I have so much to say about this, but here are the cliff notes for growing your email list:
Step 1: Make something valuable (i.e. a PDF guide, juicy rich newsletter, quiz, etc)
Step 2: Give it away in exchange for an email address
It’s as simple as tha — oh wait, I forgot a step…
Step 1.5: Create an opt-in page on your website that makes people say ‘SIGN ME UP!’ with the enthusiasm of a caffeinated unicorn. Keep reading for 5 tips to do just that!
5 Tips to Create a High-Converting Opt-in Page
What
Your opt-in page is the gate between your prospects and your freebie. They walk through the gate by entering their email addresses. You’re the boss, of course, so you can choose to collect other info as well at the gate, such as first name, last name, Instagram handle, industry, etc. But at a bare minimum you need to ask for an email address.
Where
It’s usually hosted on your website via an integration with your email marketing platform. (We use WordPress <> ActiveCampaign.) Or it’s a landing page hosted by your email marketing platform, such as Kit or Flodesk.
Who
Your opt-in page is for your ideal audience, not your husband, your aunt, or your best friend’s daughter who’s studying graphic design. (Unless these people are your ideal audience, then by all means build it for them.) The whole point is to attract people who would benefit from your content and offers—AKA people who might one day buy from you.
Why
The value exchange that happens on the opt-in page is one way to build trust with people online, and trust is a prerequisite to a sale.
How
Your opt-in page has one goal: to get the right people to give you their email address. How you do that is by:
1. Explaining the main benefit of your resource in the headline.
- Now You Can Have x Without y…
- Get x in 3 Simple Steps…
- THE Cheatsheet for Becoming a Freelance Video Editor…
2. Including a subheadline (or 3-5 bullet points) telling people what tangible benefit they’ll get from your freebie. Example from our Brand Quiz:
Your ideal brand? It’s that sweet spot where your business model meets your unique personality. We’ll help you nail that spot, blending who you are, who you serve and how you serve them into a visual identity that feels like you. You’ll get a full brand report, plus three hand-picked designs that bring your brand vibe to life.
3. Collecting as little information as you need but as much information as you want. You’ll jeopardize your conversion rate if you ask for people’s full name, birthday, email, geographic location, and the number of hairs on their left kneecap.
Then again, you might want to collect all that information to best qualify prospects because who knows—maybe you only serve people who live in Alaska, were born in April, and have more than 12 hairs on their left kneecap.
4. Writing a clear and catchy CTA on a big ol’ button that makes people want to press it. CTAs are one of my favorite places for micro-copy, so play around with it (but not too much). CTAs I like:
- Gimme this!
- No more questions. I need this now!
- I love free
- I’m curious.
- Join the party
- Sign me up!
- Ready, set, subscribe!
- See what’s on the other side
5. Adding social proof and credentials. If you have ‘em, flaunt ‘em. And if you don’t have ‘em, that’s okay too! As your business grows make sure to ask for testimonials so you can add them to your opt-in page.
I’ll stop there and let that settle. If you missed the past 3 implementation ideas to grow your email list, read ’em here:
List Building Idea #1 | List Building Idea #2 | List Building Idea #3 | List Building Idea #4
