You Down With OPL? Leverage Other People’s Lists To Grow Your Own

One of the easiest ways to grow your list is to leverage the list of others in your niche or market. It only makes sense, doesn’t it? If these readers are interested in your topics and comfortable getting information and offers via email, they should also be interested in your list or newsletter.

Leveraging other people’s lists is a two-step process. You need to find other list builders in your niche and then you need to convince them to share your opt-in offer with their readers. As long as you can make it a win-win proposition, it shouldn’t be that difficult to talk them into introducing you to their readers.

How To Find Other List Builders In Your Niche

Your first job is of course to find other marketers and list builders in your niche. Start with the research you did earlier in this challenge with places where your target market hangs out online. Identify anyone on that list that’s actively building a list.

Do a search, talk to your readers and find a few people who are sharing content, building lists, and emailing their subscribers regularly. In other words, look for other email marketers in your niche, or related niches that share part of the same audience.

Sign up for their list, take a look at what they are doing and get to know them. Then move on to step two.

How To Convince Them To Mail For You

Once you have your list, it’s time to work on convincing those email marketers to mail for you. You want to make it a proposition that benefits both of you. Here are a few ideas.

Here are a few ideas.
1) Trade Solo Mailings or Newsletter Mentions

Find the list builders who are at a similar level or slightly above where you’re at today and approach them about exchanging newsletter mentions or solo mailings. The idea is that you send mail for them and vice versa; both of you growing your audiences along the way.

2) Offer Them Quality Free Content

Another great option is to offer a fellow blogger and email marketer some quality content in exchange for a mention to their list. You can either write an article they can feature in their newsletter, with a byline, or write a blog post for them provided they mention you in one of their next mailings.

3) Pay Them

Paying other email marketers for a solo email or a newsletter ad is of course always an option. You can search for people who offer this service or approach any blogger and list builder with an offer.

4) Make Them Affiliates or JV Partners For Your Products

Instead of offering to pay them to promote you, why not make them affiliates and offer them a cut of any sale they refer. You build a list of paying customers and they will promote you in exchange for an affiliate commission. Do your job well and they will gladly promote you on an ongoing basis. List building alone is a great reason to create a product and set up an affiliate program.

The Rundown

At the end of the day, you not only want to provide value to your list, but you want to help simplify your work and team up with others to use their curated lists to help grow your own. Remember to implement some or all of the four tips mentioned above and have fun with them. Don't stress if you don't get it “right” the first time around, just get out there and TAKE ACTION!