Info Product Mastery

In this episode of Info Product Mastery, I sit down with copywriting legend, John McIntyre, and we discuss email marketing, copywriting, and his new business RageHeart. Topics covered [00:35] Adrian talks about John and how he listened to his podcast, The McMethod Podcast and learned all about copywriting. [01:26] Adrian asks John to talk a little bit about his personal history and his beginnings in copywriting. [03:24] Adrian remarks on how copywriting has taken John around the world and also how in the age of the internet if you have a skill you can market, you can work from anywhere. [05:04] “Success in anything requires knowing how to persuade people..” - John [07:13] “I just thought copywriting was an ephemeral skill..” - Adrian [08:25] John discusses the importance of understanding people in writing copy. [10:30] John explains why he started his podcast. [12:50] Adrian wants to know why John switched over from Drip to Berserker. [18:24] Adrian talks about the million dollar Google Docs program. One of his favorite things John has shared through his email list. [19:22] Adrian wants to know what John’s favorite pattern interrupts are. [21:00] “The copy is only part of the thing….maybe the problem is the market, or the offer that you’re making…” - John [22:05] John talks about PersuasivePage.com and how they do great and innovative work in copywriting. [25:35] John introduces his new business RageHeart.co, and explains what it is. [28:37] “If you can explain someone's problem to them better than they can explain it they will immediately trust you” - John [29:36] John discusses how while everyone is trying to work on themselves, approaching self help and healing via the nervous system has totally changed his life. [31:27] “This somatic stuff, this nervous system stuff is doing the same thing” - John commenting on his use of plant medicines and the parallels with somatic therapy. [32:38] RageHeart is a combination of Somatic therapy and plant medicine therapy branded in a different way than your typical self-help type therapies. [33:28] Adrian talks about his own life challenges and struggles and how he overcame them with similar therapies to John. [37:35] “If you think about what holds people back…it’s fear, it’s doubt…all of these things relate to the nervous system..” - John on how doing the work to make yourself better will actually make your business more successful and happier in general. [41:39] Adrian agrees with John about doing this s

In this episode of Info Product Mastery, we have Justin Ferriman on the show, former CEO of LearnDash, the premier WordPress plugin for creating and selling online courses. Topics covered [02:11] Adrian asks Justin what his inspiration for LearnDash was initially. [03:45] Justin talks about starting his blog and beginning to capture emails. [05:04] Both PyImageSearch and LearnDash were acquired on the same day. Adrian remembers how he and Justin’s path have a lot of parallels. [06:06] Justin discusses the benefits of LearnDash and why people should use it. [07:42] “In a sentence I just feel like Wordpress allows you to own the content…” - Justin [08:59] Adrian agrees with Justin about the benefits of Wordpress over something like Udemy, and gives some examples of how he was able to make custom offerings. [10:54] “Do shorter...concise…or longer, more in depth courses tend to do better in terms of sales?…” - Adrian [15:14] Justin talks about breaking out content into several courses versus one huge course. [16:27] “A combination of video and text will go a long way…” - Justin on what kind of formatting does best on LearnDash. [21:01] Adrian wants to know from Justin if gamification is a good strategy, or is even still a thing. [22:08] “The point of gamification is to create a sense of commitment…” - Justin [24:37] Justin talks about what’s keeping him busy now that LearnDash has been acquired. [26:36] “The point of GapScout is to leverage the best of AI and machine learning….to then spot those gaps you can go after in your business….” - Justin [27:01] “I love taking customer reviews…and turning those into headlines and copy..” - Adrian [28:04] Justin describes a “great little sales hack.” [29:40] “The target market for this are people like you and I….the solopreneur…the small business trying to compete against the big guy” - Justin on GapScout [30:44] Pain points and negative experiences with other brands can be used as a way to market. [32:50] Justin points out that anybody that is creating an online course should do market research. Links from the show LearnDash GapScout PyImageSearch

In this episode of Info Product Mastery, I chat with Johannes Kettmann about his website, Profy.dev. We discuss tactics and techniques to regularly produce content, improve your email list conversion, and build a profitable info product company. Topics covered [01:25] Adrian starts by asking Johannes why he wanted to start React training. [02:55] Johannes talks about why self taught developers have a hard time finding their first job. [05:42] Johannes designed his React job simulator to help students learn the way he did, on the job. [07:22] Adrian asks Johannes about his price points for the membership to his site. [08:20] The initial launch of Johannes’ product converted reasonably well, but the most recent launch was much lower but with a bigger email list. He wants to know why. [11:23] After learning a bit about where the traffic to Johanne’s site comes from, Adrian talks about consistency in content marketing, and how he breaks the work down into “seasons.” [13:10] “I’m batching all of this, so there’s zero context switching with all of this.” - Adrian [16:31] Adrian gives one of his key workflow optimizations. [21:11] “You can be immensely more productive by reducing the number of hours you work in a day.” - Adrian [22:12] Adrian asks Johanne about his LinkedIn activity. [25:59] After Adrian suggests looking to LinkedIn for audience building, Johannes talks about struggling to find an audience online because of his narrow focus. [28:05] After talking about his goals and what he might need help with, Adrian asks what email opt-ins Johannes is currently offering. [30:45] Having gone over Johanne’s specific email opt in’s, the guys get more specific on the actual blog post content and what they contain. [32:46] Adrian gave some tips to Johannes on how he can get more opt-ins on the email list and how he can also get more segmentation by making some changes on his blog posts. Johannes agrees that more segmentation is needed because his open rates were low. [33:53] Adrian introduces the concept of a shadow newsletter. [35:11] “If you already have a library of quality pieces, there’s no reason you can’t…reuse that.” - Adrian [36:48] Johannes has one last question. His parental leave is almost over and he wants to know if there is anything he can do in the short month he has for “quick win.” [38:14] “Put your Github URLs behind an email opt-in.” - Adrian [41:12] “It does take time, and it does take that discipline to create that content.” - Adrian on focusing on the long term goals.

In this episode of Info Product Mastery, Adrian sits down with Austin Church and they discuss the path to transitioning from freelancer to content creator. Topics covered [00:29] Adrian introduces Austin Church. [01:45] Austin comments on his career trajectory and how unexpected it has been. [03:31] “It’s funny now, I guess I’ve come full circle..” - Austin [06:08] Looking back, Austin realizes he was always headed towards being an entrepreneur. [07:45] Adrian discusses how interests change and how after working on something and succeeding, he desires to move on. [08:55] Austin looks back on his journey and realizes his wide variety of interests can be a danger as an entrepreneur. [11:04] “Because entrepreneurship is so intertwined with personal development, you have to constantly check in and ask, Do I still want to be doing this?” - Austin [13:08] Austin talks about his current work with Freelancecake.com and his journey there as a freelance creative. [15:00] “What do six figure freelancers think and do differently…” - Austin [17:25] In 2018, Austin rolled out a coaching program where he talked about the four P’s: positioning, packaging, pricing, and pipeline. [18:04] “There are certain…shareable advantages…that are available to those of us who sell creativity.” - Austin [19:48] Adrian discusses the most underrated leverage of all time, the power of saying “No.” [19:48] Austin continues discussing the power of no and what he calls “disciplined simplicity.” [22:17] “I have to address the root cause of saying yes so often and that is scarcity mindset” - Austin [23:19] Adrian asks Austin what advice he would give freelancers who want to eventually make the switch to being full time content creators. [25:35] “That paradigm shift….I’m actually trying to grow two businesses at the same time.” - Austin [26:19] Since selling products will be new to most freelancers, you will be prone to making mistakes just like when you were first a freelancer. [26:43] “I talk about three paths to diversified income…..value based pricing…….scaling into a micro agency….or digital products. It’s amazing to me… that very accomplished people….almost without exception…do it the wrong way.” - Austin [29:28] Freelancers who are frustrated with what they’re earning…it’s gonna go back to….positioning, packaging, pipeline, pricing.” - Austin [31:13]

In this episode of Info Product Mastery, Paul Millerd comes on the show and we question the default path to work and life. Topics covered [00:40] Adrian introduces Paul Millerd and how much he loved his book The Pathless Path. [02:59] “I have this sense that something is off…….and writing for me was really this search for my own truth..” - Paul [04:24] Paul gives a synopsis of his coming of age, his early career, and how he landed in entrepreneurship. [06:56] Paul discusses his discontentment with the traditional path. [08:52] “Have my principles won out against this environment, or have they been undermined?” - Paul [09:40] Adrian asks Paul to define what he thinks of as the default path. [10:44] “A vast majority of people….don’t have the energy to crush it…” - Paul [13:07] Adrian talks about his early career work obsession and why he was chasing success by working himself unsustainably. [14:41] “Since everyone else is doing the same thing, you don’t realize you’re becoming this…way.” - Paul [16:00] “Alright, it’s 5, 6 o'clock…I’ve been working like 12 hours straight…I’m gonna walk down to the bar…..” - Adrian [17:08] Adrian asks Paul how he developed the courage to break from the typical cycles in the midst of criticism. [19:38] “I was using the story of freelance for the first year, but I had no idea what I was doing…it was really scary..” - Paul [20:19] Paul discusses the way that some people are still critical with his way of life even though he has been able to find some success. [21:22] “My need to question things is what has led me to this” - Paul [22:08] Adrian asks Paul to define success. [24:02] “Success very practically for me is, can I keep this journey going without harming the people in my life?” - Paul [26:13] Adrian references Jordan Peterson talking about the hero's journey and “slaying the dragon.” [28:39] For someone starting a career at times in the past, you did have to put your head down and “trust the company and keep working.” (Paul) [30:21] Paul introduces his concept “Ship, Quit, and Learn. [33:19] Adrian talks about being self-employed and having the ability to make your own schedule and create the life you want versus being forced into a particular schedule in a traditional job. [35:30] “I’m very good at non-work” - Paul [39:25

In this episode of Info Product Mastery, we have Andrew Connell back on the show. We continue our conversation on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and dig into the numbers from AC’s previous Black Friday sales. Topics covered [00:44] Listener Rashat shares some feedback about IPM from Germany. [02:45] AC is back to share some more specifics on his experience with last year's Black Friday and what he might do this year. [04:06] AC dives into talking about last year’s Black Friday sale. [04:32] AC gives the context of what his business is. [05:40] Adrian explains the “V” shaped sales curve that typically happens during a sale like Black Friday. [09:48] AC lists some things he struggles with for Black Friday sales. [12:15] “I don’t like the idea of re-opening…an extra discount on Monday……” - Adrian responding to one of AC’s questions about how to handle BF sales across the weekend. [13:15] “If you’re concerned about the weekend, I feel like that’s a perfect opportunity for segmentation.” - Adrian talking about how to segment your audience and specifically business versus individual customers. [15:35] After the first sale on either Thursday or Friday, every day until Monday is just a continuation of the sale. [16:25] It’s ok to give business customers some extra time to purchase using a discount if they have special billing requirements. [17:32] Adrian talks about handling individual customers who are asking for a discount after the sale is over. [20:08] Adrian goes over a coupon code idea AC suggested for late customers and why he doesn’t like it. [21:25] “Don't try to get too gimmicky with it…just follow the plan.” - AC [22:37] AC sells to a lot of businesses or to business people who are doing this for their job. He asks Adrian if they should be treated any differently. [24:29] “With personalization, a little bit goes a long way” - Adrian [28:43] AC talks about his plans for this year's Black Friday sales changes. [29:59] Adrian explains what a reverse sale is. [31:23] AC discusses not running cold ads over the weekend of Black Friday. [32:28] Adrian talks about conversion rates using cold versus retargeting ads. [34:42] “Black Friday is a launch event for a discount…you really want the money to be spent on a warm audience.” - AC [35:45] “You were probably spending..10x…20x….more than we were…” - Adrian responding to AC’s ad budget compared t

In this episode of Info Product Mastery, Andrew Connell and I discuss whether or not you should run a Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale. Topics covered [00:53] Adrian and AC begin discussing today’s topic, their experience building and selling Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. [01:18] Should an info product creator run a Black Friday sale? [03:05] These are international sales days. People from all over the world participate, and they are conditioned to buy during this time. [04:04] Black Friday and Cyber Monday can be a large portion of your entire year's income. [05:28] “It’s Black Friday, it’s almost like this global holiday for sales.” - Adrian [05:58] The first key to success is planning it ahead of time, including letting people know ahead of time. [07:59] Email and support is very important for this period of time. Those replies can be an instant sale. [08:47] Be ready to pivot if something happens. [09:52] “Do you have a blueprint you follow every year?” - AC to Adrian. Adrian then breaks down this typical plan. [11:53] One of the best tactics can be to create scarcity with pricing. [13:13] AC shares his experiences trying to mirror what he saw Adrian doing, and his own insights as well. [14:30] AC shares a specific tactic that he did differently from Adrian. [15:54] “Shut off all of your ads…..once Black Friday starts..” - AC [17:23] “I’d almost treat Black Friday like a launch event” - AC [19:15] AC prompts Adrian about whether he does the same thing every year or not in terms of the specifics for Black Friday sales tactics. [19:43] “You need to align the entire business behind this…event.” - Adrian on preparing for Black Friday. [20:56] The guys discuss a full takeover style email opt-in and why they don’t like it. [22:31] Sales can be V shaped during the weekend, meaning most sales happen at the beginning and the end. [23:46] “We actually spent Saturday and Sunday doing a lot of education…” - Adrian on the days between. [24:44] After giving some email advice, Adrian recommends including a countdown timer and why. [27:25] “Newsflash, they’re getting a lot of email from everybody on that weekend..” - AC on being afraid to send too many emails. [28:58] Adrian discusses ways he creates scarcity in the digital world. [29:41] Some tactics work too well. Adrian r

In this episode of Info Product Mastery, we chat with Greg Park, Psychology PhD turned developer, now trying to build info products. Topics covered [00:54] Adrian describes what today’s episode is about with Greg from Traitlab.com. [01:43] Greg had initially emailed asking about personal coaching sessions. Instead, Adrian thought it would be better to make a show out of it and help more people at once! [03:03] Greg talks about what led him into info products after working on a PhD in Psychology. [05:55] Adrian remarks on Greg’s transitional story, and how just because you aren’t in the tech field initially doesn’t mean you can’t transition into it. [06:17] Greg describes what Traitlab.com actually is. [10:50] “In your case, it sounds like you have…a broad range of users..” - Adrian on Traitlab [11:35] Adrian asks Greg how he’s building his email list. [14:04] “It’s good to see that SEO aspect is working for you…and I’d encourage anyone listening to this….go the SEO route.” - Adrian [15:12] After looking at the site, Adrian noticed that there were no pricing links on the main page. It seemed unclear as to whether this is a paid product or not. [16:03] “From a psychological perspective, put that pricing link at the top.” - Adrian [17:59] Greg responds to Adrian about why the pricing is not on the main page, and how he has tried to give each page on the site one job. [18:58] Since Greg gets a lot of people signing up for the free plan, but not opting in, Adrian suggests getting rid of or reducing the number of the free product to possibly reduce the noise. [19:18] “The danger of running a free plan..is you get too many people in the door” - Adrian [22:31] Adrian talks about options for taking it one step further once someone opts in, and how you can learn about your audience. [23:50] After learning more about your customer, you can use that information to customize your info products to each customers experience. [25:01] Adrian suggests connecting to LinkedIn possibly or some other social media and embedding the results of the data. Also extending that thought into the free profile that can be shared already. [28:44] “I feel like there is a sweet spot…between having something that is shareable and still holding some of the information, and keeping it into the paid plan..” - Greg responding to Adrian on ways to entice folks to opt in. [29:18] Adrian discusses the headlines on the website, and how the don’t feel user journey focused, because maybe he doesn’t know who the target customer is. [32:31] Recording the way users navi

In this episode of Info Product Mastery, I sit down with Simon Grimm and discuss his path from JavaScript developer to content creator, and how it’s given him an incredible lifestyle and balance with his family. Topics covered [01:25] Adrian introduces Simon Grimm, a podcaster, developer, and info product creator. [03:00] Simon talks to Adrian about how their backgrounds are similar but also completely different as developers. [04:32] Being that Simon specializes in Javascript, Adrian asks where Ionic fits into the overall framework of Javascript. [05:49] “It’s more of a UI library..” - Simon referring to Ionic [07:02] Simon discusses how he went from being a developer to an info product creator. [07:29] “I can’t exactly why I started a blog in the first place. I think it was just to document whatever I learned.” - Simon [10:43] “Create content, get out of your comfort zone, and if you find that you're learning something new….and especially if you find that the documentation for a library is poor….that is in your face market validation….” - Adrian [11:53] “You were consistent. It took years to do, it wasn’t overnight…..” - Adrian responding to Simon talking about the beginning of this blog and the time and effort it took to build it. [13:53] “And by the way. About the beginnings of my blog. This was so bad…..” - Simon joking about his early content but also knowing that you have to start somewhere. [15:18] Adrian remarks on early content and how even if it isn’t the best or greatest, it still had value to someone. You can look back at your early work and see that after a period of time of publishing consistently. [17:03] “I never want to lose that ability to hit publish on something.” - Adrian remarking on the feeling of putting yourself out there. [18:48] After the guys joke about OnlyFans, Adrian asks Simon about the journey for the subscriber. How does he get customers to opt in and purchase content? [21:17] “Right now I’m a big fish in a small pond..Ionic is a small niche, and people know me as an expert.” - Simon remarking on future plans for his business after talking about the customer journey and the difficulties he faces. [23:47] “Niching down to the point where you can find this area that you can dominate….and then from there you start climbing up the ladder to these larger and larger markets” - Adrian on how to start creating and then grow and transition your business. [28:32] After Simon talks about transitioning his business and preparing for the inevitable future in which he will have to learn and teach new ideas, Adrian responds by saying “the most intelligent people are all eventually successful.” In the end it's about showing up and doing the work. [30:28]

In this episode of Info Product Mastery, we discuss copywriting and social media tips with Neville Medhora. Topics covered [00:48] Adrian introduces Neville Medhora. They talk about their history in copywriting, social media, and the info product business. [01:19] Neville’s first tip. If you type and edit any website of a copywriting course, you can use the java script provided and use developer tools to edit any website you want to see what it might look like. [02:12] Neville talks about how he looked into Adrian, learned a bit about him, and then is curious how he ended up in info products. [03:12] “I'm finding myself wanting to be around the creators..” - Adrian on why he is making a podcast about info products. [05:38] Neville discusses the changing digital marketplace, the changes he has seen in his career, and where he wants to ideally funnel customers. [07:51] “It’s just an overlay on top of the world.” - Neville on Social Media [09:29] “The ultimate funnel is to get them on email.” - Neville [12:48] Adrian asks Neville about his website, Copywritingcourse.com. Neville discusses how he got into email marketing and how he pivoted from his first business into the email marketing and copywriting space by being involved in AppSumo.com. [13:35] “Hey Neville, how come I'm reading all your emails, and I know you’re trying to sell me something…..but I read all the way through to the end.” - Neville on copywriting. [15:59] Neville discusses the importance of short content. [16:19] “I do think emotion is part of it, but I think sometimes the logic is part of it..” - Neville on writing copy. [18:19] Adrian asks Neville to talk more about having content creators creating for him rather than trying to do it all himself. [21:45] Neville gives advice specifically to developers about creating and marketing. [23:02] “For people making…software and very technical products..it’s actually a combination of showing with a headline and maybe a sub-headline. It’s actually quite simple.” - Neville [24:39] Neville talks about the importance of practicing writing, and how that is incorporated into his courses on his website. [26:14] Adrian and Neville discuss A.I. copywriting and the pros and cons. [27:25] “Every time a new technology comes along, it does destroy some jobs, but usually those jobs suck..” - Neville on using A.I. to make your workflow more productive. [29:42] Adrian and Neville continue discussing A.I., and what that might mean for creators. [30:39] “You have to have a little bit of disrupt

In this episode, we chat with email marketing and automation expert, Jason Resnick, on how segmentation and personalization can drive more sales to your info product and online education business. Topics covered [02:29] Adrian remembers working with Jason when he was running PyImageSearch, and talks about their email campaigns using Convert Kit and Active Campaign, and also how after learning to use one system, you can sort of transfer that knowledge. [03:35] Jason remarks on the similarity of different email marketing tools. Similar to coding languages, the skills are transferable. [04:52] Jason discusses how he got into marketing automation, how he made that pivot from initially being a developer, and his interest in ecommerce in the early days of the internet. [08:18] Adrian talks about the McMethod Podcast, and how the host John McIntyre pinpointed the importance of empathy. [10:13] In order to become a better copywriter, Jason studied marketing emails. [13:00] “You can have the best automation, the most high tech stuff going on, but really it’s the words on the page and making that connection with the subscriber.” - Jason [14:12] “A little bit of psychology, a little bit of empathy goes a long way.” - Adrian on understanding and relating to your customers. [17:53] “When you treat the email list like human beings, amazing transformations happen.” - Jason on a recent email experiment he did within his own business. [18:56] Adrian asks Jason about engagement and segmentation. Jason describes the difference between segmentation and personalization, and then describes how he does this to reach specific audiences within his customer base. [24:11] Adrian reiterates Jason’s point on segmentation, and then describes some ways in which you can use personal data you might collect about an individual and use that to connect with them personally through your business. [26:16] Jason gives a real life example of how he helped one of his customers capture 3x more business by understanding what their consumer was looking for and targeting the ads to their needs. [29:01] “The sustainability of your business really happens in the middle of the funnel.” - Jason [29:48] Jason describes what the idea is behind his company and “nurturing” people through the middle of the funnel in order to learn more about them and market products to them that they actually need. [33:16] Adrian asks Jason for some tips and techniques for email marketers to get lift in sales. [37:41] Jason gives some examples of tools email marketers can use to survey their audience. Links from the show Nurturekit.co

In this episode of Info Product Mastery, we’ll discuss whether or not you should build your own tools or pay for SaaS apps when building an info product business. Topics covered [00:32] This week’s episode begins with a personal story from Adrian about he and his family’s last day in Philadelphia [01:26] “I almost got into a fight within 30 minutes of us putting our final bags in the car and leaving for good…” - Adrian [05:18] After explaining a situation where a neighbor is being aggressive towards Adrian, he discusses what he could have done and why he didn’t. [06:00] “I had to be a bigger person, and when you're in one of those situations, it doesn’t feel good to swallow your pride..” - Adrian [07:28] The point of telling this story on the podcast is its relevance to a listener question Adrian received recently. Listener Misha asks in short, if she should build her own software as part of her online school, or if she should use tools that are already available. [08:15] “Don’t try to build your own tools when others exist that will do the job for you.” - Adrian in response to Misha’s question. [08:51] It’s easy for developers to fall into the trap of building apps to solve problems when there are already solutions that work and are reliable. Adrian explains why. [09:19] “You need to push back on that engineer brain, don’t let it bully you around. Have the strength and courage to identify what will move your business forward, and execute on that. Limit all your other distractions.” - Adrian [10:42] Adrian is a big fan of anti-fragility, meaning when there is a solution that may be technically better, but a bit more fragile, he will choose the sub-optimal method. [11:18] Writing code or building custom integrations isn’t going to sell more books or courses. Your time is better spent in other areas like copywriting, recording a new video, or sending out an email blast. These kinds of tasks will move your business forward. [11:46] “So to sum up, avoid the fight. Avoid the trap of building your own solutions…..it may sometimes feel counterintuitive…but it’s just not worth the fight. You’ll lose time, money, and customers if you try to build everything yourself.” - Adrian Links from the show PyImageSearch Discourse Mighty Networks Kajabi If you have any questions from this episode, or have a question you want me to answer on the show,

In this episode of Info Product Mastery, we’ll discuss whether or not building a community helps sell info products and online education courses Topics covered [00:32] This week's featured listener review. [01:01] Today’s topic comes from a listener, Misha Manulis. “Just found your podcast via Startups For The Rest Of Us podcast. Loved your PyImageSearch site when I was learning OpenCV years ago.I'm curious about your thoughts / experience with building a community around info products.My goal with looking at this is to understand how to build a community as part of a series of info products. I'm in the middle of building an online school for IoT. I'm frustrated with the industry and its failures over the last 10 years. I want to share my knowledge and experience building IoT products for hobby, B2B and B2C markets. There is so much snake oil and marketing, I want people to have the tools to build their own or to understand what they're buyingMy intuition says that a community around this content would be incredibly valuable in accomplishing these goals.Would love to "hear" any and all thoughts / feedback you can share.” [02:20] “If content is kind, then community is king.” - Adrian [03:02] If you are creating high quality content, then your listeners or readers are going to learn from you. But what happens when they have completed all their goals? [03:22] It’s important to build a relationship with your audience. To build “super customers.” [03:44] The personal connection with your customers is very important. Adrian explains how to do that. [04:28] “People don’t buy brands, they buy the transformation.” - Adrian [05:01] Community is also helpful with supporting your info products. As you grow, you will get customers asking questions about what they are learning and how they can apply it. [05:57] Adrian believes it’s your responsibility as an educator and a mentor to help as much as you reasonably can without doing the work for your customers. [06:05] If you want to build a community, you have to put some time in. However, as the business grows, you will receive more support questions, which can be a burden. Adrian discusses how to deal with this. [06:54] Adrian talks about super customers and how they can help you build community and why that is a good sign. [07:49] It’s key to participate in the community around your info products and support, and also to

In this episode of Info Product Mastery, we’ll discuss how to market as a programmer, mistakes made when marketing info products, and strategies for marketing to a tech audience. Topics covered [00:30] This week's featured listener review. [01:42] “You can meet some truly amazing people by putting yourself out there..” - Adrian on the listener who submitted the review. [02:21] Adrian shares his inspiration for today's episode. [03:04] “How did you learn all of this as a developer……?” - the first of three questions Adrian answers today from a Reddit post. [03:50] “The only way to become a better marketer, is to actually do it.” - Adrian [04:30] Focusing on copywriting is the key to success in an online business. [04:58] “You cannot build a successful online business without some level of empathy for your customer.” - Adrian [05:49] “What specific mistakes did you make in marketing your products…” - the second of three questions in today’s episode. [07:26] Sell the transformation. Connect with the audience’s emotion instead of stating facts. Facts don’t make sales. [08:46] “ Your goal in marketing your product is less about the features and more about the transformation process” - Adrian [09:00] Adrian explains how to demonstrate the path to developers. [10:19] You will learn more from your customers if you are humble. [10:58] “What strategies did you use to market to the tech audience..?” - the third question for today’s episode [12:41] “Nearly every experiment we ran pushing ads to cold audiences….failed..” - Adrian [13:07] Adrian explains why PImageSearch became a top 30,000 website online because of their SEO. [13:46] Quality content is important for SEO because Google measures how long people stay on your site. [14:19] “Write your content for people, not for machines…” - Adrian discusses why it’s important not to write content for the algorithm. [15:54] Social media does not always translate to sales, especially not when stacked against email marketing. Links from the show PyImageSearch /r/startups Reddit: Feedback Fridays - A Friendly Feedback Exchang

In this episode of Info Product Mastery, I’ll share three resources that helped me successfully learn marketing and copywriting as a programmer. Topics covered [00:30] Adrian shares a few testimonials the show received recently. [03:21] Adrian reviews a comment received from a listener about episode 9 in which he used the term “subordinate” referring to an employee. He reviews what he was talking about in that episode and how to relate and interact with your peers and teammates in an info product business. [06:16] We dive into today’s topics. Three resources Adrian used to learn marketing and copywriting. [06:46] “Developers are linear thinkers….we work in code and understand logic flow….however copywriting…that’s not logical linear thinking..” - Adrian [08:22] Copy Hackers program. Joanna Wiebe’s books on copywriting helped Adrian learn how to get started writing material that would connect with his customers. [09:43] The second resource Adrian used to learn copywriting is the Copy Hour Program. In short, you receive emails daily with old school sales letters that will help train your brain to learn how to write copy by literally copying these old letters by hand. [11:21] The third resource Adrian recommends is the McMethod Podcast and Drop Dead Copy. [11:42] “It wasn’t theory or academic based….absolutely everything was about results..” - Adrian on The McMethod Podcast. [13:00] Adrian shares two personal stories where his copywriting went wrong. [15:00] “I was focusing way too hard on the tactics, and not enough on the content..” - Adrian Links from the show Copyhackers.com Copyhackers Academy Copyhackers - Learning Conversion Copywriting (LinkedIn course) CopyHour Program The McMethod Podcast Drop Dead Copy - Email Copywriting Tips, Tricks and Strategies If you have any questions from this episode, or have a question you want me to answer on the show, please submit your question via our contact form. We'd love to hear from you.

In episode 14, we chat with Avery Smith, data science expert and owner of DataCareerJumpstart.com, about LinkedIn marketing and building your first info product. Topics covered [02:06] Avery talks about how he got into data science and why he wasn't initially interested in the field. [04:35] After being thrown into data science, Avery realizes this is what he is interested in. [04:52] Adrian asks Avery about how he made the transition from going into data science to creating info products around it. [06:19] “There’s just better ways to become a data scientist faster..” - Avery on going to school for a masters in data science and how that led him to creating info products. [07:36] “How can you go from a career unrelated to data science to a data science career as fast as you can? That’s kinda my goal.” - Avery [09:01] Adrian asks Avery where he found his initial audience and why they trusted him in the data science space. [11:01] After hearing Avery talk about use of LinkedIn, Adrian responds and remarks on the positive benefits of using this platform for validation. [14:44] Getting likes and comments on LinkedIn is more valuable than other social media platforms simply because it’s for professionals. [15:25] “I far outperform that metric, and I think it’s because the leads I end up doing are really qualified from LinkedIN.” - Avery [16:40] Adrian asks Avery to talk about what tools he uses on a daily basis to run his business. [23:12] Avery discusses how he handles certificates and saves money in the process. [25:40] “You have to listen to your customers. And sometimes your customers are gonna give you feedback that you would never do yourself.” - Adrian [26:59] Adrian asks Avery to discuss what he might do differently if he could go back in time and start his business over. [28:10] In hindsight, Avery might build smaller info products that could be sold individually versus building an entire course at once. [30:10] More is not always better. [31:09] “How do I get customers' results, quickly..cause that’s what they want.” - Avery on building info products [33:16] Smaller is better. Feedback is important. The smaller you ship, the faster you get feedback. Links from the show Kajabi Podia Teachable

In episode 13, we’ll chat with Bjork Ostrom about building a 6-figure membership site, finding your niche, and audience building. Topics covered [01:31] Bjork introduces himself, and talks about why he likes being on other peoples podcasts. [01:50] Adrian asks Bjork to talk about how he and his wife got into food blogging. [04:04] “People assume that I have some credibility in food or recipe development, of which I have none….for me it’s about what does it look like to run a successful business” - Bjork [04:52] “So much of the success of an information product has to do with deep knowledge around a specific niche.” - Bjork [05:45] It’s in the marketing and the advertising, not the code. These are skills that sometimes developers don’t feel comfortable learning. [06:33] One thing that can be hard about marketing is that there is not a concrete response generally, whereas with developing you can test a piece of code and see if it works or not. [08:31] Bjork talks about audience building and how that is similar to trust building. [10:24] Publishing content and figuring out the technology around that can be somewhat easy, but creating content that resonates is really the goal and that takes a long time. Bjork talks about his experience with how to analyze feedback to help create content that resonates. [13:40] Adrian discusses the importance of reciprocity. [14:53] Bjork remembers why they got into the educational space after creating and having success creating their initial food blog. [16:32] Adrian talks about creating competition with educational products and why that can be a good thing. [19:07] Adrian asks Bjork about creating the membership site and that process. [22:11] Adrian remarks on the importance of audience building and gives a practical example of how to start. [24:43] Starting small and building over time is important in info products. In the beginning you want to be able to pivot. Bjork talks about the early stages of info products. [26:38] “Really specific in your focus, really broad in your brand, to allow you to level up over time.” - Bjork on early stage info products. [28:09] After Adrian asks Bjork for his advice for beginners, Bjork talks about trying to catch a wave and the importance of making sure it’s something that you enjoy. [29:15] Being the “ultimate” expert is not important. You do need to have expertise, but part of the journey is documenting what you are learning and that experience. [30:26] Who you are within the content you are creating is very important and part of the overall success of info products. [31:32] Ad

In this episode of Info Product Mastery, we’ll talk to Mohammad Afaneh about identifying a niche, validating it, and the customer acquisition process for info products. Topics covered [00:35] Mohammad Afaneh is a software developer who specializes in embedded systems in BlueTooth low energy products. [01:26] Adrian and Mohammad recount how they met initially. [03:14] Mohammad talks about his past in software development, and how he came to be interested in BlueTooth low energy (BLE) products. [04:23] “There was something missing…at the time I quit my job without knowing exactly what I wanted to do.” - Mohammad on becoming an entrepreneur. [05:47] Mohammad discusses his journey to info products after leaving his day job, and how customer development led him to create his current business. [06:40] “Everyone that I talked to….the recurring theme was that there was a lack of educational resources..” - Mohammad on BLE. [07:38] Mohammad discusses how in his process of creating info products around BLE, he found Adrian’s content and how similar they were in some ways. [08:52] Adrian discusses how having passion for your specific niche is so important in the long term. [10:17] Thinking about what the customer needs is so crucial to success. Adrian discusses how Mohammed did this with customer development in order to hone in on specific parts of BLE and what people in the field are looking for. [11:08] “Email is gold…” - Mohammed on selling your info products. [12:05] It doesn’t matter how big or small your email list is, what matters is finding the right customers. [13:24] Adrian asks Mohammed how he uses his web presence to capture a potential customer's email address once they arrive on his site. [15:13] Mohammed gives away some of his older content on his site as a way to help educate his customers and hopefully get them to subscribe to his new content, but to also give back to the community. [16:50] Adrians talks about repurposing content, for example blog posts, and how that could be put together to make a book just by repackaging it to use as a lead magnet, and also as a way to give back. [19:19] “Look for libraries and packages that are really really popular but have really poor documentation” - Adrian on how to find a niche for your info products. [20:46] Mohammed discusses his experience so far in info products and how helping people has been probably the biggest win, as well as other fringe benefits of creating content. [22:49] Consulting opportunities and scalability are important, especially in the beginning and one of the upsides of creating info products. [24:10] Something to consider. What kind of info product business do you want to build? W

In this episode of Info Product Mastery, we discuss four reasons why you should blog on our own site instead of Medium. Topics covered [00:39] A listener, Naraj asks if it is better to blog on one’s own blog or on the popular site Medium. [01:05] Adrian will give four reasons in this episode why publishing on your own blog is better. [01:36] While you can use paid ads, the vast majority of info product businesses rely on search traffic to send business to their sites. [02:35] It takes longer to rank higher in Google search, but the benefit is that you are improving an asset that you own. [03:09] PyImageSearch’s domain ranking score was a huge perk to the buyers of the company. [03:50] Medium allows you to add canonical tags to your posts, which allows Google to see the content as a repost and doesn’t hurt your website’s SEO. [04:24] Adrian explains why even though canonical tags can be useful, it’s still a “dangerous game to play.” [05:11] Medium is a great platform for casual blogging, but not for business. [06:00] You want to protect yourself from the downside of a platform like Medium. That can at times mean not reposting your content to a site like that. [06:16] Reason number two why you should blog on your own site. Platform risk. [08:00] The only true safe haven is your own website, and even that has some risk associated with it. Adrian explains why you can never fully remove platform risk, but how you can mitigate it. [08:36] Reason number 3. Customizability. [09:52] “If a blogging platform doesn’t make it easy for you to build an email list, then it’s not worth using seriously.” - Adrian [10:00] The last reason to use your own blog to host your content is profitability. Medium does allow you to use a paywall, but why go that route when you can convert your email list into profit and create more value. [10:53] Even if you do create a large Medium following, you’re still going to need to spin up an external website regardless to pitch to your followers and to have some sort of cart check out system. [11:39] The pros of using your own site dramatically outweigh the cons when compared using a site like Medium. Links from the show PyImageSearch Medium Medium Earn / Partners Program

In this episode of Info Product Mastery, Adrian discusses subscription and monthly recurring revenue for info products, as well as churn and price sensitive audiences. Topics covered [00:46] In this episode, a listener, Richard, has a question about how to set his prices based on his audience demographics. The listener already has a large audience, but the audience is price sensitive, mostly students, and unable to buy his products because of price. Richard wants to know if having a less expensive subscription would be an alternative. [01:19] Adrian reviews different types of payment options for info product businesses and what they mean. [02:22] Churn is when one of our subscription customers leaves your service. [02:52] LTV (Lifetime Value) is a customer's monthly subscription rate times how many months they stick around for. [03:26] The cost of acquiring a customer when you have monthly recurring revenue is really important. Adrian gives a practical example of how you can use LTV to understand your business. [04:20] “Balancing monthly recurring revenue, churn, LTV and acquisition costs is a super delicate process. But when it works, it works extremely well. This is why it’s considered the holy grail for SaaS apps.” - Adrian [04:57] Monthly recurring revenue in info products is significantly harder than SAS apps. [05:28] Churn in info products is going to be higher than in SaaS apps. Adrian talks about why. [06:33] If you are just starting with info products, monthly recurring revenue is not recommended. [07:01] Adrian breaks down the listener’s (Richard) question, and his info product business specifically. [07:44] First advice for Richard is to check his email list. Are his followers largely students or working professionals? [08:10] Richard stated in his question that a lot of his students are price sensitive and are therefore likely to not opt into a monthly subscription. Adrian discusses how Richard can break down his email list and market to his student followers specifically. [09:03] If offering a steep discount to your price sensitive audience doesn’t work, stick with YouTube. [10:09] In the end, Adrian’s advice to Richards' problem of price sensitivity and churn is to stick with YouTube. Being that he already has a large following on that platform, he can monetize his content and create monthly revenue that way, whereas creating a cheaper subscription probably won’t work with this particular audience. Links from the show MRR: How to Calculate Monthly Recurring Revenue How to Optimize a YouTube Ad Campaign

In this episode of Info Product Mastery, Adrian discusses the six biggest mistakes when running his info product business. Topics covered [01:06] Mistake number one is not hiring fast enough. Adrian gives examples of how he was trying to do too much as PyImageSearch was growing. [02:00] Initially, Adrian doing nearly all business tasks worked in terms of revenue. [02:32] “The two areas that I initially needed help in were email support….. and content writing.” - Adrian [03:06] In hindsight, Adrian realizes he should have hired and delegated much sooner. [04:09] The rule of thumb is once you’re making $10,000/month, try to bring on someone to get some tasks off your plate. [04:41] If you’re the only content creator, it can be really dangerous for the business depending on what is going on with your life. [05:24] Mistake number two was incorrectly making the assumption that readers could only learn from Adrian and his writing style. [06:19] Our content metrics were way too focused on “will this make Adrian happy”, instead of whether the customers were happy and was the business making money. [06:59] “When you’re running your content business, really try to put yourself in your customers mind.” - Adrian [07:18] Mistake number three. Have realistic expectations of your subordinates. [08:03] Tie your team's objectives and compensation to the company's interests. Adrian describes how he has failed at this in the past. [08:37] Harsh but true: those you hire will not care as much as you do as the business owner. [09:09] Focus on the things that move your business forward. [09:16] Mistake number 4. Getting too upset about plagiarism. Adrian talks about what happened to him and how he responded. [11:17] If people are copying you it means you are doing something right. It means your work has value. [12:13] Mistake number 5. Offering too much support for free. It’s hard not to, especially when you are getting started and need feedback. [13:26] Offering too much free support disincentivizes customers to pay for your products, and could lead to you becoming bitter over the years. [14:02] Adrian discusses how PyImageSearch went through this and how they were overwhelmed and being taken advantage of trying to support non-customers via email. [15:27] The content is available for anyone to learn on their own, but someone’s time is their most valuable resource and that is why you need paying customers. [17:41] It was scary to have to pull back, especially when you have the desire to help people, but ultimately it was necessary

In this episode of Info Product Mastery, Adrian talks to Tim Stoddart: entrepreneur, content authoring expert, and partner at Copyblogger. Topics covered [01:05] Adrian starts by discussing how he and Tim met, why he loves the internet, and all the things they have in common. [03:31] Tim and Adrian have both not only lived in Philadelphia, but have also both struggled with substance abuse in the past, and learned from those experiences to make their current selves better. Adjacent to that Adrian asks Tim how learning to do content creation has changed his life and allowed him to grow his businesses. [04:39] “Content in general has been a really important part not just my business and my life, but my philosophy on life” - Tim Stoddart [05:26] There are many examples of how the age we live in isn’t in line with how our brains work. [06:12] The practice of writing and creating has been Tim’s exercise in making himself engage. [9:10] For Tim, creating and life are one thing. For him being a creator is just being a person. Everyone has something they can share with the world, it’s just a matter of contributing. [10:29] “Speaking for me, I get to do what I love. I get to serve other people..” - Tim Stoddart [12:40] It’s important to remember that while you have to start somewhere, content creation takes practice and technical skill. [14:59] Adrian asks Tim about imposter syndrome and how that has affected his creating. [16:20] Tim recounts why he started a blog in the first place. [18:18] Adrian talk about his own experience with imposter syndrome and the challenges with breaking into info products. [22:15] Showing up everyday, honing your skills and doing the work is key to success. [24:01] Tim discusses his thoughts on discipline and motivation, and how he thinks about the things he wants to accomplish as part of his lifestyle. [26:32] “It’s a law of physics that it takes more force to get something moving than it does to keep it moving.” -Tim Stoddart. [27:19] Adrian and Tim discuss sobriety and what that has meant for them personally and professionally. [29:50] Tim shares a message of hope when it comes to addiction with anyone that may be struggling. [34:25] “For whatever reason, it takes what it takes for people to learn the lessons for themselves.” Tim Stoddart on giving advice, addiction and people’s refusal to learn from others, and also how hard it is to see from a better perspective without experience. [36:38] Accepting that you have no true control in life is a liberating experience, and the only thing you can ever control is what you do. [37:57]

In this episode of Info Product Mastery, Adrian talks to Andrew Connell, Microsoft 365 and Sharepoint framework expert, on how he’s spent the past decade making a full-time living building info products for developers. Topics covered [00:54] Adrian and AC talk about how they met over a decade ago, and how forming an in person relationship is so important. [03:16] AC talks about developers' typical skill sets, and his experience getting into info products. [05:00] No matter who you are, you’re gonna gravitate towards what your natural skill set is. For developers that’s writing code, not marketing. It takes discipline and practice to learn what you are not good at. [07:21] Marketing campaigns take time to develop and see results, and unlike writing code, that takes patience and time. [09:22] Adrian discusses feeling like an imposter, stuck between academia and industry, and how raising his prices was scary, but also led to having a much more successful business. [12:27] After raising prices, your sales will probably go down. You have to look at not only total volume of sales, but the price point and the margins. What metrics are you looking at? [13:14] Pricing versus number of customers is an important metric. If you are selling at a low price point to a lot of customers, you also have to support all of those sales, and that can be a bad thing. [14:22] AC talks about dealing with customers that are not happy with your content and how to mentally process that, and why it’s okay that some people won’t be happy with what you are doing. [16:13] It's okay to fire negative customers. [18:40] Adrian and AC discuss his beginnings in info products, and how he transitioned into an online marketplace versus in person. [20:01] AC explains why he wouldn’t go back to doing in person info product teaching, and why his reasoning is not just about the profit margins. [21:59] After having a successful in-person info product business for a number of years, AC gives a personal example of why his old business model was causing him to burnout and what that looked like for him. [24:54] Developers in general, shy to the side of being introverts. Being around other people can be draining. [25:42] After leaving his initial info product business, AC didn’t have an immediate plan for his future. He talks about what led him into the online info product space. [27:07] “I love the model of: build it once, publish it. I don’t have to repeat what I’m saying over and over” - Andrew Connell. [28:43] The downside to not selling your info products through a third party and why that doesn’t really work that well in the long run. [30:39]

In this episode of Info Product Mastery, Adrian discusses how you, as a small/startup company, can compete against much larger companies in the info product and online education space. Topics covered [00:47] As a recap, in order to determine what you should create an info product business in, you should first consider what you are already an expert in. [01:25] Brainstorm topics that are tangentially related to your daily work as a developer. [01:55] The point is that you kinda sort of know these topics, but aren’t an expert in them yet. This will make you more relatable to your audience. [02:45] Do your research. See what players are already covering the topic you are interested in. [03:19] You don’t want to compete on price. That is always a race to the bottom. [04:17] If you find a would-be-competitor in your research, see if you can niche into them by going deep on a specific topic. Adrian gives an example using PythonProgramming.net, and why he wasn’t competing with Harrison. [06:50] In order to compete with larger companies, do your market research first and find your niche around what they might be covering. [08:02] Adrian discusses how to niche in with a slight variation of a topic using Python web development as an example. [09:31] Sometimes in the process of digging into a topic, you run into the problem of a small audience with a highly niched topic. Adrian gives a personal example of his experience with this. [12:07] Using examples of how he researched his first info product business, we learn how Adrian found advantages in the marketplace. [13:23] The topics Adrian originally created content on were poorly documented at the time, which is something to look out for when researching and noticing market trends. [14:08] If Adrian had tried to compete with larger education companies, he wouldn’t have found success. He had to niche down, and then niche up the ladder by receiving feedback and then adjusting. [15:27] The most important lesson is just simply getting started. You have to be willing to get outside of your comfort zone and really try. [16:35] Analyze existing players and see if you can niche down. Verify there is a community around this topic. Niche down and find the base audience. Ask for feedback, and then niche back up to a slightly more general topic that people are asking about. This system works but could take time. Links from the show PyImageSearch PythonProgramming.net If you have any questions from this episode, or have a question you want me to answer on the show, please submit your question via our

In this episode, Adrian discusses the fundamentals of market research and how you can “niche down” to find an audience for your online education business. Topics covered [0:48] Market research boils down to three things: Are people searching for it? Will people pay for a book or course on it? And how competitive is the space? [00:58] Developers love writing code, but sometimes become too focused on the product and not the marketing. [01:59] We are used to having a sales team with us to help guide the product so that we are building a product that solves a problem for a customer. [02:20] One of the worst things you can do is to develop a product without enough market research. [02:52] What you want to be is a solution to an existing problem rather than a solution in search of a problem. [03:13] You are looking for the sweet spot between interest in a topic but not so much interest that it's too tough to break into. Adrian explains what happens in a market that is too crowded. [04:37] Barrier to entry is a key phrase when searching for a topic, and building a business. [05:22] Adrian gives a personal example of his experience with PyImageSearch, and how a barrier to entry gave him an advantage in his niche. [06:46] PyImageSearch was able to be successful with very few competitors for a number of years because of the barrier to entry with learning the OpenCV library. [06:59] Adrian explains how to build a barrier to entry and gives an example of a situation a developer might be able to leverage. [08:53] You want to overlap your experience, knowledge, and ability to create a Venn diagram. At the center of this will be your potential niche. [09:46] Adrian leaves us with some homework. Re-listen to episode four. Then brainstorm new ideas for your info product business while keeping in mind the Venn diagram concept. Links from the show PyImageSearch OpenCV library More information on “barriers to entry” If you have any questions from this episode, or have a question you want me to answer on the show, please submit your question via our contact form. We'd love to hear from you.

In episode 4, Adrian discusses how to choose a topic for your info product, eBook, or online course. Topics covered [1:22] When it comes to picking a topic, there are two schools of thought. The first is leveraging what you are already an expert in. The second is choosing a topic that is tangential to what you already know. [2:41] You can use your expert knowledge to build a course using your existing knowledge. [4:47] You don’t have to be intimidated by the word “expert”. It’s a relative term and it slides based on who is looking at you. [5:47] Adrian discusses why those who don’t think they are an expert at anything actually might be an expert already. [6:35] Without a proper brainstorming session, you won’t be able to get your business off the ground. [8:32] Becoming an expert in a tangential subject (to what you already know) can be much more beneficial. Adrian discusses why. [9:41] People will pay for a path to success. [10:12] Adrian gives an example of developers learning and teaching a new coding language released by Google back in the late 2000’s. [11:35] While learning a new skill, in order to monetize all you need to do is write about that process, or create tutorials as you are teaching yourself. [12:08] Adrian gives a personal example of his journey with Deep Learning, and teaching it to himself in order to be able to teach others, and keeping a pulse on market trends. [13:22] Pivoting according to market trends can be important to long term success. There is nothing wrong with that as long as you are staying true to yourself and your customers. Links from the show PyImageSearch Go programming language OpenCV library If you have any questions from this episode, or have a question you want me to answer on the show, please submit your question via our contact form. We'd love to hear from you.

In episode 3, Adrian discusses 7 reasons why developers have an unfair advantage when creating info products and online education businesses. Topics discussed [1:13] Adrian explains why he had an advantage over the general population in the education niche. [2:22] You already have the knowledge that other people will pay for. [4:00] Adrian gives specific examples of knowledge developers have, a lot of times that they could make info products on. [5:10] Developers' technical skills are way above average. If you don’t know something already, you can likely teach yourself or learn a new skill on your own. [7:35] There is an innate desire to build and create inside of most developers. [10:00] It’s common for developers to help each other with problems on different forums. Creating info products is another way of doing that. [12:09] Everyone enjoys making money while they sleep. Developers understand this concept intuitively. [13:20] Adrian gives a personal example of the benefits of passive income. [14:35] As a developer, making an info product will make your skills better. Teaching something requires you to know a topic better than you previously did. [15:41] Creating info products will make you a better, more well rounded, successful person. Adrian discusses the tangential benefits of doing this work. [17:55] Most developers already have the knowledge and technical proficiency to teach. What you don’t know you will learn along the way. Links from the show PyImageSearch US News study on software developer salaries If you have any questions from this episode, or have a question you want me to answer on the show, please submit your question via our contact form. We'd love to hear from you.

In episode 2 of Info Product Mastery, Adrian Rosebrock discusses what an info product is, and how an online education business can help you build a passive income stream, quit your day job, and even achieve financial independence. Topics covered [0:40] What is an info product? Adrian explains. [2:15] The general idea is that a customer is trading their money for your knowledge. [2:55] It’s important to consider what topic and medium our audience is seeking for your content. [4:08] Info products can be very niche specific. You don’t have to assume your customer is a novice. [5:14] Your audience can grow with you. You can scale your business as the audience skills increase. [6:22] You can create info products while you are learning new skills. You don’t already have to be an expert in something to create educational content and build an audience. [8:07] Did you build the right thing? Adrian discusses how typically developers are tasked with building what the client needs, but what the client needs doesn’t always make the money. [9:30] How can an info product create a passive income stream? Adrian talks about a four step process. [10:55] Email is very important, even in the age of social media. It outperforms in terms of sales compared to most other platforms. [12:55] Adrian tells a personal story about the benefits of passive income. [14:00] Some pros and cons of different sales platforms for info products. [16:19] The benefits of self publishing your own content and why that investment is worth it. [18:00] Adrian talks about PyImageSearch and his thought process of creating his first info products. [21:00] The importance of putting yourself in a position to succeed. Adrian talks about his own decision to put his energy into creating PyImageSearch. [21:36] What makes an info product special? [22:45] Why the payoff of having an info product business is worth it, specifically as a developer. Links from the show PyImageSearch If you have any questions from this episode, or have a question you want me to answer on the show, please submit your question via our contact form. We'd love to hear from you.

In episode 1 of Info Product Mastery, Adrian Rosebrock discusses why developers should consider creating info products, e-books, and online courses, and how such a business can generate upwards of seven figures per year. Topics covered [0:45] Adrian talks about his history with PyImageSearch. [1:20] PylmageSearch began in 2014, and changed Adrian’s life for the better. He explains what led to him creating the business from a personal perspective. [2:00] The success of his info product business has given Adrian the freedom to live by his own rules. [2:30] It’s true that money doesn’t buy happiness, but money can help buy you a certain set of securities. [3:30] As a developer, it’s truly an incredible time to be alive. Many developers don’t understand that they are at the center of the education world, with so many ways to share their knowledge. [4:55] Time is your most important asset. When you give someone your time, make sure you know what you are getting in return. Adrian discusses why you should spend your time listening to him, and what your ROI (return on investment) will be. [7:15] PyImageSearch was all about teaching developers, students, and hobbyists all about the world of computer vision and deep learning. [8:05] During his PhD program, Adrian’s learned the theoretical aspects of computer vision, but also focused on learning the practical applications of implementing computer vision algorithms. [8:30] PyImageSearch was launched in 2014 with the desire to help others getting into the field of computer vision and computer learning. By 2017, it was worth seven figures. [10:12] Money isn’t the motivating factor anymore. It’s helping others follow the same path, grow their own business, and learn from Adrian’s mistakes. [11:10] Adrian explains a cheaper, faster, and easier way to be an entrepreneurial developer outside of the SaaS/mobile app traditional approach, and why it makes sense. [13:10] Developers aren’t typically aware how lucrative the education space can be. [14:30] Developers can sometimes be too locked-in to the idea that the only way to make money online is to make applications. [15:42] Adrian discusses the benefits of a non-traditional publishing approach. [17:40] Adrian’s goal with this podcast is to create a community of developers who want to build and sell their online education products. Links from the show PyImageSearch (Adrian's old company that was acquired in 2021) PyImageSearch Gurus Kickstarter campaign

In this preview episode, Adrian Rosebrock discusses why he started the Info Product Mastery podcast, why developers have an unfair advantage in the info product/online education space, and how he intends to help other developers/programmers create their own successful online education businesses. Topics covered [0:09] Launch day for the podcast is scheduled for Tuesday, 7 June 2022 — dropping 3 episodes on the same time! [0:40] What is your return on investment going to be from listening to this podcast? [0:55] Adrian discusses the early days of PyImageSearch (his old company), including: graduating with his PhD, working a job he didn't like, being unhappy, grinding on 80+ hour work weeks, losing his job, and then putting his back against the wall to grow PyImageSearch to a successful, self-sustaining online education business [2:18] Working a job you don't necessarily "love" to pay the bills while you simultaneously work on a side hustle [3:03] When PyImageSearch first started, it was truly a grind...but it paid off, tremendously [3:37] Adrian loses his full-time job and has to make a tough decision — "Is now the time to make PyImageSearch my full-time gig?" [4:45] Adrian considers putting his back against the wall, making PyImageSearch his full-time job, and growing it, one of the best decisions he's ever made [5:00] The PyImageSearch Gurus Kickstarter campaign, the first crowdfunding campaign Adrian ran, raised over $34K [5:20] Developers have an unfair advantage in the online education space (i.e., creating blogs, authoring eBooks, building courses, etc.) [5:40] If you have more than 5 years experience in any area of computer science, you likely already have enough knowledge to (1) start a website/blog, (2) create an eBook or online course, and (3) sell your content and build a profitable side hustle that could eventually replace your full-time income [6:28] Since the PyImageSearch acquisition, Adrian has realized his passion is helping and educating others, specifically developers/programmers, on how to build their own online education/info product businesses [7:17] Info Product Mastery will provide you with the path to follow to be successful Links from the show Official Info Product Mastery site PyImageSearch (Adrian's old company that was acquired in 2021) PyImageSearch Gurus Kickstarter campaign If you have any questions from this episode, or have a question you want me to answer on the show, please submit your question via our contact form. We'd love to hear from you.