Report Vs. Mini-Course for Busy People?

7 replies
Hi,

I know that the real answer is to TEST, but I'd like to hear about people's experiences with creating a report vs. a mini course.

The people that I'm targeting are busy people. They're interested in the information I'm offering, but I'm not sure the best format.

The information I want to give out is like a "5 Tips" type thing which is really selling a different service.

If it was me, I would want a short report to quickly scan and see which ones would work for me and discard the rest. However, if you're busy, maybe it's best to receive things in smaller chunks.

Any thoughts?

Love,
Shannon
#busy #minicourse #people #report
  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Shannon, I'm in the camp of wanting the information all at once in a short report. That way, I can digest the content on my own schedule rather than waiting on an email course.

    While you are testing, you may want to test using the report as the reward for an opt-in vs. using the report to generate the opt-in (sort of a downloadable squeeze page)...
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    • Profile picture of the author Shannon Tani
      Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

      While you are testing, you may want to test using the report as the reward for an opt-in vs. using the report to generate the opt-in (sort of a downloadable squeeze page)...
      Could you give an example of this? I understand the difference in theory, but not in practice.

      Thanks!

      Love,
      Shannon
      Signature

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      • Profile picture of the author Tyson Faulkner
        Hey Shannon,

        One way you can do it is write up a small report, then every day for a week or so send them an email that mentions one important part of the book and what they can learn from it.

        This way they can get the full report and read it right away if they want, or if they forget you will remind them about it with your followup and bring up the most valuable points for them to check out.

        For example, you could say "On page 6 you can learn about ________ and the best way to _____."

        By doing this you sort of get the effect of both the mini course and free report.

        Sorry I don't have any test results though, it's an idea I've been kicking around myself.

        Cheers,
        Ty
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Originally Posted by Shannon Tani View Post

        Could you give an example of this? I understand the difference in theory, but not in practice.

        Thanks!

        Love,
        Shannon
        One thing I've started seeing is marketers not requiring an opt-in before downloading a report. Once you get the report, you find some good content that covers something specific along with a strong call to opt-in for more. It's one way of getting past the folks who won't trade an email address for a "free" report - especially from someone they may not be familiar with. If the report is good enough, you might find more people coming back for more. Or better-targeted people to begin with.

        Giving a sample with no opt-in required satisfies the freebie hunters while enticing serious prospects to opt-in. If you include giveaway rights, you could also increase your reach.

        I do agree with Michael, though. Once you get the opt-in, follow up with pointers to the most important parts along with some expanded explanation...
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
    Hi Shannon,

    I'm with Tyson on this one.

    Use the report as an incentive to get people to opt in. Then send them an e-course, too. Do both.

    If they are really busy, then be sure to cut out all the fluff and be brief. But, at the same time, have another product that goes into more depth for those who want more information. You now have three products, one of which you will charge for (the more in-depth guide).

    All the best,
    Michael
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    "Ich bin en fuego!"
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  • Profile picture of the author Shannon Tani
    Thanks John. That totally makes sense.

    And I really like the idea of doing both, so I think that's what I'm going to do. Great ideas!

    Love,
    Shannon
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    I'd rather have the full report. I don't like to wait for information to come in chunks.
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