Giving away free reports is nothing new. Smart Internet marketers have been creating, distributing and profiting from free reports for years. What started out for many as an incentive to get website visitors to join their newsletter, has now become a very profitable way to build, grow and profit from your online business.

Marketers in the Internet marketing niche immediately see the power of free reports and learn how to use them effectively. They know giving away free reports is an important part of their overall business plan. But, other niches are slower to catch on, or fail to use this marketing tool effectively.

Here are some ways free reports benefit you...

Free reports can get more people to sign up for your email lists, which leads to backend profits when you follow up with offers or affiliate recommendations. You can add offers for your products or affiliate recommendations and collect money when the reader acts. Plus, as your report is distributed, your reputation grows and more people will visit your website or blog.

Here are 3 ways you can start benefiting from free reports today...

Create, Monetize and Distribute Exclusive Free Reports

The first thing you can do is to write the free reports yourselves. Many people have a fear of writing their own information products, but free reports are a different story because... they are free! Giving something away takes a lot of the pressure off the writing process.

But don't get me wrong...

Your free report should still be high-quality and informative to be effective. You must produce a small report people in your niche WANT to read, get them to read it and get them to ACT upon something inside if you want your report to be profitable. So, even though you're not charging for the report, you should approach the creation as if you were.

Creating your own free reports is advantageous because it is EXCLUSIVE. It is yours, which brands you as a knowledgeable leader in your market. And if they want the report, they have to get it from you... which grows your list and consequently your online business. PLUS, what your promote in the report is entirely up to you, whether it be your own products or hand-picked affiliate products and services.

Brand and Distribute Other People's Free Reports

Some smart marketers allow you to BRAND their free reports with YOUR affiliate links. Then all you have to do is distribute the free report and collect your commission when someone acts on the links inside. The branding process is often very easy and you can have your own free report to give away and profit from in minutes.

Allow Your Affiliates To Brand Your Free Reports

If you have an affiliate program, you can set up the reports so they can be branded with your affiliates codes. This means they have a copy of the report with their links inside. And in my experience, nothing gets people motivated to distribute your free reports for you than the possibility of making money.

If you have an affiliate program, brandable reports are a must. They get your offers out in front of exponentially more people than you could possibly do yourself. This means more people learning who you are, visiting your sites, joining your lists and buying your products.

I hope you see the power of giving away free reports for your business. They can increase your traffic, subscribers and sales. You can either write them yourselves, brand other people's or make your own brandable reports for your affiliates. But no matter how you use them, free reports are a very profitable way to build, grow and profit online.