𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗚𝗣𝗧 𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗥𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴

Barnes & Noble rack full of magazines teaching people how to use ChatGPT.

The thing is, ChatGPT can explain how to use ChatGPT. Much of this information is free online. Yet publishers are printing and selling guides.

Look closer at the covers:

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘎𝘗𝘛 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘴.

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘎𝘗𝘛 𝘔𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦.

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘜𝘴𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘎𝘗𝘛 𝘢𝘴 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵.

𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘎𝘗𝘛.

𝘌𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘎𝘗𝘛.

Same technology. Different reasons to buy.

One title speaks to a specific audience. Another promises to remove complexity. Others offer saved time, everyday improvements, or a shortcut through too much information.

There isn’t one giant ChatGPT market. Beginners, seniors, busy professionals, and people afraid of falling behind approach the same tool with different problems.

But why pay for instructions when ChatGPT can answer your questions for free?

A publisher can sell more than raw information:

𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: What do I actually need to know?

𝗦𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: What should I learn first?

𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆: Can you make this understandable?

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Am I doing it right?

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Can I find everything in one place?

Of course, a magazine on a rack doesn’t prove it sells well. It does show what publishers believe people might pay for.

Another thing: the covers repeatedly promised “Made Simple,” “Essential Guide,” and “Tips & Tricks.” Familiar phrases can attract buyers, but they also make competing magazines sound alike.

A more specific promise might stand out: 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗚𝗣𝗧 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘃𝗮𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, or 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗼𝗼𝗻.

The magazines offer a useful reminder for anyone selling information products.

The marketing lesson is sitting right there on the shelf.

When selling a complicated technology, ask what buyers already want to accomplish… and how your product makes that easier.

RW

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