If you’ve ever launched a product or service online—whether it’s a $5 ebook or a $10,000 coaching program—and found it just isn’t selling as you hoped, you’re not alone.
Many creators and entrepreneurs struggle with turning their ideas into offers that truly connect with their audience and drive sales. I’ve been there too, and over time, I’ve developed a straightforward framework to help you craft offers that resonate and convert: the S.M.A.R.T. Offer Framework.
In this article, I’m going to walk you through this five-step framework that can transform your approach to selling digital products, PDFs, courses, or services. Along the way, I’ll share insights from my experience, examples of promises and plans that work, and actionable advice you can apply immediately to your business.
Understanding the Heart of Your Offer: Promise and Plan
Before diving into the S.M.A.R.T. framework, it’s crucial to understand that your offer’s success hinges largely on two things: your promise and your plan. In fact, I’d say these two elements make up 80-90% of what determines whether your product sells well.
What Is Your Promise?
When I say “promise,” I don’t mean a guarantee. This isn’t about legally binding commitments or unrealistic assurances. Instead, your promise is about clearly articulating what your customer will achieve or experience after using your product. It’s the specific, tangible outcome they can expect if they follow through.
Think of it like a destination on a map. If you’re traveling from Las Vegas to New York, “New York” is your promise—it’s the goal, the endpoint. Your customer needs to know exactly where they’re headed and what success looks like. For example, my Digital Product Challenge promises to help you create and launch a digital product in 5 days or less. That’s it. Simple, specific, and easy to grasp.
Why Clarity Matters
Most people who come to me with struggling offers have promises that are vague or overly broad. They might say, “Learn how to market your business” or “Improve your life,” but those are too general. Your promise needs to be something you can literally point your finger at and say, “That’s what you’ll get.” This clarity builds confidence in your audience and makes your offer more compelling.
What Is Your Plan?
Once you have a crystal-clear promise, the next step is to outline your plan—the roadmap that shows how your customer will get from where they are now to the promised result. This is typically a 3-7 step process that you share on your sales page to give a high-level overview of the journey.
For example, I often share my five-step plan for creating a PDF or launching a digital product. The key is to keep it simple and visual if possible. Visuals help people understand the process better and reduce overwhelm. You can create these easily in tools like Canva to make your sales page more engaging.
The S.M.A.R.T. Offer Framework Explained
Now, let’s get into the meat of the strategy: the S.M.A.R.T. Offer Framework. If you’re familiar with SMART goals, this will feel familiar. The framework stands for:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relatable
- Time-bound
1. Specific: Can You Draw the Outcome?
Your offer must be specific. A simple test I use is: Can I draw a picture of the outcome? If you can’t visualize it clearly enough to sketch it, then your offer is probably too vague. Being specific means you can point to a clear, tangible result and say, “This is what you’ll get.”
For example, “Create and launch a digital product in 5 days or less” is specific. “Become a better entrepreneur” is not. Specificity helps your audience understand exactly what they’re investing in and what success will look like.
2. Measurable: How Will You Know It’s Done?
Next, your offer should be measurable. After your customer completes your product or service, there should be a clear way to measure whether they achieved the promised result.
Take my Digital Product Challenge: after 5 days, I can ask, “Do you have a digital product live?” The answer is yes or no. That’s measurable. It’s not “kind of” or “almost.” It’s a clear-cut result that has been achieved or not.
3. Attainable: Can Your Audience Believe It’s Possible?
This is one of the most overlooked parts of creating a successful offer. It’s not about whether you personally believe the promise is attainable but whether your audience believes it. If your promise feels out of reach, people won’t buy it.
For example, my promise is to help people make $100 a day selling PDFs in 90 days or less. That’s attainable for most people. It’s not $10,000 a month, which can feel overwhelming or unrealistic. $100 a day sounds doable, and that’s what makes it believable.
On the flip side, a promise like “Lose 10 pounds in 5 days” is typically not attainable for most people, so it won’t sell well.
4. Relatable: Does It Solve a Painful Problem?
Your offer must address a real, painful problem that your audience wants to fix right now. This creates urgency and relevance. If your product doesn’t resonate with a pressing problem, it’s going to be hard to convince people to buy.
For example, my Digital Product Challenge helps people kick procrastination in the teeth. Many participants have had their product idea sitting around for months or even years but haven’t taken action. The challenge lights a fire under them to finally launch.
5. Time-bound: What’s the Deadline?
Finally, attach a time frame to your promise. How long will it take your customer to achieve the result? The shorter, the better, especially for entry-level products like PDFs or guides.
My Digital Product Challenge promises a launch in 5 days or less. That’s a clear, short deadline that motivates action. For PDFs, I wouldn’t recommend more than 21-30 days because these products are about getting started, not solving every problem.
Here’s a helpful analogy: think of your PDF as helping your customer get to first base in baseball. It’s not the whole game, just the first step. Your upsells or more advanced products can help them get to second base and beyond.
Another example is a fitness coach I’m working with who offers a 72-hour reset to help people lose 3-5 pounds. It’s specific, measurable, attainable, relatable, and time-bound—all in a short, doable window.
Putting It All Together: Your Checklist for Smart Offers
To make it easy, I created a S.M.A.R.T. Offer Framework Checklist that you can use for every offer you create. It’s a free Google Doc—no email opt-ins, no strings attached. Just grab it, duplicate it, and start using it to refine your offers.
You don’t have to check off every single box every time, but the more you do, the easier it will be to make sales. This checklist helps you stay focused on crafting offers that are clear, believable, and actionable.
Final Thoughts: Nail Your Promise and Plan First
Remember, the foundation of any successful offer is a clear promise and a simple plan. Nail those two things first before worrying about complicated funnels or marketing strategies. When your promise is specific, measurable, attainable, relatable, and time-bound, it’s much easier to attract buyers who want what you’re selling.
If you’re struggling to sell your PDFs, courses, or coaching programs, start here. Define exactly what your customers will achieve, map out a simple plan to get them there, and then use the S.M.A.R.T. framework to polish your offer.
And if you want more tips like this, I share real, raw, rumble-style content every weekday on YouTube—no fluff, just actionable advice to help you build, grow, and monetize your knowledge. Check out my channel and subscribe for daily insights.
Summary: The S.M.A.R.T. Offer Framework
- Specific: Can you clearly visualize the outcome?
- Measurable: Is there a clear yes/no or quantifiable result?
- Attainable: Does your audience believe they can achieve it?
- Relatable: Does it solve an urgent, painful problem?
- Time-bound: Is there a short, clear deadline?
Use this framework as your compass when creating any offer, and you’ll be on your way to building products that not only sell but genuinely help your audience succeed.
When you're ready, here are a few ways I can help you…
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