Introduction To All Things “Bundle” Wise
There’s a lot to be said about bundles, and sometimes it seems like the market is overflowing with bundles, sometimes it seems like it’s a desert with just individual launches.
The thing with bundles is that it’s a fantastic way to grow your email list. The downside is that you have to provide your very best, sometimes your most expensive product in exchange for an email address.
And the very truth is that most people that download your contribution will never even use it, or buy something from you in the future. BUT, and there’s a big but to this – some of the people downloading your most expensive product will become loyal fans, and spend a lot of money on things you offer in the future. Or they will become affiliates, bringing you in money through their own sales.
When you’re deciding if you want to be in a bundle or host a bundle yourself, my take on it is to contribute to a couple of bundles yourself first. Both paid and free.
The reason for this is that you learn a lot about what to do, and what not to do if you participate in a bundle.
How a Bundle Works
With a bundle, several contributors get together and offer a product. Sometimes, the products offered are free, requiring that customers simply opt-in to your mailing list.
However, with some bundles, the products might be paid. Typically, the products are deeply discounted so customers are saving money. Since the customers will use your shopping cart to make the purchase, you’ll get their email address, causing your mailing list to grow.
3 Ways to Find Bundles to Participate In
- Ask Around
If you’re already part of groups on Facebook or LinkedIn for bloggers or business owners in your niche, simply ask. There might be group members who know of upcoming bundles and will point you in the right direction.
Don’t be discouraged if someone posts about a bundle that’s already over.
Keep a list of these bundles as many creators offer them regularly. That means they might be looking for a fresh round of contributors in just a few weeks or months.
- Do Your Research
Before you get involved with a bundle, take some time to do a bit of research first. You want to make sure that the creator and the contributors are worthy of your audience. If it seems like there’s something fishy or if the contributors don’t honor their deals, then don’t sign up.
Just like in real life, you will be painted with the same brush as those you associate with. If you hang out with scammy marketers, your audience will think you’re the same way. They won’t trust you and you’ll need to spend extra time repairing your reputation.
- Connect with Bundle Creators
Once you’ve found a few bundles that look legitimate, connect with the creators behind-the-scenes. Follow them on Twitter or Instagram. Subscribe to their mailing list and comment on their blog posts. Get a feel for who they are and the community they’re trying to create.
Engaging with them and their audience gives a creator a chance to get to know you. Many bundle creators carefully consider who they let contribute. That’s because they don’t want to be associated with a business owner who lacks integrity and puts together shoddy products.
But when you show up in their community and you bring value, you automatically set yourself apart from the crowd. Now you’re no longer a faceless contributor but a business owner who cares about serving your mutual audience.
Bundles are a wonderful way to grow your mailing list. But don’t just join up with the first one you see. Take your time to do your research and only participate in bundles that will benefit your community.
5 Things to Offer in a Bundle
So, you’ve been accepted in a bundle, now what should you create/contribute to the bundle? Some bundles have specifics, then you’ll follow them. If it’s more up to you, here are a few ideas of what to offer:
- An eBook
If you already have an eBook up for sale, you can easily provide a copy of it to bundle buyers if the theme of the book corresponds with the bundle. You can do this by having subscribers sign up for your mailing list and creating a welcome email with the link to your eBook.
Of course if you already have a shopping cart in place, you could create a special discount code that gives participants 100% off.
Just make sure to keep the coupon specific to the product. Otherwise someone may use that coupon code on other items that aren’t part of the bundle event.
- A Planner or Workbook
Planners and workbooks are popular right now and they are low-content. That means you don’t need to take a lot of time or energy to create one.
Many people use the term “planner” and “workbook” interchangeably.
They are similar but the big difference is that a planner typically teaches users how to do something while a workbook helps participants explore a topic in-depth.
- A Collection of Templates or Checklists
Another idea that could be useful is creating a collection of templates or checklists. Try to make sure your templates are related to what you offer so the people who claim it will be interested in your other products or services.
If you’re a graphic designer then offer a collection of graphics templates.
Don’t try to create a copywriting checklist. You’ll muddy your branding and confuse new customers.
- A Webinar
If you don’t have a product available yet, you could create a simple webinar. You can use a program like PowerPoint or Canva or even Google Slides to design your presentation and make it look professional.
Then you could put up a sales page that features the information about your webinar as well as an area to sign up for it.
If this is a bundle that involves paid products, be sure to include a price somewhere on the page so participants understand that.
- Use PLR or Commercial Rights Licensed Products
Private Label Rights (PLR) content is special content you buy with the right to edit and brand it as your own. You can find PLR eBooks, PLR planners, PLR workbooks, and other amazing resources.
Of course, not every bundle host is open to PLR. Some creators want to keep the products offered unique so they don’t allow any form of PLR content. If you’re not sure if PLR is acceptable, reach out and ask the bundle host in advance.
It’s OK if you don’t have any products before the bundle. Just take this as the opportunity to create a product that will serve your community and grow your mailing list!
Create Your Own Bundle
Once you’ve participated in a couple of bundles, you might feel it’s time to create your own bundle, but that raises a lot of new questions and issues. Below are a few tips on what to focus on.
- Choose a Theme
The best bundles usually center around a theme. Sometimes, this theme is obvious. For example, if you run a keto lifestyle blog, then doing a bundle filled with information products on low-carb living makes sense.
Think about what’s already been done in your community before choosing a theme. If several bloggers have hosted a “keto” bundle, then yours isn’t likely to stand out.
I hosted my very first bundle “Building a Biz Bundle” back in 2020, and each year it’s getting more participants. If you want to take part, sign up HERE.
- Pick Your Date
As soon as you have a theme in mind for your bundle, you need to pick the date you’ll run it from. Bundles typically do best when they last from 4-7 days. You can do a bundle that lasts longer than a week but the amount of engagement and interest will drop after a few days.
When you’re setting a date, you may want to ask around and see if anyone else is hosting a bundle around the same time.
If your bundle is set around the same dates as someone else’s, it’s not a big deal unless their topic is similar. For example, you’re both doing bundles around the topic of blogging. You won’t get as much traction this way and visitors are likely to be confused.
- Free or Paid
You also need to decide whether you’ll charge your customers for the bundle. If you go free, you’re likely to get more subscribers. This can be a good thing if you’re just looking to grow your list.
On the flip side, offering a bundle for free can attract “tire-kickers”. These are people that want to try out what you offer but they have no intention of ever spending money with you.
The plus side of a paid bundle is that you make money and you attract customers who are likely to buy from you again. But you may not see as many new subscribers on your mailing list.
Hosting a bundle can be a great way to establish yourself in your community, network with other thought leaders, and grow your mailing list.
But take your time to think it through before you decide to host one and you’ll be more likely to experience success.
Finding Bundle Contributors
So, you’ve decided on hosting your own bundle, now it’s time to find contributors. Apart from reaching out to fellow bundle participants in bundles you’ve contributed to – here are a few more ways:
- Create a Contributor Form
Before you do anything, start by creating a contributor form. This makes gathering and organizing submissions much simpler. You can use a form creator like Google Forms.
You’ll want to ask for the name of each contributor, their business name, website, product description, as well as the monetary value of the product (especially if this is a paid bundle).
You may also want to get a brief bio and headshot from each business owner. Try to envision how your sales page will look and this will guide you as you decide what information you’ll need from contributors.
- Post About it on Facebook Groups
Another idea is to tap into your existing community on Facebook. Let your group know you’re looking for contributors and post a link to your form.
If it’s not your community that you’re posting in, check in with the group creator before you talk about your bundle.
- Reach Out to Podcast Guests (Or Hosts!)
If you’ve been a podcast guest, then you can reach out to those podcasts. Send a quick email, let them know what you’re up to, and invite them to take part if it fits their schedule.
If you run a podcast yourself, then you might want to consider talking with your former and current guests for contributions.
You never know who may have something amazing to add to the mix!
- Tweet It Out
You can also tweet about your upcoming bundle. Invite contributors to DM you for more information.
For the best results, you’ll want to send out several tweets about your bundle at different times of the day. This ensures you’ll reach a wider audience and you’ll be more likely to find contributors.
- Look at Your LinkedIn Connections
If you’re on LinkedIn, this network can be a rich source of industry experts and niche leaders. Take a moment to review your connections and see if anyone on the list might be a good fit for your bundle. If they are, send them a quick message.
Bundle contributors are all around you! You just have to stop and take the time to let them know about your upcoming event. You might be delighted to find many people who are eager to help make your bundle a success.
After the Bundle: Keep Them Coming Back
You participated in or hosted an amazing bundle. You added dozens of new subscribers to your mailing list and new faces are showing up in your online community. You couldn’t be happier but you’re sitting there saying, “Now what?!”
You’re not alone.
Many bundle contributors and hosts make the mistake of carrying on with their business as soon as a bundle is over. These business owners are missing a precious opportunity to connect with their new community members.
Here are a proven to work process to create money AFTER the bundle event is over:
Create a Nurture Series
The smart thing to do immediately after a bundle is to write a short nurture series. This is a set of emails (usually 3-5) introducing yourself and what you do.
The reason you want to create this series is that the same new customer that was added to your list was also added to Sally’s, Danielle’s, Poppy’s, Sue’s, and Cynthia’s list, too.
She’s met 6 new business owners and chances are, she’s not going to be able to keep all of you straight. That means you need to make sure you stand out in her inbox.
But sending out a set of emails, starting the minute someone signs up for your contributed item is N-O-T a good thing. Because you’re one of maybe 30 contributors – and that means that there’s probably 30 new emails in the buyer’s inbox at the moment. It’s better to wait a few days, and then start the email sequence. By then, the buyer has already opted out of a few lists, and the inbox are starting to get less crowded.
Just remember from when you were on the customer’s end yourself – how irritating was it to feel you were being spammed the first couple of days?
Let’s now have a closer look at the email series:
- Email #1: The Introduction
Start the first email in your nurture series with an introduction. You can talk briefly about who you are and how you got started in your current business.
You may want to include anything that’s relevant to your branding.
One writer was so well-known for her purple sneakers that she talked about them in her first email. She knew it was a simple thing that made her stand out in the minds of her audience.
- Email #2: A Quick Check-In
In the second email, you’ll focus on a quick check-in. This message doesn’t have to be lengthy if you don’t want it to be. Just simply 2-3 paragraphs. Remind your subscribers about what your product was and ask them if they got their download.
Tell subscribers who may have forgotten to download your product where they can find it and encourage those who ran into tech problems to email you or contact your help desk for support.
- Email #3: A Simple Tip
For the next email, you’ll want to share a valuable tip with your audience. Try to pick some tidbit that’s related to your bundle product. For example if your bundle product was about puppy training, then you might include a tip on potty training a young dog.
Your tip should be short and to the point. You want to train your subscribers to think of your emails as quick and breezy. This makes them more likely to read your messages when they see your name in their inbox.
- Email #4: The Small Offer
Now that your community has tasted your product (whether free or paid), make them another offer. Keep this offer small and close to the price of the bundle.
For example, if the bundle was $27, then you don’t want to immediately offer your $497 group coaching program. But you could share a link to your planner that sells for $37. If you don’t have any products of your own yet, promote something as an affiliate.
Don’t be afraid to introduce your subscribers to your products early on. You already make offers to your list regularly, so you want the bundle customers to expect these promotions from you.
Remember the nurture series is a wonderful way to welcome new subscribers. Take the time to create one and you’ll stand out in the minds (and inboxes!) of your recent community members.
Final Thoughts
So, where do you go from here?
After I hosted my Building A Biz Bundle last year, I created a course “How To Host A Bundle” after having 2 successful launches of the bundle.
I’m hosting the bundle once again this year (3rd year), and after that is completed, I’ll be adding a full behind the scenes webinar to the bundle, with the good, the bad and the ugly.
The bundle is live the last week of August 2022, and the webinar will take place in October 2022 since I’ll have to wait until the download period has passed, as there’s always fun things to address after that. *spoiler alert*
I’ll also be updating each module and adding more stuff to the course over the course of the next months.
You can read more about this course and see some screenshots by clicking the button below, and if you want to avoid the price increase coming in a few weeks, then today is the day for you to sign up. You will of course get access to all the new material the minute the course is updated, if you decide to buy it now.