In this lesson we will go over how to choose a topic and gather information so that you can begin writing your report. This part of the process is actually the most time-consuming, and  one you have mastered your research and gathering techniques you will be able to quickly write your reports in 60 minutes, sometimes even less.

As we discussed in the last lesson free reports are a popular tools used by Internet marketers to build their mailing lists and make big profits fast. The reason so many savvy marketers use free reports so often is simply because they work.

Once you understand that people search the Internet because they want or need information it easy to understand why free reports work so effectively. People are constantly seeking for information on subjects that will make them feel better, look better, get smarter, or solve a problem. If you provide them with a free report that will help them solve their problem, you will look like an expert in their eyes and  that alone can do a lot to increase your reputation and your selling power.

Reports can take many forms but no matter what the form, a report is simply a written document that provides information about a
specific subject.

Don’t worry, writing a report doesn’t have to be a tedious or time consuming task. A short report can be written in as little as an hour provided that you have access to sufficient information on the subject and since the Internet really is the “Information Super Highway” information on almost any subject is readily available with a few clicks of your mouse.

Today we’re going to talk about creating your first report from scratch.  The first thing that is required for your report is a topic.

The topic that you choose to write your report on should be one that is directly related to the topic of your website or product, because you want the people that will be downloading and reading to be interested in the information that you are providing for them.

The easiest method that I have found for deciding on a topic is to choose a broad subject first and then narrow it down to two or three specific points. A good way to do this is to ask yourself some simple questions.

For instance;

What does my product or service have to offer consumers?

What are the major selling points of my product?

Who are the people that will be reading my report?

What are their needs concerning this topic?

Once you have answered these and any additional questions you may have concerning your audience, you can then begin to formulate your objectives. Your objectives will indicate exactly what the readers of your report will go after they have finished it.

For example, for a web design report one objective would be “After you have finished reading this report you will be able to add
an image to a web page.”

If you get stuck for ideas try asking your current list of subscribers or customers and see what they need help with. Do some research by visiting blogs and forums that relate to the products and services that you sell and see what their customers, thoughts and concerns are.

Another good way to do some quick research is to set up a free account at a fairly new website called www.ask500people.com.
This site allows you to post your questions in a format that makes it easy for you to receive hundreds of responses from people all
over the world and you can use this information to narrow down your choices quickly.

Once you have settled on a topic for your free report, the next step is to gather information that is related to that topic.

This can be easily accomplished by referring your favorite search engine again. This time just plug in some key words related to the
topic that you have chosen.  Don’t worry that you won’t be able to find enough information to work with. In fact, most of the time it’s
the exact opposite. Chances are, you will find too much information rather than not enough. Be prepared because you are
going to have to sift through and consolidate the information, but if you have narrowed your topic down properly, it won’t be all that
difficult.

That’s it for today’s lesson, but you do have homework. I want you to get out your notepad and start doing your research. Remember to think about what your product has to offer, narrow down your topic and main objective, then start jotting down some ideas and links to information that you can use to write your report.

In the next lesson on this topic we’re going to talk about how to construct an outline for your report, so that your job will be much easier when you begin writing. Plus another way that you can construct your reports without doing all of the writing yourself. I appreciate you reading my blog.

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