Ever wondered why some ebooks get downloaded by the thousands while others languish in pitiful obscurity? What is even more intriguing is when that ebook or free report that is downloaded in the thousands turns out to be a complete dud!
Anyway before I reveal the reason why (drum roll please) as well as show you how you can duplicate the same system to get your own report/ebook downloaded in the thousands here’s a preamble to clue you in.
Did you ever watch the movie “Snakes On A Plane” starring Mr. “Rat-a-tat-tat” Samuel L. Jackson. Anyway the online promo and subsequent word-of-mouth promotion of the movie was such a success that people flocked like lemmings to a cliff-drop party to watch it. Well as it turned out the movie was a dud.
I personally waited for the movie to come out on dvd before watching it and I could see why the it flopped. Snakes On A Plane flopped not because of bad acting, nor because of a lame script (we, the audience already anticipated that before viewing) but because we expected a bang-n-shootem-up at 30,000 feet in the air where the bad guys in this case were snakes. But because the shooting was taking place 30,000 feet in a pressurized cabin, Mr. Rat-a-tat-tat was restricted to blasting the baddies with a taser gun! Now that was lame!
No…the moral of this tale is not about how even great packaging cannot save a bad product, the point of note here is “Great Packaging.” Great packaging is what got people in the theaters to watch a dud! Great packaging is what gets lousy ebooks and reports to be downloaded in the thousands if not millions, and here’s how you can apply the same principle for your next free report or ebook.
When it comes to naming eBooks there really is only one category of headline/title that is a consistent winner (in terms of greatest readership) and that title falls under the category of:
Self Interest!
No matter your field or subject matter if you have written an eBook and your intention is to get it as widely read as possible then incorporated somewhere within the title of your eBook must be some message that panders to your audience’s self interest.
So for example if the topic of your ebook relates to snoring to peak your intended audience’s interest your ebook title must offer some form of relief or solution to their predicament (snoring).
A good title on the subject of snoring may read as follows:
STOP YOUR SNORING FAST WITH THESE 3 EASY FIXES!
A detailed analysis of the title above clearly illustrates that it incorporates the 3 fundamental elements that characteristically elevate even humdrum mediocre ebooks to bestseller (or should I say bestdownloaded) status. Such elements include the following:
1. SELF INTEREST? The title informs the reader what to expect and what they stand to gain in plain language. The title also appeals to the reader’s self interest and promises to solve a pressing problem that they want solved yesterday!
2. URGENCY? Does the title convey a sense of urgency and immediacy? In this case it certainly does. The word “FAST” promises almost immediate results!
3. EASE OF USE? Most of us are naturally lazy and given the choice of taking the path of least resistance or one mined with obstacles and difficulties, we most certainly will choose the easy route, or in other words, the path of least resistance!
In this context that means that for your ebook title to really hook your intended audience not only must it promise an urgent resolution to their pressing problem, that resolution must come in a very easily applicable solution package!
Referring back to the “HOW TO STOP SNORING FAST WITH THESE 3 EASY FIXES!” title, it is readily apparent that such a header also conveys an obvious ease of use by incorporating the words “3 easy fixes!” Oh and before I forget, adding the phrase “How To” at the beginning of your header definitely increases reader interest and ultimate participation because it clearly promises a solution to a problem they need fixed.
MORE WAYS TO ENSURE YOUR EBOOK IS READ!
Another very simple and effective tweak to increase the chances of your ebook/report getting read is to name its actual PDF file with the exact same name that you titled your report; or failing that, at least name the PDF file something closely resembling the title of your report.
The reasoning behind this is, for most of us who make up the swelling online marketing crowd, we have computers that are invariably swamped with a vast number of ebooks and reports that we’d downloaded and after a while it certainly gets crazy mad trying to locate a specific ebook especially when its PDF has some cryptic file name like, zbg5566a.pdf! (you’d be amazed at the number of people who make this error…including veterans!)
So in the case of my report The Blogging Edge it makes a lot of sense for me to entitle the PDF file as blogging-edge.pdf! You may have noticed that I have incorporated hyphens in the name and the reason why I have done this is because without them the PDF file name would transform to something that looks like following: blogging%20edge.pdf which is a little off putting!
STRAIGHTFORWARD AND TO THE POINT WINS THE RACE!
It is very tempting to come up with some esoteric and cool sounding name (errr…like The Blogging Edge?), but the truth of the matter is such a name is going to mean mumbo jumbo to a good number of your blog visitors, unless that name is accompanied with some exciting explanatory text (preferably in bullet form) that once again incorporates the three fundamental elements mentioned above.
I mention this because I have come across an increasing number of reports citing and referring to blockbuster US movies (e.g., “The Matrix”) which reference in all likelihood means nothing to a large proportion of the growing internet population who hail from different continents and countries (think Asia).
Such disconnect is more likely to confuse an otherwise interested party and drive them into the welcoming hands of a fellow marketer who abides by the KISS Creed (Keep It Simple Stupid) and whose language is more down to earth and less colorful! Sigh…wish that could be me!
So in a nutshell, it is better to entitle your ebook with langauge that explains in a plain and easily understood manner, how your book will solve a particular problem. Oh…and of course make sure you incorporate the three essential points listed above!
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