One method that was popular many years ago but isn’t used so much today is to create viral reports. There is no logical reason why this method isn’t being used as much because it still works very well.
The concept is simple. Create a short 15 – 20 page report that helps someone solve a particular problem in the niche of your choice and then give it away for free and then (this is the clincher) let others give it away for free on their website. That’s right, the idea here is to get as many people as possible giving away your free report.
You should make sure the report is of real high quality. Something that works very well is a complete step by step case study of how you achieved something. For example in the weight loss niche you could compile a report on how you lost XX number of pounds and include before and after photos with everything you ate and did to lose those that weight so that others can follow along very easily.
You should compile the report in to a PDF to prevent people from copying and pasting or altering the content. Converting a Word doc to PDF is very easy nowadays, even the latest version of Word and OpenOffice will let you convert to PDF but failing that just do a quick search on Google for a“free PDF maker”.
The reason is that inside your report on the first couple of pages you have links to your website and maybe even an offer to buy your product. You can even sprinkle a few affiliate links throughout the report to help you earn a few commissions.
Once again you are leveraging the work of others to get your short viral report seen by as many eyeballs as possible. This concept works really well in niches outside Internet marketing because it’s relatively unused.
You should make it very clear at the beginning and end of the report that the reader is encouraged to distribute it and send it to their friends or anyone else that might be interested. You could even include a section or link to a page that teaches them how to add the report to their website.
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About Warren
I would have thought that viral activities are being used more than ever with content distribution over social media.
Furthermore, it’s much easier to track the sharing of an html article via GA than it is to track a PDF being emailed around.
This is a very interesting concept. The other I was reading about viral reports and there was one part that stuck in my mind. It is from this site http://bit.ly/h73D0Z , quoting:
“If you can safely take a controversial stand on a popular topic, you’ll see a huge response to your viral report. If you can’t find something controversial, make your report about something essential to your niche.”
Looking forwad to your future posts!
Cheers,
~GG