Why would someone what to opt-in to your list? Do you have a compelling reason for them to do so? The beauty of opt-in list building is that you can grow very targeted lists… if you know how to entice members of your target market correctly.

Step One: Understand your ideal prospect.

What makes your ideal client tick? What keeps him or her up at night? What is the big question he or she is combing the Internet looking for an answer to?

Step Two: Determine the best way you can answer your ideal prospect’s big question.

There may be many possible answers to your ideal client’s big question, but the one you want is the one that is uniquely relevant to your business. You see, your opt-in bonus is a bridge between you and your ideal prospects. It is something that not only attracts them but also introduces them to what you have to offer.

Step 3: Develop your opt-in presentation strategy.

There are several things you need to do to entice the right people to join your list.

1. You need to create a free gift to offer them.
2. You need to develop a compelling way to present this gift.
3. You need to communicate the benefits of registering for the gift.

In steps one and two, you laid the ground work for creating the free gift. Basically, your opt-in bonus will be an answer to your prospect’s big question. Now you need to create eye-catching virtual packing for it and then write copy that will “sell” it.

All this will go into your landing or squeeze page where you present your offer and collect your prospects names and email addresses.

Remember, you want to entice, lure, draw in your ideal prospects. So you need to understand what they will find attractive enough to give you permission to email them. Think like a fisherman and use the right bait, so you’ll have list-building success.

Not having a compelling opt-in incentive is the fourth deadly mistake of home page design. If you would like to know what all five deadly mistakes are, grab a copy of my book, Home Sweet Home Page: How to Fix the 5 Deadly Mistakes Authors, Speakers and Coaches Make with Their Website’s Homepage.

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