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This year my daughter brought home a new kind of math. Common Core they call it. A new way to learn math that is supposed to make it easier to learn and faster to process. I like to call this the “fuzzy” math for kids and adults alike because I often look at it and think “What the actual heck is this?!”
Are you thinking, wait Jen, I am here to learn about opt-in offers. Not hear about Common Core which also stresses me out.
I hear you– stay with me for a couple more seconds. 🙂
Here’s the thing with Common Core math. These kids are learning it in school. They are learning the process and breaking it down step-by-step so it makes sense to them.
Now when I say the words “opt-in offer” do your eyes glaze over because you have no idea what I am talking about? Or do you feel anxious in your chest because you know you need one but you have no idea how to get there?
I get it. This is how I feel about Common Core. But just like our kids get ideas broken down for them in school, we bloggers need the same thing. We all want to learn more to grow our blogs and we all need steps on how to get there. I am going to start by helping you break down one of my favorite subjects: opt-in offers.
The Basics
What is an opt-in offer?
An opt-in offer is something that you offer your readers for free in exchange for their email address. An opt-in offer is also known as a freebie or a lead magnet.
Why do I need one?
You need an opt-in offer if you want to grow your email list. As a blogger, growing your email list needs to be one of your top priorities. Creating an opt-in offer is one of the best ways to grow your email list.
Why?
Because we don’t just hand our email addresses over to anyone. We get way too much email in our inboxes. Way too much. We don’t need another email that we have to open or delete. We don’t have time for all the emails we already get! This is why we aren’t going to just subscribe to an email list without getting something valuable in return.
Enter your opt-in offer.
Give something of value away to your readers and you will have people signing up for your list like crazy. Sounds like fun doesn’t it?! Yet if you have tried to create a freebie and had no success with it, you know it’s not that simple. It’s like Common Core math. A good idea in theory, but hard to do, unless you have the steps to do it right.
Let’s break down the steps of how to create a successful opt-in offer that converts like crazy. Let’s make this fun again!
Step 1: Listen to Your People
The number one mistake most bloggers make when creating an opt-in is not listening to their readers. They create an opt-in offer they think people want, not what they actually need.
In plain language, they assume what people want, instead of ask them what they want.
How do you avoid making this mistake? Get in there, talk to your readers, and listen to their answers!
The best way to find out what your readers want to learn more about is to ask them! Send out a survey, take a poll, or email with them and ask the following questions:
- What are their problems?
- What do they struggle with?
- If they could wave a magic wand over _____ what result would they like to see?
- What are their goals?
- What are their dreams?
The best way to stop assuming what people want is to slow down and ask them what it is they actually want. Create a poll in a Facebook group or send out a survey to your current subscribers and ask them to help you. You are also welcome to post your survey in the Women Winning Online Facebook group!
Step 2: Analyze What Your People are Saying
Once the answers start flowing in, keep a record of what people are saying. I like to track all the answers in a spreadsheet. If you are sending out a survey, I suggest using Google Forms. It is free and easy to use. Best of all, there is a button that will automatically convert the answers into a spreadsheet for you.
It is important to keep track of what people are saying when they answer your questions. This is how you learn what people actually want to learn about instead of guessing. Create a list of responses and then start analyzing the data. What’s the common theme you see coming up over and over? Make a note of the top three things that people are struggling with. Group them together and highlight them. In that list is the answer to the perfect opt-in that will convert like crazy!
Bloggers often ask me, how many responses should I collect before I start analyzing? Obviously as many as possible would be ideal, but I like to start with a minimum of 20 responses before I start to analyze the data.
Step 3: Brainstorm Opt-in Ideas
I know I said this in step one, but it bears repeating. The best opt-in offer that converts is one that people want, not something you think that they want. Even after analyzing the data I see bloggers veer off and create something that is the opposite of what people want.
It is so important to sit with the data and really look at what it is telling you. This isn’t just data, these are your people, your readers. They need your help and are telling you exactly how to help them. Listen to them and create an opt-in offer that they want and that solves their problem.
Once you are done analyzing the data, brainstorm five new ideas for an opt-in offer. Write down each idea and then look back at your data. Does your idea match the data? Does it fit like a puzzle piece? If yes, start writing!
Step 4: Decide on a Format
Now that you know what you are going to write about, it’s time to decide how you are going to create it. There are so many options out there for opt-in offers!
You could create a:
- Free report
- Ultimate guide
- Resource
- Checklist
- Planner
- Mini course
- Video series
The key is to make it as useful as possible for people. Think about your audience. Are they busy moms that need a checklist to help them meet their goals? Then a freebie checklist would be perfect for them! Maybe your audience is people that work during the day, but can digest a video series over their lunch break. If that’s the case you could create a 5 day video course and market it as something they can easily accomplish over their 30 minute lunch break.
When you create your opt-in offer you want to deliver it in a format that works best for your audience. You don’t want to give them a book if they don’t have time to read it. If they don’t read it they won’t see just how helpful you are. You don’t want that! If you take the time in the first step to learn about your audience, you will have a good idea on the best format for your audience.
Step 5: Make It Look Pretty
Now that you have decided on the format for your opt-in offer you want to make it look good! We are a very visual society so you want to make your opt-in offer stand out!
When I am creating a freebie that people have to download I always make sure to make it look good with design and graphics. I use Canva to create all my freebies. Canva has awesome templates that I can manipulate to fit my style and my brand. This makes my life so much easier!
I also use two amazing websites for all my images that I use in my freebies: Haute Chocolate and Posh Stock. These are two paid sites that I love to use because they give me professional and good looking stock photos.
There are free options out there like Pixaby but I stopped using them for a couple reasons. First, I started to notice my images looked like everyone else’s. I wasn’t standing out at all and that’s not good in a crowded marketplace! Second, I don’t have time to come through thousands of bad photos to find the one great photo that will work for my freebie. With sites like Haute Chocolate and Posh Stock, I know I can find the perfect photo within a few minutes. As a busy mom of 3, anytime I can pay for something to make my life easier, I am all for it!
So for printed freebie I use a combination of Canva plus the two stock photo sites to make my freebies look good. I always include an image of what people are getting when they download my freebie. I include this image cover on my landing page for my freebie and in the photo that people see when I share the link. I think that has been one of the main reasons I have been able to build my list so quickly. People love to get a preview of what they are getting when they give you their email address. Plus it entices them even more to sign up!
Here is an example of how I did this with my social media opt-in offer:
(Click here to see how I used this image on my landing page for it too!)
When it comes to making your opt-in offer don’t skimp on making it look good. The better it looks, the more sign ups you will get!
Step 6: Deliver it Automatically
The next step in creating your freebie is setting it up with an email service provider. You will want to use a good company that will automatically deliver your freebie right into your readers’ inboxes. I have been doing email marketing for 10+ years and I have tried them all. From free ones like MailChimp to paid ones like AWeber and ActiveCampaign. After much time spent on all of these platforms, the one that I love the most is ConvertKit!
ConvertKit is a blogger’s dream come true! It is easy to use, so user friendly and is affordable. I love their reporting features. I can easily tell if people are signing up for my freebies and how many are opening my emails. I love that I can schedule when my emails get sent. I especially love that I know my freebies are getting delivered. I had issues with this with all the other providers I used and it has not been an issue since I joined ConvertKit.
I especially love that ConvertKit is for bloggers by bloggers. The team at ConvertKit knows exactly what we need to grow our email lists and our blogs. They have put together an email marketing system that is just perfect for us bloggers.
To sign up for ConvertKit, please check them out here: https://womenwinningonline.com/ConvertKit
I also want to talk about the elephant in the room. No I don’t think the free email services like MailChimp and MailerLite cut it when it comes to growing your email list. Why? Because you get what you pay for. I know for a fact that MailChimp has huge issues when it comes to delivering the email that you first send out with your freebie. If people are signing up for your list and not getting your freebie, that’s not good! I have also heard as of late that people are seeing the same issues with MailerLite.
I recently made the switch from ActiveCampaign to ConvertKit after having huge delivery issues with my emails. I know hindsight is 20/20, but I wish I would have started out with ConvertKit. It took a lot of time to switch everything over to ConvertKit. It was worth it, don’t get me wrong, but it took a lot of time.
I know that spending money isn’t always easy when you are first starting out. But I truly believe that investing in a good hosting company and a good email company are a must for all new bloggers. Your email subscribers will be the lifeblood of your blog. This is why signing up with the right email service from the start is so important!
For tips on what to send out in your first email to your subscribers, check out my post about Welcome Emails here!
Step 7: Get Eyes On Your Freebie
Alright you are on a roll! You have surveyed your niche to learn how you can help them. You have written an awesome opt-in offer that you are ready to show the world. Your email system is up and running. There’s just one question remaining for your freebie.
How do you get people to see it?!
Here are my top 11 strategies for getting more eyes on my freebies:
- Facebook group promo days
- Putting my opt-in offer on a landing page
- Pinning it on Pinterest (my board and group boards)
- Doing a content upgrade in a blog post
- Placing it in the header of my blog
- Adding it to the end of my blog posts
- Sharing on my social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
- Asking other bloggers to share it
- Using it as a URL when commenting on other blogs
- Doing a Facebook ad (only if it’s converting super well!)
- Guest posting on other blogs
Basically I take my freebie and I put it EVERYWHERE! I want people on my email list. The more people on my list, the more people I can help. It truly matters to me more than pageviews or any other blogging metric.
Conclusion
Creating opt-in offers that convert is a lot of work, but when they start to convert, it’s a lot of fun too! The key is to follow a simple plan to create the best opt-in offers for your audience. This plan looks like this:
Step 1: Listen to your people
Step 2: Analyze What Your People are Saying
Step 3: Brainstorm Opt-in Ideas
Step 4: Decide on a Format
Step 5: Make It Look Pretty
Step 6: Deliver it Automatically
Step 7: Get Eyes On Your Freebie
The best way to implement a plan to create the perfect freebie that converts is to schedule time to make it happen. Take 30 minutes out of your day and work only on your freebie. It will be done in no time and you will be on your way to building an awesome email list for your blog!
Did this post help you? If so please pin it to check out again and share with others. Thank you so much for your support! Click here to pin this post!
Looking for more information on opt-in offers? Check out the video I did here: https://womenwinningonline.com/create-opt-offer-converts/
What has been your experience with creating freebies? Have you had luck creating ones that convert or are you stuck? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below! Thank you!