Email lists are still critical to the success of your business. Why? While it may be hard to believe, not everyone is on social media but everyone has an email address. And, unlike social media, you own your email list which means you can use it when and how you like without fear of losing ownership over it.
Simply put, an opt-in is a product or service – it can be an eBook, checklist, website diagnostic; the options are endless – that you give potential clients in exchange for their email address. The opt-in you choose to share should relate to your area of expertise AND to one of your products and services.
For example, my opt-in is a checklist that lists everything my clients need to consider when they write any type of content. It also highlights my unique approach to writing, which is to combine journalism principles, digital marketing knowledge and copywriting techniques.
My opt-in is based on my sell-out workshop Write Copy People Actually Read and addresses the three questions I’m asked by most of my clients: How do I find out what my customers want to know? How do I share my ideas simply and clearly? What is a step-by-step writing process I can easily follow?
Once you know what your area of expertise is and you’ve designed your signature product or service, you’re ready to create your opt-in.
Start writing your own opt-in
1. Make sure the title of your opt-in is results-orientated
It should be clear from the title what result your potential clients can expect from using your opt-in offer. Use words that inspire action and address common problems. “Workshop cheat sheet” is OK but “Design a sell-out workshop” is better.
2. Give your best stuff away for free
People are always worried that they’ll run out of ideas. Trust me, you’ll never run out of ideas! When you give away your best stuff, people think “Wow! If this is her free stuff, I can’t imagine how great her paid stuff is!”
3. Make it easy to digest and implement
Think about the design of your opt-in. Use bullet points, lists, subheadings and images. People read slowly on the computer. They also scan a lot. Make it easy for them to get all of the important information and key takeaways even if they don’t read it word for word (which they probably won’t).
4. Check out some opt-in offers from your favourite websites
If you’re feeling stuck, think about what made you decide to sign up to your favourite businesses list. How did they say they were going to solve your problem? What style of opt-in was it? You can emulate their strategy without copying their content. Very few things are original on the internet. The best part comes when you add your personal flavour to the template you use!
5. Remind your potential clients that you’re a business
You’ve got an engaged audience so make the most of it. Don’t forget to talk about your business, what problem you’re trying to solve and how to contact you. You can do this at the bottom of your offer or in the intro. You want to make sure they understand that this product or service is free, but not everything is!
6. Tell your potential clients about your products
At the end of your opt-in, share a snapshot of your products and services, and how you work. While you want your opt-in to be valuable and usable in its own right, the purpose of your opt-in is to connect with potential clients who would benefit from your knowledge and expertise. Most people use opt-ins as a way to test a business’s credibility and see if they can deliver what they say they will. So let them know they can get further help from you if they like what they see.
Featured image from Pexels.
