Using Viral Ebooks During Product Pre-Launch Campaign
If used properly, viral ebooks can be a very effective component of your pre-launch arsenal. The key is to squeeze the maximum potential from this strategy, so lets take a look at a few necessary components of pre-launch viral ebooks.
The Content
Your free viral ebook or report should obviously be related to your product’s niche. Give potential customers a taste of your product by providing them a snapshot of what’s to come. You could also provide useful information about one or more elements of your product. For instance, if you product will be teaching traffic-generating techniques, then simply write a short report about one these traffic-generating techniques.
Just keep in mind that your viral ebook or report needs to be considered valuable to readers regardless of whether or not they buy your product. Ensure your viral ebooks or reports are well-written and portray you as an expert in your niche.
The Size
There are many different opinions on this. I personally like to keep viral reports between 10- 15 pages and viral ebooks between 20 – 50 pages. If you can provide valuable, perhaps even exclusive information in just a few pages, go for it. Time is money and there are many other components of your product launch strategy that will demand your time.
The links
Viral ebooks used to as a tool to promote an upcoming product should have fewer, strategically placed links than an ebook containing affiliate links in a resource section. Here are a few tips for using links in your viral reports or ebooks.
- Place ads on the second page (after the TOC) and at the end of your report which points to your blog. Here’s an example of an attention-grabbing ad:
- Place a few links in the body of your ebook in strategic places. For instance, if you’re writing about a certain task that can be automated with software, offer readers a free copy of this software for recommending your viral ebook to their friends. Make it quick and easy for them by providing a link to a tell-a-friend page. This tell-a-friend page automates the entire process, so you never have to do anything. My favorite tell-a-friend script is Scott Boulch’s Viral Friend Dominator. It’s free and easy to setup. Here’s an example of how you can strategically use the tell-a-friend tool in your viral ebooks:
Note: A lot of marketers are using tell-a-friend scripts to send people to a squeeze page. I recommend you not do this as it may be a violation of your autoresponders terms. Just send them the download link to your free report or ebook.
- Also in the ebook’s body, point them to your blog in order to further explain a technique or principle. Your goal should be to extend the relationship you have with your readers by pointing them to another one or more of your marketing components.
The Timing
Timing is vital when you’re trying to reap the maximum benefits from your product launch marketing components. I recommend that you begin disseminating your viral ebook(s) as soon as you have your squeeze page, blog and affiliate program signup page setup. When you setup your squeeze page to advertise the future product you’re launching, offer your free ebook(s) as an incentive to signup for more information.
Viral ebooks and reports can be very powerful components of your internet marketing strategy. Imagine the power of having 10 or 15 viral ebooks scattered all over the internet. Remember to encourage your readers to give them away freely. Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at effective ways to promote viral ebooks and reports.
