Part Time Work at Home Opportunities
Creating Your Information Product Outline
By Craig RitsemaIf you are writing an information product then you should start with an outline of what you want to say. Writing without direction makes it a lot harder to express everything you want within a clear structure.
Things to consider when creating your information product outline:
On a legal pad or notebook you could begin by jotting down a page or so of ideas that you would like to include in your product – just jot down whatever comes to mind. Don’t worry too much about structure yet, the point is to get all your ideas out on paper first. Try to get down anything you can think of which may be a good fit for your product.
You should also pose some questions like “who needs this product?” “why this product is necessary”, etc, this helps you to focus on your audience and why they need what you have.
Once you’ve written all you can think of, then create an outline on a fresh sheet of paper. Try to write things down in the actual order they will appear in the book, leaving out anything you don’t think is relevant. Your outline may include some or all of the following:
- Introduction
- Copyright page
- Disclaimer page
- Body of the book
- Conclusion
- Recommended Resources
Now look at the ideas for the body of the book and break that into main sections. For example one section may be called “Getting Started” the section that follows might be “Marketing your Business”. Although a lot will depend on your subject this should give you some idea of how to create a general structure.
For each major section, beginning with “Getting Started” write down a sub section that corresponds to “Getting Started”. Perhaps your product is about starting a website design business, if so then your getting started section may include – “Who Needs Web Design Services?” – “How Much Can a Web designer Expect to Earn?” and so on.
Once you have gone through each section like this then you have a rough outline. Next you should read it through - does it all flow well? Does some of the information really belong in another section of the book? Did you leave something out or should you add something else? Play around with it for a while and edit what you have already written then leave it for at least 24 hours.
Once you’ve taken a break then you can look it over again with a fresh and open mind and make any necessary changes. When you’re happy with your structure then you need to begin writing the sections.
About the Author: