Create Your Lead Magnet
Once your ESP is set up, you need to get people to subscribe to your list. You need a hook. In other words, a reason or incentive for readers to sign up for your list.
Besides the actual effort of setting up your ESP, I think this is the thing that stops most people from progressing. But it doesn’t have to be!
Here are some examples of lead magnets:
The goal is to
Let’s expand on those goals:
1) Simple Offer – Your offer must be simple to express since you must instantly attract your reader's attention. However, don't choose brevity over advantages. Make sure your offer conveys not only the WHAT but also the WHY to your readers. If you provide many perks for joining your list, consider combining your offer into a single hook or focusing on the most essential and tempting value to highlight in the headline.
2) Deliver What You Promise – Collecting email addresses in return for something and then failing to provide that product is the quickest way to lose credibility. If you promise a checklist or an ebook, make it available straight away via an automatic email responder (that you set up in your ESP). If you promise weekly newsletters, don't disappear for months at a time. If you promise to send new blog entries through email, make sure you follow through or put up a system to automate this process (RSS feed). In a word, only make promises you intend to keep.
3) Work With What You've Got – To begin growing subscribers, you don't need to publish an ebook, a checklist, or a 7-part video series. When you see other people doing something, it's because they're working with what THEY have. You must deal with what YOU have right now. If all you have to give is a subscription to your new postings, do so with enthusiasm, passion, and fire. No one will be interested in joining your list if you aren't!
I believe #3 is very crucial to consider right now, especially if you're just starting off. You can always improve your lead magnet later. I'm confident you will as your blog grows.
I keep my major hook as basic as possible - "subscribe to my weekly newsletter" - because it's something I know I can provide... and I do it every Tuesday without fail. The advantage is that I'm building an engaged list of subscribers who want to receive my email since that's why they signed up. My typical open rate is between 36 and 45%! The disadvantage is that my list growth is likely to be slower than that of those who offer larger incentives. I do have additional lead magnets that I don't push nearly as much.
This works for me though. I'm in it for the long haul and like connecting with my subscribers one-on-one. My welcome email concludes with questions for my new subscribers. Plus I invite them to introduce themselves by hitting respond. Their responses are delivered directly to my Inbox, where I read and reply to them all.
Besides the actual effort of setting up your ESP, I think this is the thing that stops most people from progressing. But it doesn’t have to be!
Here are some examples of lead magnets:
- Subscribe to my new posts/videos
- Downloadable/ printable checklists
- eBooks
- Enter our giveaway
- Join the club for XYZ benefits
- Get a discount on XYZ
- Follow along with our travels (yes it can be as simple as this at first)
The goal is to
- Create a simple offer (easy to communicate).
- Deliver what you promise.
- Work with what you've got.
Let’s expand on those goals:
1) Simple Offer – Your offer must be simple to express since you must instantly attract your reader's attention. However, don't choose brevity over advantages. Make sure your offer conveys not only the WHAT but also the WHY to your readers. If you provide many perks for joining your list, consider combining your offer into a single hook or focusing on the most essential and tempting value to highlight in the headline.
2) Deliver What You Promise – Collecting email addresses in return for something and then failing to provide that product is the quickest way to lose credibility. If you promise a checklist or an ebook, make it available straight away via an automatic email responder (that you set up in your ESP). If you promise weekly newsletters, don't disappear for months at a time. If you promise to send new blog entries through email, make sure you follow through or put up a system to automate this process (RSS feed). In a word, only make promises you intend to keep.
3) Work With What You've Got – To begin growing subscribers, you don't need to publish an ebook, a checklist, or a 7-part video series. When you see other people doing something, it's because they're working with what THEY have. You must deal with what YOU have right now. If all you have to give is a subscription to your new postings, do so with enthusiasm, passion, and fire. No one will be interested in joining your list if you aren't!
I believe #3 is very crucial to consider right now, especially if you're just starting off. You can always improve your lead magnet later. I'm confident you will as your blog grows.
I keep my major hook as basic as possible - "subscribe to my weekly newsletter" - because it's something I know I can provide... and I do it every Tuesday without fail. The advantage is that I'm building an engaged list of subscribers who want to receive my email since that's why they signed up. My typical open rate is between 36 and 45%! The disadvantage is that my list growth is likely to be slower than that of those who offer larger incentives. I do have additional lead magnets that I don't push nearly as much.
This works for me though. I'm in it for the long haul and like connecting with my subscribers one-on-one. My welcome email concludes with questions for my new subscribers. Plus I invite them to introduce themselves by hitting respond. Their responses are delivered directly to my Inbox, where I read and reply to them all.