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How Much Information to Give-a-way in your Information Products

I’m often asked how much info you should give away in a free Special Report and other information products. The fear is that if you give-a-way too much people won’t buy more from you. In this article, I give you a simple way that shows you exactly what to give-a-way and what to hold back on so you still give great value AND attract people to buy more from you…

In general, I believe you should give-a-way a lot…enough for your prospect to say, “My gosh! If the FREE information product is this good then the paid stuff must be amazing!” The issue isn’t how much info you give-a-way…your #1 goal is to be perceived as always providing over-the-top value. People want to buy from generous people…in fact they feel obliged to!

* The Law of Reciprocity *

This is one of the most powerful tools in persuasion. The Law of Reciprocity states: we should try to repay, in kind, what another person has provided us. If you get a birthday gift from someone we feel obliged to give them an even better gift on their birthday. If not…our fear is being seen as a moocher – a taker.

This isn’t a bad thing. In fact, renowned anthropologist, Richard Leakey says the essence of what makes us human is reciprocity: “We are human because our ancestors learned to share their food and their skills in an honored network of obligation.”

So when you give away a ton of great value in your information products you actually set in motion a subtle psychological reaction within your audience. Deep down, they will feel obliged to give back to you…i.e. buy your product or hire you.

* The Pyramid Analogy *

Here’s an easy way to think about how much info to give-a-way in your information products…

You know how a pyramid is very dense? It’s heavy! The volume of a pyramid is made with layer on top of layer of dense stones. Well imagine all the knowledge and experience in your head is like the volume of a pyramid. Pretend that 100% of the volume of the pyramid represents 100% of your knowledge and experience.

Now imagine a big, powerful saw blade cutting the very top of the pyramid. That topstone would be, say, 5% of the total volume of the pyramid. That uppermost stone rests on the entire pyramid below it…but it’s only a fraction to the total volume.

In the same way, your free give-a-way information products, like a Special Report, should only give away 5% of your total knowledge. You can give an overview of everything you know…but it’s general information.

To see a good example of this check out my Special Report “3 Secret Steps to Creating Information Products That Makes You Money.” (www.infoproductguy.com) I give away my WHOLE program…in general. I give away enough for you to get inspired…but I don’t get into the nitty-gritty details on how to create information products. For that you have to work one-on-one with me. But because I’m very open with my knowledge, people get to know, like and trust me. You can do the same.

Let’s keep going down the pyramid…

Imagine that huge saw blade took off the top few layers of the pyramid…say 50% of the total volume. This represents 50% of all the knowledge in your head. This could be your $200 — $500 signature information product: 5 CDs and a 200 page workbook. Here you not only tell people what to do…but how to do it. You give them your templates and exercises that you’ve developed over years of doing what you do so they don’t have to figure it all out themselves.

This level can also be your group coaching program. It’s a group so it’s cheaper…but it also means people don’t get as much one-on-one time with you.

Are you starting to see how this works?

The further you go down the pyramid, the more knowledge you give away and the higher the price point you charge.

The trick for your free and low priced information products is to tell the people WHAT to do…not HOW to do it. For them to learn how to solve their problems in more detail you have to share more specific information…you have to even roll up your sleeves and teach them the “How To” one-on-one. That requires more of your knowledge and time…so you charge more.

Bottom line…I encourage you to give more rather than less. People will forget the information…but they’ll remember that you are someone who gives great value. And THAT’S what makes you successful.