List Building: 62 Super Strategies For Gaining Subscribers Part 3

38.  Create an autoresponder course on a hot topic.

No one can resist learning about a topic that they’re already interested in… so why not create an autoresponder course on the subject.

Creating an autoresponder course is really easy.  All you have to do is write a report and then break it down into pieces.  Set your autoresponder up to mail out each piece to subscribers one at a time.

39.  Get other subscribers to promote you with a free monthly contest or referral prizes.

This is kind of like creating a refer-a-friend contest.  Just set up a contest where the subscriber that refers the most new subscribers to join your list gets a monthly prize.   Here’s a really good script that you can use to create your own contest and a free video to show you how it works.

I like the script above because it prevents people from sending out spam in your name and sets up the system so that referrers are sending their friends email directly from them, not your autoresponder.  You still need to check with your autoresponder’s terms of service before you use this marketing tool however.

40.  Squeeze Pages.

You can generate a lot of new subscribers very quickly by using squeeze pages and a really great offer!

Essentially, a squeeze page is the landing page that you send visitors to prior to your sales page (or another page) where you request their subscription before they can proceed.  Once they put their subscription information into the form and submit it, they’re redirected to the sales page.  Some squeeze pages even go a step further and require new subscribers to confirm their subscriptions before they can get to the information that they want.

41.  Get someone to offer your newsletter subscription as a bonus to their own product.

People are always looking for additional bonuses to add to their product packages online… why not your newsletter?

All you have to do to make this one work is joint venture with someone who has a compatible product for sale, write your newsletter bonus pitch, and add your email subscription form script to their product download page and you’re all set.  It creates a win/win because your partner gets an additional bonus to help them sell their product and you get a new subscriber who is willing to spend money in your niche.

42.  Create a dynamic pitch page for your subscription.

This one is kind of a no-brainer.  You can’t just slap up a subscription form and expect people to fall all over themselves subscribing to your list.  You’ve got to present some kind of compelling offer to entice them to subscribe.

The way I usually do it is that I put my subscription form along with an image on every page of my website along with a link to another page where they can learn more about it.  When then click on the link, they get a sales letter type page that tells them what they can expect with the subscription and why they should subscribe to it.

43.  Get your newsletter listed on as many free sites and directories as possible.

There are all kinds of directories for newsletters and ezines available online, so it makes sense that you should get your newsletter or ezine listed on as many of them as possible.  You just never know how people are going to find you.

44.  Post thoughtful comments on related blogs with a single link to your pitch.

Most blogs have a script on them that prevents search engines from following the links within comments, but you’re comments will still be read by blog visitors who might be interested in what you have to offer with your subscription.  The key here is to make sure your blog comments are interesting and worthwhile.

45.  Make an offer for one of your other lists on you thank you page.

This is a tactic that I’ve used with one of my family related lists and it works quite well.  Here’s how it works…

When people subscribe to newsletter #1, they are sent to a thank you page where they are told to check their email for the confirmation notice.  In addition, they are given additional information about newsletter #2 where they can get related, but not competing, information.  In my experience, one out of every three subscribers to list #1 also subscribes to list #2.

46.  Giveaway Ventures.

A giveaway venture is when you joint venture with several other people in your niche or related niches to run the program.  Each person or business gives something away and all the donated products are put together into a single package to giveaway to subscribers.  Each partner then promotes the giveaway products to gain subscribers to their lists.

The beauty of this scenario is that you gain new subscribers directly to your own list because of the value of the giveaway, but that’s not all.  Depending on what you offer as your product to give away (a free report or ebook, for example), you’re also putting your product in front of all those other prospects who subscribed through one of your partners.  If you have links to your product, your website, or your newsletter, in the ebook you donated to the venture, you can gain new subscribers and visitors, as well as sell additional products.

47.  Buy subscribers.

There are several services available where you can buy lists of subscribers.  I’m not a big fan of this method, but some claim it works well for them.  If you choose to buy subscribers, be sure that that they are all double optin and that your source is reputable.

48.  Use Pop-ups.

As a surfer, I absolutely hate pop-up ads.  As an internet marketer, I use them on several of my websites because they work.  In fact, I’ve performed several tests on my websites to find out if I get more subscribers with or without them and it always turns out that I get more subscribers when I use a well thought-out pop-up advertisement for my newsletters… about 40% more on average.

You might hate them, but pop-ups work.

49.  Create bonus for someone else’s product.

This one can be a little bit tricky, but it’s well worth it if you can pull it off.  The idea is to create some kind of product that works well as a bonus for someone else’s product.  For example, if you found a software product that you really liked and you’d found a new way to use it, you could create an ebook that works with the software and explains this new method.

The software owner would love the ebook, especially as a bonus to their software, and you could gain more subscribers through subscription links in the ebook.  A win/win.

50.  Use Co-Registration.

This is exactly like number 45 above, only the newsletter that you’re offering on your thank you page is someone else’s.  Co-registration can also be when your subscribers sign up to several lists all at the same time.  If this is something you’re interested in doing to build your email list, then there are several services available to match you up with co-registration partners and run the program for you.

51.  Become an expert in your field.

Okay… Duh!  If you’re going to produce a newsletter, ezine, ecourse, etc. you should position yourself as an expert in your niche or you’re just plain wasting your time.

So how do you position yourself as an expert in your field?  Write a lot of articles and content, write professionally, and know what you’re talking about when you write.  If you look like a credible expert, you’ll have a lot more people wanting to sign up to receive your mailings.

52.  Direct mail offers.

Direct mail, specifically postcards, can be a really great way to get people to subscribe to get your newsletter, ezine, ebook, ecourse, or report, provided you create a really compelling offer on your postcards.  Sometimes a physical post card delivered directly to someone’s house can carry more credibility for your offer than other online advertising methods.

53.  Use hover ads.

I already mentioned pop-up advertising for subscriptions above, but hover ads are a completely different animal.  Generally, hover ads aren’t blocked by pop-up blockers and they are much more interactive than pop-ups.

If you’ve ever seen one of those websites with a peeling corner that suddenly unpeels to reveal a special offer, then you’ve seen what I’m talking about.  They’re unobtrusive, but they really get visitor’s attention.  There are lots of software programs on the market that will create hover ads for you, but the best one in my opinion is Instant Popover.

54.  Make your forum registration page work with your email capture system.

Many people operate their own forums as part of their websites, so it’s a great idea to make your forum registration and your email subscription programs work together.  All it really amounts to is a check box on the forum registration form that says something like “check here to subscribe to…”  You can even have the box already checked so that they actually have to uncheck it to keep from subscribing… Oooo!  Sneaky!

The service you use to run your email lists probably has a way to do this that you can do yourself.  If not, you can always hire a programmer to set it up for you at very little cost.

55.  Practice risk reversal on your email form.

According to Christopher Knight at http://www.emailuniverse.com, “Risk reversal is when you remove the risk from the buyer and put the burden of client satisfaction on your shoulders instead of your buyers. In the case of email newsletters, the risk of someone giving up their email address is that they will be sold, spammed or abused in some way.”

Give subscribers a “we don’t spam” kind of statement somewhere near your form.

56.  Offer newsletter testimonials.

Simply put a list of testimonials on your newsletter pitch page.  This demonstrates the value of the subscription to others who are considering subscribing.  I did this with one of my non-marketing newsletters and increased my newsletter subscription rate by over 200%!

57.  Create a separate website just for your email newsletter or ezine.

If you think of your newsletter or ezine as a product, and you should, then it makes sense to have a separate website just for that product.  It gives it more weight, makes it stand out from the competition, and positions your online publication as the journal of choice for your niche.

58.  Use viral marketing to your advantage.

Viral marketing is any campaign that uses word-of-mouth or tell-a-friend in order to get the message out.  In this case, you’re trying to get more people to subscribe through viral marketing, so you have to encourage your subscribers to pass your email messages on to their friends and family so that they will subscribe too.

It’s as simple as adding a reminder and link at the bottom of each email you send out and it works really well.

59.  Offer testimonials on related products and link to your pitch page.

Businesses are always looking for satisfied customers to extol the virtues of their product.  You can capitalize on that and promote your own email list at the same time by offering unsolicited testimonials on products related to your niche.

Simply buy the product, write a great testimonial (assuming the product is actually good), and include a link back to your subscription pitch page.

60.  Mention your newsletter or ezine in your teleseminars.

Many people run their own teleseminars or are guests on other people’s teleseminars.  This presents a perfect opportunity to plug your email list to that audience.  In fact, you can pitch your subscription opportunity at just about any speaking engagement.

If a subscription is free – and most are free – no one will really mind the blatant advertising.  They may even see it as a nice gesture that you’re offering them a free subscription.  Just refer them to your subscription pitch page… better yet, create a pitch page especially for them!

61.  Mention your free subscription on your business cards.

This is especially useful if you only have one newsletter or ezine that you write for.  Here’s an example of how to pull this off very effectively.

Let’s say that you’re a real estate agent and you have a free ezine about rehabbing local real estate.  It would be extremely effective to plug your ezine on your business cards because real estate agents hand out tons of business cards during the course of their day to all kinds of people.

62.  Test, test test.

As with everything in your business, it’s really important to test everything that you do to find out what works for you as you build your list.  Some list building activities will work better with some niches than with others.  If you don’t continually test all your marketing activities, you could be wasting a lot of time and money doing all the wrong things.   Test everything!

Related posts:

1. List Building: 62 Super Strategies For Gaining Subscribers Part 2
2. List Building: 62 Super Strategies For Gaining Subscribers
3. How Does Attraction Marketing Really Work?
4. Create Easy Awesome Subscription Forms
5. Why Don’t SOME Affiliate Products Sell?

Tagged with: Advertising • Affiliate Marketing • Article Marketing • blogging • Copywriting • Email Marketing • landing page • Marketing • pre-selling • preselling • profit funnel • targeted traffic • traffic generation • Website Design

Filed under: Email Marketing

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!