Producing How-To Cd's

Minimum Start-Up: $2,500
Average Start-Up: $5,000
Revenue: $12,000
One Person Business: Yes

The CD is entitled: "This CD Can Make You Filthy Rich", and it's about producing how-to CDs - a concept whose time has come. At $15 each, plus $3 shipping & handling, the producer of CD will gross $18,000 selling 1,000 CDs.

The production cost is quite small. The audio program was written by the producer who brought the script to a "Narration House" where a professional announcer does the voice recording using a professional studio.

NARRATION HOUSES

You can order radio commercials as well as other "voice" recorded programs to be produced by so-called "narration houses".

This business is usually run by a professional announcer who owns or has access to a professional recording studio. Just send your script to a narration house and have them record it for you. The amount you are charged depends on the length of your material and the type of tape on which you want your "master copy" recorded. A recording of 30-minute material may cost you $450.

THE INTERVIEW FORMAT

Another popular format for a How-To CD is what we call the "Interview" format. This is where the author or producer of the CD is interviewed on a subject in which he or she is an expert. Since this format is prepared on a "question and answer" basis, it is relatively easy to structure, allowing for a more logical presentation of the ideas the author wants to cover.

With this format, the author can prepare 30 to 50 questions which, together with the answers, can be edited down to a 30 to 40 minute program.

Depending on where the interview is produced, this format may cost less than a straight presentation where the bulk of the work uses the voice of a professional narrator.

YOUR MARKET

In a "How-To" project, it is always recommended that you select your topics based on your expertise or access to information. From a marketing standpoint, it is equally beneficial for you to be familiar with the market to whom you expect to market your How-To CD.

If your topic is very selective, use direct mail to market your CDs. If it is an extremely popular topic that can be promoted on TV, use 60-second TV spots or print ads.