One of the most common questions online entrepreneurs face is related to a websites opt-in process. Questions like, “What should I offer as a freebie?”, “What should I say in my offer” are just a few of those. To make the process much easier, I’ve written this step-by-step guide with actionable steps to help you get more opt-ins, more qualified leads, and ultimately more sales to your business.
When you’re finished reading this guide, you’ll understand how to create a killer opt-in offer to help grow your online business.
Why You Need An Opt-In
A list is the most valuable asset you can build for your business. It’s something you need to be building for as long as your business exists.
But you’re not just growing any list. You need to create a highly targeted and highly qualified prospective customers who already want your offer. The best way to build this list is to use the opt-in offer.
But the fact of the matter is, when people come to your website for the first time, they may not want to read your blog, or subscribe to your list. However, if you have something compelling that can help solve their problems, chances are they will want it. Everybody has a problem that needs to be solved. If you identify that problem and offer to solve it for free, they want to hear.
For example, a business trainer might offer “10 Steps to Millionaire Success”. A personal improvement coach might offer “5 Keys to Freedom In Your Life”. An online entrepreneur might offer “Step-by-Step Guide to Build A Profitable Website”.
No matter what the offer is, the goal is to create something that solves a problem that desperately needs to be solved. An offer that causes people to want it. Then they’ll opt-in to your list.
In this guide, we’re going to create an effective opt-in offer so you can have that activated in your website.
Step 1: What Do My Customers Want?
The first thing you need to get clarity on is what your customers want. You need to come up with a very specific problem or pain they are experiencing. You don’t want a broad view about what they want.
For example, if you’re in the dieting market, your prospects may want firmer thighs. Or they may want to lose weight without feeling hungry.
You can do this with research. One useful tool is the popular forums in your niche. If you don’t know what forums, go to Google, type the name of your niche + forum (i.e. dieting forum). Read through the forum, pay attention to the popular threads with lots of views and replies, take note on what people are asking constantly. You’ll get some ideas pretty easily.
Action step: Write down what your prospective customers want. You can make a list first, then narrow it down until you pick one winner.
Step 2: What You Can Offer
Now that we’ve figured out what they want, let’s think of what we can offer. Is it going to be some tips, ideas, advice, step-by-step guide, or a system?
There are some keywords that are commonly used in an offer. For example: Secrets, Strategies, Keys, Tips, Methods, Guarded Information, Top Guru Practices, Closed Protected Systems, Steps, Formulas…
Action Step: Write down right now what the keyword will be (i.e. keys, secrets, strategies, etc.). Again, pick one keyword that fits what you’re going to offer.
Step 3: How Many Are You Going To Offer
Now you want to decide on how many tips, advice, or keys you want to give.
This decision is important because you don’t want to give away more than you need. There are 3 reasons for this.
First, if you give too much, you may run the risk of confusing, boring, or overwhelming your prospects. People searching for a solution online may already have suffered from information overload. So they want to solve a problem in the easiest and quickest way.
Secondly, studies show that if we give away valuable information that people need for free, most times they won’t take it serious. They won’t take action on it. It’s not about money – it’s about their result. People tend to take action on things they pay for more than the things they just receive for free.
Lastly, you don’t want to give away something you should be creating a product with. For example, if you are giving away a 85-page content, then why would they pay for a 100-page e-book?
So giving away too much for free may not be helpful for your customers, and may also sabotage your own success.
So the bottom line is, you need to create something that help people get results fast without compromising the quality of the offer and your business success.
Action step: Pick a number from 1 to 10 (i.e. 5 steps, 7 keys, etc.). This is a number you feel comfortable you can provide for the benefit of both your customers and yourself. Write down that number right now.
Step 4: What Is The Results You Can Provide
This is the core of your offer. What is the result or benefit that your prospects want and that you can create?
This forms the heart of your opt-in offer.
For example, lose 5 pounds of body fat in 4 weeks, look 5 years younger in 30 days.
People are interested in results so you must prove or teach them how to get them. And people want results fast. So your job is to deliver that desired result that they want. You should clearly state the results in your offer.
Action step: Write down the desired results.
That’s it. Those are the steps you can take to create an effective opt-in offer. But the best way to truly get results is by taking action right away. Follow these steps and get something done.
I am a wife, mother and an online entrepreneur. My passion is to achieve my life goal to live each day with the feeling of joy, love and freedom. I love to share my online journey with you to help you grow your online business and achieve your goals, too.
Connect
Very straightforward. Especially the part about modifying your offer to make sense with items you are selling.
So much of the time people are pre-occupied with giving stuff away that they train their audience to expect everything for free.
Amie Marse invites you to read… Intro to Research Methods: Collecting Data through social media
[Reply]
Thanks for your comment, Amie! Indeed we need a balance between free content and what we actually want to sell.
Janus Ng invites you to read… Guest Posting To Drive High Quality Traffic To Your Site
[Reply]
Hi Janus,
Thank you so much for this great post! Those are all very importation points to spend time on to build a good list!
Stacy
Stacy invites you to read… Build a New Habit, Change Your Life!
[Reply]
Janus Ng Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 11:56 pm
It’s my pleasure, Stacy! And thank you so much for the opportunity!
Janus Ng invites you to read… A Step-By-Step Guide To Content Curation
[Reply]
Hi Janus,
Very important post here. I hope those that read it will take it to heart and follow through. I just read a great statement few days back, “Market around your customers needs not your product.”
If we do not know their needs and pain it will be extremely difficult to reach them. The things you posted here I learned in great detail this year from my mentor Pamela Hendrickson.
Great post, I hope this comment section fills up!
Best,
Joe Young
JosephJYoung invites you to read… R We Returning To Gold?
[Reply]
Janus Ng Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 12:15 am
Hi Joe,
Thanks for your comment! I also read from marketing expert Dan Kennedy that we should “fall in love” with our ideal customer. That says a lot about how much we need to know our customer in order to reach them.
Janus
[Reply]
I have loved coming to your site to keep enhancing my blogging presence for the company I was hired by.
If we wanted to do a weekly car tips email, would we have to purchase a service like aWeber to do something like this?
[Reply]
Janus Ng Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 12:23 am
Hi Thor,
Yes, I think Aweber is the most recommended service to handle emails to your list.
Janus
[Reply]
I don’t have opt-in on my website. I don’t see a need at the moment, but I will bookmark this for future reference. Thank you for sharing.
jim syyap invites you to read… This is not the right way to use hootsuite
[Reply]
Janus Ng Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 12:30 am
Sure, I hope this post becomes handy when you do need an opt-in on your website.
[Reply]
I’d also add that using an image of the item you are offering as your ethical bribe or irresistible free offer will increase your opt-ins as well. Showing you visitors what they are going to receive and making it tangible for theme even if it is a digital download will increase your offer’s perceived value. That’s why information product graphics, ebook covers, CD images, and other 3D product graphics are so important to have!
Jennifer Bourn invites you to read… Top Free WordPress Plugins List
[Reply]
Janus Ng Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 12:40 am
Absolutely! Talking about image and ebook covers, there’s a free ebook cover creator at myecovermaker that’s easy to use and works great!
[Reply]
Hi Janus, excellent tips for sure. It’s really important to sit down and plan things out as you have outlined being very cognisant of the desired end result.
I thought you spelled it out very well.
Jayne
Jayne Kopp@life and business coach invites you to read… The Safest Investment For Success
[Reply]
Janus Ng Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 12:47 am
Hi Jayne,
Thanks, planning is really important in every aspects of a business. It’s even more important to sort of paint a picture of the desired end result in order to achieve it.
Janus
[Reply]
Hi Stacy and Janus,
I like the note about making your offering benefits focused.
You think in terms of benefits. Not features. Stress how your offer will benefit your readers. Get specific. Also, be super clear on providing one call to action throughout your blog.
I recently scrapped a number of my underperforming widgets. I want readers to visit my cash gifting club site, so that’s just about the only option I include on my sidebar, other than connecting with me on social networks. Instantly, my opt-ins rose and I generated more interest.
Thanks for sharing your insight Janus.
RB
Ryan Biddulph invites you to read… How To Write Online Ads That Work
[Reply]
Hi Ryan,
I like your tip about limiting the options on the sidebar. That’s a great way to increase your opt-ins, if your primary goal is to grow your list.
Thanks for sharing!
Janus
Janus Ng invites you to read… 8 Steps To Starting Your Online Business
[Reply]
Thanks for these useful tips on getting more opt-ins for your business. I particularly liked the aspect of developing your FREE opt-in item title based on the benefit it can confer rather than on its features and deciding on the particular offer based oon the need of your audience.
[Reply]
Janus Ng Reply:
December 30th, 2011 at 7:12 pm
Thanks Dele for your comment. We should always think of the benefits because they are related to the problems our customers have and the results people are looking for.
Janus Ng invites you to read… How To Build Your Business With Content Marketing
[Reply]
[...] 4 Steps To Getting More Opt-Ins For Your Business GrowWithStacy.com – December 22, 2011 [...]
Hi Janus
Thanks so much for sharing the tips, they really could not have come at a better time for me as I’m about to embark on my first ever attempt at email marketing. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed to be honest but your tips have cleared up a few issues for me.
One thing I’ve also been doing is looking at what my competitors offer with through their campaigns. Very interesting stuff indeed.
Mena invites you to read… Fitbit Review – The Wireless Activity Tracker
[Reply]
Janus Ng Reply:
December 30th, 2011 at 7:23 pm
Hi Mena,
I’m so happy that you find my post helpful! I think learning from our competitors is an effective way to improve our skills and gain experience.
Thanks for your comment!
[Reply]
There is some wisdom in these advices. It’s my first time here
Daniel Mihai Popescu invites you to read… Alliaura
[Reply]
Janus Reply:
January 15th, 2012 at 6:16 am
Thanks Daniel and welcome to the blog.
Janus invites you to read… 5 Traffic Steps For Your Blog And Online Business
[Reply]