Have you ever been curious about how you can repurpose your content into a content upgrade? Do you know what a content upgrade is?
In this post, and in episode 24 of the podcast, I explain what content upgrades are, provide some tips on how to create them, along with plenty of different examples of content upgrades.
What is a content upgrade?
A content upgrade is usually some form of lead magnet. A lead magnet (sometimes referred to as an ‘ethical bribe’) is something of value that you offer to your audience in exchange for their email address. So basically, it’s something that helps us to build our email lists.
I’m sure we can think of so many lead magnets that we’ve signed up to ourselves.
Lead magnets are usually on websites. You might have many different lead magnets on different parts of your website…on your homepage, your about page, your blog/page sidebar…etc.
A content upgrade is a form of lead magnet but it’s very specific to a piece of content. It’s a bit like an extra bonus related to that content. It’s kind of like “hey…if you liked this…then guess what….there’s more!!”.
Content upgrades are brilliant because if people are already interested in your content, then they are more likely to want your upgrade.
It may be the case that you have another lead magnet that you offer on your website, but that website visitor just doesn’t resonate with it – they don’t perceive it to add much value to them so you lose them as a lead.
But, they see a lot of value in your content upgrade. They loved your video/podcast/blog post and they want more.
Amy Porterfield, an online marketer, offers content upgrades all the time (with almost every post). Pat Flynn (Smart Passive Income) also offers content upgrades with a lot of his content. These guys know what they’re doing so I’d say content upgrades must work!
Things to consider when creating content upgrades
If you’re thinking of creating a content upgrade, I recommend the following 3 criteria:
- Easily Consumable – content upgrades need to be high VALUE but not necessarily high volume. It does not need to be a 50 page e-book when it can be a 1 page checklist or cheat sheet. People are more interested in having quick and easy ways to solve their problems rather than long and convoluted ways to solve their problems…funny that isn’t it!
- Address a Problem – don’t just address any problem, address a really specific problem. The more specific the problem the higher perceived value because people know exactly what you are going to help them with and most likely have a good idea of what it would mean to them if that problem was solved.
- Actionable – if your content upgrade is focused on getting people to take action… and in taking that action they see a result, then that’s a huge win-win situation. Ensure everything is aligned with ultimately what your product/service/offering is. For example, if you help people who are currently at A to the end destination C, design your content upgrade to take them from A to B. Then when they are ready to move onwards to C, and are looking for someone to help them, they are likely to go to the person who got them to B, as opposed to a complete stranger. You are already on the journey with them because you brought about some real action and results.
You might not always be able to hit all 3 criteria, but it’s something to aim for.
Examples of Content Upgrades
Here are some examples of content upgrades to consider:
Checklists
Who doesn’t love a checklist! Maybe you have recorded a long podcast or video, with lots of tips or maybe some step-by-step guidance. Why not turn that into a simple checklist that your audience will love? I did exactly this with a Facebook Live checklist
PDF version of your blog post
You may be surprised how many people would be interested in having your blog post in PDF form. In next week’s podcast episode I’m showing you how to create a PDF version of your blog post in a couple of minutes
Transcript
If you record podcasts or videos, you could offer a transcript. If someone loved your episode, and they want to refer back to it, a transcript would be really useful. I recommend using Rev.com for transcription services
A List of Tools & Resources
If you have provided examples of tools and resources in your content, why not create a PDF that simply lists them out with details
Quick Guide
If your content provides instruction, or step-by-step guidance, slim it down into a simple guide. This would really add value to the original content
Bonus Video or Audio
Film a video or record an audio file where you talk about a topic in more detail. In the original piece of content you can say: "if you want to learn more about this I’ve filmed a short video / recorded an extra bonus podcast episode where I talk about it in more detail" (or state specifically what topic you dig deep with). They have to provide their email and you’ll send the link to access
Bonus Interview
If you have interviewed a guest for your podcast or video, you could record an additional, separate interview with them. This could be anything from a quick fire round, to answering a really specific question. You can say to your audience that they can get hold of the bonus interview if they provide their email address (good idea to stick to the criteria above and offer an interview that helps solve a specific problem).
Infographic
Create an engaging infographic. Visuals can really bring topics to life. You could display the infographic on your website and let people know they can have a copy if they provide their email address
Templates
For example, email templates, blog templates, plan templates – something that people can use really easily and it will save them time
Swipe file
For example, if you were a digital marketer perhaps you could provide 50 of your best Facebook ad templates
A Challenge or Free Course
This can be automated but highly effective. An example is emailing your list every day for week, as part of a 1 week challenge, and every day you email has guidance and instruction. Sometimes people just need to be reminded and told every day!
In Conclusion
Content upgrades are all about enticing your audience with something of value that they will want. That is specifically related to your piece of content.
They can be really effective with email list building. Plus, really effective in growing a highly engaged audience who view you as someone who goes the extra mile to add value.
Because you have already created the content, your upgrade doesn’t need to be created totally from scratch, because you can repurpose!
A Content Upgrade!
Guess what – I have a content upgrade for you right now (I always practice what I preach!).
Click the button below for a 1 page summary of this article providing a handy side-of-desk guide to help you when you create your own content upgrade.
