There are many ways to make money blogging, but creating and selling your own information products to make “passive” income is one of the most popular and potentially lucrative ways. More… I surveyed my readers and asked — “What method of blog monetization are you most likely to try next?” 38% of you responded that you were most likely to try selling your own information products. ​

What is an information product?

An information product consists of content that teaches a particular audience how to do something that will solve their problems, enhance their lives in some way, or even help them make money. Some examples of information products include:​

• E-books
• Guides
• Courses
• Printables
• Swipe Files

Three ways to create and sell an information product

• ​1. Create and then sell.
• 2. Pre-sell and then create.
• 3. Create a beta version first.

Create an information product and then try to sell it

You might be tempted to just create an informatio product and then try to sell it. Before you do that, though, think about the pros and cons of each approach. Creating your information product first and trying to sell it may be the easiest and fastest approach. However, you may create an infomation product that no one wants to buy or it may not solve a specific problem that your audience has.

Pre-sell your information product and then create it

By pre-selling your info product, you’ll know whether you have interested buyers before you actually invest the time to create it. However, if your product doesn’t pre-sell, you may get discouraged and never create it.​

Create a beta version first

Create a beta version of your info product that solves a specific problem that you have already identified. Offer your information product to a few beta testers for free or a reduced price.​ Get feedback and use it to really fine tune your info product. Then launch and sell the final version.

Can you really make money selling information products?​

You might be wondering if you can really make money selling info products. You might be wondering if it will work for your particular blogging niche. You also might be curious about what kinds of information products bloggers create.​ Well, you’re in luck! Today I’m sharing specific examples of how nine bloggers are using information products to generate passive income. I asked them the following questions.

• What kind of information product did you create?
• How long did it take you to create your information product?
• How long ago did you create your product and how much income have you generated selling it?
• What is one tip that you would give someone thinking about creating and selling an info product?

Keep reading to learn about the information products these bloggers created to generate passive income, how long it took to create them and what they’ve earned so far!

Want to create your own information product?

Download the free guide!

“Get Paid to Create Your Info Product” Guide + Checklist​

Get instant access! Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you buy something using one of the links in this article, I may earn a commission, but… It won’t cost you anything extra. Want to learn more about how you can make money blogging with affiliate marketing? Read this…   Affiliate Marketing for Bloggers – A Beginner’s Guide

Name: Carrie Willard

Blog: ​CarrieWillard.com

Niche: Lifestyle/Mom Blog

What do you blog about? Tell us a little bit about your blog.

I provide resources and inspiration to help moms simplify the mundane things so they have space in the schedule and budget for their own goals, dreams and passions.

What kind of info product did you create? Tell us a little about your product and who it’s for.

Ebooks for Amazon. I have several ebooks in the Amazon marketplace in a variety of topics of interest to my target market.

How long did it take you to create your info product?

It took anywhere from one week to a month to write each one, then a few more days for proofreading and final edits and to list the ebook in the Amazon marketplace. I outsource the ecover graphic.

Check out Carrie’s books on Amazon here!

How long ago did you create your product and how much income have you generated selling it?

I created my first ebook for Amazon 5 years ago. It generated several thousand dollars in income in the first few months. It was my best-selling book. The others have also generated a tidy monthly income, not just in Amazon but also as part of Ultimate Bundles. I make sales each month even though I don’t advertise or heavily promote my books.

What is one tip that you would give someone thinking about creating and selling an info product?

Do good market research. Query your followers to see if there’s strong interest in the topic. Have a marketing plan in place before you write the book. Have a list of readers, “superfans” if you will, that will give you a review (to use in your description) or feedback in exchange for a copy. Be sure to include an opt-in in the first couple of pages of your book so you get subscribers even from people who only get the free sample! I have other tips here: How to Publish an E-book for Amazon Kindle: A Simple Tutorial

Name: Eva Ron

Blog: ​Happy Blogging Mom

Niche: Blogging

What do you blog about? Tell us a little bit about your blog.

My blog is about helping other bloggers create a successful & profitable blog. It shares with you a lot of valuable information on “How to blog”

What kind of info product did you create? Tell us a little about your product and who it’s for.

My product is a course that teaches you EVERYTHING you need to do in order to create the RIGHT foundations for a SUCCESSFUL & profitable blog. It is a step-by-step course so that you won’t be overwhelmed from going thourgh the course. There is not fluff and no BS in this course. It’s straight and to the point as I LOVE these types of courses myself (Because a am one busy mama 🙂 ) – This course is for any blogger (new or not so new) that feels overwhelemed, lost or paralyzed with thier blogging journey!

How long did it take you to create your info product?

It took me about two months to create this product.

Check out Eva’s blogging course here!

How long ago did you create your product and how much income have you generated selling it?

The product was pre-launched on April 2nd. The income I generated from it so far (as of 4/7/17) is $97 – Which is a BIG progress for me! Yay!

What is one tip that you would give someone thinking about creating and selling an info product?

The one tip that I would give for someone that is thinknig about creating and selling an info product is that you should make sure that EVERYTHING is in place and working at least 2 days before you Pre-launch/launch your new course! I personally thought that my course will pre-launch on April 1st, but I had some technical issuse that I didn’t thing of them before, and I had to move the “pre-launch” to April 2nd.

Name: Dawn Yanek

Blog: ​Momsanity

Niche: Parenting

What do you blog about? Tell us a little bit about your blog.

I blog about parenting at momsanity.com. Momsanity is a judgment-free zone for moms—especially new moms—as they navigate the ups, downs and utter insanity of motherhood. I wanted to provide a safe space for moms, where they could find useful tips, funny and relatable observations about motherhood, the latest parenting news and, most of all, a support system. The tag line is: You might be crazy…but you’re not alone.

What kind of info product did you create? Tell us a little about your product and who it’s for.

When my second child was just a few weeks old, I wrote a post about the practical tips that I wish I had known when my first baby was born—tips about diapering, burping and breastfeeding that all of the parenting books and my friends had somehow forgotten to mention. After I hit publish, I realized that I’d forgotten a few things and started jotting them down. By the time my daughter turned 4 months old, I had 107 tips…and a book! It’s called 107 Things I Wish I Had Known with My First Baby: Essential Tips for the First 3 Months, and as you can probably guess from the title, my target audience is pregnant women and brand-new moms. I would love for all new moms to have a copy of this little book because it has the potential to make their lives so much easier.

How long did it take you to create your info product?

I wrote the book in the first 3 months of my daughter’s life…got around to editing it 9 months later…and then formatted it another 7 months after that. What took me so long? A combination of a family crisis, adjusting to life as a mom of two, and—if I’m being completely honest—being afraid to take the plunge and put myself out there in this way. I’m kicking myself now for waiting so long, but I’m really excited to finally release it!

Check out Dawn’s e-book on Amazon here!

How long ago did you create your product and how much income have you generated selling it?

Well, as I mentioned, I created it a while ago, but it only went live on Amazon a few days ago. I’ll be announcing it on my site and making a marketing push this week. Check back with me in a few weeks and I’ll let you know how it’s going!

What is one tip that you would give someone thinking about creating and selling an info product?

Don’t doubt yourself. If you think you have a good idea that will provide a needed service to your target audience, go for it! Make it as awesome as possible, but don’t sabotage yourself by tinkering forever and thinking it’s not good enough. It is good enough—and it’s time to take that leap of faith. And hey, if you forget something, you can always write a sequel!

Name: Jia

Blog: ​Marriage & Motherhood

Niche: Personal Finance Meets Home Management

What do you blog about? Tell us a little bit about your blog.

I am really a YouTuber, course creator, and online entrepreneur who happens to blog at times. My YouTube content focuses on the working mom community and women who have a hard time managing money. I share how I run my home as a full time working mom of 2 little ones as well as how my husband and I paid our way out of $60K worth of debt. You can learn more about my story on my youtube channel Marriage & Motherhood.

What kind of info product did you create? Tell us a little about your product and who it’s for.

I created an online course called Overbudget to Overjoyed where I teach families how to get out of debt and stay out of debt. I relied on my 12 year corporate background in accounting and finance and translate to help families achieve financial freedom.

How long did it take you to create your info product?

It took me about 90 days!

Check out Jia’s Marriage and Motherhood course!​

How long ago did you create your product and how much income have you generated selling it?

My first launch was in December and I generated over $5000 in sales.

What is one tip that you would give someone thinking about creating and selling an info product?

Really get to know your audience and who you are selling to. You have to make sure its what they need and want and not what you think they want.

Name: Ike Paz

Blog: ​Internet Marketing Gym

Niche: Internet Marketing

What do you blog about? Tell us a little bit about your blog.

I help people drive traffic to their products and squeeze pages.

What kind of info product did you create? Tell us a little about your product and who it’s for.

I’ve created a free chrome extension then lets you find targeted Pinterest keywords for your pin descriptions. Since Pinterest runs more like a search engine than a social media platform; I’ve made it easier for people to optimize their images and get targeted Pinterest traffic.

How long did it take you to create your info product?

One month.

Check out Ike’s ​Pinterest SEO Keyword Finder Tool!

How long ago did you create your product and how much income have you generated selling it?

The product it self is free but it’s my lead magnet and it attracts a lot of subscribers that become my customers for affiliate products later down the road. So far, I’ve made a bit over $5,000.

What is one tip that you would give someone thinking about creating and selling an info product?

Separate yourself from your competition and offer them something different. Instead of an ebook, why not a piece of software, a printable or a video series.

Name: Katie Hornor

Blog: ​Paradise Praises

Niche: Home Education/ Expat Living

What do you blog about? Tell us a little bit about your blog.

Christian parenting, homeschooling and traveling/living abroad

What kind of info product did you create? Tell us a little about your product and who it’s for.

Homeschool organization course for parents who are overwhelmed with the amount of stuff and papers and record keeping that comes with homeschooling.

How long did it take you to create your info product?

A couple of weeks.

Check out Katie’s ​homeschool organization course!

How long ago did you create your product and how much income have you generated selling it?

A year ago. We’ve sold under 100 so far, but haven’t been focused on promoting it heavily either.

What is one tip that you would give someone thinking about creating and selling an info product?

It’s not as hard as you think, and people don’t need as much as you think they do. Work to solve 1 problem per lesson or per course and you’ll do well.

Name: Kim Brush

Blog: ​Day to Day Adventures

Niche: Lifestyle

What do you blog about? Tell us a little bit about your blog.

By sharing about food, family, homeschooling, crafts and gardening I strive t encourage women to grow in the midst of their day to day challenges.

What kind of info product did you create? Tell us a little about your product and who it’s for.

I have 3 products. Ebook, video course and wooden needle(physical product). These are all on the same topic of rag rug making This product is for women who love to add beauty to their home and like to work with their hands.

How long did it take you to create your info product?

I did this over the course of a year so I don’t have a number of hours.

Check out Kim’s rag rug video course here!​

How long ago did you create your product and how much income have you generated selling it?

The ebook was created early in 2016 and I’ve earned nearly $300 from it. The video course launched in the last few weeks and hasn’t brought much in yet. Also the needles were made available a few weeks ago and have earned just over $100.

What is one tip that you would give someone thinking about creating and selling an info product?

It will not go as you expect and there will be road blocks. Keep trying and be prepared to find creative ways to make things work.

Name: Elisa Giorgio

Blog: ​Meal Planning Blueprints

Niche: Food/Meal Planning

What do you blog about? Tell us a little bit about your blog.

I know dinner time can be one of the most daunting times of the day for moms, so I created Meal Planning Blueprints to help take the stress out meal time. I have resources for beginners to experts, and I love, love, LOVE to make free meal planning printables for my readers.

What kind of info product did you create? Tell us a little about your product and who it’s for.

I created a small course that teaches my favorite method of meal planning and it’s geared towards moms looking to simplify their dinner routine. It’s called the Capsule Pantry Blueprint and it takes the principles of a capsule wardrobe and applies them to your pantry! 1 master list of ingredients + 1 monthly meal plan x 3 months = 1 happy mama!

How long did it take you to create your info product?

It’s still in pre-sale, it has not been fully created yet. However, a similar course I created took me roughly 15 hours to complete (including the workbook).

Check out Elisa’s capsule pantry blueprint course here!​

How long ago did you create your product and how much income have you generated selling it?

It literally just opened up for pre-sale to my email list and it’s generated a few hundred dollars so far.

What is one tip that you would give someone thinking about creating and selling an info product?

Be sure to pre-sell it. I can’t tell you how much time I’ve wasted creating smaller products that didn’t sell. Take your most popular topic from your website, survey your audience, and create what they need. Plus, a positive response from your pre-sale will give you the motivation to create it quickly and propel you to create even more!

Name: Eden Fried

Blog: ​Blogging for Profit

Niche: Blogging

What do you blog about? Tell us a little bit about your blog.

My blog is geared to bloggers learn how to blog for profit so that they can start quit their 9-5 (or whatever else they feel is holding them back) and enjoy more financial freedom and personal freedom in their everyday lives.

What kind of info product did you create? Tell us a little about your product and who it’s for.

I created a self-paced, comprehensive Pinterest ecourse that teaches bloggers from start to finish how to grow a brand new Pinterest account from nothing to over 700 followers in less than 8 weeks.

How long did it take you to create your info product?

It took me about 1 week to create the course. It came naturally to me as it, quite literally, is a compilation of real strategies that I implemented to grow my own Pinterest account in less than 3 month’s time.

Check out Eden’s Pinterest Unpuzzled course!​

How long ago did you create your product and how much income have you generated selling it?

I created the course in mid-March 2017 so it’s brand new and I’m excited to share it with the world! Without any marketing at all just yet, the course has already brought in over $110!

What is one tip that you would give someone thinking about creating and selling an info product?

Make sure your product answers one very specific question that your target audience wants or needs answered. Products that are too broad could be harder to sell.

Final Thoughts

What did you learn from these nine bloggers? Are you ready to create your own information product now? What other questions do you have about creating and selling information products to generate passive income? ​​