One of my first jobs as a teenager was as a hostess at a local breakfast restaurant. Now this restaurant was unlike any other restaurant around at that time. One of the many things that set this restaurant apart from others was the incredible smoothie/coffee bar situated right in the middle of the restaurant.
Now if you are a coffee or smoothie fan, you know those drinks are not cheap. People paid upwards of $5 for a drink – and this was over 10 years ago. But besides the fact that this was one of the only drink bars around, do you know why those drinks were so popular and sold like mad?
They were visually appealing. The added touches of fresh pineapple on a tropical smoothie or real whipped cream and freshly shaved chocolate on a mocha latte. These are the little details that made a huge difference.
Think about the impact of having a beautiful drink sitting at the first table when customers walked in. Presentation. It’s all about the presentation.
How many times do you look around in a new restaurant to see what everyone else’s dish looks like? It may taste horrible, but regardless we are visual beings – we see things first.
Images and First Impressions
The same principle is true for anything you do online. Maybe even moreso. An image is all you have to make a compelling first impression.
While graphics is one of the last things people usually think about, it is certainly not least important. In fact, graphics are absolutely critical to a successful compelling free offer.
If you’ve followed my compelling message outline, then you, no doubt, have a compelling free offer, however, no one knows that but you and I.
A stunning cover is what conveys how awesome it is to your audience.
To get your graphic cover completed, you have a few options…
1) Make it yourself. There is a website called myecovermaker which you can use to make your own graphic. It is a very user friendly site and you can figure out what to do pretty quickly.
2) Outsource it. If you don’t want to make your own, then there are several options for outsourcing – fiverr.com, the Warrior forum, even elance.com. Look at past work and ratings before choosing someone.
3) Insource it. I have just recently started to go with this option. Basically you have someone who does graphics make covers for you on a contract basis. You may have family or friends who do graphics and would love to have the experience of working on an ecover for you.
Regardless of what option you are using to get your cover completed, a unique, attractive, compelling cover makes the difference between someone wanting what you are offering and not.
Remember we are visual beings – we are drawn to images, particularly attractive ones.
eCover Tips
It is worth every penny to outsource or insource this task if you have never done an ecover before. Practice with something else, but look to a professional when it comes to something like your compelling free offer.
Some tips for designing your ecover:
- Choose colors that match or compliment your blog. You will have an opt-in form on your blog, so complimentary colors are a big plus.
- Put your name on the cover. This is good for branding and it looks professional.
- Be careful with lots of words. If you have a long title and you want to add a subtitle that is long also, then you run the risk of scaring people off. I’ve used some long titles, but I’ve had better success with a title 5 words or less.
- If you can, get the cover in flat and 3D images. Use the flat cover as the title page in your compelling free offer. And the 3D cover for your blog opt-in and/or squeeze page.
Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, there is not a one size fits all description for a compelling ecover. Because every offer is unique and every person’s likes and dislikes are unique, every cover will be different.
The best ecovers are the ones that reflect the author and the content accurately and create intrigue so as to compel the reader to download it.
Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos
Thanks for sharing this post Christine! You’re so right about making an impression when selling products, especially digital products online. Taking the time to “dress up” your products makes a world of a difference.
Hi Stephanie,
Thanks so much!
That’s a great way of saying it – “dress up” your products.
Glad you enjoyed it!
~Christine
I never knew I could make an eCover so effortlessly as I have these past five minutes @ http://www.myecovermaker.com. Great job on this post and thanks a lot.
I have always known that first impressions matter, that is why I never even dreamt of Photoshopping a cover myself for any of my products.
With this I no longer need a designer. Five minutes, great cover…
Hi Yeremi,
Thanks so much – so glad it works well for you!
Thanks for stopping by!
~Christine
Hi Christine, great ideas, especially about insourcing
You can also find something interesting on Fivver – and it will cost you about 5$
BTW – I suppose that your commentLuv system isn’t working properly
BR, Chris
Hi Chris,
Glad you enjoyed it!
Fiverr.com is a great resource!
Thanks for the mention about CommentLuv – we’ll have to see what’s up!!
Thanks for stopping by!
~Christine
Hey Christine,
Product images provide the visual stimulation that is required to fill are senses. If you’re selling a digital product firstly, make sure you have a product image, secondly make sure it ROCKS!
Products are a direct reflection on ourselves so lets make the look nice.
Simmeon recently posted..CommentLuv or Hate?
Hi Simmeon,
Very well said!
Thanks and glad you stopped by!
~Christine
Hi Christine,
Such a timely post for me! I’m working on an eBook and just started to get worried about what the cover would look like — not anymore!
I look forward to checking out these options but had a quick question: If you now insource can I ask what option you used prior to insourcing?
Thanks,
Brendan
Brendan Schneider recently posted..How To Write A Blog Post
Hi Brendan,
Glad you enjoyed it!
To answer your question: Glad you asked – I have outsourced graphics from day 1. There was a time when I thought I’d learn to do them myself, but that thought quickly passed as I was very unimpressed with my own work!
Anyway, I’ve had some very good results with fiverr.com and the warrior forum. Some very good designers out there.
Hope that helps!
~Christine