If you're new here, you'll want to be sure to get your free report and subscribe to the monthly e-zine and, perhaps, subscribe to the RSS feed, as well. Thanks for visiting!

What exactly is infopreneuring? In short, it’s a way to put your knowledge to good use and make money doing it. Now let me ask you this:

Do you have a hobby, skill, or interest that you’re passionate about? Something that makes you light up at its very mention?

Everybody has something that gets their juices flowing, whether it’s cooking, music, skydiving, coin collecting, riding horses, or environmental conservation. Maybe you or someone you love has a rare disease or disorder that you’ve researched in depth to find alternative forms of medicine for, and you’re committed to raising awareness about it.

That’s valuable knowledge, and you can make money sharing your expertise by becoming an infopreneur.

The Internet: A Blessing Or A Curse?

Whatever your interests are, you can be sure there are people all over the planet who share them. People who surf the Internet looking for information and answers.

It’s only natural for humans to reach out to one another in search of connections and understanding, and we’re fortunate to have the Web at our fingertips to fill that need.

Unfortunately, anyone who has ever tried to find targeted, helpful information on the Web knows that there’s a lot of hype and misinformation and pure garbage out there. It’s frustrating to have to sift through all that muck to find the hidden jewels of wisdom. Coming up with any kind of answer, never mind the one we’re looking for, can seem like an impossible mission at times. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Add Your Own Blessing

Suppose you started your own website and packed it with valuable information, told from your own insider’s perspective. Isn’t it possible the hapless Web surfer would be grateful to find such valuable information? And be willing to pay to expand their knowledge, to further their education?

Imagine for a moment how you feel when you find a site that’s educational, entertaining, and provides you with products and information you can put to use in your own life. Aren’t you more inclined to buy from that Web site rather than one with flashing lights and bells and whistles and lots of links to advertisers, but no real information?

As an infopreneur, you can make money helping others learn what they want to know by sharing your knowledge and expertise. You don’t have to be an expert, you just need to know more than the person who hasn’t reached your level of expertise yet. If you raise Labrador Retrievers, for instance, you don’t have to have a degree in animal husbandry to share your knowledge with someone who’s never even owned a dog.

If you’ve got a passion and know a lot about it, you are an expert to the person with no experience at all. Give yourself credit, and share what you know.

Infopreneuring: How To Position Yourself As An Expert

There are three basics steps for positioning yourself as an expert:

1. Do Your Homework:
   Become a researcher. First find out what is important to your audience–what problems do they share that they’re looking to solve? People need to know that you understand their problems so you can target your research to identify solutions appropriate for them. You can interview potential clients to find out what issues concern them most, and then talk to industry experts and professionals in the field to learn what solutions are currently used, what advances are being made in the field, and what solutions clients can expect to be available in the near future. Document your research as you go.
2. Report On Your Research:
   Lay out all your documentation in a logical progression: 1) the problem itself as identified by your audience; 2) Specific concerns and impacts the problem has on their lives; 3) How they’re currently dealing with it; 4) What solutions, current and planned, do the experts offer to resolve the problem. To report your findings, you can:
   • Present them as Case Reports (masking real identities, of course, unless you have express written permission from the respective parties to use them in your report);
   • Weave a story about how people in your target population generally deal with the problem, citing hypothetic examples based on real-life instances;
   • Write it like a news story: “who, what, where, when, why, and how” (just the facts, m’am);
   • Tell it from your own perspective — a first-person “I was there” report. This one is more difficult for many people to do because it means exposing your vulnerability to the world. In order for your story to ring true to your audience, you must be willing to reach inside yourself to what may be a painful place and bring forth your emotions so others can witness, and learn from, your experience. The most important thing to keep in mind with first-person is that your resolution must be presented in a positive light. Give your readers hope, that they can manage their problem, or accomplish a goal–whatever your subject involves–so your infoproduct gives them “takeaway value.”
3. Create a Community: Online and offline, through discussion groups, support groups, ezine publishing, blogs, wherever your audience gathers, you can participate to share what you know, but make sure you’re adding value to the group and not just promoting yourself and your product. As with any other marketing effort, your goal is to build credibility, gain trust, and position yourself as the solution provider your audience prefers to do business with.

To learn how you can get started as an infopreneur, sign up for the free Infopreneurship 101 e-Course at www.infopreneurship101.com, or get your copy of the Infopreneur’s Business Guidebook at www.infopreneursbusinessguide.com.