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Survival niche has infoproducts?

by camcarter
23 replies
Hi all - I'm considering getting into the survival niche but I prefer infoproducts over physical products... obviously there's a lot of physical products to sell in this niche.. just curious if you think there's a large market for infoproducts as well?

From what I've seen so far.. there's the whole build your own solar panel thing, grow your own food.. and creating your own source for clean drinking water.
#infoproducts #niche #survival
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    From what I've seen so far.. there's the whole build your own solar panel thing, grow your own food.. and creating your own source for clean drinking water.

    You list those as if they are minor points. "Survival' niche may be preppers, or natural disaster, or armageddon/pandemic.



    There are some niches that require in depth knowledge/experience to be able to 'talk to' those in the niche, let alone sell to them. I think this is one of those. Do you have knowledge or experience in 'survival'???
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  • Profile picture of the author myob
    Much of what what was once considered a narrow focus on SHTF type scenarios is now going mainstream, such as "off-grid" living.

    Perhaps as many as 2 million people in the US are living full-time in cabins, tiny homes, RVs, etc using alternative sources for utilities and subsistence gardening or greenhouses.

    This pattern has been growing steadily over the past two decades or so, and over the past six months has been expanding exponentially. Extended RV camping and "boondocking" has also been booming over the last few months.

    With a perfect storm of technology, the internet, crowded cities, the pandemic, and jobs increasingly becoming filled by "remote" workers, there is no end in sight for the demand for information about living remotely.

    For many, it's not a matter of "survival", but rather a choice of lifestyle. It's now possible, for example, to live quite comfortably nearly anywhere as solar power and other technologies offset the costs and negatives of crowded cities.
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  • Profile picture of the author GordonJ
    Originally Posted by camcarter View Post

    Hi all - I'm considering getting into the survival niche but I prefer infoproducts over physical products... obviously there's a lot of physical products to sell in this niche.. just curious if you think there's a large market for infoproducts as well?

    From what I've seen so far.. there's the whole build your own solar panel thing, grow your own food.. and creating your own source for clean drinking water.
    OK. Alrighty then. I'm going to link to Jason Kanigan's other post,
    https://www.warriorforum.com/main-in...t-up-fail.html

    because...he mentions the guy who wants to sell what's hot. Anyhoooop...

    What do you know about the "Prepper" (boy scout BE PREPARED) industry? NOTHING! Or you wouldn't be asking this question.

    I'm not being critical of you, per se, however you stand a much better chance of making money from selling info products on topics you actually know something about.

    I have a list of over 10k "preppers", segmented, as Kay pointed out, not all are survivalist, and you would have to offer something unique to get their attention.

    One report, I liked, was Bill Myers' who wrote a little info product on converting a regular van into a camper van for a couple of hundred dollars. I believe he did pretty well with that little product.

    Creating information products begins with the market, and what they are willing to pay for...cause there is a boatload of free info, including Gov't pubs, public domain, and very cheap info from PLR.

    If you are determined to go into this market, good luck.

    GordonJ
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by GordonJ View Post

      I'm not being critical of you, per se, however you stand a much better chance of making money from selling info products on topics you actually know something about.
      Yup.

      Anyone can sell a product to any niche...as long as you buy at the right price, "Borrow" sales copy, and throw it on Amazon or E-bay.

      But an info product? To the "Survivalist" niche?

      To the Original Poster;

      I'm not in that niche, but here are some things I would consider;

      What do you know about the subject? Your first post (no offence) shows you know almost nothing about it.

      What do you know about the buyers of survivalist information?

      Do you know what information they really want to have...that hasn't been provided by hundreds of others with expertise in this market?

      Do you know how to write sales copy for this niche? The terms they use, the concerns they have? Their politics? Their average ages? incomes? What do they read right now? What information are they buying right now? From whom? Are you on that supplier's list?

      Do Survivalists read manuals? watch video? Where do you buy mailing (or e-mail) lists of the specific type of survivalist you are targeting?

      And as has been already mentioned...there aren't just "survivalists". There are subniches. Some are motivated by fear of war, zombies (I'm not joking), disease, social unrest, These are different people. Some call them selves survivalists but just read the magazines...dabblers.

      Some want to know how to hide in shelters. Some are concerned with guns...lots of guns. Some want to be able to survive in the wilderness. And some are interested in being "Off the grid" with their own fresh water, solar heat, and chickens to eat.

      Are these the same people? No.

      I recently bought a really good survivalist knife. Why? I just wanted a knife. I'm not a survivalist at all. Before you spend money trying to sell me something, you should know that.

      Originally Posted by camcarter View Post

      Hi all - I'm considering getting into the survival niche
      I'm considering getting in the plane building business. Is it hard? How do they work? Does it take money to get started? What color should the planes be?
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      • Profile picture of the author GordonJ
        All those spare parts, and you can Wilbur and Orville your way to the heavens. What the heck, they sold bicycles, so, you can do it man. I want one.

        GordonJ


        Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

        Yup.

        Anyone can sell a product to any niche...as long as you buy at the right price, "Borrow" sales copy, and throw it on Amazon or E-bay.

        But an info product? To the "Survivalist" niche?

        To the Original Poster;

        I'm not in that niche, but here are some things I would consider;
        What do you know about the subject? Your first post (no offence) shows you know almost nothing about it.

        What do you know about the buyers of survivalist information?

        Do you know what information they really want to have...that hasn't been provided by hundreds of others with expertise in this market?

        Do you know how to write sales copy for this niche? The terms they use, the concerns they have? Their politics? Their average ages? incomes? What do they read right now? What information are they buying right now? From whom? Are you on that supplier's list?

        Do Survivalists read manuals? watch video? Where do you buy mailing (or e-mail) lists of the specific type of survivalist you are targeting?

        And as has been already mentioned...there aren't just "survivalists". There are subniches. Some are motivated by fear of war, zombies (I'm not joking), disease, social unrest, These are different people. Some call them selves survivalists but just read the magazines...dabblers.

        Some want to know how to hide in shelters. Some are concerned with guns...lots of guns. Some want to be able to survive in the wilderness. And some are interested in being "Off the grid" with their own fresh water, solar heat, and chickens to eat.

        Are these the same people? No.

        I recently bought a really good survivalist knife. Why? I just wanted a knife. I'm not a survivalist at all. Before you spend money trying to sell me something, you should know that.



        I'm considering getting in the plane building business. Is it hard? How do they work? Does it take money to get started? What color should the planes be?
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        • Profile picture of the author myob
          Originally Posted by GordonJ View Post

          All those spare parts, and you can Wilbur and Orville your way to the heavens. What the heck, they sold bicycles, so, you can do it man.
          Thomas Edison sold light bulbs, phonographs, voice recorders, automated telegraph, music boxes, batteries, video cameras, and a thousand other products, most of which he invented himself. And he started it all from scratch.
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      • Profile picture of the author camcarter
        Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

        I'm considering getting in the plane building business. Is it hard? How do they work? Does it take money to get started? What color should the planes be?
        hahaha this actually made me laugh out loud. Yeah, I get that it might look ridiculous asking this as yes - it's true - I know very little about this market.

        But hey there's gotta be a starting point somewhere if you're going to start.

        That being said, here are a few clarifying points:

        1. This pandemic made me realize multiple friends and family members of mine were very prepared and it was impressive - and we've since had interesting conversations that led to me becoming interested as a consumer in this market.

        I definitely see the value in being self-sufficient and well prepared for any disaster that comes your way. The "off the grid' stuff is interesting too.

        I'm the type of person that, when I'm interested in a niche, I'm much more successful in it than even one I know a lot about but am bored to death by.

        Sure, it takes longer for me to get everything set up, and a long learning curve, but it's more enjoyable and I feel there's kind of an advantage to being a newbie in a market because you're asking the same kind of questions as the people you'll eventually share your insights with. There's no "expert blind spot" problem.

        I've done this before and I use the angle of - I've done hundreds of hours of research on xyz and here's what I've learned... I don't pretend to be the expert, more of a curator.

        I also feel it makes me more relatable when pitching affiliate products.. because I can legitimately say.. I knew nothing about xyz when I bought this, and this product made it very easy to get started and get this result.. etc.

        There is a lucrative niche I have expertise in already and I've sold in this niche profitably, but I'm sick of it after 10+ years. It's a bummer since it's a high ticket profitable niche.. but at this point I'm about ready to bash my head into the wall if I have to write one more thing about it.

        2. I'm not creating my own info product right away, as clearly I don't know anything about it so that wouldn't make sense. I'm not going plr either.

        My plan is to dig in, and see if it feels like the kind of market and products I could feel good about selling. I'll start by building a list and promoting affiliate products as long as they're good. Then go from there.

        I'm getting the sense that these "build your own solar panel" infoproducts are bs.

        That's why I'm wondering if anyone knows of some good infoproducts that are along the lines of being self-sufficient or prepared for disasters, being off the grid.. etc. I'm not sure yet what segment of the market to focus on, so I'm looking for ideas from all segments.

        I could also sell physical products as an affiliate. But I want to eventually create (or more likely co-create with an expert) an infoproduct and not have to deal with selling physical products (been there, done that, don't like the logistical mess - plus I'm terrible at it)

        Thanks to everyone who has chimed in. There's a lot of great info in here.

        I'll also mention another big motivator for me getting into this niche is that I can't stand most of the other 'big money' niches. I can't get myself to promote anything involving convincing people they need 6 pack abs, or make a man obsessed with you, or get women crawling over broken glass to have sex with you, or manifest millions with ancient forbidden scripts.. blah blah blah, it's all stupid.

        I want to sell something that contributes to humanity in a positive way.
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        • Profile picture of the author GordonJ
          Originally Posted by camcarter View Post


          My plan is to dig in, and see if it feels like the kind of market and products I could feel good about selling.


          I'll also mention another big motivator for me getting into this niche is that I can't stand most of the other 'big money' niches. I can't get myself to promote anything involving convincing people they need 6 pack abs, or make a man obsessed with you, or get women crawling over broken glass to have sex with you, or manifest millions with ancient forbidden scripts.. blah blah blah, it's all stupid.

          I want to sell something that contributes to humanity in a positive way.
          Cam, a little bit more food for thought to chew on.

          Survivalists, preppers, even the self sufficient crowds are, by their nature, very SELF involved, it is all about "me and mine", taking care of US. The Mormons who have the year of food in the basement, and a plan, don't really concern themselves with outsiders, say, Catholics or Muslims.

          My POINT is, before you dig in, and commit to this market, consider a few other ones. If you have time, watch the Zac Efron series on Netflix, every episode is aimed toward

          sustainability

          WHICH is a market and contributes to humanity in a positive way. Many info and real products to be sold, and there is a lot of crossover with the Prepper markets, just more of a worldly view, where we want humanity to survive, not just a few of us humans.

          But, I applaud your work ethic, and whatever you decide upon, I can see you being successful and fulfilling your potential. Good luck with your endeavors.

          GordonJ
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      • Profile picture of the author Matthew Stanley
        Some are concerned with guns...lots of guns
        Great breakdown of the many subsets of 'survivalist' - many of whom may come from vastly different walks of life!

        RE: the quote above - today's announcement by the NY AG that he intends to dissolve the NRA, presents (from strictly an IM perspective - ignoring the strong political fervor on both sides) a rich opportunity to collect some valuable research from the gun-focused subset of this group
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  • Profile picture of the author JPs copy
    You raise a good point. As much as I like info products, eventually you have to buy supplies from somewhere.

    And whether you're looking to go off-grid or putting together a bug-out bag, there's a prepper company out there for you.
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    • Profile picture of the author GordonJ
      Originally Posted by JPs copy View Post

      You raise a good point. As much as I like info products, eventually you have to buy supplies from somewhere.

      And whether you're looking to go off-grid or putting together a bug-out bag, there's a prepper company out there for you.
      One can offer a low cost information product, and sprinkle it with affiliate links, so many a savy infopreneur goes this route. So, a specialty report on EMERGENCY first aid, could have kits, bags, accessories within.

      Good point that supplies are oft needed with info, why not be the source of both via affiliates?

      GordonJ
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  • Profile picture of the author Princess Balestra
    Tellya, anywan says I gotta be beached out anyplace with no clean panties eithah gotta offah

    1) Noo panties.
    2) Sum kinda anti-yucksy spray stuffs
    3) Nowan else around

    or

    4) Mindfulness techniques to help me COPE with the DISRUPTSCHWAAHN.


    If'n we facin' any kinda Zaaaahbie Apocalypse, baseline I wanna look an' feel decent.

    Frickin' total waste of hoomanity it would be if'n Zaaahmbie X slurped my brains out only to comment kinda ...

    "Lacy lingerie patterns constitute the most functional instructions for the removal of cerebral matter. That's why lack of hygiene and overuse of expansive areas of uninviting fabric make it so hard for the mindless to summon any kind of desire. Naturally, if I were a regular consumer, I'd demand a total refund in such circumstances. But I only exist because reality blew it -- so who am I to complain about the minimal guidance available from this *frankly* skimpy thong? You guys spread out ... maybe look for BIG PANTS. I'll handle this ..."

    Dunno who said always put on a show for the coroner.

    Likely is was the coroner.
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  • Profile picture of the author myob
    Originally Posted by camcarter View Post

    Hi all - I'm considering getting into the survival niche
    Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

    I'm considering getting in the plane building business.
    Originally Posted by JPs copy View Post

    It's definitely the right time to get into that niche
    I am already in those niches, and dozens of other utlra-competitive niches as well. The best time to get in was at the beginning, but the second best time is right now.

    If you have a well-rounded education and can write at a level acceptable to your targeted audiences, there is virtually no limit to what niches you can get into.

    My approach is as a journalist, interviewing "experts" or working professionals and profiling them as users of specialty products typical for their industry.

    Such "real life" applications are better than any so-called "product review" by uncredentialed and often unbelievable affiliates. I don't know anything (nor much even care) about most of the products I promote.

    Almost any product in any commercially viable niche can be promoted simply by interviewing the end users. And, nearly all such products can be found on Amazon or other affiliate platforms.
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul @ Interact
    Generally, the perceived value of info products, especially in a niche like survival would be significantly lower than that of physical products - especially since you're not already an established authority in the niche.

    There are - however various methods to improve this, such as partnering up with an expert/authority, curating experts' opinions, offering one-on-one or personalized advice, coming up with tools or resources that makes life easier for your market, and more...
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  • Profile picture of the author Profit Traveler
    Banned
    Rambro Survival Guide.

    Upsell

    How to amputate a limb by yourself in the woods because you never know.

    Or something like that.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    See - that proves my point. I'd only buy from something who KNEW what they were talking about.


    "How I Amputated My Own Limb and Survived"


    Would you want to get to page 13 in your handbook and read "I haven't actually done this myself, but it should work".
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    • Profile picture of the author Profit Traveler
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

      See - that proves my point. I'd only buy from something who KNEW what they were talking about.

      "How I Amputated My Own Limb and Survived"

      Would you want to get to page 13 in your handbook and read "I haven't actually done this myself, but it should work".
      Yep like getting COVID advice to re open from an internet marketing forum.

      I watched a guy eat a giant caterpillar on National Geographic hahaha you could see the regret all over his green turning face.

      This is the Internet.

      "David De Angelo" made Millions creating Dating Info products...that was Internet Marketer Eben Pagan.

      Anybody can be Rambro.
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  • Profile picture of the author writeaway
    The prepper niche is HUGE because it is so WIDE

    Are you wilderness prepper?

    Are you a post-apocalyptic prepper?

    The list goes on and on ... so do the informative content topics and products you can sell (courses/ training / Amazon products / dropshipping/ etc etc0
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  • Profile picture of the author camcarter
    Originally Posted by writeaway View Post

    The prepper niche is HUGE because it is so WIDE
    Yes - so yeah I'm looking for ideas from all different segments of it, to see what grabs my attention the most as something that interests me. I'm thinking most likely something along the lines of being prepared for any type of disaster situation - and the "off grid" stuff is interesting too.

    Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

    Do you have knowledge or experience in 'survival'???
    I don't - check out my previous post right before this one for where my head is at with asking this question.

    Originally Posted by myob View Post

    For many, it's not a matter of "survival", but rather a choice of lifestyle. It's now possible, for example, to live quite comfortably nearly anywhere as solar power and other technologies offset the costs and negatives of crowded cities.
    Ya - this idea of being self sufficient and having your own food source, electricity source etc is quite intriguing to me... along with being prepared for a disaster and not relying 100% on the grocery stores, or electric company etc.

    Originally Posted by GordonJ View Post

    OK. Alrighty then. I'm going to link to Jason Kanigan's other post,
    https://www.warriorforum.com/main-in...t-up-fail.html

    because...he mentions the guy who wants to sell what's hot. Anyhoooop...
    GordonJ
    Yes good point and I'm glad you brought this up, because actually for the first time in a long while it's not the money that's motivating me. I'm not new to selling online, but I am new to this niche. I just posted another reply right before this one about how I want to get into a new niche where I feel like I'm selling something that actually contributes to humanity.

    I've sold in the weight loss market, where everyone wants a magic cure to lose weight while eating donuts and it's stupid. I've sold jewelry which, is fine, nothing wrong with it but at the end of the day... who cares. I'm tired of materialistic junk.

    Originally Posted by myob View Post

    My approach is as a journalist, interviewing "experts" or working professionals and profiling them as users of specialty products typical for their industry.
    Same, I don't think you have to be an expert to do well in a particular niche. It's important to be authentic and upfront. I make it clear I'm a curator. But I enjoy the research process and I don't blindly share random information. I dig deep into the various sources and test it out myself first.
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  • Profile picture of the author DWolfe
    Ever think of a Storm niche ? Lost power over 24 hours from Tropical Storm Isaias when it hit NJ. There are still trees down across some main roads. People in some areas are still with out power. Drove down a very busy Highway, most places were closed, even the gas stations. One small area had a Burger King open the drive up line was very long. Yesterday at breakfast time people where lined up at a Dunking Doughnuts looking for a hot meal.

    The point is most people had to replace the food in the fridge, a lot of people were not prepared. Also saw to neighbors sitting in their cars in the evening charging up the cell phones off the cigarette lighter.

    Just added the Power company JCP&L said some homes will not have power till next Tuesday. That's 7 days !!
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  • Profile picture of the author iamLizHolmes
    I think the survival niche is a great niche. I'm sure there are loads of infoproducts available. However, I suggest focusing on building your own infoproduct. It's so easy these days with platforms like Udemy and teachable.
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  • Profile picture of the author camcarter
    Originally Posted by DWolfe View Post

    Ever think of a Storm niche ? Lost power over 24 hours from Tropical Storm Isaias when it hit NJ.
    Yes, thanks for sharing this. Definitely considering this one. Storm prep is very important and most of us (myself included) are unprepared when it happens.

    Originally Posted by GordonJ View Post

    Survivalists, preppers, even the self sufficient crowds are, by their nature, very SELF involved, it is all about "me and mine"
    That is a good point.. thanks for bringing that up.

    Originally Posted by GordonJ View Post

    If you have time, watch the Zac Efron series on Netflix, every episode is aimed toward

    sustainability

    WHICH is a market and contributes to humanity in a positive way. Many info and real products to be sold, and there is a lot of crossover with the Prepper markets, just more of a worldly view, where we want humanity to survive, not just a few of us humans.
    I'll definitely take a look! For sure I want to focus on something that is contributing to humanity. I think as marketers we spend a lot of time catering to people's selfishness and vanity so often... it burned me out.

    I've thought about completely changing careers but then decided there must be a way to keep doing internet marketing and working for myself while doing something more positive. [/QUOTE]

    Originally Posted by GordonJ View Post

    But, I applaud your work ethic, and whatever you decide upon, I can see you being successful and fulfilling your potential. Good luck with your endeavors.
    GordonJ
    Thank you!
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