There’s a big online market for “information products.” You’ve seen them everywhere and some of them actually look rather tempting. Too bad there’s so much crap out there that the really useful ones get lost in the shuffle.

Do you need to buy these damn things? In some cases the answer might be yes, especially if you’re new to freelancing and need some frame of reference on how to get yourself established as a player in the game. But let’s take a hard look at these glorified e-books and try to anticipate some of the “don’t buy me” traits of the really dodgy ones.

None of the things on this list are 100% reliable as a guide for all products, but I tend to listen when my B.S. alarms go off. That’s really the first step in the process–learning to listen to your inner skeptic. After that:

• Beware of sites that sell large collections of information products all claiming to do the same things. “Make a Fortune Writing For Wall Street!” and “Make a Fortune Writing Finance Blogs!” or “Make a Fortune Writing About Weasel Polishing!” Why aren’t THESE clowns making a fortune writing about descaling frozen fish?
• Beware of the wild claim. What’s considered a “fortune” anyway? For some freelancers, a “fortune” is making the rent, the phone bill and the groceries all in one month. For others, too much is never enough. What sort of concrete claims does the author make?
• I personally distrust information products who have endlessly scrolling websites with non-stop sales pitches. The longer they rant, the less I trust what they’re selling.
• I distrust websites that claim to teach you how to make money writing about XY and Z when the author of the information product has a background that has nothing to do with writing about XY or Z.
• I don’t buy products from sites that don’t accept standard methods of payment. Period.
• My B.S. alarm goes off every time I find an information product site where it’s clear that the author does nothing but market and sell information products. I am sure there are plenty of writers who legitimately have something to offer and try to sell their info online…but if you’ve removed yourself completely from the world you’re writing about, how on earth can your information possibly be current? Buyer beware.
• The words “Make a Fortune” just bug me. That’s all.
• Beware of camouflaged marketing. One of the sneakiest tactics–a supposedly independent review website that is actually a disguised sales pitch for the information product. They sometimes include a writeup that purports to be advice for the author of the book, but is actually hype designed to get you interested in buying. You’ll find bogus “interviews” arranged by the author and his buddy, the “reviewer”. Dead giveaway marketing copy: “I told the author he should price this product much higher, double what it’s selling for now. If you see it at the lower price, I can tell you the author is seriously considering my advice to raise the cost to a much higher level.”