Do You Have a Cornerstone Product?

Oct 28, 2008
30 Comments

A cornerstone product is a term I use for the focal point of your blog’s monetization efforts. Your cornerstone product is the product for which you are known. For example, when I was consulting with Vicki Flaugher I told her that for a blog called SmartWomanGuides.com, having the SmartWoman Guide as an ebook or a course made perfect sense as a cornerstone product. Now the blog and business could have a product focal point around which many other aspects revolve.

Having a cornerstone product brings other aspects of the blog in line and makes many efforts easier and more profitable:

  • Purchasing the cornerstone product is your main call to action, your main conversion action.
  • Samples of the cornerstone product easily provide the incentive for email and/or RSS signups.
  • Excerpts of the cornerstone product easily provide the basis for blog posts (you will never run out of ideas for posts).
  • The singular thrust of a cornerstone product provides a design focus for your blog.
  • The presence of a cornerstone product instantly gives your blog more authority, because this is exactly the kind of thing authorities do.
  • The presence of a cornerstone product makes you instantly stand out from the crowd, because most bloggers don’t have one.
  • Selling a product is often far more profitable than advertising on a blog.

The development, marketing, and selling of your cornerstone product can make up a big chunk of your blogging plan. A cornerstone product can be re-released / relaunched by adding and updating its content (and increasing the price). You can stick a version number on it like software. You can have an affiliate program for it. You can upsell add-on products to specific audience segments. There’s almost no end to where this can take you.

If you can’t tell whether the blog exists because of the product, or the product exists because of the blog, that’s a good indicator of the kind of tight integration I’m talking about. That’s the sign of a cornerstone product.

If you’ve been pondering blog monetization for these tough times, consider creating a cornerstone product.

In the take-your-own-good-advice department, I will be developing a cornerstone product myself here on Remarkablogger. I can’t tell you any more than this for now.

If you already had a cornerstone product, I bet you’d be financially better off now than you are. Start now!

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  • joe
    Guess my new blog/web site is a little different in that our service (leaf removal) is my source for income..Can't think of a "cornerstone" product idea from that..??

    Have to think on this one, have place for ebook on site, but haven't thought about it that much.

    Joe
  • Joe, I'm talking about information products here, rather than services or physical products. Something to think about would be if you wanted to create a course that teaches others how to start and run a successful leaf removal business. This is always an option for those who succeed in a particular field.
  • Fantastic post! It all makes such sense and I agree, it is a "duh" moment! Now I may be somewhat new to the world of blogging for myself, but I'm not new to the world of marketing!

    So why did I never connect the two! GEEZ!

    Having a product is like having a book ten years ago as a consultant! It showed that you were "for real." That you had enough expertise and knowledge and so many people believed in you and your concepts that: a) You could actually convince a publisher to take your book, and b) you actually had an audience that would buy it!

    For a blogger, this makes sense as meaning the same basic thing!

    "I'm not just talking out my butt, BUT I'm putting together a tool that takes what I'm saying and suggesting and telling you how to apply it for greater success!"

    Talk like that and you've got a good chance I'll believe in you as an authority!

    Thanks for posting! WOW!... I gotta get busy!
  • Absolutely correct! Glad to hear someone else say it. One of the biggest problems is people don't know what to make. The choices are limited really when you think about it. So they all default to making a blog, which we all know doesn't qualify, usually, as a cornerstone product.
  • Jim, thanks, and I'm glad to see you're of the same mind.
  • Magnificent post, Michael - Value on top of value!

    Like Dali, I'll be anxious to see your cornerstone product. I'm about to set sail on my very first infopreneur adventure in creating a product. Everything you've mentioned here is logical, sensible, and quite encouraging.

    Do you feel that it's equally vital to offer a "free taste" in the form of an ezine, report, newsletter, etc.? Or will the launch of a cornerstone product be the main focus of building a following?

    Thanks for the privilege of tapping into your knowledge,
    MELANIE
  • Man, you're fast!

    I just sat back down after fetching a hot cup of tea ... time to dive into the post you recommended.

    Thanks again!
  • Michael,

    What an exceptional post!

    One question:

    Since my blog is fairly new, do you recommend I wait until I build a substantial following before a product launch or use the product launch to build my following?

    Thanks again for your mentorship. I don't take it for granted.

    Patrick
  • Hi, Patrick! Thanks for your kind words. To answer your question, the product launch will help build your following. See this post I wrote called Should You Write an Ebook if Your Blog is Small? for more information about this subject.
  • Nice post! I was just thinking, "I need to make something to sell or I'm going to be broke!" and this post solidified it. Thanks for sharing your advice!
  • I've been developing my cornerstone product for a long time but I never thought of it quite as a differentiation technique like you explained here.

    Getting known for it. I was just out for the income stream, but I guess it does affect my blog in more profound ways.

    Cheers.
  • @John - Thanks for the confidence! I will make sure you always have the scoop on upcoming stuff. :)
  • Michael,

    Sign me up for everything you've got to sell in November.

    Just tell the dollar amount - I'm already sold.

    John
  • Hi Michael,

    I am developing my cornerstone product too.

    I can definitely see a cornerstone product being more profitable than any other form of blog monetization, as the sale is a relationship based sale. The blogger has already established rapport with his/her blog readers via blog posts making the cornerstone product an effective form of monetization on a blog.

    I'm looking forward to checking yours out soon! I appreciate you.

    Dali Burgado
  • That is a post, I'll watch for it.

    I think it has to do with learning. As an entrepreneur I see many people who want to make money on their own. They see how people can make $$ online and blogs are a great start, however, it is only then that they really start studying up on marketing and how to start a business - mostly from reading other blogs (something they need to be careful doing).

    Re: Seamus - LOL
  • @John - Heh, you did yours like a real business. :) Most bloggers don't really understand the game they're really playing until after they've already begun. When they stop thinking of themselves as bloggers, they're ready for the next step (damn, that's a post! Gotta go...). Thank you for subscribing, John.

    @Seamus - well, I guess I can't really be upset that you put your link in the comment, can I? ;) Congrats on your launch. I hope you do well.
  • Actually - yes! we just released our cornerstone product last night. see http://snurl.com/psymed
  • Hello Michael, excellent post.

    I actually built mine in reverse. I started with our cornerstone service and then created a blog to attract attention to it.

    Furthermore, I'm planning to author an eBook which will be a mini cornerstone advertised on my blog in which the eBook would then hopefully drive traffic for people to purchase our service.

    I guess you could say it's a tiered cornerstone product/service. LOL

    Thanks for this post and I'm subscribing to your feed now. I like what you had to say on Cath's blog and thank you for responding to my comment over there.
  • @Wendy - Go for it!

    @Adam - I know, I totally smacked my own forehead.
  • This is a brilliant idea Michael, and so obvious that I'm surprised I've never seen anyone else talking about it. Thanks for cluing me in to this great idea. I have a few ideas for info products that just might work as a cornerstore product on at least one of my blogs.
  • What I especially appreciate about this post is the bit about providing samples (as an incentive for subscribers) and excerpts (in blog posts).

    This is great food for thought for me, because I believe I have a kick-ass cornerstone product but am struggling with creating sub-products, extra modules, etc. Perhaps a better route would be to take content from the product itself (and there is plenty!) and create some samples and posts. Thanks again Michael for crystallizing an action step for me!
  • @Maria - Exactly, and that leads to greater traffic which means better opportunities for further monetization from ads over time.

    @Susan - This was one of those "why didn't I think it before?" topics. So obvious I was amazed I hadn't. Glad you found it so relevant and helpful!

    @Karri - Yes, I know that term is used in broader circles. I thought about using it, but felt it would seem too similar to Chris Garrett's idea of flagship content. Because many people who are serious bloggers know both Chris and me, I wanted to use a different name.

    I think a cornerstone on which you build the rest of your "house" or business is an appropriate and easy-to-understand metaphor. I hope it resonates with people.
  • Like Susan I too am working on an eBook which will be the cornerstone product for a new venture to be launched soon, in conjunction with the product itself of course (if you have the chance to plan these things ahead it's a good way to go). In my world, we call this a "flagship product" because I'm using it to introduce a whole new venture.
    Great advice.
    Karri
  • Again, Michael, you have managed to hit on a topic that I found extremely relevant. I am in the process of developing a cornerstone product for which I plan to build a blog to generate sales. But I'd never heard the term "cornerstone product" or really given thought to how you can build a whole business around it. Thanks for your insights and practical advice.
  • This is so absolutely true. Most bloggers are focused on Ad revenues and hits. They miss the core of monetization on a blog. A cornerstone product is a brilliant way to not only make money, but also build authority.
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