Why Don’t Bloggers Have Free Reports on their Blogs?

Written by Zac Johnson
social social social

I have had my free report on my blog since its inception because Zac taught me in his free report ‘Six Figure Affiliate Blogging‘ how important it is to get your free report up as soon as you can. If you don’t, you miss out on all the potential benefits of the traffic you garner from day one.

I am constantly learning from Zac and other affiliate bloggers, and since launching my Self Publishing Blog I have been looking at and reading a lot of blogs in different niches to look at their presentation, functionality and of course, content. Yes, chances are very good I have been reading yours too.

What I notice on a lot of blogs – good blogs – is that many of them DON’T have a free report they are giving away. Let me delve into the five reasons why bloggers don’t have one on their blogs.

1. Bloggers don’t necessarily see themselves as authors.

Let’s be honest with each other. A free report is really a book. It is a non-fiction literary achievement where you pour out a lot of yourself and your own knowledge gathered over the years. Bloggers don’t necessarily see themselves as authors the way I do. You are a writer, aren’t you? Well, if you are, then why can you not publish a book? Even though you’re giving it away for free, you’ve got the future benefits in sight.

2. There are too many stumbling blocks

Sure, all these points may be seen as stumbling blocks, but specific stumbling blocks are prevalent in both publishing a free report and your own book too. Some of the stumbling blocks include:

  • You’re strapped for cash. I know a lot of programs are sold telling you that you can make money overnight, but the truth is that it takes at least some money to make money. My current investment in my business is around $2000, and that’s excluding the money I spent publishing my various books.
  • It takes time to get the hang of publishing. Even if it’s only a free report, you need a mentor to help guide you through the process that includes things you may not know how to do. Time is often a factor for people who fail to complete the process
  • Do people care? Many times writers struggle with the fact that not everybody would want to read their ‘information’ or agree with their statements. The fear of rejection is one of the main reasons people don’t step out and share their knowledge with the world.
  • People are trying to be too perfect. This is not only the reason bloggers don’t have a free report; it is also the reason some authors never finish their books. Being excessively critical will cause you to never get your free report up.

3. They don’t see the potential of a free report.

Bloggers don’t have a free report on their blogs because they don’t know about the potential it could add to their online business. Here are a few of the benefits of a free report:

  • You build your email list progressively as your blog grows. This will help you with affiliate sales, mentoring and product launches in the future. This list is targeted, because of the report.
  • A free report has links built into it, sending traffic to your blog and adding to your sales and affiliate sales.
  • It will establish you as an expert in your field and on your blog topic.
  • A free report has a great opportunity to go viral, which your blog may not have at the outset.

4. They don’t see their blog having business potential.

Bloggers may just be blogging as a hobby and therefore, because it is a hobby to them, they don’t see it as a business. A good example is photography; many don’t see it as a business but only a hobby. Truth is, if a free report was given away teaching people tricks of the photography trade, the free report would build a customer list to which you could sell niche products such as lenses, pods, bags and so on.

5. They get bogged down on the design.

Many times bloggers get up to having their report written but then get bogged down with the design details. There’s so much to check out: the book layout, the cover design, the incorporation of logos with pictures, etc. While they may do all that with blogging, a pdf doesn’t have an image upload. Even though this may seem daunting, there are ways to get this done without headaches.

Can you identify some of the above reasons why you don’t have a free report on your blog? Can you see the inherent potential a free report could lend to your blogs potential? Well, you don’t have to struggle anymore. We have a great free offer for you.

Special competition offer:

I am working on a mentoring program to help bloggers get their reports professionally done. Zac and I are working together on giving his readers a great free offer. We are offering 5 of his readers the following free service:

I, Ivin Viljoen will:

  • Guide you with writing the best report you can possibly compile.
  • Have it professionally proofread and edited.
  • Assist in formatting the document.
  • Help with the cover design.
  • Optimize affiliate links within the report.
  • Teach you how to set up your autoresponder program.
  • Provide advice on what to write for your 3 month autoresponder cycle with articles and affiliate products that fit your niche.
  • Get your report in the most visible positions on your blog to harvest the most sign ups.

What do you need to do to get this great free offer? All you have to do is comment on this article and tell why you want this service and what you believe it could do for your blogging business. Zac will choose the best 5 comments to win this awesome prize.

To qualify you will need the following:

A blog around six months old with targeted content written about your niche.

NOT have a free report on your blog now.

NOT have an email list yet.

Be hungry for success.

Be teachable.

Be committed to getting your free report done.

The winner will be chosen one month from now when the comments have slowed down.

This guest post was written by Ivin Viljoen is a self publishing expert teaching bloggers that self publishing is a secret monetization method. Get your free copy of his ‘Self Publishing How to…’ book on his blog.

(Visited 70 times, 1 visits today)

Wait... before you leave, consider these top resources:

55 Replies to “Why Don’t Bloggers Have Free Reports on their Blogs?”

  1. I'd like to enter this competition!
    I am definitely hungry for success, teachable and committed 100% to getting my free report done.

    But there are many rules I don't follow… My blog is not 6 months yet… I have a small email list…

    On the other hand, rules are made to be twisted and I could definitely use some help to write a free report and to setup an auto-responder as I am clearly lacking knowledge in this field…

    The help and guidance you would provide could clearly help me in my challenge to reach moderate success with my blog in less than 12 months!
    My recent post Will FTC call this blatant advertising

    1. You're right. Rules are meant to be broken. At the end it's up to Zac and I know his standard is surviving the 6 months threshold. However, for me personally it's having six month worth of targeted content because that's going to help get content together for your report quickly.

      At the end, being hungry for success, teachable and committed 100% is all it takes. Good luck!
      My recent post WordPress Blog Setup- Not 249- 99!

        1. Enjoy the hustle!
          My recent post Ask Ivin- Your Self Publishing-Blogging Questions Answered

          1. You've won. See your contact email 🙂
            My recent post Winners Of Free Blog Report Mentoring Program

    1. Mmm. Now that you mention it. It's not appearing… Conflicting plugin. Thank for letting me know. (Later) Whew! Glad I caught that. You can go get you're free ebook now. And I'm sure you can see, that's not something you whip together in an hour 😉
      My recent post WordPress Blog Setup- Not 249- 99!

  3. Free reports have tremendous power just as the details you have shared. Another important benefit is that it gives you the confidence to know that you did it once and can do it again when the time is right. Most things are easier the second (and third and forth) times through.

    Brandon

    1. That's so true Brandon. I published my first 40,000 word book in two weeks after writing just 3 days on it. I don't know if I can do it quicker and easier than that. I'm going for the Guinness World record for my next one. I don't publish that fast anymore.

      The content/book's information was time sensitive, so it had to get out quickly. That's the only reason why one wants to do it that quick. It's hectic, hard work in which you don't sleep much, if at all 🙂
      My recent post WordPress Blog Setup- Not 249- 99!

  4. Or ………..maybe they don't have free reports because they don't wont to sell out and want to separate themselves from the billion and 1 other blogs with free reports?

    1. Tim, I don't agree with you. There aren't a billion blogs with free reports on their blogs… i.e. the reason for the post. I wrote this post and offer this service (for free) because the pros outweigh the cons by tons. Having a free report on your blog is a professional practice and a long term business strategy.
      My recent post WordPress Blog Setup- Not 249- 99!

      1. Hi Tim,

        I don't see offering a free report or having a mailing list as "selling out". I haven't had one because i didn't want to take the time to sort it all out and didn't want to have to worry about where the money for the monthly overhead of AWeber would come from – not because I think a free report would be unethical.

        It just makes sense to be able to reach your readers periodically and the best way to encourage them to take the time to sign up for your newsletter is to offer them something useful to them related to your blog such as a free report.
        My recent post Cornell University Yahoo! Research Twittersphere Study- Who Tweets What to Whom on Twitter

  5. Hey this sounds like an interesting contest!

    I have a ghost of an idea for a free report for epicskillz.com, which has been lingering for a couple months now.

    The blog is more than 6 months old, though activity has been pitiful due to my inconsistency in updating.

    Email list-wise, I used to have a list of something like 300 2 years ago, but lost them all when I got a new account at Aweber.

    Paid for 1-year subscription to Aweber to force myself to build a list, and ended up building all of zero subscribers after something like 6 months now. Ah, the downside of wealth. </sarcasm>

    Building up epicskillz.com is one of my MUST-DOs for the year 2011, and getting a free report up on the site would bring me much closer to the goal!
    My recent post Drew Eric Whitman Keynote at Affiliate Summit West 2011

    1. Well, I wish you all the best. Remember to keep on writing targeted, pillar content and you're list will grow as well as you're visitors.

  6. I want to grow my photography blog and am having trouble coming up with a free report for it. I do not have a mailing list for it, either. I would appreciate any help I could get in setting these things up.

    1. I'd be glad to help. Good luck with the contest. I actually used a photography blog as an example in the post. If you write targeted 'how-to', list and product articles… you shouldn't have a problem compiling a short manuscript.
      My recent post WordPress Blog Setup- Not 249- 99!

  7. This is a unique opportunity and I could sure use the help! I've recently started my own business and while my blog for my business is not six months old (approx. 3 monthe old), it does rank in positions #4 and #5 on the first page of Google and #2 on Yahoo and Bing. My keyword phrase is "Marketing Columbia SC".

    I realize I need a free report, especially to attract email subscribers (I DO NOT have an email list, YET). I was going to try to find one that had already been written, but having some coaching on writing my own would even be better! A well-written, informational free report would be of great value to my potential clients and to my new business.

    Thanks for giving me this opportunity to be considered.

    My recent post Advantages Of Online Marketing For Offline Businesses

    1. That's a great GEO targeted keyword. Good on you! In the meantime, keep on writing pillar content targeted at your niche and you would be able to have content to compile a manuscript in no time. I also have other methods I call 'flash publish methods' which an otherwise help you.

      Good luck!
      My recent post WordPress Blog Setup- Not 249- 99!

      1. Ivin,

        Thanks for the reply and thanks for the tips. Yes, I need to push this website to the #1 spot.

        Thanks!
        My recent post Advantages Of Online Marketing For Offline Businesses

    1. I don't know if it's my place to talk. But there are a lot of variables to consider. Blogger blogs are not very SERP friendly and are usually just used to promote WordPress blogs or church websites. I can see couple things you may want to look at for your blog but let me rather say you may want to search Zac's vast database of posts for words such as 'traffic', 'keywords' , 'optimization' and perhaps 'SEO'. Then when yours done with those. Search for terms like 'content', 'headings, 'blog design'
      My recent post WordPress Blog Setup- Not 249- 99!

  9. Good post Ivin! Giving away free content (a report, ebook, video, etc.) is a great way to build credibility and start building a subscriber database. There are definitely a lot of reasons why many marketers never get around to creating this kind of free content, but they are missing out on a great opportunity to grow their audience and drive revenue.
    My recent post Facebook Tests Real-Time Status Ad Targeting

    1. That's true Tom. Thanks for your contribution 🙂
      My recent post WordPress Blog Setup- Not 249- 99!

  10. Great going Kenny. Which platform did you publish it on. Do you have a ISBN allocated to it. IF you don't, the books not published or won't carry a copyright. Also, if you've self published, you gotta make sure you own the ISBN. If you don't you have no rights on the book and won't make as much money as you can (assuming it's a book being sold).

    Just curious. How do you write a book on blogging when you're blog is barely a month old. You must have a blog somewhere right?
    My recent post WordPress Blog Setup- Not 249- 99!

  11. Great going Kenny. Which platform did you publish it on. Do you have a ISBN allocated to it. IF you don't, the books not published or won't carry a copyright. Also, if you've self published, you gotta make sure you own the ISBN. If you don't you have no rights on the book and won't make as much money as you can (assuming it's a book being sold).
    My recent post WordPress Blog Setup- Not 249- 99!

  12. I want to write a free ebook to build my brand and to build a subscriber database. My blog (https://blog.mirwolfor.com) is in building because I don't have "THE BLOG" but it put my heart in this 🙂
    My recent post Quake-hit Japanese city in danger of dying

    1. The key is to keep on hustling with your content.
      My recent post Advertise on Authopublisher

    2. You've won. See your contact email 🙂
      My recent post UnderDog Reality TV EP25 – Product Launch

  13. That's what the contest is all about Dean. It's a free service to help you. Good luck!
    My recent post Advertise on Authopublisher

    1. You've won. See your contact email 🙂
      My recent post UnderDog Reality TV EP25 – Product Launch

  14. I have a dozen blogs or so in a wide assortment of niches. One has been around since 2006, the majority are a few years old. Traffic from these sites ranges from 2-3k uniques/day to as little as 20/day.

    I haven't taken the time to do a free report for some of the same stumbling block reasons you mentioned. I just haven't made it a priority because of my lack of knowledge of creating one correctly. I believe with your expert guidance that at least one of my sites could greatly benefit from a free report.

    I am undoubtedly committed, especially with this kind of opportunity. I roll like Yoda, "Do or do not. There is no try."

    1. Sounds interesting Sonia. You may be an ideal candidate for this test of my mentoring program. It's all up to Zac and all I can say is good luck.

      P.S You should include a link to your main blog so not just myself but others can have a look at them. I try comment on those I find here. It's called 'link love' and there's even a plugin at the bottom you can link your latest post to (if you give a URL to your blog). I'd love to see what you're doing 🙂
      My recent post Advertise on Authopublisher

  15. Ivin, did my comment not get approved or did it not go through yesterday? When I come to this page, the cache shows a part of my comment partially filled in the comment field, wondering if for some reason that is how it was sent? Just wanting to know if I should resubmit. I'm pretty sure I meet all the qualifications. Thanks.

    1. I think you're comment got through. It's all moderated by Zac.
      My recent post CreateSpace Solves Your Self Publishing Stumbling Blocks

  16. My blog meets all the requirements as mentioned. I’m hungry for success as I have been trying for the past 4 years to make something of myself online. I won’t stop until my goal is complete

    I work on my blog during the nights as my construction day job slowly dwindles. I blog about something I’m really passionate about with the hopes of bringing in some additional income as my day job isn’t cutting it. I have scraped by at times investing what little I have on different aspects of the blog and tools.

    I have been struggling with the free report and at this point this is what my blog desperately needs. I love my blog and I love the reaction I’m getting from my followers.

    I would love nothing more then to get this aspect of my blog going with hopes of some additional revenue.

    Sincerely,

    Jason

    1. You've won. see your contact email.
      My recent post UnderDog Reality TV EP25 – Product Launch

  17. Hi Ivin,

    I have a blog that's been composting for a while now. It's non-IM and I need to get it growing again. This sounds like just the kick in the butt i need to get it going.

    I'd love to dig up a good free report, I have an idea or two for that, but just haven't done it.

    Your help is just the fertilizer I need to sprout a great free report for my blog.

    Sorry for all the goofy gardening puns, but that's my blogs niche:
    https://www.weightlossgardening.com/

    So sign me up – please.
    My recent post Get Free Report Help

    1. I like the report. You may want to connect it to an auto responder on your blog to grow your list. Otherwise there's no use in giving the report away. You may get some traffic sent your way but it's mostly once off. you want to capture them to communicate with them more.
      My recent post Advertise on Authopublisher

  19. Sounds interesting. A blog needn't be in a IM niche to work with a free report. Remember a free report has VERY valuable information in it – for free. If you can manage that, great.

    I have several methods to pull content out form places you never knew it was. That's what this project is about. To help you do that. Good luck!
    My recent post Ask Ivin- Your Self Publishing-Blogging Questions Answered

    1. Good luck. Spread the word to your readers/followers. 21 days left. They'll love you for it.
      My recent post UnderDog Reality TV EP23- March Blog Report

  21. I'm a newbie to blogging. I spend my leisure time in surfing the web to learn necessary things regarding this matter. Thanks for this post, additional important information has been added to my knowledge. I'm a logo designer but I have this interest in blogging. Thanks for sharing this information.

    1. Werl, Ana. Get a blog up and start writing good content. See zac blog for various blog pormotion tools and get hustling!
      My recent post Advertise on Authopublisher

    1. Interesting comment Allan. Good luck.
      My recent post UnderDog Reality TV EP23- March Blog Report

    1. April 24th 🙂
      My recent post Make Money- Market your Business by Self Publishing Newspapers

        1. I'm waiting on Zac to make the pics. I think he's swamped. That was the agreement anyway. Soto honor the deal I have to wait on him. I'm sure if you're patient we will hear sometime this week.
          My recent post Online Tools to Becoming Successful as an Author

          1. Thanks for your response! Just thought I missed the announcement. I started a free report but it definitely needs some work.

            Cheers!

  24. Hi Ivin,

    There are many blogs that are much older than six months that could really benefit from being chosen for your mentoring competition – mine for example. Even though I have known since the mid-1990s of the importance of using a report and building a list I have still never done it. While self-publishing now seems simple TO YOU there are several reasons I haven't done it yet and those reasons are also why other bloggers don't:

    1) We don't know how – this is the big one!
    2) You have to know how to upload whatever you want to offer – many bloggers don't know how to do that.
    3) You have to know how to get your offer to appear in your sidebar – many bloggers don't know how to do that either.
    4) You need to choose an autoresponder and know how to set it up. Again, we don't know how.
    5) You need something to manage your list. I've narrowed that down to FeedBlitz or AWeber and those I've asked say AWeber is far easier to figure out and use.
    6) You need to be able to cover the overhead of having a subscription service which, although minimal, requires a consistent source of money and a way to pay for it. This stops many – especially those in other countries with exchange rates that make USD expensive. (This will change as the dollar keeps sliding.)
    7) You have to have some kind of software or app or whatever to compile the ebook. While most of us have the content already, getting it into an ebook format is foreign to us. Once again, we don't know how to do that.

    As you can see the bottom line is this is a complicated process that requires many new skills we do not currently have OR a mentor. That is where you come in. If you are willing to consider my blog which is already over two years old and mentor me we can use that ebook, my blog, and my reach online to promote Zac's blog and your mentoring program too.
    My recent post Cornell University Yahoo! Research Twittersphere Study- Who Tweets What to Whom on Twitter

    1. You've won. See you're contact page 🙂
      My recent post UnderDog Reality TV EP25 – Product Launch

  25. The winners are : Dukeo, Motorcycleinsights, Growmap, Brian Wolf and Dean Saliba. Please got the the post linked to below, comment and sign up to the form as that’s where I’m going to egt through to you.

    I have contacted you all via email. Just waiting for your response.

  26. The winners are: Growmap. Dean Saliba, Motorcycleinsights, Brian Wolf and Dukeo. Go to the post I link to below, comment and sign up to the form as that's the way for me to communicate with you.

    I have sent you all an email via your contact page. Get in touch!
    My recent post Winners Of Free Blog Report Mentoring Program

Comments are closed.