Dedicated Opt-ins Matter

We've discussed this topic before during our blogging challenge. Throughout the rest of this advanced list building challenge, we’re going to find new places to go find our ideal subscribers, get in front of them, and then work towards getting them back to our site, and more specifically, onto our lists. The most efficient way to do this is to send them to a dedicated opt-in page.

If you don’t already have one set up, now is a great time to do that. It doesn’t have to be complicated. A basic opt-in page consists of just a few key elements. Get them in there, and you’re good to go. Of course, testing each of these elements over the coming weeks is something you should work on going forward.

Anatomy of an Opt-in Page

1. Headline: Start with a compelling headline that grabs your reader’s attention and pulls them in.
2. Graphic: Having a graphic of your opt-in freebie, a picture of you, or an image that conveys at a glance what your list and your lead magnet are about is another great way to get your potential subscribers' attention.
   Alternatively, you could use a short video here.
3. Benefits: Make it easy for someone to glance at the opt-in page and figure out why they should sign up. Keep the focus on what’s in it for them. What can they get out of your lead magnet and the content you’ll be sharing with your list? Keep it short and focus on 3 to 5 key benefits. Presenting them in a bulleted list can help.
4. Opt-in Form: Of course, you also need a way for readers to sign up. Get your opt-in form front and center on your page and make it easy to sign up.
5. Call To Action: Be specific and tell your readers exactly what you want them to do. This can be before or after the opt-in form. Tell them to enter their first name and primary email address and click “Submit” (or whatever your submit button says). It’s also helpful to tell them what to do next. For example, they should look for a confirmation email.
6. Personal Closing: I find it helps with credibility to include a personal closing with my name and a picture of me towards the end. Adding a strong P.S. Highlighting the main benefit of signing up can also help with opt-in conversion.

The Rundown

Get your opt-in page set up and then consider adding a few more. If you’re serving different segments of a market, it may be helpful to have different pages that speak directly to each subgroup.

And of course, you should be testing your opt-in pages and each of the key elements continually to get better and better conversions.