With the market currently being flooded with "digital info products", one launch after the next, I thought about how the quality of an offer could be reliably assessed in advance.
1. how can I recognize a good info product and how can I recognize it as digital junk in advance?
I can think of the following points that could and should be checked:
- Time availability
- Company address/corporate form of the supplier
- Reputation of the author/provider
- Seriousness/presentation
- Purchase price in relation to comparable competitor products
- Usefulness (Do I need the product at all?)
- Testimonials, beta testers etc
- Promises of merit
- Are hard facts about the product provided or is an illusion sold
- Support etc (can the providers be reached? Are questions answered and if so, how quickly and well?)
- Right of return/guarantee etc
2. time availability
An important point for me in assessing the seriousness of an offer is the (unlimited) availability over time. Once produced, digital products can be reproduced indefinitely and as often as desired at no cost. In order to artificially shorten such a product or limit the sales period, a comprehensible reason should be given.
Provider A, for example, launches a "7-day VIP Elite guide to successfully writing an ebook that will sell like hotcakes". The bargain price of, let's say, 597 euros is valid for 7 days and the number of copies sold is limited to 300. The reason given for the shortage is, for example, to protect the buyer from too much competition on the market. After all, you are not a monster who only thinks about your own profit.
In this fictitious example, the reason for the shortage would be incomprehensible to me and the alarm bells would start ringing violently. Why make something scarce if there is no objective reason for it? Actually, that's almost a reason in itself to definitely advise against a purchase.
The situation is different with provider B. This provider sells personal coaching on the subject of "Search engine optimization" for the same price. He says he sells a maximum of 50 places, as more would exceed his capacity to guarantee a sensible course. Here I would say. Okay, you can accept that as a reason.
Nevertheless, the other points still need to be checked.
3. company address and company form of the provider
The first glance at any sales page should be the Imprint apply. If it's missing completely, it's time to say "arrivederci" immediately. For heaven's sake, don't buy anywhere if there is no Imprint is available. Or would you hand a 500 euro bill to a complete stranger and ask them to change it somewhere? I don't think so. The risk of never seeing this person again later would simply be too great. Similar caution should also be advised on the Internet.
But I'm going to assume that now. A Imprint is available. Then you should ideally find any company/individual with complete address including telephone number for a (German-language) info product. Ideally the provider is then also located in Germany/Austria or Switzerland.
Alarm bells should always ring if the Imprint a foreign limited liability company. English LTDs and Mallorcan S.L.s are particularly notorious in this respect. Not that all these companies are dubious per se, they are certainly not all, but they are extremely popular with fraudsters. It is also extremely difficult to Germany against such companies and their backers. Always keep your hands off such companies. This is usually healthier.
A reputable company that carries out its main business activities in a German-speaking country will generally also have its registered office in a German-speaking country. If it does not, there is usually a "good" reason for this.
4. seriousness/presentation of the sales page
In my opinion, the presentation of a sales page can also tell a lot. If the whole thing is presented too sensationally or if there is obviously no attempt to put the product in the foreground, caution is again advisable.
Of course, it is in the nature of advertising that people's "baser" instincts, particularly their "greed" in the case of info products, are also aroused. Nevertheless, comprehensible product characteristics should also be named. More details will be discussed in the Hard Facts section. It should at least give the impression of being on a page that contains useful information about the actual product being sold. If you think you are on a coffee trip, you should not be surprised if you buy inferior or overpriced goods.
5.Purchase price in relation to freely available competitor products
I also consider this point to be extremely important. Suppose Marketer C sells his work "Traffic Secrets" for e.g. 249 euros, you may be tempted to check Amazon or your local bookstore to see if there are competing products and how much they cost. Sometimes you will be surprised that there are already very good products available at a fraction of the price that Marketer C charges. In this case, you should definitely push to find out what the above-mentioned marketer is offering in order to justify the seemingly inflated price.
6. usefulness - Do I need the product at all?
The answer to this question should always be "YES". Products are often sold that are not (yet) needed with the best will in the world. An example of this would be split testing tools. As interesting as these are for websites with a lot of visitors, they are useless for someone who can still greet their visitors with a handshake. Where there is nothing, there is no need to split test anything.
Another example would be Facebook marketing, as long as you haven't even managed to create your own website yet. There are plenty of examples here. In principle, you should always seriously ask yourself the question: Do I need the product at all?
7. testimonial and beta tester
There are two principles here:
Distrust any testimonial that you have not commissioned yourself.
Distrust any beta tester who is also an affiliate to the advertised product.
Who doesn't know them? The famous Mr. A. from B. or Mrs. C. from D., who praise the product to the skies. In many cases, these are probably fake anyway.
Even if specific names are mentioned, these are often just favors or people help each other in marketing circles. Sometimes you can also buy testimonials cheaply. At the American service fiverr.com (I admit, I was already a customer there), you can get video testimonials for as little as 5 US dollars. If you want, you can take a look at following example View. (oh, it's not an affiliate link)
Beta testers who are also affiliates should always be distrusted. They may know all or part of the product. However, objectivity is not to be expected. Although there are always one or two laudable exceptions who actually try to work through the pros and cons, ultimately they only go to the trouble of doing so in order to collect affiliate commissions. However, the actual purpose of a beta tester, to test a product for weaknesses before its market launch, is fundamentally missed. Neither testimonials nor reports from beta affiliates should be used for your own purchase decision.
8. promises of merit
It becomes particularly dubious when specific promises of earnings are made. For example, 2000 euros in 4 weeks. This is complete nonsense and is actually a reason in itself to refrain from buying.
I find the following text, for example, similarly dubious (fictitious, I don't want to attack anyone specifically):How I earned 5000 euros with one email and how you can too. What the friendly internet marketer does NOT tell you. He has an email list with 20,000 subscribers and you have none. So you will NOT earn the 5000 Euro either. Sometimes tennis is that simple!
I would also be extremely careful with statements such as earning money in your sleep or earning money at the touch of a button. There is nothing for free, especially on the Internet. You have to work hard for every success, no matter how small. Unfortunately, people often forget to mention this.
9. hard facts - are enough reasons and facts provided for the decision?
Before I buy a product, I would always put myself in the position of a buyer in a company who is not allowed to decide alone, but has to present the pros and cons of the purchase objectively to a committee. This committee will not want to hear advertising garbage but a clear answer to the question of why they should buy this product. This is where the hard facts are needed. What does the product offer? Are there enough verifiable facts? Ideally, is there even an opportunity to test the product before buying?
10. support - availability of the provider
How can I contact the provider? Will I get a quick answer to my questions? How well-founded and friendly are the answers? If a provider is difficult to contact even before the sale, it is unlikely that the situation will change after the purchase. Especially when it comes to support-intensive products such as courses, training and coaching - definitely stay away if you can't reach the coach and there are no well-founded answers in a timely manner.
11. right of return/guarantee
A money-back guarantee with no ifs and buts and without having to answer annoying questions is certainly always a plus point. You should never buy a pig in a poke. Of course, you just have to check whether the guarantee is worth anything in an emergency. This brings us back to the company headquarters Germany or English Ltds etc.
How do you see it? Can you think of any other points to distinguish a good info product from digital garbage? What do you value when you buy a digital product? What do you ultimately base your purchase decision on? Or your decision not to buy? I would be very interested to hear your opinion on this.
By 
German 
English 