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Now, you could be feeling a little nervous about offering your first paid product. You’re considering, “What if no one buys it? What if I mess something up? Will people think my product is good?” I promise, these are all normal feelings. But I’m here to let you know that offering that first paid thing doesn’t have to be scary. There’s a secret to doing it right and making people want to buy from you.
The secret is to make sure your first paid offer actually helps people in a meaningful way. If it does, people will want to pay. You just have to focus on the customer and their needs—don’t worry about the money or the sale.
Let me offer you an example. Let’s say you’ve been blogging for a while and have built up your marketing expertise. You’ve shared a bunch of free suggestions and tools on your blog. Now you’ve come up with this amazing marketing course that may take someone from a complete novice to a Facebook promoting pro in a matter of weeks. You’ve filled it with checklists, examples, tutorials, and more. You know this is going to help people grow their businesses.
In that case, putting your course behind a easy paywall at a fair price makes sense. You’re providing real value and solving a problem for your audience. As long because it’s done right, people are completely happy to pay for something that may really help their business grow. The secret is to focus on how you need to use your talents and knowledge to help others—not only sell for the sake of being profitable.
1. Choose the right style of product to develop
You need to select the best style of product to create based on your strengths and the time available. Some options to consider are an e-book, an online course, a software tool, or a membership community.
For a recent entrepreneur with limited resources, an e-book or short video course is normally the easiest to create. You can use available software like Microsoft Word or Google Slides to easily create content and format it into a professional-looking file.
While a membership community or complex software can generate more long-term revenue, the upfront costs and ongoing maintenance make them tougher for a beginner. Stick with options you’ll be able to build yourself or with minimal outside help, reminiscent of hiring a layout designer. Simplicity is key for your first paid offering.
2. Present clear advantages and results in marketing
Once you have a clear understanding of your customers’ pain points, outline clear advantages and specific results they are going to get from your product when you promote it. Avoid grandiose and impersonal claims that could appear questionable.
Instead, provide real-world examples of consumers who solved problems and achieved measurable results, reminiscent of “reduced time spent on repetitive tasks by 50%,” “avoided $500 in penalties per month,” or “increased leads by 15% per month.” Customers need to have a very clear picture of how their situation will improve after they make a purchase.
Back up your claims with evidence like case studies, screenshots, and before-and-after comparisons. Provide a money-back guarantee to dispel any doubts about value. Clarity will persuade uncertain customers by easing their fears and prompting them to take motion.
3. Price your product at a price that may maximize value and sales
Pricing is an area where entrepreneurs often miss the mark when first introducing a product. It’s essential to find the right balance between offering good value to the customer and making a fair profit.
Research competitor pricing to understand industry standards for similar offerings. But don’t just match pricing—your specific solution is unique, so your value proposition must also require unique positioning.
Consider each one-time purchase and monthly subscription models depending on product type and customer ROI. Create multiple purchasing options, reminiscent of individual, bundled, and annual memberships, to provide flexibility.
Test with a starting discount to prove the value of your product before raising prices when sales confirm the value. Customers may perceive less value in very low cost or very expensive products, so aim for an attractive price range.
4. Use social media and paid promoting to promote
Just having a perfect finished product isn’t enough—you wish promotion to gain awareness and attract buyers. Social media platforms and paid promoting provide invaluable ways to effectively promote on a tight budget—try a comprehensive solution that may help with marketing, payment processing, and customer loyalty management.
Now you wish to create high-quality, bite-sized content that you may commonly post to relevant groups and profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Valuable videos, infographics, and blog posts that educate or entertain will gain organic reach and shares.
Google Ads and Facebook/Instagram will be incredibly helpful in precisely targeting potential customers based on interests, behaviors, location, and other demographics. Set a each day budget and let the platform compete for clicks and leads.
Tracking pixel data with your shopping funnels is key. Monitor your stats to improve your creative, copy, and targeting over time for a higher ROI. Promotion is half the story—dedicating at least 20% of your startup budget is essential.
5. Deliver an exceptional post-sale customer experience
Once people make a purchase, the work isn’t over—it’s just starting. Customers will judge you on the entire experience, not only the initial sale. Focus on delivering the best post-purchase experience possible, too.
By following the steps above—focusing on real value, simplifying the shopping experience, and testing fastidiously at the starting—you’re putting yourself in the best position to succeed with that first paid offer. People will see that you just have their real needs in mind and that you just’re a protected alternative they’ll trust. And when you place customers first, the financial side tends to follow on its own.