Tim Ferris is commonly known for his book the href="http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/">4-Hour Workweek. It is a book that dives into the techniques of freeing up time, outsourcing, and helping yourself spend less time on things you don’t want to spend time on. Overall, I liked the book when I read it many years ago. I took away a few pertinent notes that I applied to things I did in life.

This past year, Tim Ferris mentioned he was going to release a book about fitness, diet, and sex. Being that is my field, my first thought was “I’m curious.” I wasn’t sure the route Tim was going to go, how much he was going to outsource his writing, information, etc.  I read the book and am going to keep my opinions of the book to myself (at least off Yaro’s blog). This blog isn’t about diet and training, it is about an entrepreneurial journey. My opinions are about the launch, not the book or it’s body of work.

My Big Three Takeaways

If you could take away three points from the launch of his new book the href="http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2010/12/14/the-4-hour-body-is-now-out-live-qa-today-new-trailer-free-books-and-much-more/">4-Hour Body, it is this -

1. Hype Works
2. Connections Matter
3. Problem Solving Wins Again

I am going to focus on these three points and then conclude with what could be the biggest question of them all. Keep reading to find out what! (See what I did there?)

Hype Works

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For the last month, I have been bombarded with email, trailers, questions, and hate about the product.

You may not be a fan of hype, but the stark truth is new product sales are 9/10th perception.

This isn’t just about Tim Ferriss and his book, but you have to step back and see the remarkable feat he has achieved in the hype department. He created hype for a book where he isn’t an expert or a member of the field. A book, who’s biggest test subject is himself. A book, which people ordered 20-30 copies before its release. A book, which sat on Amazons best sellers list weeks before it was launched. It had no TV commercials and no major market push other than distribution. Let’s not forget one more thing, it is a book. This is a $ 14.99 book. This is not an electronic gadget people can’t wait to their hands on for Christmas. This is hardly a Kinect for 360 (Oh, Santa delivered the goods!).

Research shows, it can take up to 8 to 10 times of seeing a product before you become virtually guilt free about buying it (when in your price range bracket). If the product suggests solving a problem you have, this can be even less. The price range will determine how much you are pushed by wish-wash thinking.  Basically, if it is a reasonable price point, with high amounts of hype, (paired with fixing a problem) you have an instant success.

Connections Matter

It doesn’t matter if Tim knows anything about training or diet, he knew everyone in the field that does. There aren’t many people he didn’t contact for information to be used in this book or to promote it. Whether or not these people are credible doesn’t matter – people think they are. Getting published in a magazine, authoring your own book, or having a popular blog will automatically provide you with credibility. Tim used that and their connections to reach out to all of their readers. The material was already written and promoted before it went to press.

Lastly, it goes to show you that it isn’t just who you know, but how lofty their lists are when releasing a product on this type of scale.

Problem Solving: It Is A Winner, Every Time

Getting at the core of people’s insecurities, fears, and emotional hang-ups automatically provides you an edge in any product launch. While products for recreation and relaxation are great, the truth is people are filled with buyers guilt – especially given the economy (or the excuse of it).

This isn’t about being a snake oil salesman or lying. You could think Tim Ferriss is doing that exact thing, but that isn’t the point. The point is, what he did worked. You have to alert people to how you can help them. Otherwise, they will go elsewhere. And I do mean just that.

Really examine your product or service and ask yourself, ”How does it help people?” It may entail looking at things from a different angle or giving it a spin. For example, a lot of people might not see the “problem solving” in a product about blog design.  But, upon further examination and a little imagination, there is a flood gate of emotion there.

1. Having a better blog design can make you stand out from the competition.
2. A better blog design can be easier to navigate.
3. Your new blog design product can end up saving hundreds or thousands of dollars in design costs and hours in frustration.

I think you see my point.

Most products solve a problem, even if it is creative boredom. Find the solution your product creates and dial in on that angle for your sale.

Can The Hype Live Up? Can It Be Sustained?

These are always the weighty questions. You have to remember that the more you hype a launch, the more you are left open to disappointment.

If you promise a miracle, you better deliver it. In the case of Tim Ferriss and his launch, it is a little too early to tell, but it seems as if the hype did not deliver. Tim made huge effort to create hundreds of presale 5 Star reviews on Amazon, a practice you may or may not be deem ethical. Now, the real reviews are coming in; disappointment in the book is all abound.

The number one comment I see in regards to the book – “It didn’t live up to the hype.” A lot of people feel more work was put into the promotion of the book, than the book itself. A lot of the links don’t work, sections are incomplete, and it contains a lot of contradictive statements. This is likely due to so much work coming from so many sources.

The take home point is – if you create the hype, be prepared to live up to it.

At the end of the day, I still think Tim Ferriss will do better from this than worse. It may come at the price of a lot of unhappy customers, but this isn’t about the product. This is about the launch and few people can launch the way Tim Ferriss can.

Leigh Peele