Is there a more defeating experience than putting your blood, sweat and tears (not to mention a few bucks) into writing a non-fiction book or ebook, course or workshop and then finding that it doesn’t sell?
“It must be my marketing” is your initial thought.
Yet the more time and energy you put into marketing your ebook or book, the worse it seems to sell.
“Maybe it is my website or my book cover?”
Possibly, but most likely there is another fundamental problem.
“Could it be that nobody wants the information that I have included in the book or ebook?”
You’re getting warmer, but even THAT is not likely the right answer.
It’s About Triggers, Promises And Hooks
No, I’m not talking dirty here, although I can’t seem to get the prospect that I have just created the best, low-budget, adult film title of ALL TIME!
Back to helping you with your book or ebook project…
Every successful non-fiction ebook, book, course or other digital product has followed the formula of Triggers, Promises and Hooks.
TRIGGERS– refer to the emotional desire for someone to transform their lives from where they are today to where they would rather be…from fat to thin, from lacking confidence to high in confidence, etc…Even more so, it is the ultimate REASON they want to transform (for example, a new mother wants to lose weight because she wants to turn back the clock and be admired or the teen wants to overcome shyness so he or she feels more like they belong)
PROMISES – here is where you get to deliver the perception (and ideally the reality) that your digital product (ebook, book, course, etc…) can satisfy their trigger…that you have a shortcut, simplified or quick solution to help them realize their desired transformation. Your promise gives your prospect hope, confidence, certainty that they can achieve the transformation that so far has eluded them
HOOK – your hook is simply how you put your pitch together incorporating the trigger and your promise. Your hook should permeate everything you do from acting as the ultimate objective of your product research and creation to the title you give your product through every aspect of your marketing and sales related to your product.
Let’s Look At Some Examples
The Four-Hour Work Week – Tim Ferris
Trigger: Actually there are multiple triggers – Financial Independence, Control & Prestige. How many of us have not dreamed of telling our boss or customers to shove it…to control exactly when we work, what we work on and have time left over to really enjoy life? Not only would that feel incredible, it would make us look like superstars in front of our friends and peers wouldn’t it?
Promise: Pretty clear in this case, that you will be able to work less and have more control over your life (that’s what the 4-hours means to most people)
Hook: In this case, the Promise is SO spot-on it squarely targets the triggers as well as hitting exactly on the promise in such a short-concise title that also served as the entire thesis of Tim Ferris’ business…in fact his entire branding, follow-on products, persona, celebrity and differentiation in the market is based on this concept of getting more done in far less time with YOU totally in control
Crush IT : Why NOW Is The Time To Cash In On Your Passion – Gary Vaynerchuck
Trigger: Given that social network platforms were just hitting the mainstream for business marketing/advertising and that there was a TON of confusion, disruption and under-performance happening, Gary’s book Crush It tackled this discomfort/pain/disruption and uncertainty that came with having to evolve to spending time and money on social networking platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc…)
Promise: There is no doubt about the promise here – you will not just “Know About Social” or “Master Social”, you will Crush Social…that’s a BIG promise
Hook: Once again, the hook is all about the promise. An option for Gary would have been something like “Crush IT By Dominating Social” which may have helped reach the market that had not yet fallen for his huge marketing effort that preceded the launch of his book. In effect, Gary pre-built a following of Millions (his Twitter following was 1M ) where he planted the seed of the Trigger by being so empathetic with the market. In other words, the vast majority of those who initially purchased his book new well that Crush It referred to being highly successful on winning the social marketing game
Trigger: You may THINK the trigger is losing weight, but actually it is MUCH more than that. There are two main triggers here: 1) To be able to turn back the clock and fit into the skinny jeans you used to wear 5-10 years ago and 2) That you can do it without giving up the short-term things you love such as Cake. When it comes down to it, everyone knows HOW to lose weight – starve yourself and work out like a maniac — but that’s not something most of us are willing to do. So, in the back of our minds we really, desperately want to go back in time where we were a few sizes smaller and do it without excessive pain – that is the genius trigger here
Promise: Hitting the mark dead-on is that we will be able to fit into those skinny jeans AND we can do it without giving up everything we enjoy…we can “have our cake and eat it too…so to speak”. Thrown in for good measure are references to words such as “Binge Eating” and “Overeating” as well as “Naturally Thin” which are all keywords used (especially by women) when desperately searching for solutions to fit into skinny jeans – this adds to the overall trigger and promise forming the hook
Hook: We’ve detailed the trigger (being able to go back in time to when we were thinner and do it painlessly), as well as the promise which make up the hook for this product. In addition – the hook is that it will be natural (read: non-dangerous) and that it will be “For Good” meaning not just disappear in a few weeks – all key elements in establishing the hook for this product
What About Your Project?
Do you have advice or a topic that you want to package into your own digital ebook or information product?
Have you identified a Trigger, developed a Promise and come up with a Hook?
If you can, do it before you even begin your digital product creation – you want the Triggers, Promises and Hooks system to be used BEFORE you even come up with the concept for your product and definitely before it is finished so that you create a product that has built-in, massive demand
If you already have an ebook, book or digital product that is NOT selling, then oftent you can re-work your concept, title, packaging and marketing without having to lose all of your work.
If you want help with any of this…our team has helped thousands with new and updating digital product businesses in the past 5-years – the best place to seek out help is within InfoMarketer’sZone where you will find Fast-Track Systems, up-to-date tutorials, case studies, tools and a private mentors forum where you can get 1:1 help for a fraction of what you will pay for typical 1:1 consulting.
Most of all, share your experiences with us and our readers by leaving a comment here.
