Are You Making the Most of Every Newsletter Article?

When I talk to experts about creating information products, the most common complaint I hear is, "I don't have the time!"

Is that true of you as well? If so, maybe you're not taking full advantage of the material you've already created. Creating new material is fun - and important. But don't overlook the opportunities to take your existing material and spin it into other forms.

I'll give you a specific example ...

I'll share the process I use myself for leveraging new material. This won't suit everybody, but at least you'll see an example which you can copy or adapt.

1. Write a newsletter

Every week or two, I write a feature article (just like this one) for my newsletter. I send this to my mailing list.

Why: Maintain our relationship
Time: 30-45 minutes

2. Article on my Web site

My Internet marketing assistant extracts this article from the newsletter and adds it to my Web site as a stand-alone article.

Why: Credibility, authority, search engine positioning
Time: 10 minutes

3. Send to article directories

My assistant then submits this article to the most popular article directories (places that accept articles for re-publication).

Why: Authority, credibility, non-search-engine traffic
Time: 30 minutes

4. Record for my podcast

I record myself reading the article out loud, on my iPod. I "top and tail" it with an intro, outtro and theme music, and publish it to the Expert Gold podcast.

Why: More personal connection
Time: 5 minutes to record, 10 minutes to publish

5. Blog it

My assistant copies the article across to the First Step support FAQ blog. If it's relevant, I'll also copy it across to the Magnetic Messages blog.

Why: Authority, credibility, Google traffic
Time: 5 minutes

6. Add to Vault

Finally (for now!), my assistant copies it across to the Leverage Matters Vault, a growing directory of resources about leverage, on-line marketing and product creation.

Why: Client loyalty, added value
Time: 5 minutes

OK, that's it!

I'll admit that I don't do this every time I send a newsletter. But I do it often enough that I'm regularly publishing my material in various forms. Even though it's the same content, different people consume it differently - so they appreciate getting it into different ways.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. I haven't even mentioned re-using this material in e-books, special reports, audio CDs or books!

How can you use this? Remember:

You're probably sitting on material you can easily turn into products.
You don't have to do all the work yourself.

Key words: Creating Products

Permission to Reprint: Yes, you may reprint this article in any of your publications - paid or free, electronic or physical, commercial or non-commercial - provided you do not edit it in any way (except for formatting changes to suit your publication style), and include this resource box with the article:

Gihan Perera is the author of "Get Active: Web Sites for Speakers, Trainers, Coaches and Consultants" and "Fast, Flat and Free: What You Need to Know to Stay Ahead in a Connected World". Visit http://GihanPerera.com and get your complimentary copies now.

I would also appreciate receiving a copy of the issue in which it appears, if that is convenient.