5 Reasons To Create Your Own Products To Succeed As A Blogger

George Meszaros
[note background=”#F0F0F0″]This is a guest post by George Meszaros who is a serial entrepreneur and the co-founder of Success Harbor. Please feel free to connect with George on Twitter, Facebook or Google+[/note] Some of the most successful bloggers started blogging as a hobby. Some of them wanted to document an important phase of their lives. Others wanted to share adventures from travel to business to major life events.
Success demands you have your own products as a blogger
Many started simply to teach others. The point is that most successful bloggers didn’t get into blogging for money. It’s hard to believe that some multi-million dollar revenue blogs started out as small side projects.

It doesn’t happen overnight. I have interviewed many very successful bloggers and several of them shared that the first couple of years were a lot of work with little reward. Their sites have received few visitors if any during the first few months, but they kept writing and churning out content.

Then, as they started to gain some traction and their traffic grew they started with Adsense or some other source of advertising revenue. Initially advertising is fun. The idea that someone is finally willing to pay for something that you have been doing for free is appealing.

Income Based On Advertisement Can Be Challenging

Unfortunately, advertising is a challenging way to make money for bloggers for several reasons:

  • Many advertising networks require bloggers to have a popular high traffic site. 50,000 or 100,000 monthly visitors per month is a tall order, especially for small niche blogs.
  • Sometimes bloggers end up advertising products they don’t necessarily believe in.
  • Advertising might alienate bloggers from their readers, especially if the advertising is unrelated to the blog content. If you haven’t been showing ads on your blog from the beginning, you might drive some of your loyal fans away.

The most successful bloggers realized that having multiple sources of revenue is the way to succeed. Relying on advertising revenue only is like putting all of your eggs in one basket.

No matter how good (or bad) your blog may be doing today, for long-term success, you must consider product creation as an additional form of income. This not only helps to ensure that your business survives what misfortunes may be waiting around the corner, it also provides a host of other benefits.

5 Reasons To Create Your Own Products

How to create a product and what type of product to create are topics for another article. For right now, let’s just focus on the why. What will creating a stand-alone product do for you?

1. Money

To start earning serious money with advertising, you need to have tens of thousands of monthly visitors. For most bloggers that kind of traffic won’t happen for several years.

For others it might never happen.

When you create your own product you can start earning money with less traffic. If you write a book and put it on your blog for sale, you can sell it to a handful of people for starters. Yes, it is not enough to get rich, but it could be the beginning of something much bigger.

Products give you a chance to start earning. You are not just waiting for another advertiser. You are more in control of your own financial destiny.

2. Authority

Having eBooks, video series, online courses and other products for sale tells the world that you are in this business for the long-haul. It lets your audience know that you are the real deal and should be listened to. It instantly elevates you from simple blogger to product creator.

When you are showing ads of other businesses you are building their brands. When you sell your own products you are building your own brand. Nothing increases your brand value more than a product that has your name written on it. Your product gives you clout. Clout that will benefit both your blog and any future content offerings you create.

3. Freedom

Affiliate revenue is great. But, you have no control over the quality of someone else’s product.

Once you create your own product you can have affiliates marketing your products. As a product creator you can have tons of affiliates pushing your products.

Most bloggers never experience the freedom of selling and marketing their own products. Once your product hits the market and you can show a history of sales, those teeming hordes of affiliates will be begging to sell your products. A popular product may reach a point where it makes steady income for you week after week without you lifting a finger. It truly is passive income.

4. Reach

Products create a new path for customers to find your door. There are people out there who search for blogs and there are people who search for books, videos, or online courses.

Once you launch your own product you will finally have created new ways people to find you. You can form partnerships with other bloggers and help each other with marketing to each other’s following.

With a little creative thinking and some incentives, you can get the people who bought your product to become regular readers of your blog or members of your email list.

5. Loyalty

If you already have a group of regular readers then offering them your new product at a discount is a great way to build loyalty. Your readers want to feel valued and giving them an insider deal is the perfect way to show them they are more than just readers to you.

There is no doubt that product creation is the “next level” in becoming a successful blogger. The possible long term financial and brand benefits far outweigh the risks. If you believe in your message then it is time to take the next big step and create your own products.

Here is a list of some of the most popular products bloggers create to monetize:

  • Books, Ebooks, Kindle books – The great thing about books is that you can sell the same book for years. You can also serialize your books. You can take the most popular posts each year and turn them into a book. It gives you a great opportunity to generate recurring revenue.
  • Interview people and turn the transcriptions into Kindle books.
  • Interactive online courses.
  • Video training.
  • Design and manufacture your own product. Having an audience enables you to pre-sell your product and minimize your risk.
  • Sell membership. Create content that only members can access.
  • Create special reports or studies.
  • Sell webinars, seminars, or create your own conference.

How About You? Do You Create Your Own Product?

These 5 are not a comprehensive list of reasons why you should create your own products. However, it is intended to give you and idea as to why you need to really create your own products.

If any of the above reasons resonated with you, would you like to share what products have you created so far? If you don’t yet have your product ready, what are you working on? Will you mind sharing your thoughts and add value to this post?

Thank you kindly!

George Meszaros

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George Meszaros is a serial entrepreneur and the co-founder of Success Harbor, a website focusing on small business entrepreneurs. Success Harbor is dedicated to document the entrepreneurial journey through interviews, original research, and unique content.

37 Awesome Thoughts So Far, Add Yours Now...

  1. Hi George,

    Thank you do for putting together this wonderful post. I agree with you that all smart marketers have their own products/services.Yes, they do also advertise and promote affiliate products. But, they have their own products and/or services.

    When I learnt that principle, I realized I was doing something right. I already had Krishna World Wide team to provide personal branding and social media marketing services. We also offer web designing and web hosting services (in fact, we offer premium managed hosting for WordPress powered websites.)

    And you are right. Since I launched my services, my business revenue tippled. Yes, advertisements and affiliate incomes were there. But, they didn’t amount to much when compared with my own services.

    Thank you again for this guest post which is going to motivate many bloggers in the right direction.

    Regards,
    Kumar

  2. You are welcome, Kumar.

  3. Hi George and Hello Kumar

    A very important and much needed topic as many bloggers are quite perturbed on low rate of return of almost all types of advertisements at their blog.

    No advertiser now want to make any deal on fixed terms and offer on per click or mostly per action basis. So the task here increases manifold first to make your visitors view the ads displayed on your site and then take the action on it which must pay your for. It needs very focused marketing efforts which in this age of competition is not easy.

    On the other hand if you develop your own product it won’t simply get you achieve the five amazing milestones as you pointed in this post. In addition to them you put the foundation of your own brand of products and after that sky is the limit. You can create a follow-up product, an expansion of the first product or develop a product range and become widely famous for your own products.

    Thanks buddies for sharing this wonderful post typically related to entrepreneurial spirit.

    • Thank you for stopping by, Mi Muba. It is hard to get great ROI on advertising. A product and service model is much more sustainable. If you have your own product/service, you have control.

  4. Hello Mr. George and welcome to Mr.Kumar’s site.

    I love this post because I needed to hear this.
    I am currently working on a on line course on Personal Development. At this time I am gathering content and research to launch it.

    When I started blogging, the mindset was never to make money, but to share knowledge and experience in my niche, as a Life Coach.

    I will checking out your blog.

    Thank you again for the five reasons to create our own products.

    Gladys

    • Thank you for stopping by, Gladys. I am glad you feel you needed to hear this. I spoke with many successful bloggers, and most of them started out as a hobby. I appreciate the kind comments.

  5. Hi Kumar,

    I sure do believe that when a blogger creates their own product, it takes them to another level. I’ve seen it and done it myself.

    After blogging for a few years, giving out information, researching and all that goes with blogging, I’ve tried to affiliate products, been in network marketing, but it didn’t gain any traction.

    Once David and I put our heads together and came out with our first product, things drastically changed. Not an easy task to do, but it is not only about the product itself. More than that, it is about the sales funnel.

    We can create our own product, but we need to know how to market it. Our first was a video series which we made as an affiliate product for others to sell too. Then we got rolling into a membership site.

    Now this may sound easy to do, but it does take a lot of time and work. Before one creates a product, I would suggest to first lay out a marketing strategy. Working backwards… This sets up a sales funnel to follow.

    Also find a target audience where your product can help those the most. There is a lot of research to be done before the finalization of the product.

    Most importantly, map out your time! Make sure that when all is put in place, one must know that they have the time to meet the needs of those who will purchase your product.

    Since David and I have been doing this, it has changed the way we market online. It entails constant growth and more time spent on customers.

    Although I can keep up with my blog, more of my time is spent on product creation and customer service. But at the end of the day, it is worth it!

    -Donna

    • Thank you for stopping by, Donna. You are right having your own product takes you to a higher level. You become much more in control of your own success.

    • Absolutely Donna!

      You said it right! Having a plan in place before the product/service gets off the ground is very important. You might remember I had talked about it a few months ago in a blog post. People who launch a product without a solid marketing plan, usually struggle and end up being frustrated.

      Marketing is the main deal. That is where real business lies. Yes, product quality is absolutely important. But, what is the most important thing after that? It’s the marketing strategy!

      David and yourself have been doing a great job with your product and I can absolutely see why it is gaining momentum day after day. Great job!

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

      Regards,
      Kumar

    • Hi Donna,

      I can instantly relate. A product created by you is perhaps the best way to gain traction online and assert your authority as an expert once and for all.

      Personally too, I have also found that the renumeration isn’t completely bad too.

      Be certain to make the day great!

      Always,
      Terungwa

  6. I have used blogging as an extension of my main website. The blog site has boost sales on the main site. I can see on the backend of my site people are going to the blog and then clicking on the main site and buying my products. Sales have increased because of more traffic which has helped with SEO.

    For my business I could not do affiliate income as I deal with corporations that buy promotional products and have their logos imprinted. I think everyone’s niche is different. I am sure there are things I could be doing to take my business to the next level. There is always room to learn.

    • Thank you for stopping by, Arleen. I appreciate your comment.

  7. Hi George,
    I am really happy to write post in this blog.
    I really appreciate you for this wonderful post.
    AI agree all your points, All the points are really helpful.

  8. Hi George and Kumar,

    I agree, having a product is the way to go.

    Few years back when Squidoo was big I wrote a complete Squidoo Guide which I sold for $47 back then, and I’ve sold quite a few copies, even though I didn’t have a professional blog back then. So event though Squidoo changed pretty fast and my guide became a bit obsolete in about a year or so, I had a pretty good taste of how much money can be made with a single eBook.

    Right now I am working on a soft cover book, that will also be available in the form of eBook download, This one will be about personal development. I want it to be something great, so will see how that goes.

    Thanks for your great advice

  9. Yes, Sylviane, product or service is the way to go. Thank you for stopping by and your comment.

  10. Hey George,

    Welcome to Kumar’s blog and good to see you here. I think this is a pretty popular topic as it should be.

    I’m in the process of creating my product although I’ve been dragging my feet with it. I know that this is the direction I definitely need to go which is why it will launch and hopefully by next month, hopefully.

    We can go with the idea that you can make 100% of the profits plus you can get other people to promote it too if you choose to have affiliates. I think it really is the smart way to go so that they can benefit as well. Either way it’s difficult to always be chasing the next product to promote and you’ll never have recurring income that way. Of course with your own business there are so many different directions it can go too but the one thing is you’ve got to get started.

    Thanks for these tips and I’m ready to get this show on the road myself. 😉

    ~Adrienne

  11. It’s great to see you here, Adrienne. I agree with you that recurring revenue is super important and it is easier to do with your own product.

  12. Hi George, and welcome to Kumar’s blog 🙂

    You wrote about an important topic, something that most of us need to do – create our own products and move ahead.

    With the ever changing Blogosphere what really works and what doesn’t, it’s tough to really make money blogging, unless you have a really high ranking blog or lots of traffic, which is not easy nowadays. Even your advertisements or affiliates don’t earn your enough money, if you are really wanting to earn and make a living through blogging.

    Creating your own product is one of the best ways to go about it and something that bloggers should concentrate more on. It gives you authority and you are more in control of your own business and product, and sky is the limit for you thereafter. That being said, I still haven’t got down to it, but it surely IS on my agenda, and perhaps with time I would make something solid of my own.

    Thanks for sharing this with us. Have a nice weekend, both of you 🙂

    • Thank you for commenting, Harleena. I am glad you had mentioned having to have a lot of traffic for advertising. When you have your own product/service offerings you can make a nice income with much less traffic.

  13. Great article. This is the most effective way to know and learn more on how to Create Your Own Products To Succeed As A Blogger. These 5 reasons will be very useful and helpful. Read and understand the article and you will get a brilliant idea. Thanks for sharing this article. I will share this information with my friends. Very informative.

    • Thank you for stopping by, Sarah. I am glad you have enjoyed my article.

  14. Hey George,

    Nice to meet you!

    Creating your own product is a great option for a lot of us. Speaking for myself, this would be the ultimate goal for me to accomplish. I was doing network marketing and then I got into affiliate marking. I was more successful with affiliate marketing, so I gave NM a rest.

    The reasons of why we should create our own products resonated quite well with me. Especially the freedom reason since I’m always thinking about it. I think the most difficult part is finding the target market and building trust with them as far as I can see. Once this is done then you will feel the positive effects.

    Thanks for sharing! Have a good one!

    • Nice to meet you too, Sherman. I agree with you. Freedom is what it’s all about.

  15. Hi George,

    I couldn’t agree more with you! 🙂

    So far I am still in the process of creating my own products: ebook, video courses, membership, and hopefully my own Fine Arts someday. I’m getting tired of doing so many technical stuff on computer, I wanna start exploring more on my creativity.

    As far as affiliate marketing is concerned, the more I think about this the more I want to repel. Like you said, if I display someone else’s products on my widget, they are going over there instead of me.

    Also, I am never too gungho on AdSense either. I used to have Chitika and Qadabra’s banners displayed on my widget. But I took them all out. I really don’t care a few cents here and there. So the BEST way to earn money, IMO, is having your own products!

    Anyway, great post!! 🙂 Have a nice weekend.

    Angela

    • Hi Angela 🙂 It’s tough to get motivated when you don’t enjoy something. If the technical stuff isn’t fun, you might focus on the fine art. I am pretty sure there is a big enough market for it. Do you hang out in places where fine art people hang out? What are their concerns and questions? Can you create a product around it?

  16. Hi George,

    Thanks for sharing this awesome article… 🙂
    But what about accidental product creation…. 🙂

    YES that happens… It happen to me… After taking the advice from one the article about “How to be better blogger” I have started writing practice… Every day 1000 words… after six months it look like a 500+ e-book to me…

    Not sure what to do with it… That is the tricky part…. 🙂

    Regards…

    • Thank you for stopping by, Karmakar. It’s great if you can stick to writing 1000 words every day.

  17. Hello George,

    You’ve shared a basic truth I missed during my first year of professional blogging…during that year, I was in the habit of chasing non performing ads and waiting for the next sponsored post. Most times too, I had to deal with products/services I did not necessarily believe in.

    Then, like a bang, I got an idea! Why not convert my offline books and sell online? I started with Amazon and in no time, the revenue surpassed the small change from ads and sponsored posts. I wrote a couple of eBooks more and featured them on my blogs (according to their respective niches). Boy, I was really missing!

    Having tasted success with product creation, I launched a niche site which I sold two eBooks related to making money online. It would surprise you that just after 3 months, the revenue from that small site with just about 50 visitors per day overwhelmed my main site, NTP!

    If you’re a blogger and do not have your own products, believe me George, you’re missing big time!

    Have a very great day!

    Always,
    Terungwa

    • Thank you for your your comment, Akaahan. Books are probably the best first products you could create as a blogger.

  18. Hey George

    Really a awesome post indeed, i liked all the points you have added in this post. One more thing i will like to add in the section, that we will become free of promoting other products instead promoting our product will bring us money(100% commission in the sense) and will build blog brand also which will eventually lead to good traffic and readership. I mean loyal readership. Ain’t you think?
    From long ago, i was thinking to start a service on my blog but i have a thought that “Let i have opened my service, I know it is awesome but how can i make other people believe that what they are going to purchase is awesome? This is the main thing where i got stuck while promoting a product.
    Anyways, thanks for writing such an awesome post. Waiting to hear from you
    ~Nitin Singh

    • Thank you for your comment, Nitin. Good point about keep 100% of what you earn. I think it would make sense for you to start a service on your own site. People that read your blog trust you and will more likely to hire you.

  19. Hello George and Kumar:

    This is my first time here. I really enjoyed this post! Very informative! I found it very useful as I am in the beginning stages of creating my own product. I haven’t blogged for a few years but I’m back into it full time.

    I am going to take small steps at first and work up to paid products that will be filled with useful information. Right now though, I’m in the research phase. Blog posts like yours are so helpful to those just beginning to create a product. Knowing the “why” is the very first step. Even though I knew why, you just added more reasons why it’s a great idea!

    I agree with all of the benefits you state. I think as well that it’s a confidence booster. Having people want what you uniquely have to share is a very exciting thing! It’s been a long time since I’ve experienced that but now I’m ready.

    Thank you for sharing this information. It’s part of my research! 🙂

    Deborah

    • Thank you for your kind comments, Deborah. What kind of product(s) are you thinking of creating?

  20. Hi George,
    Once again i found an informative and useful post on this site.
    What a well written post it is.
    I am agree with your great opinions to become a success blogger through our own product.
    Thanks for sharing…….please keep posting such article…

    • I am glad you like the article and that you have stopped by.

  21. Thank you George,

    Everything you said was write, i stumble on advertiser site required minimum of 25000 per day that is unfair better create a product of my own than be a publisher agent for them.

Please Note: My goal is to host interesting conversations with caring, honest, and respectful people. Therefore, I reserve the right to delete comments that are snarky, offensive, or off-topic.