Let’s go back to the example of buying IKEA furniture.
You would think the true starting point is exactly what you see in an IKEA manual but that isn’t the case at all.
Think about it.
What skills do you need before you get started with the manual?
- Reading
- Ability to use the tools
- Interpret what each image means
But should IKEA include teaching those skills in their manuals?
No! That would be silly. It’s assumed that you can do those things when you buy the furniture. To include lessons on any of those things would be a waste of time for most people who just want to build the furniture.
And this is what you have to consider with your audience. What’s the starting point for your digital product? What things are you assuming they know already?
Look at one of my offers, The Email Course Lab. I assume you know how to use a computer. I assume you understand the concept of email.
I even assume you know that people are okay with buying knowledge from others.
This means that if I address those things in the actual product then I’m making the experience worse for people and that’s not something that I want to do.
From A to B
Remember, someone is buying your digital product because it makes a promise. It’s telling the person it can help them get this specific result.
You’ll want to provide the quickest path to achieving that result but you need to make sure they have everything that is needed.
If I told you the quickest path up a mountain is to follow that trail but I don’t tell you that you’ll need to bring water, then have I given you the quickest path?
I haven’t.
That’s why information that might not seem relevant is important to this. You know that some things have to be known by your customer if they want to achieve the result.
Some of those things will be assume while others need to be taught.
To scale the mountain I assume you can walk but I don’t assume you know which berries are safe to eat.