How to Create Information Products That Actually Sell
- Eliza Slavova
- Sep 14
- 16 min read
Discovering Your Million-Dollar Product Idea
The journey to creating a successful information product rarely starts with a sudden bolt of lightning. More often than not, the most profitable ideas aren't chased; they're uncovered. The best creators realise that their products need to solve a real, nagging problem for a specific group of people. Instead of asking, "What can I sell?" try asking, "What problem can I solve?" This simple shift in thinking is the secret to building something people are eager to buy.
Your most valuable asset is the knowledge you already have, often hiding in plain sight. Think about the advice your friends, family, or colleagues constantly ask you for. Is it about managing a household budget, getting the hang of tricky software, or planning the perfect holiday? Each of these could be the seed for a high-value information product. The magic happens where your expertise meets a genuine need in the market.
Tapping into Your Existing Expertise
Before you get lost in complex market research, take a moment to look inward at your own skills and experiences. Your best ideas are often born from your personal or professional life. Use these prompts to get the ball rolling:
What have you mastered? Think about a skill you've spent years honing. Maybe it's learning a new language, mastering a specific style of photography, or becoming an expert in organic gardening.
What challenge have you overcome? Did you successfully clear a large amount of debt? Have you figured out a foolproof system for managing a hectic family schedule? Your solution to a past struggle is a ready-made product for someone facing that exact same challenge right now.
What do you enjoy teaching? Passion is a powerful fuel. If you genuinely love explaining how to build a website or how to bake the perfect sourdough loaf, that enthusiasm will make your product compelling and help you build a loyal following.
Listening to Your Audience
Once you have a few ideas brewing, it's time to do some listening. Pay close attention to the language people use in online communities related to your potential topic. What questions pop up again and again in Facebook groups, on Reddit, or in specialised forums? These questions are a goldmine, pointing directly to the information gaps people would happily pay to fill.
People are actively looking for answers, and you need to be where they're searching. This is vital because, in the UK, search engines are the first port of call for product research. A recent survey showed that 59% of UK shoppers use search engines to research products before making a purchase. You can find more details on these consumer habits in the full Statista report on product information sources.
By identifying these persistent problems, you're not just guessing what might sell; you're confirming a proven demand. For a more detailed walkthrough of this discovery phase, have a look at our guide on The Ultimate Guide to Creating & Selling Information Products Online. The aim is to move from a vague idea to a specific solution for a defined audience, setting the stage for a product that doesn't just launch—it thrives.
Testing Your Concept Before Building Anything
The urge to dive straight into creating your new product is strong. You've got a brilliant idea, a clear vision of the final version, and you're keen to get started. But one of the most disheartening mistakes a creator can make is to spend weeks, or even months, building an information product, only for the launch to be met with total silence. Experienced creators know that validation isn't just a good idea; it's an essential first step to prevent wasting your valuable time and money.
Real validation isn't about asking your friends if they "like" your idea. It's about discovering if people are genuinely willing to part with their hard-earned cash for the solution you're offering. Skipping this phase is a huge gamble. The digital graveyard is full of unsold PDFs and unwatched video courses, serving as a warning to us all.
Low-Cost Ways to Test Real Buyer Intent
The good news is you don't need a finished product to see if it will sell. In fact, you shouldn't have one at this stage. Your aim is to measure genuine interest with the minimum possible effort. Think of it as sending a scout ahead before you commit the entire army.
Here are a couple of practical ways to do this:
The Strategic Social Media Post: Avoid asking a vague question like, "Would you buy this?" Instead, craft a post that focuses on the problem your product solves. For instance, a personal finance coach might post: "I'm considering putting together a detailed guide on the exact steps I took to clear £10,000 of credit card debt in 12 months. Would a step-by-step plan for this be genuinely useful for anyone?" The level and nature of the engagement you get are your first pieces of real data.
The 'Smoke Test' Landing Page: This is a classic method for a very good reason. Set up a simple, one-page website that outlines your proposed information product. Describe the benefits, list the potential modules or chapters, and include a clear call-to-action like "Join the Waitlist to Be Notified First." You can then direct a small amount of traffic to this page from social media or with a tiny ad budget. If a decent number of people sign up, you've got a strong signal of genuine interest.
To help you decide which validation method is right for you, here's a quick comparison of the common approaches.
As the table shows, while a quick social media post is easy, pre-selling gives you the most reliable confirmation that you have a winning idea.
Interpreting Feedback and Pre-Selling Your Idea
Your most powerful validation tool is conversation. Get in touch with the people who engaged with your post or joined your waitlist. Ask them open-ended questions like, "What's the most frustrating part about [your topic] for you right now?" Their answers will not only confirm your idea is on the right track but will also give you the exact words to use in your sales copy.
Once you have this initial positive feedback, think about pre-selling your information product. This is the ultimate test of your concept. You create a sales page for the product you haven't made yet, often at a discounted "founder's" price, and see if anyone actually buys it. This approach not only proves market demand with 100% certainty but can also generate the funds you need to produce the course or guide. If you're looking for ways to generate initial capital for projects like this, our guide on how to make money online fast might give you some useful ideas.
The infographic below shows how your time should be allocated, highlighting that the main effort begins after you've successfully validated your idea.
This visual drives home a critical point: with only 20% of your effort going into the initial planning and validation, the bulk of your time is spent building something you already know people want to buy.
Crafting Content That Changes Lives
Right, your idea has the green light. Now comes the exciting part: turning that validated concept into a real, tangible information product. This is where you transform your expertise from a jumble of thoughts into a structured journey that actually helps people. Think of it less like writing a textbook and more like drawing a map that guides someone from a place of confusion to a moment of clarity. The products that get glowing reviews aren't just collections of facts; they're designed to create genuine "aha!" moments for your customers.
To do this well, you need to put yourself in your customer’s shoes. You must truly understand where they're starting from – their frustrations, what they don’t know, and the things they’ve already tried that didn't work. This empathy is your secret weapon for organising your content logically. Avoid the temptation to just info-dump everything you know. Instead, structure your material to build momentum, where each lesson sets the stage for the next. This keeps people engaged and prevents them from feeling overwhelmed.
Structuring for Transformation, Not Just Information
The aim is to create something that helps people make a real change. A crucial part of this is mixing theory with practice. For every new idea you introduce, give your customer a way to apply it immediately. This could be a simple worksheet, a checklist, a small project, or a real-world challenge. We all learn best by doing, and these practical tasks are what turn passive reading into active skill-building.
Here are a few core elements that make for a transformative learning experience:
Logical Flow: Organise your modules or chapters so the path forward is always obvious. A user should never have to ask, "What am I supposed to do next?"
Bite-Sized Lessons: Break down big, complex topics into smaller, more manageable pieces. Research on learning shows we retain more from short, focused sessions than from long, rambling lectures. A good rule of thumb is to aim for video lessons between 5 and 15 minutes or text chapters that can be read in one go.
Actionable Tasks: End each section with a clear call to action. It could be something like, "Complete the budget template" or "Practise this negotiation script." These tasks build both competence and a sense of achievement.
Real-World Examples: Use specific, relatable stories. Don't just say "save money"; show them how someone saved £200 a month on their grocery bill using your exact method.
Platforms like Teachable are built around this very idea, making it simple for creators to organise their content into clear, easy-to-follow modules and lessons.
As you can see, a well-structured curriculum makes it incredibly easy for a student to navigate. This organised approach is fundamental to a good user experience and is a tell-tale sign of a high-quality information product.
Efficient Workflows and Quality Benchmarks
When thinking about how to create information products, it's easy to fall into the trap of trying to build your masterpiece all at once. A common mistake is spending months creating a huge, all-encompassing product before you've sold a single copy. A much smarter strategy is to create a smaller, "first steps" version of your product to begin with. For example, if your grand vision is to teach someone how to build an entire e-commerce business, your first product might just focus on finding a profitable niche.
This approach has two massive advantages. Firstly, it’s much quicker and easier to create, meaning you can get your product to market sooner. Secondly, you can get direct feedback from your first paying customers, which you can then use to shape the more advanced modules you create later. This ensures you're building something your audience actually wants and is willing to pay for. This cycle of creating, selling, and refining is the key to building a sustainable and profitable business without burning yourself out.
Choosing Your Format and Platform Wisely
So, you've mapped out all the fantastic knowledge you're going to share. Now for the big question: how are you actually going to package it? It's easy to jump straight to creating a massive video course, but that's not always the best move. The right format depends entirely on your topic, who you're teaching, and what you can realistically create.
The format isn't just a box for your content; it defines how your audience will experience it and how you'll run your business. A mismatch here can turn brilliant ideas into a frustrating product for your customer and a logistical headache for you.
Think about it this way: a complex skill like learning to code or mastering digital illustration is perfect for a detailed video course with multiple modules. But if you're teaching someone a quick-start guide to meal prepping, a simple, well-designed PDF is much more practical. Your customer probably wants something they can print and stick on the fridge, not a two-hour video series. The goal is to match the format to the problem you're solving.
Comparing Popular Information Product Formats
The path you choose will have a direct impact on how long it takes to create, how much you can earn, and the technical skills you'll need. A straightforward PDF can be put together in a few days using basic software, while a full-blown membership site requires ongoing content creation and active community management. It's important to be honest about these trade-offs.
To help you decide, let's look at the most common formats and what they realistically involve.
As you can see, there's no single "best" option. eBooks are a fantastic way to test an idea without a huge upfront investment. Video courses have the highest perceived value but demand a lot of time for recording and editing. Membership sites are the dream for recurring revenue, but you're committing to being a community manager, not just a content creator.
Where Should You Host Your Product?
Choosing where to sell your product is just as crucial as deciding its format. Platforms like Teachable or Podia are great all-in-one solutions that handle payments and content delivery for you. The trade-off is that they take a percentage of your sales and you have less control over the look and feel.
On the other hand, using plugins on your own WordPress site gives you complete control and means you keep more of your revenue, but it demands more technical confidence to set up and maintain.
This decision is especially important in a robust market like the UK. With over 65 million online shoppers who spend an average of around £3,700 each year, there's a massive audience ready to purchase digital products. You can find more UK e-commerce statistics on Analyzify to get a better sense of the opportunity. Picking the right platform ensures you can tap into this market effectively.
Ultimately, your aim is to pick a format and platform that suit both your customer’s preferences and your own business goals. If you're keen to explore different digital business models, our article on easy online businesses to start might give you some ideas. Don't let the technical choices distract from your main purpose: delivering real value in the most effective way you can.
Pricing Psychology That Maximises Your Revenue
Putting a price tag on your information product can be one of the most nerve-wracking parts of the journey. If you price it too low, you don't just lose out on income; you can devalue your expertise and attract customers who aren't really invested. Price it too high, and you might see potential buyers run for the hills. The thing is, your price does more than bring in money; it positions your product in the market and communicates a lot about its quality and the results it delivers.
A classic mistake is peeking at what your competitors are charging and just knocking a few quid off your own price. This almost always backfires, leading to a "race to the bottom" where nobody really wins. Your pricing should be a confident reflection of the genuine value you're offering. It might sound strange, but a higher price can often lead to better outcomes all around, not just for your bank balance but for your customers' commitment too. When people make a bigger investment, they tend to take it more seriously, meaning they're more likely to follow through and get the results they paid for.
Anchoring and Perceived Value
One of the cleverest tools you can use is price anchoring. This is where you set a reference point that makes your main offer look like a fantastic deal. For instance, you could show your core product next to a "premium" version that includes one-on-one coaching for a significantly higher price. All of a sudden, your main product looks much more reasonable.
Let's play this out with a real-world scenario. Say you've created a brilliant guide on launching a freelance writing career.
Option 1: The Guide Only - £97
Option 2: The Guide + Template Bundle - £147
Option 3: The Guide + Bundle + 1-Hour Coaching Call - £397
In this setup, that £397 option is your anchor. While most people won't go for it, its presence makes the £147 bundle feel like an absolute bargain. This strategy cleverly shifts the customer's mindset from "How much is it?" to "Which option gives me the best value for my money?"
The Power of Bundles and Tiered Pricing
Building on the idea of anchoring, offering different tiers or bundles is a fantastic way to boost your average order value. A single price point gives your customer a simple "yes" or "no" choice. But giving them a few well-thought-out options changes the question to, "Which of these is the right fit for me?" This lets you cater to various needs and budgets within your audience.
A typical structure might look like this:
Tier 1 (The Starter): This is your core product, like an eBook or a video course.
Tier 2 (The Accelerator): This includes the core product plus extras like workbooks, checklists, or bonus video content. This is usually the sweet spot and where you'll aim to get most of your sales.
Tier 3 (The VIP): This tier has everything from the other two, plus a high-value bonus like personal access to you for Q&A or a live online workshop.
This tiered model doesn't just help you make more money; it also gives you great insight into what your customers really want based on the choices they make. Thinking about how you create and price these products is a huge part of building a successful online business. For more ideas on this, have a look at our guide on the 10 best online businesses to start under £100 in 2025. By approaching your pricing with a bit of psychology, you're not just doing maths—you're crafting offers that people find hard to resist.
Launch Strategies That Generate Real Buzz
After pouring your heart and soul into creating and packaging your information product, the final step is getting it in front of the right people. A brilliant product is pointless if nobody knows it exists. A successful launch isn't about shouting into the void; it's a carefully planned process designed to build genuine excitement and trust, turning curious followers into eager customers.
This is so much more than just sending a "buy now" email. It involves warming up your audience, making them keenly aware of the problem your product solves, and positioning your guide or course as the perfect solution. A common mistake is to treat marketing as an afterthought, but your launch strategy is just as important as the content itself.
The Pre-Launch: Building Authentic Hype
Your launch should start long before you're ready to sell. The goal of the pre-launch phase is to build momentum and get your audience ready. It’s about shifting from being just another content creator to becoming a trusted guide who has the answers they’ve been looking for.
Think of it as setting the stage. Instead of dropping a sales pitch out of nowhere, you can start by:
Hinting at what's to come: Share behind-the-scenes glimpses of your creation process on social media. A quick post showing your course outline or a snippet from your eBook can spark curiosity without giving everything away.
Focusing on the problem: Create content (blog posts, short videos, social media threads) that dives deep into the challenges your product solves. This confirms the need for your solution in your audience's mind before you even mention a product.
Building a waitlist: This is non-negotiable. A dedicated waitlist for your product is your single most valuable launch asset. These are your warmest leads—people who have explicitly raised their hands and said, "I'm interested."
The Main Event: Your Launch Sequence
When it’s time to go live, a structured launch sequence is crucial. This usually happens over a set period, like five to seven days, and uses a mix of email and social media to guide potential customers towards a purchase. One powerful approach is the four-part launch strategy: the pre-launch, a trigger event, the open cart period, and the post-launch follow-up.
A launch trigger, such as a free webinar or a live challenge related to your product's topic, acts as the main event that kicks everything off. It provides immense value upfront and leads naturally into your product pitch. During the "open cart" period, your communication becomes more focused, highlighting benefits, sharing testimonials, and addressing common objections. Make sure you're equipped with the right software; you can check out our guide on essential business tools small companies need in 2025 to ensure your tech stack is ready.
This is a critical time for your business, and understanding market behaviour is key. For instance, recent UK data shows that while overall retail sales are up, online spending has seen a slight dip. This doesn't mean people aren't buying, but it highlights the importance of a compelling, value-driven launch that can cut through the noise and convince people to invest. You can discover more insights about recent UK retail trends on ONS.gov.uk.
A successful launch isn't just a revenue spike; it's the start of a relationship with your new customers. By focusing on building real buzz and providing value at every step, you're not just selling a product—you're creating a base of loyal fans who will support your work for years to come.
Building Your Information Product Empire
Your first successful product isn't the finish line; it's the starting block. Savvy creators know the real prize isn’t a one-off launch but building a sustainable business that can grow beyond their direct involvement. This is where you move from just making a product to building an empire, and it all begins with thinking about your product family.
A product family is essentially a suite of related offerings that guide your customers along a longer journey. This approach significantly increases customer lifetime value. For instance, someone who bought your £47 eBook on "Starting a Side Hustle" is the perfect person to later purchase your £297 video course on "Scaling Your Side Hustle to a Full-Time Income." The key is to spot these natural expansion opportunities by listening closely to what your existing customers need next.
From Solo Creator to Scalable Business
Scaling means creating systems that work even when you’re not. It’s about building a business that doesn't depend solely on your personal time. This might sound intimidating, but it's a gradual process of smart delegation and automation. You don't need to hire a massive team overnight.
Your journey to scaling might look something like this:
Automate Customer Support: Start by creating a detailed FAQ page. Then, you can set up automated email sequences to handle the most common pre-purchase questions or to welcome new customers smoothly.
Delegate Content Tasks: You don’t have to do it all. Think about hiring a virtual assistant to manage social media scheduling, a video editor to polish your course content, or a designer to create your workbooks. This frees you up to focus on high-level strategy and creating your core content.
Systemise Feedback: Put an automated system in place for collecting testimonials and feedback. A simple email sent two weeks after a purchase can gather valuable insights you can use to improve current products and brainstorm new ones.
Platforms designed for creators often have features that support this growth. Below is a screenshot from the creator-focused platform Gumroad, which makes selling multiple digital products straightforward.
The interface is built for simplicity, letting a creator manage multiple products, check analytics, and communicate with their audience from one central dashboard. This kind of organised system is the foundation for scaling. You shift from managing individual sales to overseeing a whole ecosystem of products.
Thinking about how to create information products is one thing, but planning for their long-term growth is what separates a hobby from a real business. Concentrate on building a community around your expertise. An engaged community not only reduces churn but also becomes a source of endless product ideas. Your first product is your entry point; your product empire is what gives you lasting freedom and impact.
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