Writing a Good and Effective Free Report
A
few days ago a great question popped into my inbox, so today let's get to the nitty gritty of it!
"I was just wondering if you could discuss free reports in some of
your outgoing email? As far as what to write in our free report, how long it should be. I know that having a good free report
can be used to recruit new prospects to my business."
-Dre
My Response:
Dre, this is a great question and your instincts are correct in that
a free report can be a very powerful tool to help in your recruiting efforts, so let's get to the details. The most important
part of your free report is to know what your prospects want to know about, and from there the rest gets easy. You can spin
your wheels all day trying to come up with something that may or may not do your justice in your recruiting efforts if you
try to come up with the idea in your head.
So what do you if you don't look in your head for ideas to write free
reports?
You look around the net to see what network marketers are searching
for.
You look to see what type of products they are buying.
You look to see what type of questions they are asking repeatedly
in network marketing forums.
You see what type of article in the most popular article directories
online they are reading.
So in a word you start it with research.
From there, if you've done your research you will see trends that
occur, questions that keep coming up, topics and themes that get discussed over and over again. There is a reason for this.
It's because these are the "Evergreen" topics that keep coming up,
and so for your report to be highly effective you should address the most common topics of discussion.
By doing this you will create value for the reader and earn their
credibility. Next you need a format.
The format I would suggest is the good old problem, agitate, solve
formula. That is - your bring up the biggest problems that you see your prospects have. Then agitate them by discussing the
implications of the initial problems and other problems that will support and make the original problem even worse.
Now when your prospects are feeling like there is no hope you allude
to the idea that there may be a solution that could solve it all, and whatever that solution is it's got to be simple and
effective.
So you describe the solution to the problems that you've brought in
a basic sense.
I'll stop here to make an important point . . . Before you ever start
writing your free report you have to know what your most wanted response for your readers will be.
Do you want them to call you?
Do you want them to go to a website?
Do you want them fill out a form?
Do you want them the call your companies opportunity line? Whatever
it is, you have to know this before you write your report because it will be important at the end.
After you've given them the basics on how to solve the problems you've
presented them with they are going to naturally want more, and this is where knowing what your most wanted response comes
in.
That is where you send them to get more information. If it's a report
to build your credibility as a sponsor then here is general format you should follow: Headline: "How To Do X In Y Amount Of
Time" (Just an example to keep things simple.)
Intro:
Let them get to know you, who you are and what you do. Let them know
that you are a real person.
Problems:
5 to 7 that your prospect should be concerned about.
Solution:
A basic explanation of a simple but effective solution to all their
problems.
Close:
How to get the rest of the story - This is where you add what you
want them to do.
Additional Credibility:
If you have testimonials or credibility boosting material this is
where it should go.
That should just about do it!
But, let me clue in on something I didn't know and that held me back
for some time. When you look around the internet and you see great sales letters or free reports that are doing there job
well you will tend to think it works because of some type of copywriting magic. So you'll think that you'll never get results
unless you become a master writer and thus never attempt the task because it seems too large and there are too many variables
to handle.
The truth is this is not the case, all that good reports & good
sale letters do is speak to the market in a tone that the prospects understand and identify with and hits the nail on the
head in terms of message to market match. What this means to you is even if you're just starting it will be read and it will
be effective even if you're not some master.
In other words it's not magic to get your stuff read. Curiosity and
desire on the side of your prospects will take care of that. The defining points that will determine your reports effectiveness
is how well you find the topics that your prospects are really having a problem with.
And how strong you are in your stance for what you think they should
do next for your most wanted response.
You can't get wimpy and say things like . . .
"If you'd like more information please give me a call or email be
blah blah blah"
Because it's just wimpy and vague.
Take a stand!
Say something like . .
"If you want to completely change your life and finally live the lifestyle
you've dreamed of through network marketing you need to pick up the phone right now and call XYZ, do not hesitate, do not
wait, you know that the time is now, it's your time, call XYZ now!"
You see the difference?
Two final notes . . .
If the purpose of your report is to build a relationship with your
prospects and audio report may be better.
In that case they can not only get the information, but they will
get it from you through your voice, and so when they do speak to you in person it's like they already know you. Finally if
you're having trouble with writing your free report just find a report you like from outside of the network marketing industry
and use it as a template when writing yours.
The content will of course be different, but the flow will be the
same, and if you're following the flow of an already successful report you're not only heading in the right direction, but
you're heading in the right direction without having to start from scratch.
It's a lazy, but effective shortcut.
Hope this gets you closer to creating the right report for your business.
But if you're looking for more details check the link below .
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