Tell me what’s the purpose of a good opt-in/freebie?
Get the damn email address so that you can sell them later. That’s it. Right?
No!
It not the ONLY purpose.
The concept of freebie or opt-ins is based on the principle of psychology called ‘Reciprocity’.
The Principle of Reciprocity is mentioned in the popular book ‘Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion’ by Robert Cialdini.
A freebie has deeper benefits than just capturing their email addresses.
In this article, you’ll get some amazing email list building tips that you can implement right now.
Before I tell you the 7 mistakes you unknowingly make with your opt-in/ freebie let’s find out the full potential of a freebie.
1- You Can Ask a Favor Immediately
How did you like our new shampoo?
Do you remember big companies giving away small sachets of shampoo or that free scoop of ice cream in the ice cream parlor or the guy approaching you for your details for an opportunity to win the ticket to Paris?
These are the freebies/ lead-magnet (whatever you call) based on the principle of reciprocity. refers to an auto-trigger in our brains for paying back the favor one receives.
The Principle of Reciprocity says that if you make a favor to someone then the other person is bound to return the favor.
This principle is one of the strongest principles of the psychology of persuasion that is hard to avoid or breach.
So, if you think you have done a great job at helping your visitors solve a problem, then asking small favor at the end is no harm.
This is how Meera Kothand ends her freebies.
You can ask them to share/ send their queries or any other action of your choice.
2- Free Taster
Your freebie is not a lame trick to snag their email ids for your benefit.
Let me share a small story here-
Once I received three small pouches (free sample) of a new shampoo in the market. Not just me, but my whole family and friends were amazed to see my hair after I used that free sample. But, the quality of the shampoo that I received after paying money was not as good.
Still, I did not dump the product.
You know why?
Because of the Principle of Commitment and Consistency.
This principle says that ‘we tend to be consistent with what we have already done. Once we have made a choice or taken a stand, we will encounter personal and interpersonal pressures to behave consistently with the commitment.’
And, Commitment is a valued trait. People do not respect those who change their stand often.
This is not something we do intentionally. It is ingrained in our value system and DNA.
I was an 11-year-old girl at that time much younger to think about the principle of commitment and consistency knowingly. It was natural.
So, there are super-high chances that they will stay with you further if the first impression is good.
This is your first chance to woo them and awe them. Therefore, your freebie should be no less than your paid products.
3- Trust and Authority
You build trust and authority with a good freebie.
Your freebie is the first micro-commitment from your readers- their first ever transaction on your site, make it flawless.
The five-step buyer-interaction-framework explains the various touch-points of your site.
If you overdeliver the first time they’ll see you as an expert and this is how you’ll start building trust.
Email List Building Tips: 7 Reasons why your email list is not growing?
1- You have E-Book as a Lead Magnet
I am starting with a controversial one.
Many gurus recommend having a professionally designed in-depth ebook as a lead magnet.
You put in a great effort, overloaded it with information, made it beautiful and shine, just to find that no one is downloading it.
It WILL NOT convert unless you’re an established authority in your field and people fall for your content.
Reason being
1- There is enough information on the internet which is free and doesn’t require their email. Inbox is supposedly the most sacred space we religiously check every morning. I personally do not compromise my email address if I think I can do without it.
2- It becomes overwhelming for the user and difficult to consume.
Instead of bombarding them with information and knowledge think of a small-win.
Just one thing that they can quickly do and solve ONE problem.
It could be as small as an SEO checklist or a small worksheet where she can plan out her blog posts. Simple, but practical and helpful (more than just information and knowledge).
2- Your ONLY Focus is Conversion
Common don’t hide this. I’ve been tracking conversions too.
What’s wrong with it?
Nothing, if it is NOT the ONLY focus.
Out of many freebies, the one which was converting the best on my site wasn’t moving a needle for me.
Why?
You came to know that a particular type of freebie converts rapidly you created a similar one for your audience. Guess, what it worked! So, what’s the problem?
Problem comes when
- It is not connected to any of your categories and the paid offer
- You attract freebie hoarders
Focus on creating a freebie that is tied to any of your blog categories.
You can see how to plan your categories and subcategories.
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6 hacks (you can implement today!) to rank higher on Google.
3- Your Freebie is Hidden in Dust and Ashes.
Have you heard of banner blindness?
Yes, it is real. People are blind to banners.
We put one in the sidebar one in the footer, one at the top. Right?
Here’s how we see a webpage-
See how Crystal Paine from Money saving Mom put her freebie right in front of your eyes and focus. It’s hard to miss.
This is not the only place where your freebie will get noticed. Here are some places where freebies convert well.
In the post
Mention it at several places in the blog post- as an image, content box, text-link.
In one of my posts, I have a checklist as a content upgrade. Not only I have an image for it but I have also included two/ three text nudges inside the post.
In ‘About Me’ Page
Disclaimer: shamelessly presenting one more example from my own site.
Your ‘About Me’ page is one of the most visited pages especially if you are in a growing phase. Make sure to optimize it with your freebie.
Above the fold
Okay, enough of narcism. Let’s look at some good examples. you can place it above the fold (the area of the website visible without scrolling down). See how Elna has it BOLD and CLEAR on her site. How can you ignore this?
Top header and an exit popup work equally well.
We discussed banner blindness, right? But that doesn’t mean you can’t have your lead form in the sidebars. What it all means is don’t rely completely on the sidebars, navigation, and footer.
Sidebar
See how Melyssa Griffin uses it twice on a sidebar on her blog.
In the header
Yes, you can have it in the main menu. Many bloggers have a resource library link in their main menu.
Still hungry for some more list building tips? Read on.
4- No Authority in that Niche
Imagine how will a finance-management website selling diapers look?
Even if you had to buy diapers you’ll not be able to have confidence in her words and bet your money on her suggestion.
Why?
Because she did not show any subject matter expertise on the website (even if she knew in real).
So, have a broader theme of your website and all the categories and sub-categories should sink in one. If you have just one freebie then it can be from the main theme or any one of the niches.
5- Your Freebie does not Solve a REAL Problem.
I know it’s hard to hear, but I’ll fail in my duty if I do not put in front of you.
What type of pain your freebie is solving?
Is it an aching head or a bleeding neck?
If it is something they can choose not to do anything about, then you are not solving a problem.
Here’s one from SmartMomBlogger. The very basic reason one starts a blog and for that matter any online business- earning money. It pains when one fails to make a single penny even after putting in many efforts. Candis provides affiliate marketing tips on her blog and her freebie title is so tempting! I believe she’s solving a real problem.
6- Trying to Kill Two/Three/Ten birds?
Sigh!
Your freebie is not the place to flaunt your diverse knowledge and portray yourself as a one-stop solution to all their problems.
‘ A comprehensive guide to cooking, parenting and saving money while traveling.’ – I will not mention the blogger, but this is something I can’t buy.
This is wider even beyond what I meant by killing multiple birds at the same time.
Think of just ONE specific problem and try to help them achieve their goal with it.
Eg, The Ultimate guide to growing your Pinterest followers by 1000 in one week.
The day e-mail course to creating feminine blog post images in Canva.
7- Not Promoting it Enough
This is another big mistake. We promote the post that has a content-upgrade but not the freebie separately.
I create separate pins for my freebies that are hosted on a landing page. You never know what picks up when. One of my freebie pins suddenly picked up and in no time got saved by 16 ppl. If your audience has enough followers even one pin-share can get you hundreds of website visits.
This brings me to the next point-
Pro Tip: No Landing Page
You don’t host your freebies on a separate landing page.
Before I tell you ‘why’, let me say, you don’t need to host every freebie on a landing page but the ones that are doing good. They definitely deserve this special treatment.
I recommend hosting your freebie on a landing page because a landing page is free of distractions you have enough space to convince the visitor and there is just ONE Call to action that she cannot miss out.
I use Convertkit to create beautiful landing pages in minutes. In this article, I have shared my personal story of switching from MailChimp (that ONE reason that made me take the decision in a jiffy).
To Conclude:
I’m sure you have enough email list building tips that you’re ready to implement today. Do share in comments if you have any queries or wins. I would love to hear them. 🙂
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Thanks for the great tips! Will definitely be looking into using several of these 🙂
Thanks Ida, I’m so glad you found some of these list building tips helpful.
Awesome tips. I feel like call to action is must and freebies have to be easily accessible so the reader does not leave without giving you the email.
Hi Nadia,
Thanks for stopping by. Very true, it shouldn’t take an arm and a leg to access your freebie.
These are great tips, I’m getting ready to set up some freebies and an email list, and this is very helpful info.
Ji Kimmy, All the best dear! I’m sure you’ll kill it with your opt-in. bdw congrats for being nominated for the sunshine blogger award!
Far too often businesses and influencers overlook the importance of trust in their marketing efforts. Thank you for reminding everyone that it’s an important step to conversion!
Hey Britt,
That’s so true! Trust is the foundation of any business and in an online space, it is THE most important parameter.
Some great tips in here! I have struggled with my list for a long time thinking my freebies/opt-ins just weren’t good enough. I finally said ‘what the hell…and just started putting them out there’…and guess what? They work!! Now I am kicking myself for not doing it sooner 🙂
Of all the articles I’ve read on this topic, yours has to have been the most helpful, and engaging! Thank you.
These are great tips on how to avoid email list mistakes! I will use this so I can convert a better audience.
Great tips! I just learned that freebies are not supposed to be placed in the sidebar this morning and this article confirmed it. I learned some tricks that I will apply to my method of email marketing. Thanks for sharing as newbies like me depend sometimes on these tips to navigate the blogging world.
What an amazing post with great useful info and tips! Loved it and pinned it too 🙂
Thank you for these tips! I am definitely having trouble building my lists with my lead magnets. I will try out some of your suggestions!
Great e-mail building tips. I definitely need to take my e-mailing list more seriously!
These are such great tips! I would love to learn how to keep the email subscribers engaged and stay!
You know your stuff, I thought I knew about conversions but I honestly had no idea! Thank you for these great tips.
Thanks Amandela, you’re too kind. I just checked out your about page and loved the story especially why you named your blog Thistle and Latch. it completely goes with the solution you provide… keep rocking!
These are great tips! Thank you for sharing all of them.
Hi Silver,
Thank you so much dear. I’m glad you liked these list building tips.
I have comoletely stopped doing email marketing. Thanks for these tip, will try again
Hi Supriya, nice to c ur comment here. Your little duniya is so beautiful with some really helpful posts… keep up the good work. I’m sure email marketing will take it to another level.
Great tips! I have to tweak where my freebie sign-up form shows up. It works well when I have a pop-up on a relevant blog post.
yes Mrgaret, when you have a freebie related to a blog post and is hosted on that blog post page then it’s called a content upgrade. Content upgrades work better than a general freebie. for this purpose I suggest having a content upgrade for every category on your blog.
These are great tips! I have struggled to really use my email list to my full advantage. I find it hard to find enough time to stay on top of new blog posts, promoting posts, social media and then the email list.
Jordan, I get that. I beleve we all go through the same pain we have zillions of things to do and all of them are necessary. Email marketing is the key to connect with the audience. If there’s no connect there’s no conversion 🙂
This was very helpful! I am a total newbie at list buidling but now I know what NOT to do!. Thanks!
yay! I’m so glad you found these list building tips helpful.. all the best!
These are great tips for growing e-mail list. I am just now starting to work on mine, so I’ll definitely keep these in mind.
Hey Lorena, thanks for stopping by. I’m sure you’ll come up with a great opt-in idea and come up with flying colours… best wishes
Jordan, I get that. I beleve we all go through the same pain we have zillions of things to do and all of them are necessary. Email marketing is the key to connect with the audience. If there’s no connect there’s no conversion 🙂
yes Mrgaret, when you have a freebie related to a blog post and is hosted on that blog post page then it’s called a content upgrade. Content upgrades work better than a general freebie. for this purpose I suggest having a content upgrade for every category on your blog.
These are great tips that I definitely need to put into practice. Thank you!!
Thank you for these great ideas. I am still struggling hard on building my email market. Will try this out.