Building your opt-in email list comes down to: "What's In It For Me" That's exactly what your visitors are thinking when you ask them to subscribe to your list.
And honestly, if you don't have a *really* good answer to that question . . . they won't subscribe.
There are two basic ways to provide value:
One is to give a free trial or sample of your product or service.
The other is to give free information, which could be in the form of a single report or a multi-part training series.
Personally, I think the multi-part training series is the way to go, and here's why…
First, when you spread the information out over the course of several days or longer you give your readers a chance to absorb the concepts more completely.
This is especially useful if you're teaching something new or have a lot of topics to cover.
If you try to cover too much all at once, your readers can get overwhelmed and the information just gets lost.
Second, it gives you a chance to take your time and explain all the benefits of your offering.
As I mentioned yesterday, it can be difficult to do this in a single visit to your web site.
However, over the course of several emails you can explain in-depth some of the more subtle benefits that you might only have been able to hit with bullet points on your web site.
Third, it allows your readers to warm up to you over time.
If you're providing valuable information and actually teaching them something, they will appreciate it and come to trust and appreciate you, as well.
And finally, it provides you with the opportunity to ask for their business multiple times, and it can take up to 5 contacts before your potential customers decide to buy from you.
A 5-part email training series is the perfect vehicle for this process.
So to accomplish the goal of providing value to your subscribers simply *have them in mind*…
Think about what kind of information you would want to receive if you were in their shoes.
Always try to *give* something to them - whether it's a tip or an insider secret or just a better way of doing something.
But it all boils down to giving them something they want and don't already have.
That's what makes it valuable. So the question is…
Do you have something of value to offer your subscribers?
