If you want to create a product that stands the test of time, it must appeal to a fundamental need that simply won’t go away.
A lot of different ideas come and go. I remember 20 years ago, there was a thing called “Blog and ping.” It was a hack / exploit to actually get pages indexed in Google by creating a fake blog, and then using a piece of software to ping Google about a new page on your blog. It was a way to get low value pages into Google as an attempt to exploit their algorithms.
This was back when people were creating directories with Google Adsense in them. They were just flooding the internet with millions of useless pages trying to make money as commissions on AdSense clicks.
For a while it worked like gangbusters! But Google’s not stupid. They figured out what people were doing, changed the rules, and it all stopped working virtually overnight.
Lesson: Hacks like that only work for a short period of time.
Conversely, people consume endless amounts of content online.
People always want new information. That’s why they call it the “news” instead of the “olds.”
People don’t watch last night’s News. They want to watch tonight’s News. Why? Because it’s NEW!
If you want to be seen as current and relevant by the marketplace, you have to create a constant stream of new content targeted towards your audience.
Also, the way in which you produce that content has not changed. You’re going to produce it as:
- Text
- Audio
- Video
- Graphics
- … or some combination of the above.
People’s desires around that content have not changed. They want solutions, entertainment, innovation, updates, and distraction.
The tools we use to distribute that content have changed. We’ve evolved from websites and dialup internet speeds, to blogs, social media, and high-speed internet on our cell phones.
Though the distribution methods have changed, the method of creating content has not changed very much. (Don’t get me started on AI content generation – it’s BS and my mind will not be changed.)
For example: the book I wrote 20 years ago on “How To Write And Publish Your Own Ebook And It As Little As Seven Days” is just as relevant today as it was when we put it up for sale in August of 2001.
People want to publish a book.
They want the authority and credibility of their own book.
And they want to make sales in the middle of the night while they sleep.
The tools to do this have evolved, but the principles have not.
So, if you want an idea, that is going to stand the test of time…
Focus 90% of your product, training, or coaching on principles and strategies that will not change and keep the tactics to a minimum.
That way, if tactics change, you can quickly update your product and keep moving down the trail.
For example, with “7 Day eBook”, we have not changed the principles of what to write a book about or how to use a book to make money and build your business.
But we have changed, adapted, and added things like instruction on Kindle.
When I first published “7 Day eBook”, you couldn’t get your book on Amazon for love or money.
But then, in 2007, Amazon opened up Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) to everybody and gave them the ability to publish. Suddenly, when people thought of ebooks, they thought of Kindle.
How did that affect us?
I added a whole section on how to publish your book on Kindle and sales took off yet again.
Bottom Line Advice
Don’t create a product around a hack, an exploit, or a short-term tactic and expect it will last… because it won’t!
Focus on principles and you could have a product that sells for 20 years or more.
By the way, “7 Day eBook” is still going strong after 21 years!!
And if you’d like to know NINE different ways to create content for your own unique ebook in the next seven days – only one of which involves sitting down and writing the book out from scratch – then I’d invite you to check out “How To Write And Publish Your Own Ebook And It As Little As Seven Days” the new and improved version at 7DayEbook.com
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