If you’ve been a single product solopreneur for a while, you’re probably getting the itch to expand. Whether it’s demand from your audience or just your need to branch out, choosing where to go next with your digital products can be a tough decision.
Figure out how you can level up without bottoming out your energy.
Listen and Launch
Your audience has likely already told you what they want. Maybe you’ve been running a rocking business podcast and you get constant comments on how people wish they could take notes on all the truth bombs you’re dropping during their drive. Or perhaps there are a lot of “I wish” statements in your emails.
I wish there was a way I could package all your knowledge and give it to my sister.
I wish you had an advanced/beginners course on this subject.
I wish there was one place I could go that linked to all the resources you discuss.
Audiences have a way of laying out the path for you. If they haven’t been particularly overt though, there are ways to extract some good info out of them.
- Send a survey to your email list
- Do questions and polls on Instagram
- Request feedback from your most loyal fans
The best way to move into phase two is by figuring out what did and didn’t work in phase one and capitalizing on the momentum it created.
Digital Product Offerings
There are a lot of places to go in product development without creating a physical product. If you’ve been operating exclusively in the digital space, there’s no need to enter the online shop world. There are plenty of options for offering more to audiences that don’t require manufacturers and shipping.
Books
If you have been creating content for a long time, you likely already have everything you need to gather your best ideas into one place. Repurpose your best work so your fans have a guide they can carry with them.
If you’ve already written a book… where’s the follow-up?
Courses
Think you’ve already given your best ideas away for free? Nonsense. Assess the information that you’ve put out there. What’s next? Bundle your brightest ideas into a course that will multiply what you’ve already done for your fans.
Documentaries
This may sound intimidating, but if you’ve already made a name for yourself as a YouTuber, you could also construct your information into a long form piece of media. People are starting to embrace the indulgent art and the extended editions once again. Take your 30 minutes of fame and turn it into an hour and a half.
Paid Memberships
Maybe you feel like you’ve hit a point where your audience is big enough and hungry enough that many would pay just to get a little more of you. Through places like Patreon and Rokfin, you can put exclusive content behind a paywall. There’s nothing wrong with drawing a line in the sand and putting free on one side and paid on the other. Some people will stay in the free zone. But some will cross over!
Affiliate Everything
Just about every personal brand has the tendency to suggest products and recommend other brands. But if you aren’t getting paid to do it you’re definitely missing out on an easy revenue opportunity. One little sign-up form or link or promo code could be the difference between free advertiser and paid sponsor.
Each of the above ideas doesn’t require a total pivot. It’s all about using the content you have or the content you’re planning and monetizing.
Every Format
The best way to add products is to add formats. If you have a print book and an ebook, why not create an audiobook? You have the content there already and with a moderate investment you can reach people who exclusively listen to books.
If you have a formula for how your audience can work through a certain issue, why not offer it composed into an online workbook?
If you have an idea for a new content series, why not put it behind a paywall?
You have a ton of opportunity built into your current content. As you plan for 2021 and consider new projects, figure out how you can extract products from what already exists in your business. And when you feel like you’ve exhausted that, ask your audience what they are looking for next.