Before you buy another tool, watch someone who knows it walk you through it. That’s the whole point of our product tour library.
Product tours exist for one reason: most author tech decisions are made while stressed, rushed, and half-convinced the problem is your brain.
It’s not your brain. It’s the tool.
A product tour is a guided walkthrough of a platform authors actually use. You see what the tool does, what it does not do, where people get stuck, and what the setup looks like in real life. No mysterious “and then magic happens” gaps. No influencer demo with zero mention of pricing, limitations, or the part where you need to connect three things to make it work.
If you’ve ever bought software on a hopeful Tuesday and canceled it on a furious Thursday, you already understand why product tours matter.
Browse the product tour library here: Product tours (Tech Tools)
What a product tour is (in plain English)
A product tour is a “show me the buttons” walkthrough.
You’re watching someone experienced:
- Navigate the interface so you can see where things actually live
- Explain what the tool is built to do (and what it’s pretending it can do)
- Call out common setup mistakes before you make them
- Give you a realistic sense of time, effort, and learning curve
- Help you decide if the tool fits your author business
It’s not a sales page. It’s not a generic review. It’s a demonstration that helps you avoid expensive trial-and-error.
Why authors struggle with software choices
Most tools marketed to authors are doing two things at once:
1) Promising they will simplify your life
2) Adding a brand-new dashboard you now have to learn
Even good tools come with friction. The real problem is choosing tools without enough context.
Here’s what usually goes wrong:
You buy the tool before you understand your workflow
The tool cannot fix a fuzzy plan. It will just help you be confused in higher definition.
Product tours help you start with clarity: what problem are you solving, and what kind of workflow does this tool support?
You get pulled in by shiny features you will never use
Templates. Automations. AI widgets. A “creator hub.” A social scheduler. A calendar. A partridge in a pear tree.
Product tours help you spot the difference between “useful for authors” and “added because competitors have it.”
You don’t see the setup path
A lot of demos show the end result and skip the setup. Authors then buy the tool and immediately hit the wall.
Product tours show you the setup path. That alone saves hours.
When to watch a product tour
Product tours are most useful in three moments:
1) Before you buy a tool
You watch the tour to answer the important questions:
- Will this work with my current tech stack?
- Does the interface make sense to me?
- Does it do what I need without five workarounds?
- Is the learning curve worth the payoff?
2) When you already pay for a tool and you feel stuck
This is the most common use case. You have the subscription. You meant to “set it up later.” Now it’s later and you want to throw your laptop into the ocean.
Product tours help you stop guessing and start moving.
3) When you’re comparing options
Most comparisons online are useless because they’re either affiliate content or “I tried it for a week.”
A tour lets you compare tools based on real workflows, not marketing promises.
How to get the most out of a product tour (without taking a million notes)
You don’t need to take detailed notes. You need to make a decision.
Before you press play, write one sentence:
“I need this tool to help me __.”
Then use the tour to answer three questions:
- Can it do the job I need?
- Can I realistically set it up without hating my life?
- Does it fit with what I already use?
While you watch, capture only these three things:
- One feature you will actually use
- One setup step you need to repeat later
- One red flag or limitation you noticed
If you have those three, you can decide what to do next.
A simple framework for choosing author software
Here’s the sanity-saving framework that keeps you from building a tech stack that looks impressive and feels miserable.
Step 1: Name the job
Examples:
- “Collect emails and send onboarding sequences.”
- “Sell direct and deliver files.”
- “Track launches and tasks without chaos.”
- “Schedule social posts without living on my phone.”
Step 2: Define your non-negotiables
Pick three. Not ten.
Examples:
- Must integrate with my email platform
- Must be easy enough to maintain monthly
- Must not require custom coding
- Must support my product types (ebooks, bundles, etc.)
- Must have reporting I can understand
Step 3: Watch the tour and test the fit
A product tour helps you answer: “Does this tool support the job, or does it complicate the job?”
When the fit is wrong, it’s usually wrong in obvious ways. You just need to see it.
What kinds of tools we cover in product tours
Our tours focus on tools authors actually use to run the business side of publishing. The exact lineup grows over time, but the intent stays the same: help you make smarter decisions and waste less time.
Browse what we’ve covered here: Product tours (Tech Tools)
Where to ask for help after you watch
If you watch a tour and you’re still unsure, the next step is not more tabs.
The next step is asking a clear question inside Campus.
Bring:
- What you’re trying to do
- The tool(s) you’re considering
- What matters most to you (simplicity, cost, automation, reporting, etc.)
Join the community here: Go to Campus
Start Here (use this if you’re brand new)
Quick-start plan (15 minutes total):
1) Watch one product tour for a tool you already use: Product tours (Tech Tools)
2) Pick one webinar replay that matches a current problem: Weekly webinars + replays
3) Read one book club summary and steal one idea for this week: Book Club Summaries
Ready to jump in?
Browse the product tours here: Product tours (Tech Tools)
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