I love bundles-from buying, to downloading products and now to contributing. And even though I’m a contributor, I still download products from other contributors. I find that bundles offer great inspiration both in content ideas and color palettes.
It seems like the market is overflowing with giveaways of all types right now. And if you are a content creator or aspire to be a small business entrepreneur you will find these type of offers are the best education you can find. You will learn so much about what others in your niche are offering and what product are in demand.
I especially like all the trainings that are offered. There have been several bundles lately that have offered training on how to repurpose products. This is invaluable in getting some ideas for turning those planners or journals into new products that you can sell.
And some people promoting the bundles are offering training as a bonus for buying the bundle with their link. Yes, you can only buy a bundle once, so if someone is offering a nice bonus–check it out.
How a Bundle Works
There is a host or hosts. The host finds several contributors to offer a products usually specifying some criteria for the submission. Example: PLR products, Personal Use products, Faith based products, Training on Platforms, etc. And they could also have a theme: Etsy products, Platforms (like Convertkit, Aweber, Shopify), Summer Activities or Holidays.
For hosts, they serve and expand their audience, make some money (although they pay commission to affiliates for sales), and solidify their brand. It is a way of expanding their community.
For participants, they build their email list, advertise their brand to a new audience, and perhaps make some money. I know as an introvert who works in a totally different environment, it is difficult to find like minded people to discuss my printables or graphics with. Most people are confused when I show them how I spend my time.
Why Participate
People can have a variety of reasons for participating. For many aspiring entrepreneurs a bundle can offer validation for the products they create. For some, it is an opportunity to introduce their business to a different audience. And, it is fun. It is exciting to see your product on a download page. I confess, I took a screenshot of the first bundle page with my product.
It also offers a creator an opportunity to try out new products. The products from a bundle will be added to the creators shop once the deadline to download has passed. So those free products now, will become a paid product in the future.
It is also a fantastic way to grow an email list. People who download the product most often uses your shopping cart to check out and must supply an email address. If they don’t use your shopping cart, they will use an email responder to collect emails and deliver the product.
Requirements to Contribute
Most current bundles are requiring new products that have not been listed in a bundle before. This keeps the bundles fresh, instead of recycling products from other bundles. So submit something new. Think of this as a blind date–you wouldn’t show up in sweats and a messy bun would you? You would be in your best outfit looking great and so your product should be something reflects pride in your products.
You need a website. This may not be a requirement of all bundles, but the few that I have contributed to require a link to a website and a link to a sales pages where buyers will access the product.. Even if your website is not fully established, you can make a landing page for the product.
You promise to promote the bundle. If you are just starting out and do not have a large email list, you can still promote on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Usually you agree to promote twice.
What Else You Need
You do NOT have to have a shopping cart set up to participate but it helps. I have heard some creators offer that having bundle participants use your shopping cart gives them the experience on your website. I don’t know if that is true, but it is a consideration. And if you are planning to participate in a lot of bundles, you will probably get that website up at some point.
If you don’t have a website, you can create a landing page in an email responder to collect email addresses and deliver the product. Even if you have a website, you can post the email landing page on your website or landing page. Once someone submits their email address, they are provided a link to download the product
You need an email responder. I use Convertkit, which has the ability to host a landing page, or integrate with your website. There are many email responders out there, so check around. You might want to research if they have any rules about “affiliate marketing” before committing. Many companies specifically prohibit this and will block your account at some point.
How to Find Bundles
If you belong to Facebook groups with content creators, online business owners or bloggers, you can post a question. There is a Facebook group dedicated to posting about bundles: Bundle Bash Biz Roundup
Ask other people in your niche. People who have been in business awhile may know of bundles that happen annually. They may also know about past bundles and those hosts. Reach out to those people and ask if they are planning a bundle.
Keep a list of bundles. When someone mentions a bundle, either upcoming or past, make a note (I use Trello) and follow up later. Some bundles are recurring every year. So even if the bundle is over, make a note to check it out the following year.
Read your emails. If you get a lot of emails, check them out to see if any are posting information about future bundles. Some of us are starting to relay that information to give new contributors an opportunity to apply.
Before You Contribute
Before you get involved, do a bit of research. If you are unfamiliar with the hosts, reach out with any questions. Usually the contributors form will have a lot of information about deadlines to submit products, type of products, whether it is PLR, Commercial Use or Personal Use rights.
Follow hosts on social media to get more information and sign up on their email lists. Get to know the audience and decide if it is a good fit for your niche and product.
What to Offer in a Bundle
You can contribute anything you create in a bundle, there is often a wide range of offerings. You can google past bundles and see the products that were submitted. Just seeing some of the ideas may spark inspiration and increase your motivation.
If you are still thinking about what to contribute, here are some ideas:
1. Ebook
An Ebook if the content is compatible with the theme of the bundle. If you blog, combine your top blogs into an Ebook. Bundle a group of templates. Use Canva to create a how-to guide.
2. Planners and Journals
This product is probably the most often seen in a bundle and yet it is also the most popular. If you offer PLR rights, then people can download, repurpose and sell it easily. You could also offer a training as an upsell that shows people how to repurpose your planner/journal.
3 Templates or Checklists
A set of templates that someone could download that either improve productivity or could be used to resell are very helpful. Meal planning templates, to do lists, daily planning templates are just a few examples.
What about mockup for people to use to display products on Social Media, ETSY or Shopify? A set of Mockups can be made and shared in Canva for users to drop in their own images.
A checklist is also handy and something we could all use. What about a bucket list, an ETSY listing checklist, a blog post checklist? A group of checklists that can be used or sold individually would be great.
4. Digital paper or Graphics
Digital paper is always popular and every bundle has an assortment of paper, dividers, covers and graphics. These can be used to repurpose those planners and journals you downloaded or used on other products you may be working on.
5. Training
If you don’t have a product that fits the theme of the bundle, consider doing a training. You don’t’ have to appear on camera. I am positive you have a skill or talent that others need to learn.
It doesn’t have to be a 40 hour training, most video trainings are short and specific and bit sized videos. Think of something you are passionate about. How to list a product on ETSY, how to create a Pinterest Pin, how to schedule social media posts on Social Bee or how to create an Instagram story or Tic Tok video (sign me up for that one–I’m still learning).
I hope this has been helpful. I was very anxious to submit a product to a bundle, worried it would not be accepted, worried it would not be “good enough”. You cannot succeed if you never try. And I guarantee you can be successful.
If you have other questions about participating in a bundle, please drop a comment or email me at hello@creativeplr.com. I would love to help you get started.