Last week I released the 2022 version of my annual Affiliate Marketer’s Master Swipe file.
And while chatting with a few of my customers, it reminded me just how many never take the step of actively growing an email list of their own.
Sure there are ways to earn money without an email list, such as on social media. But an opt-in list really is the missing piece of the Internet marketing puzzle for countless marketers.
Even a tiny list, as many of my affiliates proved last week, can be very effective at generating significant income. (If you use the secrets I share in this blog post.)
No matter what your plan is for making money online, email marketing needs to be a top priority. Sure, it will take a little time to setup, but it is crucial to your long term success and survival online.
A responsive email list will create a solid foundation that your business can stand on for as long as email itself survives. You could take away all your websites and social media accounts, but if you have a responsive email list, your business could still survive and thrive.
You can even do it completely for free!
In order to do email marketing effectively, you’ll need a web-based list management tool. Also called an autoresponder service, this tool will help you grow, manage, broadcast and get emails through to your list.
In my opinion, Aweber is the best at all of those tasks. That is the service I use and recommend.
I have used many in the past, and while Getresponse is also very good, as are a few others, Aweber is still my personal favorite.
Lots of marketers say Aweber is too expensive, but it is actually now completely free for up to 500 subscribers, so there’s no excuse not to set up an account. That’s a bargain compared to how much income your list can bring you every month.
While the cost of an autoresponder service goes up as you get more and more subscribers, keep in mind that by the time you surpass 500 you’ll likely be making plenty of money to afford it anyway.
Now let’s cover the five steps to setting things it up. I’ll use Aweber in this, but if you go with Getresponse or any other autoresponder, the steps will be similar.
Step 1: Get an Autoresponder account.
You can get a free trial of Aweber here: Aweber Free Trial
Then watch this getting started video and set up your first list.
Step 2: Decide what free info you want to give away.
In order to get people to sign up onto your email list, you need to offer them some free, valuable information in your niche.
You don’t have to give away an ebook or anything like that if you don’t want to. You can simply promise to share some little-known info in your niche. That can be done in future emails they will be getting from you. (See step 4 below.)
Step 3: Set up a landing page using your autoresponder provider’s landing page builder.
Your landing page is where people can sign up for your email list. You get their email address added to your list, and they get a free information from you.
The nice thing about landing page builders is that you don’t even need a domain or a website to use them, though if you do have those you can tie the landing pages in if you want.
Building a landing page really only take a few minutes and it is the bridge that gaps potential new subscribers to your new email opt-in list!
Step 4: Write a series of email messages for your follow up campaign.
This is a step that way too many people skip altogether, but I consider it the most important step of all!
Remember, email marketing means growing relationships one at a time. You do that with email follow ups that build rapport with subscribers by offering them helpful tips, asking them to email you back if they have questions, and only very occasionally sending them to an affiliate link or other monetized link that earns you money.
Skip this step at your own peril.
Once you have your series written, plug the messages into your followup campaign so your subscribers get a message every 3-4 days for a month or so. Again, don’t make them all marketing messages with affiliate links. Make sure at least half of the messages simply contain helpful info and your offer to help them as needed.
Step 5: Get Subscribers by sharing your landing page URL.
Once your list is set up and your follow up email messages are in place, it’s time to start getting subscribers. Too many people miss the boat here too. In fact, I’ve been quite guilty of this myself.
If you have a website or blog, then add links to your landing page wherever you can, including immediately after each post, as a check box when they comment, on an entry or exit pop-up.
Note: There are lots of free WordPress plugins that can help you get opt-ins, to save time and get your signup forms in all the right places.
If you do not have a blog or website, you can get started sharing your landing page in social media. Share it in your Facebook and Instagram accounts for starters. If you have some money to spare, run some low cost ads there and target people who are interested in your niche.
Two Bonus Steps to SUPER-CHARGE Your List Growth
OK, now that you know how to set things up, let’s talk about how to grow that list faster. You don’t have to do this right away, you can start with just the basic five steps above. But when you are ready to move to the next level, then this is how…
Step 6: Offer An Ebook or Video Training
You can get lots of opt-ins simply by offering to share valuable info. But if you want to boost the number of opt-ins you get, consider offering an irresistible ebook or free video training. You don’t even have to create the giveaway yourself. Just grab an ebook or training program with plr rights! Here’s a PLR site I use to grab products with full giveaway rights in just about any niche.
You’ll also need a “virtual ecover” made with your URL and name on it so the giveaway is customized to you. You can easily create one at Canva.com for free, or if you want to save time, use this eCover designer from Fiverr for $5. Either way, in just a few days you’ll have a complete giveaway ready to go to work getting you new subscribers.
Step 7: Get a PAID product onto a Marketplace and tied to your Autoresponder
This one is my personal favorite.
You write a short report for your niche and sell it for say, five or ten bucks at JVZoo, WarriorPlus or Clickbank. When it is done you schedule a launch and start recruiting affiliates. If you pay affiliates 60-75% on the front end you’ll get some people to promote it for you. (You can post your launch for free at muncheye.com and get lots of affiliates.)
When you add a product to JVZoo or to WarriorPlus, or even Clickbank, make sure you create a new “customer” list in your autoresponder account. Then connect that list to the product so customers are automatically subscribed when they buy. (That’s an option in the product setup area of each of those platforms.) Now you’ll be growing a CUSTOMER list which is the best opt-in list you can have! 😉
Your customer list will be single opt-in, and not require confirmation from the subscriber. That’s because the person has just bought something from you. That makes it even easier to grow your list, plus they’ll all be proven buyers!
Another way to get affiliates is to visit launch contest leader-boards at places like JVZoo and WarriorPlus and ask some of the top affiliates if they’ll mail for you. Heck, even if you have to offer them 100% of the profits on your front end product, do it! You can make money on upgrades or future launches to your new list. The key here is to grow your list for the future!
If you want to implement this paid product strategy, download my Buyer’s List Method pdf which explains exactly how I do it in step-by-step detail. It also comes with a printable planner sheet you can use each day to stay on task.
Making Money From Your List
OK, so now let me explain where the money comes from with this whole opt-in list building strategy…
Your follow-ups will grow a relationship with your opt-in subscribers.
You can also strengthen that relationship by sending out an email newsletter every week or two as well. When people get lots of free, useful content they will open your emails more often.
You can also sell some products and services via your automated follow ups and your newsletters.
But your real bread and butter will be your list broadcasts…
Once your list size surpasses 50 or so subscribers, you start sending broadcast emails recommending top products and services in your niche. Just be sure you personally try the products and services before you recommend them. A few bad recommendations can hurt your credibility, so you need to be very selective about what you recommend.
And don’t just send one email then move on. You should plan a multi-email promotion for every week or two. Send an early bird deal, an FAQ email, a “how to use the product” email and a deal ending email. That’s 4X the chance of making sales.
Get personal in your emails and make them different than what the product vendor offers its affiliates.
If you are in the Internet marketing how-to niche, use my top promotional emails from the last few years. You can use them as your own and simply insert your own affiliate link. 😉
Wrapping Up…
Now that you know exactly how to start growing your own opt-in list, you need to take action. Even if you do a little work each day for the next week, you can be getting subscribers a week from now or sooner! It’s the best thing you can do if you want to earn online.
If you are the type of person who does best with visual instruction, this entire process as well as some more supercharged tips are available in the new Free Money System my friend Michael just launched.
If you are serious about making a go of it online, I highly recommend you pick this up today while it is on sale…
Great article as usual and so easy to follow