Day 1: Setting Your Email List Building Goal
Congratulations for taking the first step to growing your email list faster than ever before!
First things first, let’s decide on a list building goal for the next 30 days.
When it comes to setting list building goals, there are a few things to consider.
If you have a service based business, where you can’t take on more than a dozen clients at a time… you don’t need a big list of prospects to fill your practice.
But if you’re planning on moving from a service based model to a more leveraged product model… you’ll want to be building that list, for sure.
When I first started out online, I was told that getting 1000 people on my email list was the minimum to have before I could launch a digital program that was profitable.
I didn’t listen, and I launched my first online product when I had fewer than 500 people, and it was a success… in fact, the launch itself helped me get to 500 subscribers.
More recently, I’ve heard that for every 10,000 people on an email list – a business could be making one million dollars depending on their price points and marketing strategies.
Now these numbers are all pretty arbitrary, so I don’t want you to get caught up when you pick your list building goal.
One important thing to keep in mind is that some of the list building activities we’ll do together will take more than 30 days to bear fruit.
So depending on where you’re at with your current list, and what you want to accomplish in the next few months… go ahead, pick a number that’s going to become your list building goal.
Another approach to setting a list building goal is to pick a “reasonable goal” and a “stretch goal”, so that the first one feels doable and attainable… but the stretch goal allows you to dream bigger.
Sometimes you need to set a stretch goal to allow surprising results to happen for you!
The second half of setting a goal is keeping yourself accountable to it. If you already have an accountability buddy in your business, let them know about this goal!
Next we’ll go over the necessary foundation pieces for achieving your rebellious list building goal.
Day 2: Who do you have to be to reach this goal?
Yesterday you set your list building goal… today we’re taking a look at what it’s going to take to reach it.
The first thing we need to do to meet an outside challenge like the one we have ahead is to raise our internal bar.
I know exactly how and what it takes to build a list fast.
It takes doing things you’re not used to doing, asking for what you want, and getting into action. Those are all external things that you can essentially trick yourself into doing, if you want it bad enough.
The question you need to ask yourself is,
“Who do you have to be to have an email list and community of 100, 1000, 10,000, 100,000 people?”
If you have 3 minutes, jot down the answer to that question for your goal on a piece of paper.
Maybe you need to increase your capacity to hold the space for more people. Or, improving the quality of the content you send to email subscribers.
Perhaps for you it means trusting that you have what it takes to handle the growth of your list and business.
Here’s what I’ve noticed… One person can be doing the exact same action steps as another but not get the same results.
The big difference is internal: who wants it more and who is ready to handle it when they do get it?
So if you’re feeling any resistance as we progress, know that it’s totally normal and we all feel resistance when we grow.
If we focus on serving the people who are joining our email lists… we’ll be able to stay out of our own way, and take the actions we need to take.
Remember, each new subscriber is an incredible human being with their own hopes, dreams, and fears. Keep that in mind as you pursue the more abstract goal of list building, and you’ll be well on your way to building a great relationship with each new fan.
Next, we’ll set the foundation for tracking our list growth, get ready!
Day 3: Setting up Google Analytics
Today we’re setting up a strong foundation for the rest of the rebellious list building activities we’ll be undertaking.
One thing I notice repeatedly with business owners who are working on list-building is that they don’t know which activities are working and which are just a waste of time.
To make sure you focus your precious time on things that actually get results, and repeat them, today we’re going to set up some tracking functionality on your website. If you’re not a “techie,” don’t worry; I have a video walking you through it here!
Here’s what you need to do to get started with tracking your traffic using a free Google Analytics account.
1. Grab your free Google Analytics account here.
2. Create a new “web property” for your main website.
3. Copy and paste the special code into your website’s template. Now your website visitors are being tracked! Google Analytics does not show backdated data, which is why it’s so important to do this step right now so we can start to see what’s happening on your website.
4. Now it’s time to set up a “goal”, to track which visitors become email subscribers. Do this by clicking the “Admin” button and selecting “Goals”.
5. You’ll want to set up a “Destination Goal”, that tracks when someone visits your email subscription’s programs “thank you for joining the list” page.
6. If you haven’t set this up yet, you’ll want to create this page first, then set it up in your email marketing program. The idea behind this step is that no one will go to this “hidden page” unless they’ve just joined your list.
If you get confused with these written instructions, you can take a look at the Google Analytics help section or just join the 30 Day List Building Challenge for the full training video here.
Day 4: Who do you want on your list?
Today we’re taking a look at who you want on your email list. It’s all well and good to grow an email list, but if you don’t have the right people on it… then you’ve wasted your efforts.
Here’s a quick example to bring the point home: let’s pretend you’re giving away a free iPad to every person who joins your email list… you’ll end up with a broad range of people who like free stuff. Good luck getting them to remember who you are, or getting them to buy anything down the line.
So today’s exercise is all about figuring out who your ideal customers and prospects are… and where they’re already hanging out online.
Who they are breaks down into two categories: demographics and psychographics.
Demographics are their age, gender, vocation, location, etc.
Psychographics are their values, what they have in common with you and your vision for the future.
Take a few minutes to look at your past customers to see if there are any commonalities. If you’re just getting started, think of yourself just a few years ago, and describe what you were interested in.
Write a few words down about your ideal subscribers.
What blogs do they read? What web shows do they watch? What Facebook groups do they participate in? Who do they follow on social media?
If you’re not sure, think about mainstream media. Would they be reading O Magazine or Sassy? Would they be watching HGTV or Spike?
Make a list, and keep it handy, because we’ll be using it soon!
Tomorrow we’ll be talking about what it takes to get someone to opt-in.
Pat yourself on the back today, you did one of the toughest and most important exercises to growing your email list, and ensuring that any future program launches are aimed at your ideal buyers!
Day 5: Why an email opt-in offer
If you’ve ever had a slew of people coming to your website, but not very many new subscribers to show for it… it’s probably because you didn’t have the right opt-in offer.
This is sometimes called an ethical bribe, a free gift, a lead magnet… but the idea is simple: you’re offering something valuable in order to have someone join your email list.
We’re taking a look at how you can solve a problem for your ideal customers… for free in exchange for an email address and the ability to follow up with this new person.
If you can do that in a way that demonstrates your expertise and value, you’ll get them on your email list… and they’ll be a lot more likely to share your website with their friends, and sign up for paid programs or services down the line.
The first step to creating an opt-in offer that accomplishes your list building goals and helps people who join your list… is to brainstorm what types of problems you solve for people.
How you can take a step back from your paid products and services to reverse engineer what someone might need before they hire you or buy from you?
Write down the answers to these two questions:
1. What problems and frustrations do you solve for people?
2. What issues or questions might you be able to solve or answer before someone is ready to hire you or buy from you?
Can you create your opt-in offer with some of these outcomes in mind for your new subscribers?
Some of the most important things that people are constantly on the lookout for include ways to:
- Save time
- Save money
- Make money
- Increase happiness
- Improve relationships
- Increase fulfillment
- Improve health
- Gain something (muscles, prestige, friends)
- Reduce something (weight, stress, fear)
For bonus points, do this exercise for your top 3 competitors to see how you can differentiate from what they offer. This is helpful for a number reasons: you’ll get clear on what you bring to the table, and you’ll get ideas of what might be working… and what might not be working.
Tomorrow we’ll talk about how to actually create your opt-in offer!
Day 6: Create your opt-in offer
Yesterday we talked about what problems you can solve for your ideal customers and subscribers through an opt-in offer.
Today we’re looking at how you can create your new optin offer, and the best format to do it in.
Should deliver your solution-focused content through video, audio, a PDF, an email series… with so many options, which one should you pick?
It comes down to two things: which one is easiest for you to create right now, and which format will your ideal people prefer to consume it in?
I don’t want you to get caught up in how you deliver this content… I want you to make sure that what you’re creating is something that people want from you.
Once you’ve got your free opt-in offer fleshed out, it’s time to pick a name and a headline to best describe it. Start with your opt-in offer’s results, and brainstorm a few options.
Don’t leave this exercise for later, this one step is crucial for your list building success and I really want to see you reaching your list building goals. I guarantee this is a business generating activity that will add dollars to your bank account. Do it now!
Once you’ve come up with a few sample titles or headlines for your opt-in offer, run them through the “magazine filter”…
Would a magazine put this headline on its cover? Would it work for the blogs, shows, and magazines that you identified that your ideal subscribers regularly read and consume?
Once you’ve nailed the title or headline, then you have my permission and blessing to start creating this opt-in.
Oh, and if you’ve been working on your opt-in for awhile but it’s still not done… here’s a special trick: put your opt-in page together and announce the date that your free opt-in content will be available.
Announce it to the world, and now you’re committed and you have people waiting to receive your opt-in. Time to get to work!
Day 7: Adding opt-in boxes to your website
One of the main reasons people don’t get a lot of traction from their websites is because visitors don’t know about their opt-in offer. That’s where having a few different prominent ways for people to sign up for your email list is so important.
To set up your website to get more subscribers, it’s important to have the right opt-in code in a few strategic places on your website.
One of the most obvious places that most webmasters place an opt-in form is at the top right of the website, or in the top of the right hand sidebar. That’s a great place to put an opt-in, because if people are looking to stay in touch and get updates, it’s one of the first places they will look.
However, what can happen when every website follows a similar pattern is that visitors can become ad-blind.
They start to ignore all things that look an opt-in offer or an ad.
Luckily there are ways to get around that by placing your opt-in offer in different places, and making it blend with the content of your website, too.
Some of the biggest blogs and websites on the web do well by having a “pop up” opt-in form, that appears a few seconds after someone lands on the website. Some plugins that allow you to set up these pop-ups include PopupAlly Pro, a popular way of creating these opt-in forms.
Another key place to have an opt-in form is at the end of your blog posts or main content. If you think about it, if someone reached the end of your page, it’s because they enjoyed what they read. Click here to learn how to set up this opt-in form using a free plugin.
Another option is to set up a horizontal opt-in form for your website’s email list, which is sometimes done under the navigation or header area of your website. Click here to find out how to set this up by following this tutorial.
If you’ve already got your opt-in set up on your site, you can skip today’s task or use this as an opportunity to revisit your existing opt-in forms and make sure they’re all looking fresh and working properly!
Once you’ve got these set up, we can hit the ground running and really start to drive traffic and get you to your list building goal!
Day 8: Create a squeeze page
Yesterday we looked at how to add an email opt-in to your existing blog or website.
Today we’re looking at ways to build a stand alone opt-in page. These are often called landing pages or squeeze pages.
The idea behind a landing page is that it removes any distractions. No navigation bar at the top of the page, no unnecessary images or links to take you away from the opt-in offer…
This forces the visitor to make a decision: opt-in or leave.
It might sound harsh, but squeeze pages convert at a might higher percentage than regular web pages precisely because people need to make a decision.
Think of your squeeze page as a mini sales page: it can have a video, text, a call to action, and an opt-in box.
There are many different ways to put together a squeeze page, and I recommend the following plugins to help you save time and make sure your landing pages look professional: LeadPages and OptimizePress.
You can also create a streamlined page from within your existing WordPress theme.
A few tips to consider if you’re feeling like the squeeze page concept is too aggressive:
1. You can create a reverse squeeze page. This is when you offer your free opt-in gift right on the landing page, and as a next step you ask people to opt-in if they enjoyed the free gift.
2. You can also add a “take me to the homepage” link at the bottom of your squeeze page, making it less forceful.
3. Your squeeze page does not need to be your main home page, it can be another page that you link to when you’re doing a speaking gig, being interviewed, or guest posting.
Go ahead and set up a squeeze page if you don’t yet have one for your opt-in offer!
Day 9: Optimizing your existing content
So far we’ve gone over figuring out who you want to get on your email list, creating an offer they can’t refuse, and putting it up on your website.
Today we’re going to go through your existing website and content with a fine tooth comb to find places that we can optimize.
The benefit of today’s quick exercise is that all the improvements you make to your website won’t just get you more subscribers in the next 30 days… but for the lifetime of your site.
Here are the different aspects of your website you’ll want to check today, and how to improve them.
1. Take a look at your about page: does it have a strong call to action? This call to action can be to get in touch with you hire you, or if you want to shift to leveraged products, it should invite people to join your email list.
2. Do you have a link to your squeeze page in your navigation bar?
3. Do you have an opt-in box on every page?
4. Do you have opt-in box at the end of each of your blog posts? Check out the tutorial I created to make this happen.
5. Take a look at your site’s traffic statistics… which are your top visited pages? Can you add a paragraph that encourages people to opt-in somewhere on that page or post?
6. Do you have older opt-in offers that you haven’t updated or maintained? If you’ve had webinars or past opt-in offers, decide if you want to forward these pages to your new opt-in or if you need to refresh the thank you page and welcome emails.
Over time you’ll have plenty of opt-in pages, so keep track of them and the associated download/thank you pages, so they don’t become outdated or broken over time.
Day 10: Getting started with guest posting
Alright… we’ve laid the ground work for some massive list building. But if you don’t have any traffic or visitors coming to your site, then what we’ve done so far isn’t going to get you many results.
Now that we’ve tidied up your website and created an awesome opt-in offer that people can’t resist… we’re going to turn to strategies for getting more people to come visit your newly polished website!
Today we’re talking about guest posting. This is where you submit a piece of original content for publication on another web site… you’re a guest.
You may have tried to submit a guest post to another blog in the past and seen mediocre results, and it’s true that the guest posting landscape is changing…
But if you pick the right blog with your ideal readers, and you write a great piece with a strong biography section that sends people back to your opt-in page, it can work wonders!
I would rather have you focus on writing the best article you can for a highly targeted (and bigger) blog, than write a bunch of so-so articles for many smaller blogs.
Instead, we need to pick the right blog or two, make sure that our topic and headline is spot on, and then send people to our opt-in squeeze page with clear directions to opt-in.
Click here for a comprehensive list of blogs and websites that accept guest posts.
You’ll want to take a look at these sites and see if they’re a good fit, since these are just suggestions to get you started.
Once you’ve identified a few sites to guest post on, your assignment for today is to come up with a few potential topics to write about.
Tomorrow we’ll get into the writing! Stay engaged in the challenge, you rebel you, and I promise you’ll see results!
Day 11: Time to write your guest post
If you’ve ever tried to write an article or blog post but kept putting it off… I’m about to share a simple writing process that has kept me moving forward and busting through any writing resistance! Trust me when I say you’re not alone, but you’ve already done a lot of the heavy lifting by coming up with potential topics yesterday.
Now that you’ve identified a few different blogs to guest post on, and some potential topics… it’s time to put your fingers on the keyword and write.
Here are my top tips for writing a great guest post:
1. Start with the core concept of the article, then mind map some of the associated tips, strategies, or ideas.
2. Think of a story you can weave into the article and how it relates to the topic at hand.
3. If noticed themes or a number of ideas that could be subheadings, write them out first as an outline for your post.
4. Write your introduction, then fill in the subsections. Insert your story at the start of the article, or under a sub heading if it’s more specific.
5. Write the conclusion… but don’t fill in your author biography yet, we’ll be covering how to do that in detail in tomorrow’s video.
6. Go back to the title of your article and see if you can make it more specific, memorable, and add in a little curiosity.
7. Finally, go through your article one more time from start to finish to fix an inconsistencies, grammar and typos, and add any missing pieces of information.
Tada! Now go ahead, set a timer for 25 minutes and let yourself write without editing. Take a break and do your editing last.
You can do it, my rebellious challenger, yes you can!
Day 12: Write your bio
Yesterday you wrote a great guest post, and today we’re going to focus on writing an author biography that gets people to click back to your website.
What is an author bio? It’s the little blurb that you get to include as part of your guest post, and usually you can include a few links to your own web properties, too.
The mistake that many people make with their bio is that they include too many links, and that can be distracting for readers. If you include a link to each of your social media profiles, plus your website… people might get confused and click away instead of visiting you on the web.
There’s another important element to your author bio: it needs to tell people a little bit about you, and it also needs to tell people what they’ll find if they click your link.
I recommend writing a new author bio for each guest post you write, so that it can be more clearly tied into the content you just wrote about. If that’s not possible though, don’t worry.
Include one sentence about who you are and why you’re an authority on the topic you just wrote about… then in the next sentence, include a call to action to sign up for your free opt-in gift.
Here’s an example: Millie the dog has mastered the art of napping, and she’s an expert when it comes to chewing bones. Click here to get access to Millie’s “7 things you need to know before you buy another toy for your dog” video training series.
You get the idea… now spend some time crafting your bio, and make sure to keep the links to a minimum, and include a strong call to action!
Tomorrow we’ll be sending your guest post pitch – so stay tuned!
Day 13: Contacting the blog owner
For some of you, writing is the easy part but getting it published is the daunting task that lies ahead. But don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.
So far we’ve identified which blogs you can guest post on, written a post, and crafted an author bio… Now it’s time to contact the blog owner!
This might be the point that you chicken out, so put on your rebellious list building panties (or pants!)… because you’ve done all the hard work already, so let’s follow through!
Once you have your guest post written, edited, and looking spiffy… craft a short and lovely email that will get your post read and posted.
Some of the bigger blogs have an editor, and most blogs are run by the original creator. First, find out who you’re writing to, and make sure you write an email that shows a little personality.
Tell the person on the other end that you read and enjoy the blog, and why readers will dig the content that you’re offering as your guest post.
Don’t think about what’s in it for you, focus on what’s in it for the blog owner.
You can also let the blogger know that you’ll be happy to share the post on social media, link to it from your blog, and help them get more readers, too.
Keep the email short and sweet, re-read it a few times, and hit send.
Now keep an eye out for when they plan to run your post, so you can reply to comments, share it on social media… and be a good steward of your content.
If you don’t immediately hear back, give it a few days and follow-up the next week. You might also offer to change the title of the article or submit a different article if it didn’t fit what they were looking for.
But chances are, you’ve just got your piece on its way to publication, congrats!
Day 14: Ask to be interviewed
Today’s exercise is perfect if you prefer to talk instead of write. We’re going to be reaching out to podcasts, web shows, and other media outlets… to be interviewed!
As you continue to grow your email list, you’ll start to have people approach you to interview you… but in the meantime, it doesn’t hurt to be the one who does the asking.
There are a couple of ways that you can create content for other people: you can be a guest on a podcast or web show, you can answer written questions for an interview, you can provide training in someone else’s paid product, and you can also contribute to someone else’s blog.
Depending on where you’re at in your business, you can start by making a list of places you’d like to be interviewed or featured.
This might be your “pie in the sky” list for now, but as you continue to grow your business and put yourself out there, you’ll see how realistic it is to be featured and interviewed on a regular basis.
If you feel confident, you can go ahead and reach out to these shows and blogs, and set up a time to be interviewed!
Right now, I want you to go back to your list of podcasts, web shows, and publications that have your ideal people’s attention.
Come up with a few potential interview topics, whether that’s your story or something specific that you know this host or editor is looking for.
Then craft an email asking to be interviewed.
This might sound too easy, and there are ways to improve your chances of getting a “yes”.
The first is to be an active member of this audience by posting comments, sharing the content, and getting on the radar of the host.
The second is to build relationships with no expectations of getting something in return, and to allow your network to get stronger over time. Sometimes getting an introduction from someone else works like a charm!
So go ahead, get outside of your comfort zone and get interviewed!
Oh, and if you’re telling yourself that no one wants to interview you… you’re wrong. Every one of us has a unique story, and if you can tap into what makes your story relatable and actionable in a way that can help others, then you’ve got interview gold.
Day 15: Schedule a live online event
So far we’ve taken steps to help you expand your reach, and build a solid foundation to grow your email list… today we’re taking a look at a strategy that pros use to get people’s attention.
One of the best ways to grow your email list is to use time based urgency. You know, a deadline.
The best way to do that is by scheduling a live online event like a webinar, teleseminar, Google hangout, or livestream… and make it something that people need to opt-in to attend.
It’s also a great way to launch a program.
It works wonders because it gives you as the business owner a deadline to create something awesome, and the attendees a deadline to sign up and attend.
The actual deliverable or platform you use isn’t as important as the content you deliver and the result you promise.
So if you don’t know which system is right for you, just decide if you prefer to deliver an audio-only talk, talking over slides, or just you on video.
In the next few days we’ll look at how to promote your free online event, but for right now I want you to consider if you want to host it yourself or partner with another expert.
There’s strength in numbers, and having two people doing a webinar or live event together is a great way to leverage both your audiences and to grow your lists together.
This type of partnership marketing works well because when someone is a fan of a colleague of yours, then chances are they will also like you once they’ve gotten a taste of your teaching style.
Whenever you do a partnership with someone, you need to decide ahead of time whose email marketing system you will use, and who will be able to email the list.
There’s no right or wrong way to do this, but both partners need to be clear ahead of time.
You can also do it in parts: your partner promotes your joint event to their list, then you promote another joint event to your list for them.
This works best when you have complimentary businesses as opposed to direct competition.
For example, a nutritionist and a fitness trainer would make great joint venture webinar partners.
It’s a good idea to do a few live calls or webinars on your own to get the hang of it before you reach out to partner with someone else.
The sky’s the limit for this list building activity, you could potentially partner with a few different business owners every month and deliver the same great webinar with minor tweaks for the different audience.
One way to make it worth the partner’s efforts is to sell a product live on the webinar and split the profits. Or you could reciprocate, and invite them to do a webinar for your email list if you have similarly sized lists.
The first step? Pick a date, get practicing, and tomorrow we’ll look at promoting your live online event!
Day 16: Make your event shareable
Now that you’ve decided to put on a live online event, it’s time to make it a massive list builder for you!
One of the big mistakes I made with my very first live call is that I scheduled it out one week in advance, which didn’t give me much time to promote it.
For the purposes of this challenge I’d recommend giving yourself 2 or 3 weeks, if not more time before you host a live online event.
This will give you time to set up your landing/opt-in page, secure any other guest teachers, and line up your promotional calendar.
Not to mention you’ll have time to prepare the best presentation possible, and practice before you go live!
Speaking of promoting your live tele/webinar – you’ll want to build in some social sharing.
On the thank you page for all of my webinars, I have a video and a link that asks people to share it.
This takes me a few extra minutes to set up each time, using the ClickToTweet.com website… and a few extra seconds for my attendees to share it, too.
But the benefits are massive: I get more subscribers and new people discover me every time I do a new live webinar or livestream.
Use the opt-in offer creation formula to create a specific title for your free live call, to make sure that your ideal customers are excited to join you!
Once you’ve set up your live event, make sure to invite your existing email subscribers and ask them to share it on their social media platforms. Chances are that their friends are also your ideal subscribers and customers.
Plus, when a friend recommends someone or something we’re a lot more likely to trust their recommendation. It’s very different from just seeing an ad on a website, because we put stock in our friends’ opinions.
So go ahead, add in a little social sharing to your opt-in offers!
Day 17: Build buzz using Facebook groups
Okay, so you’ve created a great opt-in offer, wrote a guest post, or put together an online event… but how do you get people to it? That can still be a mysterious process, but not for long.
Today we’re taking a look at how to build buzz for your new opt-in offer or live online event… by tapping into the networks that you’re already a part of.
Facebook groups are way more engaging than Facebook pages, and if you don’t belong to any yet then I recommend searching for some to join.
The best Facebook groups tend to be private groups where people have invested to be a part of the group through participating in a paid program.
That’s because the members are more committed and tend to engage more, so you’re not posting into a black hole.
A lot of people flub the “posting in a group” tip because they feel awkward when they’re posting and people can feel that.
Another common mistake is to post in a group that doesn’t allow links to your own stuff, or posting within a group that you haven’t built rapport with yet.
The natural inclination for most of us on Facebook and in groups is to stand back and read passively.
For this “strategy” to work, you need to be an active participant by answering other people’s questions, helping out, and being in good standing before you ever try to promote anything.
Another side benefit is that by being generally helpful, you don’t even need to promote yourself. Others will come to know you as the expert in a certain field and will often direct people to you even if you’re not in the group that day.
So pick a few groups you’d like to get better known in, and start being helpful! I say set yourself a 10-15 minute timer, so you don’t get sucked in or overwhelmed by social media… but you’re being focused and productively using your social time.
Day 18: Throw a social media party!
This suggestion is going to be short and sweet, because I want you in action!
Today we’re creating buzz on social media using the “party” concept.
You’ll often find that your business results (subscribers, sales, etc) increase as engagement with your brand increases.
That’s where hosting a social media chat party is so effective. Set a time and place (use a hashtag for Twitter or designate a Facebook page) and invite your existing audience to join you and ask questions.
Different ways of hosting a successful chat party include offering participation prizes, which could be as simple as an Amazon gift card or one hour of your services.
You can also invite other guest experts to chat with your audience if they would be a good draw.
As people join in the party, their friends and followers will see the activity in their feed, get curious, and follow you on your social media platform of choice.
From there, you’ll need to employ some of the other social media sharing tips to turn these new fans into subscribers. But you might find that people naturally gravitate to your website to check it out.
It helps to set an intention for a social media party, with a theme or the type of questions you’re willing to answer.
You can also leverage yesterday’s tip by posting about your free party in existing groups on social media. The people who see your post live will hop over, and you’ll gain new fans and followers a lot faster!
Day 19: Comment on blogs you follow
Today’s tip is something you could do on a regular basis, but let’s set aside some time to do it more strategically for about 10-15 minutes right now.
The concept is simple: you just leave thoughtful comments on the blogs that you follow.
This trick might seem a little too simplistic, but it’s how a lot of us long time bloggers got started building an audience back in day before social media really took off.
In fact, it still works like a charm today… and I can still trace new visitors and subscribers to sites that I’ve never guest posted on but where I left thoughtful comments.
My best advice for this one is to write genuine and valuable comments when you feel moved, and don’t over think this strategy.
But also don’t avoid commenting because you’re “too busy”, sometimes you find just the right people in someone else’s community.
Today, I want you to go back to your list of websites that your ideal customers and subscribers read and go back and comment on a few of those articles if you feel like you have something to add.
Another benefit of being active in the comments of other websites is that the author of those articles will get to know you.
I’ve met some of my frequent commenters at conferences and recognized them immediately, just because they took the time to comment regularly.
Because of that, I’m more likely to retweet them, comment on their blogs, and even refer clients to them.
Now get ready, and comment away!
Day 20: Schedule posts to your opt-in
We’re two thirds of the way through! You’re doing great, and I’m so proud of you for sticking to the 30 day list building plan.
Even if you haven’t taken action on all the steps so far, you’ve definitely made strides to grow your email list more than ever before.
Today we’re tackling a problem that creeps up for many of us… we get complacent with our existing opt-in offers. Admit it, if you’ve had the same freebie for awhile, you might be tired of talking about it.
But instead of reinventing the wheel, we’re going to send some love to something you might be bored with but that’s new to others!
The list building activity for today is one you can do on a regular basis, but you can also set it and forget it. My favorite type of list building activity!
All you have to do is schedule some regular posts to your Facebook page and Twitter account that points to your email opt-in offer and squeeze page.
This tip is a little more subtle, but it works the slow and steady way.
After you’ve created your opt-in offer and announced it to the world, you might think everyone who was going to sign up for it already has.
But on the social web, you’re constantly getting new followers and fans who have yet to hear about your super awesome opt-in offer.
That’s why scheduling a post that links back to your opt-in page on a regular basis is so important! You might be sick of it, but new people need to be told about it.
You can also use this as an opportunity to test out different headlines and see which ones convert better.
Go ahead, schedule some social media posts and watch your new fans turn into subscribers, too!
Day 21: Create “pinnable” visuals
Today’s list building tactic is all about going visual. You may have noticed the trend that everything visual is gaining more momentum.
Pinterest, Instagram, photos on Facebook…
They all get more traction, because we’re visual creatures.
So your task for today is to think up of more visual ways to share your message or point to your opt-in offer page.
It can be pictures you took on your phone, graphics you design or hire out on Fiverr.com, or infographics created with sites like Viraltag and Easel.ly…
Whatever you create, be sure it represents your brand visually, and make it easy for people to find you if your link gets lost.
That means putting your link at the bottom of pictures using a “water mark”, or pinning from a page that includes the photo so when people click on the pin they get taken back to your site.
Come up with a few ideas for graphics you can create today. You don’t need to spend hours creating an infographic, but if you have the idea for it then you might be able to hire it out fairly quickly!
You can also combine these graphics with posting in a Facebook group to help you stand out in a busy group feed.
For bonus points, consider using a hashtag on sites like Instagram and Pinterest, so when other people share it then it will bring people back to your other content, too.
The bottom line?
The web is getting more visual, so find a way to create beautiful graphics that highlight what you stand for… and have these link back to your site and opt-in offers. Get creative with quotes, pictures, and charts and watch what happens!
Let’s get visual and build your list!
Day 22: Create a wolf pack
I firmly believe that: “A rising tide lifts all boats.”
Today’s tip makes use of this premise, and it works like a charm to help you build your list.
This is a strategy that we could all get better at, and if you’ve never used it before… I think it’s especially important to be aware of it!
During my early blogging days I got to network with a group of ambitious bloggers, and we formed a “wolf pack” that commented and shared each other’s blog posts on a regular basis.
There weren’t any rules in the pack, the idea was just to support each other as we each built our platforms.
Whenever we had a particularly amazing post, we’d share it and ask if others would share it with their audiences or link to it on their blogs.
What ended up happening is that we grew together. As each of us gained more followers and subscribers, we were able to multiply our efforts.
You can absolutely do this with other entrepreneurs in complimentary fields, and help each other grow together.
Start with your existing online buddies, and look for others who have a similar set of shared values who would be a great addition to your social wolf pack.
Oh, and by the way, you don’t have to have a group that’s just in one field. It helps to have a few different types of content creators and business owners, as long as you’re all aligned in terms of values and ideal audiences.
Just remember that no one is obligated to share if they don’t resonate with the content, but if your group hits it off then you’ll all grow that much faster together!
Day 23: Hold an online contest using video
If you don’t have a whole lot of time to create new content, guest post, or do a live online event… then today’s short focused burst list building technique is going to rock your socks.
Today we’re talking about contests and giveaways!
When it comes to holding a super-shareable contest, I highly recommend using your blog and track the results manually, by having people share on social media using a special hashtag.
But right now I want to cover the principles of running a giveaway to grow your list, no matter what platform you use to host the contest.
Contests are an awesome way to grow your list because they help you reach an audience you may never had access to before: the friend network. You can increase your subscribers by as much as 50% if everyone brings in just one friend to your contest.
There are three main things that you need to set up right from the start to ensure your contest builds your list, and connects with the right people.
Today we’ll cover the first thing, and in the next two days we’ll explore the last two.
How To Create a Strong Premise and Connection With Video:
The premise of your contest is really important: how can you connect it to your overall business and offerings?
Is there a way that you can position the contest so that it serves your ideal customers at the same time as offering fun prizes?
Think of this in terms of training and education, on top of the concrete prizes.
Another important piece of the contest puzzle is the connection that you need to make with people who are brand new to you.
Because people will be sharing your contest with their friends, who may never have heard of you before, you need to set the tone and introduce yourself as someone trustworthy and likable.
There’s nothing quite like video to give people a glimpse into your personality, and to explain the premise of your contest with all the passion and excitement that you feel for it.
If you’re not able to create a short video for your contest, I recommend writing a strong headline and a list of bullet points that explain the prizes and who the contest is for.
That way, people who fall into your ideal client category can raise their hand and join your contest.
Today I want you to come up with a few ideas for contests you can run, and tomorrow we’ll talk about the best way to choose prizes.
Day 24: Choosing prizes for your contest
Yesterday we looked at why running a contest is a great way to grow your list, and how to communicate the premise of your contest.
Today we’re looking at principle #2 – Offering Targeted Prizes.
One of the most common mistakes that people make when creating a contest is choosing a prize that doesn’t fit with your company’s brand.
For example, a prize like an iPad or a computer is very appealing, but it’s so broad that you will end up getting a bunch of people on your email list who will unsubscribe as soon as the contest is over.
Since the point of putting together a contest is to build your email list with targeted prospects, you’ll do well to spend some time coming up with prizes that your audience wants… and that aren’t so broad that everyone and their mom will be entering.
One way to do that is by having smaller prizes that are on topic, like books or movies that relate to your field and market.
You could make your main prize one of your services or high end products, so people who are your fans can tell their friends how much they’ll enjoy winning your product, too.
You can also hint to your existing email list that you’re putting together a fun contest, and ask them what kind of prizes they’d most like to win.
People love to be involved in the decision making process, and it generally increases participation in the contest itself.
Another cool way to encourage sharing of your contest page, is to offer a prize for both the winner and the person who referred them!
Think about smaller prizes for the runner ups too, like books on topics that match your area of expertise.
Here’s another rebellious list building tip for you… if you’re planning a launch, you can use a contest to give away a scholarship in an upcoming program. It helps build excitement for the new program, and it doesn’t take you any more time to create!
Jot down some ideas for prizes, and ask a few of the people in your audience if they’d be excited to win them!
Tomorrow we’re going to look at the viral aspect of your contest.
Day 25: Getting your contest to go viral
We’re covering the third and possibly most important aspect of running a contest… how to get people to share it!
I thought that the best way to show you how a contest can help you spread the word is by sharing a quick case study of mine.
For this contest, participants were split evenly: half of them came from my existing email list or social media efforts, and the other half were referred by their friends.
This tells me that my efforts are essentially multiplied by two: every post, Facebook ad, or email I send out about the contest will net me one new subscriber per initial participant.
I have to admit that I really like this multiplied effort effect!
Running this contest also caused a spike in new Facebook fans and Twitter followers, as more people discover me through the contest.
One of the most important things you can do to make your contest reach more people is to make it easy to share.
Here is a blog post with some of the best contest and raffle platforms out there.
You want to give people options for how they’ll share the contest: sending a direct email to their friends, publishing a tweet or Facebook post, and pinning an image. Each one works well, but some people prefer to communicate with their friends through different channels.
The easier you can make each of these things, the better. If you want to keep your giveaway fair, you should track how many times people are sharing, too.
But if you’re not going to use any special software, you can leave determining the winners up to your discretion… and award brownie points for sharing.
That way, you’ll pick a winner with your gut, but people will still be encouraged to share liberally.
One final note about contests and giveaways is to make sure people are opting into your list to enter… sharing on social media alone should not qualify them to win. That’s where the list building magic really comes into play!
So now you know what the key elements of a successful social media contest are, it’s time to set a date and get one going!
Day 26: Publish a Kindle book
We’ve covered a lot of ground, and today we’re talking about a list building strategy that takes a different angle… it’s also one that you can use as part of a launch for a bigger program, and it helps boost your authority at the same time. Pretty cool, right?
Have you ever wanted to publish a book? I know it’s on many of our bucket lists, and with Amazon it’s even easier to do than ever. Plus, it’s a great list building tactic, if you do it right.
But first let’s take a look at how you’ll be able to write a whole book, if you’re already a busy business owner.
There are a few options, depending on how much content you’ve created in the past on your blog. Maybe you had an opt-in offer ebook that needs a little love and an update, that would make a great Kindle book.
Or, maybe you’ve got years of blogging archives that have lots of nuggets of wisdom that could be organized and added together to create a new work.
You could also have someone transcribe past interviews and course content you’ve developed… or use one of my favorite techniques for writing prolifically: recording audio and using software to transcribe it.
Another possibility is giving yourself just one week-end to get the book or report written, and hiring an editor to finalize it and make it sparkle.
The most important thing to keep in mind while writing your book is that you’ll want to give readers multiple opportunities to go back to your website and join your email list, like I’ve done in this book. Send them to your email opt-in offer, or create a specific offer just for readers of your book.
That’s where the list building comes from!
Once you have the content of your book ready, you’ll want to check out the Amazon Kindle program for instructions on uploading your book… and also SmashWords.com to distribute your book on other platforms, too.
From there, you have a few options and I recommend starting off with the KDP Select package (it’s free!), which means you’re giving amazon sole distribution rights.
This allows you to run a campaign for up to 5 days, where your book is available for free on the Amazon platform. In the past, this strategy on its own would be enough to get your book onto the top downloaded lists… but these days you need to seed the campaign with your own fans.
If you have an existing email list, make sure everyone on your list goes to download the book, and leaves a review. Also make sure to share that your book is free for the next few days on all your social media accounts, and ask people to help you spread the word.
The idea behind this is that your book will get more reviews, and will show up in lists like “customers who bought this also bought…”
Once your book goes back to the regular price, at .99 cents or more, you’ll see a slowing down of downloads and sales. But you can repeat the free campaign every 90 days for a spike in new fans and subscribers.
If this feels like a lot, this can be something you plan to do in the next 30 or 60 days to really ramp up your list building efforts!
Day 27: List building manifesto
We’re in the home stretch! After yesterday’s more in depth recommendation, I wanted to give you a little more encouragement to keep you in action and feeling like the list building rebel you are!
So here’s where I stand on list building:
I believe that the time to build an email list is before you need customers and clients.
I believe that your email subscriber list is one of the key metrics that determine your success in business, online.
I believe that email marketing is not just a numbers game, but rather incredible relationships that develop over time.
I believe every business can deliver value through email in advance to their potential customers.
I believe that list building is not a solitary job, it takes a village.
I believe that a great email opt-in offer will spread and grow your list further than anything else.
I believe that you have what it takes to reach your list building goals.
I believe that the message you have to share is so needed in our world.
I believe that your ideal subscribers and customers are out there, just waiting to discover you.
I believe that you’re on the right track, and I believe in you!
And if you’re feeling like you haven’t quite reached your list building goal this time around… here’s a great quote from the martial artist Bruce Lee:
“A goal is not always meant to be reached, it serves as something to aim for.”
I’ll see you tomorrow, this ain’t over until everyone gets their list building on!
Day 28: Let’s track what’s working
As we start to wind down from our 30 day plan, I want you to know that you’ve planted the seeds and likely already seen massive results in your business’ email list.
Today we’re taking stock and looking at what worked and what didn’t.
Where do you stand on this fine day number 28 of the challenge?
We’re going to take a quick look at your numbers to see if you’re primed to launch a program or product… or if your list needs a little more love before you move into the money making phase.
“Website analytics” is a term that strikes fear in the hearts of many (not you, of course— you’re a daring list building champ). No worries; in this video, I break this topic down for you and help it go down easy for everybody.
You can login to your Google Analytics account and take a look at your goals. Did you notice any trends, websites that sent particularly targeted visitors your way, or anything that worked better or worse than you expected?
Right now, we’re going to create a plan of action for future list building activities. This is going to become your very own list building guide, that’s unique to you and your business.
Because if you think about it, what works for one type of business or personality might not work for another.
I recommend creating this list building map as a spreadsheet, but you could make it any type of updatable document.
First, you’ll want to put the date of the activity you performed… like getting a guest post published, a podcast interview going live, a webinar scheduled, you name it. Beside the date, write down what the activity was.
Then enter the link to the content, so you can go back to it and analyze how the link back to your site was framed.
In the next column, put down how many visitors you got from this effort and in the following column how many subscribers.
Add one last column for notes, where you can write down what your observations are about this activity. If you thought it was easy and worthwhile, if you felt it should have done better, etc.
Then put on your thinking cap and look through the most effective activities. These are the ones you’ll want to repeat, so look at ways that you can increase their frequency or even automate them.
For example, a post on your Facebook page might have resulted in 10 new subscribers… so adding a similar post to your regular Facebook posting schedule is a great idea.
You might also notice that there were other activities that haven’t gotten you any results yet, because they haven’t gone live. This can happen when you’ve got an interview or guest post that’s scheduled out into the future.
Simply make it a habit to check this document once a month or more to see how you can improve these stats.
You’ll see that list building is a series of experiments that bring new and inspiring customers into your world.
Day 29: What happens after they join your list…
So far we’ve talked a lot about the list building part of the online business process, now it’s time to talk about what happens after somebody joins your e-mail list to turn them into a customer.
We’re going to talk about autoresponder series, sometimes called an automated follow-up sequence, depending on what email marketing system you use.
You know about and probably already send regular newsletters to your list. You know, those regular weekly or monthly e-mails that are sent to everyone who has joined someone’s list.
Newsletters are important touch points to provide value to the people on your list and also just stay in touch and make sure that people remember who you are when they are ready to sign up for your services or products.
But an autoresponder series works like a charm to build that relationship early on after somebody joins your e-mail list.
There are many different ways to set up an autoresponder series, some that will build a great relationship with your customer, and others that will just annoy them.
What you want to aim for, especially if you have products or services that people can purchase on an ongoing basis, is to set up a sequence that gets people to buy your offerings.
Usually when I talk about this topic, people feel resistance to selling via email because they don’t want to send a bunch of promotional e-mails to their list and ruin their chances with this new subscriber.
However, following up early and often after somebody joins your list is really important because that’s when the person is the most interested in your topic area, and usually when they’re most eagerly looking for a solution to a problem.
My approach to writing autoresponder series is not to have a bunch of e-mails that are just pitches.
In fact, I think that every email that you send should have a valuable piece of content in it, even if the goal of the e-mail is to sell something.
Different people will take this concept and implement it differently, and that’s great.
Here are my top tips for writing an autoresponder series that will train people to start opening your e-mails every time they get them in their inbox… and how make this a sequence that gets people to open up their wallets.
The most important thing you can do to make sure your autoresponder series is a valuable and successful one is to start with the story in mind.
If you think about it, a series of e-mails is a lot like a series of television shows.
You want each email to build upon the previous one, and to include cliffhangers so that people are looking forward to your next e-mail in the series.
How can you write emails so people feel like they’re watching their favorite TV show that they just can’t wait to watch every week?
Usually a show will have an over-arching story that keeps you hooked from episode to episode, or in this case e-mail to e-mail.
And on top of that, each episode has its own beginning, middle, and end with a self-contained take-away.
What this does is give people some satisfaction every time they read an e-mail from you, because they get a piece of great actionable content, and it also assuages some of the curiosity from the overall story, too.
Here’s an example of an e-mail sequence that you might build up:
1. Start out with the story of how you got to where you are today and why you started the business that you have. Everyone is curious and wants to know the back story, especially if they’re interested in your business, working with you, or buying your products.
2. Next, you’ll want to go into something that is super actionable, and preferably ends with a cliffhanger so that the next piece of content in the e-mail series will quench someone’s thirst for knowledge.
For example, if you have a process that has three steps, you can have three different e-mails that go into each of the three steps, and why they are so important to someone’s success with your method.
3. Another email I like to include in this series should contain a case study of somebody who has gone through your process and experienced great results.
This is helpful because most of the time people are very skeptical and want to know if your process is going to work for them or not, so showing an example is a great way to alleviate some of those reservations.
4. The last email in the series is the only one where we actually make a pitch.
This is the e-mail where we tell people about the product or service and tell them how to buy it. It’s where we ask the reader to make that investment.
You’ll notice that none of the other e-mails were pitching, or asking people to buy your program, they were simply educating and delivering value.
This last e-mail is timed perfectly to take advantage of the reciprocity you’ve built by giving away great content… before asking for anything in return.
5. To increase conversions, you can add another e-mail after the last one that reminds people about your offer, and gives them a deadline to sign up for your product or service.
People are busy and it’s easy for us to put off making decisions, so giving them an incentive to make a decision is a really important part of the sales process.
That’s it!
Writing an e-mail autoresponder series is as simple as that. From there, you’ll want to track what emails are getting opened and whether your pitch email is converting or not. You may want to go back and make improvements over time as you learn more about what people want to buy from you and how they interact with you and your brand.
This email autoresponder should get you off to a good start, and the good thing is that you don’t have to manually contact each new subscriber… it’s all done for you.
Day 30: Celebrate and repeat!
You did it! Congratulations!