rights to resell. I never buy ebooks. I buy guides and information and I create and sell systems and strategies... and never call them ebooks. The name itself is a turnoff.

I give my best information away for free most of the time... and I still never call it an ebook...

[MDz]

Originally Posted by Scott Murdaugh

No one buys "e-books".

People buy information. They buy solutions.

They buy complete courses, niche specific reports with "insider secrets"...

They buy ways to make more money, or to improve their way of life. They buy solutions to problems...

They buy "systems" and "treatments" and "programs". But they don't buy e-books.

Why?

Because "e-books" are perceived to be of little to no value. They're junk content that sits on your hard drive... Usually less valuable than free information found on Wikipedia or forums.

I'm not just talking about internet marketing.

My mom would never buy a "scammy e-book" but she'll spend money all day long on courses that teach her how to make more money as a wholesale print distributor.

When I was joining the military (2003) I wouldn't have bought an "e-book" on basic training but I would have definitely invested in a "How To Survive BMT" course written by a former Drill Instructor.

The term "e-book" KILLS credibility and value. They're officially dead. (I'm not just talking ****, I have data to back this up.)

Want to sell your product? Don't mention the word "e-book" anywhere on the sales page.

Focus on selling a solution...

A "comprehensive course that teaches you the inside secrets to xyz"...

"Your step by step guide to mastering..."

"Don't even think about x... Until you discover this shockingly simple solution to y, on page 53 of this training manual"...

In conclusion, if you want to sell an "e-book", don't focus on selling an e-book.

Sell the solution to your customers problems... And offer them something they want to buy.

Hint: Nobody wants to buy an "e-book". And I'm telling you right now that if the word "e-book" is on your sales page, it's hurting your conversions.

If you currently have the word "e-book" on your sales page, and you change the terminology to "comprehensive training course" or something of that nature, and it doesn't improve the conversion rate, PLEASE PM me because I'd be curious as hell about your results.

A HUGE point to remember in marketing is positioning your product... And you have a choice.

You can position it as another crappy "e-book" thrown together by a nobody or you can position it as an all inclusive "training course" written by an authority on the subject that takes your prospect by the hand and solves all of their problems.

The bottom line is to stop selling "e-books" and start selling solutions.

This is probably common sense to a lot of you but I see enough sales pages pitching "e-books" on a daily basis to warrant the post.

Any thoughts on the subject?

Thanks for reading,

-Scott

I've had some experience with e-books. Once, when I was a lot younger and really naive. I purchased it and regretted the purchase soon after I started reading the e-book. These days, I get e-books as free giveaways when I subscribe to someone's list. My opinion still hasn't changed on e-books; most of the time they contain superficial information that you either already know or hints of information that you need to further research to really understand. There are probably some e-books out there that are worth your money, but the bad apples have really spoilt the reputation of e-books. So, take one if it's a free giveaway but don't waste your money on them.

[John_S]

My opinion still hasn't changed on e-books; most of the time they contain superficial information that you either already know or hints of information that you need to further research to really understand. There are probably some e-books out there that are worth your money, but the bad apples have really spoilt the reputation of e-books. So, take one if it's a free giveaway but don't waste your money on them.

I think the answer is telegraphed by the term stupid e-book.

The page I linked isn't funny because it is so unlike every single stupid e-book out there, ever.

Want to sell? Try to concentrate on the book part, not so much the "e.' You could say as much for the company newsletter. Those newsletters have just as much a reputation for worthlessness, a thinly veiled excuse to get grubby corporate fingers onto your email address for spam.

... and no other reason.

Doesn't have to be that way. But selling your e-book by doing the same thing over-and-over, expecting different results does not work. Stop making the e-book stupid for starters.

Far too many are using Buy My Stupid E-book as a template. Stop doing that.

Want an e-book which is NOT stupid? Try Getting Real by 37signals. Essentially it's about the company's value proposition and philosophy, in other words a disguised sales letter potential customers pay money for. But it's not stupid -- about customers.

And it's a book. Just a book. ...selling 30,000 copies @ $19 = $570,000

Here is the reason why you can't sell your stupid e-book.

[CoffeeWithRyan]

Maybe the word e-book just makes people think of....

27 pages.
Laser-speed reading.
Not worth printing.
10 second read.
8 kilobytes.
Unknown writer.


...

No value.

I could get a book out there that is five times the spine-height of a typical ebook, and receive 100x the amount of information.

Same price.

There's another way you can sell your ebook, just as John S suggested.

Make it a real book.
Send it for print.
Send it on sale in bookstores.
Offer a Kindle version.
Exploit Amazon's huge market share on digital books, and see the potential difference.
Offer it on iphones, blackberries, mobile devices. ePub, pdfs, docs, powerpoints, scribd.com

Technically, it might not be a blockbuster bestseller. But if it's good enough to be printed for sale, there's a good chance your ebook would sell at a higher rate.

Oh, and grab your readers into a social media funnel, a snail mail list, an email list with free gifts and offers at the back of the book. Craft the whole book into a huge-value sales letter.

There you go.

Seth Godin's a genius.

Good Luck,

-Ryan.

[John_S]

Seth Godin = Purple Cow = USP.

Yes. Genius. Seth gets it how nothing exists, unless the online crowd invents it. The is no movie industry, just YouTube. No infomercials, just online sales letters.

No unique selling propositions. Just purple cows.

Ironic.

[staffelseo]

He gave an insight for re-visioning your business.

I certainly agree with him, selling an e-book is very much convenient to people, the more important thing in here is the content of the book itself, the benefits and how it can help in our daily needs. Packaging is another aspect for selling. The more "eye-catching" was the cover plus the title the more it will attract people to use it or purchase it.

[Azarna]

Well, I for one buy lots of e-books!

But then again I buy mainly Kindle books, by reputable publishers or from professional looking authors. Proper books, just in electionic form.

I do NOT buy 20 page reports that claim they are ebooks.
Or 'e-books' that are just stuff harvested from Wikipedia
Or 'e-books' that are out of date public domain stuff, claiming it is not
Or any e-book that is over $5 and doesn't have a printed version available too
Or any e-book which I can't see a sample for (I can get a sample on Kindle books, so do)
Or any e-book which has clearly not been proofread (after seeing the sample)
Or any e-book that is for sale on a website that is one very long advert, full of odd 'quotes' and testimonials from people called 'Jack from Texas' and piles of 'Bonuses' thrown in, and the same old 'I wrote this book after being unable to find anything to solve this problem....'

I buy REAL books, whether they are printed or electronic. And will continue to do so, thank you.

[MikeyDreamboat]

This topic made me look through google news for the highest selling e-books, and I got sidetracked by an article on e-book plagiarism. One guy wrote "The Adventures Of Dracula" which sold ok, and was a word for word ripoff of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

The Warrior forum also got a shout out in the article as well.

"You can get on some forums, one is called WarriorForum, where they discuss all sorts of marketing things," Penenberg says. "How to make money on the Internet is the idea behind it. The guy that I heard was pirating [...] got onto these forums where they sell you a collection, a zip file full of stories that have been ripped off the Internet and repackaged."

Penenberg says there are a growing number of authors who have published 30 to 50 books under different pen names. Though Amazon eventually shuts them down, deciding on what qualifies as copyrighted material makes the issue complicated. Penenberg likened this type of publication to spamming.

"All you got to do is steal some content ... and if there's shame attached to erotica that makes it even easier because people are less likely to report it," Penenberg says. "So you just post it once, Amazon doesn't see it for a while and you get four or five months of royalties if you do that enough, you can make some good money."

NPR article here On Amazon, An Uneasy Mix Of Plagiarism And Erotica : NPR

[Tessa Holmes]

Great post, Scott! Your are correct here. E-book tells 'I am cheap and possibly scammy'.
"Comprehensive training" sounds professional and trustworthy. I, personally, would buy 'comprehensive training' sooner than 'ebook'. Thank you for the post.

[MikeyDreamboat]

Originally Posted by Tessa Holmes

Great post, Scott! Your are correct here. E-book tells 'I am cheap and possibly scammy'.
"Comprehensive training" sounds professional and trustworthy. I, personally, would buy 'comprehensive training' sooner than 'ebook'. Thank you for the post.

It's just semantics if everyone starts calling their e-book something else and the quality remains the same for most of them. If everyone started calling them comprehensive training manuals, people would eventually see it's the same crap under a different name.

[TJJLLC]

It's two and a half years since the original post and while I believe folks are more 'warmed-up' to the concept of digital books, I still have to agree with Scott. A training program that solves a problem has a lot more to offer than an eBook. The negative connotation may or may not be as strong but, as time goes on, customers want more than just something to read.

Solve a problem by creating an eBook (training manual), action guide, and video lessons delivered from a secure site. This opens the door to a membership site which can be further monetized through upsells - companion products, monthly memberships with additional content, consulting.

Whoops, I just gave away the secrets of all those info product creation programs out there. Silly me...

[Fatality]

Very nice post. It's amazing how just changing one word could increase your conversions. I also agree that eBooks are dying out because they have lately been known to be full of free information that does not really help. Therefore, using secret course or insider tips would help.

[Trivium]

When I read "ebook", I immediately expect that there is a high probability that the content will either be low quality, shamelessly pushing a product or service, or both. Which in most cases, is precisely what an "ebook" turns out to be. Sure, including an ebook as a free incentive, or as a bonus to add value to a product is fine, however you'll have a harder time marketing a product as an 'ebook', than by any other name.

Excellent post Scott, thank you saying what needed to be said

[cloudstrife]

It is basically about how you package your offer. It has to appear to add value to the purchaser. Therefore, if not many people derive value from an ebook then package your offer diffferently.