You're all set to start building your mailing list, knowing that it's one of the most important assets for your business.
There's just one little issue...
...what the heck should you create as an opt-in bribe?
If you're serious about building your list "subscribe to my newsletter" isn't going to cut it, but neither is some generic, boring free report.
So what exactly does an excellent opt-in page look like? Read on to find out...
It's publish-time again. You can feel the dread of the deadline approaching.
Consistently pumping quality articles to meet the endless demand of your content hungry audience can be stressful at best.
Thankfully, there's an article format that's quick to write and can result in massive engagement when done properly: the list post.
What is a list post, you may ask: any article built around a list of points is called a list post, or a listicle. Content writers all over the internet have adapted it as their go-to format.
Regardless of your niche, this type of article allows you to write quick content that can drive a ton of traffic to your website. It's quick to write, it's fun to read, and a properly executed list post has great potential to go viral.
Except they rarely do.
Most list posts out there end up as useless filler that no one ever talks about.
Let's make sure you don't become one of them. Let's make sure you can write amazing list posts quickly and every time.
Be honest.
How often have you backed out of an article because it looks like a cluttered mess?
You know, when you face a huge wall of text or a page that looks unprofessional, arduous to read or just plain boring?
Then you bounce back to Facebook or whatever tab you were browsing before.
It’s understandable - nobody wants to trudge through a swamp of ugly content.
But here’s the real scary part: what if your readers feel the same when they browse YOUR content?
Great visual design is imperative to keep today's attention deficit users interested.
Luckily, you don’t need to be an artist or have a team of designers at your disposal to create beautiful web content quickly and consistently.
Let's talk about that...
Sales emails. Ugh.
You're just becoming accustomed to sending newsletters to your subscribers, and now you should start bombarding them with sales messages? The mere thought makes you feel like a sleazy second hand car salesman.
"Yes Sir, this car was driven by my grandma once a week to the church and back!"
Yeah right.
You don't want to treat people that way, least of all your customers!
Yet, with the insanely high ROI sales emails promise, you know your business needs to leverage them.
Could there be a way to sell through email without giving up your principles? Why does selling feel so dirty in the first place?
Let's talk about that.
Lucky Louie at the breakfast table.
Here's Louis CK, trying to explain to his daughter that she can't play outside at 5 AM. Poor Louis (or Louie) is thrust into an existential crisis through the kid's relentless questioning.
Have you ever been in this situation? You're bombarded with inane questions, stuck in a loop that will lead nowhere, but you just can't stop answering?
Why is that?
Questions act as a psychological irritant, causing the grey cells in your brain to spike up into a neurological hoedown. You almost feel like you owe an answer.
You can use this powerful trigger to engage your audience. Ask questions and they will instinctively interact with you.
The best way to ask questions on your website is through a quiz.
Let’s see how you can quiz your visitors to increase engagement in a fun way!
Be honest. Do you REALLY know how a landing page can help your business?
Sure, it's a great weapon to have in your marketing arsenal. With resources like Thrive University, it's easy to find ways to become a better marketer using landing pages.
But... what if you're not a marketer?
What if you're a guitar teacher or dance instructor? Why should you care about landing pages in the first place?
These seem to be questions no one has bothered to answer before.
The truth is - you absolutely need landing pages, regardless of what your business is.
Creating content can be an exercise in frustration, futility and counting gray hairs.
After weeks of non-stop sweating and pressure, you click on publish and ... nothing happens. Little to no visitors or subscribers.
So you try again and again, always with severely underwhelming results.
This is not what you signed up for. You're spending all this effort and have nothing to show for it.
If that sounds familiar, you might have a problem with your content marketing.
We've created the From Internet Rubbish to Content Marketing Gold course, to change that.
Be honest - you want to hit it big and make headlines everywhere.
You want to go from zero to massive income, achieve ludicrous subcriber counts in no time, be part of wildly profitable product launches... It's the classic hero-story and you want to be part of it.
Yet, your every attempt always seems to leave you stuck in the little league.
You're constantly dabbling in the same fields as these big hitters, but the hero high note of massive success always seems to be just out of reach.
Why is that? Are some people simply destined for greatness?
Recently I heard Penn Gillette, the bombastic larger half of the Penn&Teller illusionist-duo, guest speaking on the Art of Charm podcast. He made me realize why some people will never achieve greatness, and some will achieve it every time they try.
And because it's Penn Gillette, the answer comes in the form of an illusion.
Hold on tight.
If you've read my stuff, you know I write longhand. I want to provide you with original and useful articles. It's well worth your time to read this article, but don't take my word for it - here's Andrew:
Shane,
Great topic, as I think this is a **very** common dilemma with many businesses!
And, another great breakdown and analysis + solutions. It's so helpful to have optional soltuions because nothing is ever "one size fits all!" ;-) For me personally, I different readers (prospects) coming in for different solutions, like you've described here, and the "self-segmentation" is brilliant!. I've been planning on doing that but wasn't sure how to direct them from the Home page, so this website review is perfectly timed for me!
BTW...I'm a fan for life! Whenever I get a Thrive email, I feel like it's another gift I can't wait to open...and you always deliver! ✨
Thanks!
Thanks Jay for the wonderful example websites! Always great to see 'real-world' examples in articles written to help others complete a difficult task.
Great information and very useful to me.
Without sounding so repetitive, Thrive Themes has been one of my most precious and secret weapons in my marketing business.
The product is great and the free marketing lessons that comes with it, is simply unbelievable.
Thank you Shane. You, Hanna, and the rest of the crew are at the top list of people I respect in this business.
Testimonials can turn your most skeptical visitor into a subscriber.
They can turn you from complete unknown into trusted authority in seconds.
They can transform a quiet webpage into a festival of conversion.
Admit it.
You’ve caught yourself hypnotically staring at those late night infomercials thinking, “Yes, I actually do need a new set of couch pillow pluffies.”
You really don’t, and you know it.
Still, there’s just something so incredibly alluring about the way the commercial runs. Something so strong you almost reach out for your phone and dial in.
Dial in before the offer runs out!
What causes this compelling urge? Why does your brain want to buy the damn couch pillow pluffie so badly?
Truth is - your brain doesn't care about the pluffie. Your brain took an unexpected mental shortcut.
It's not broken, don't worry!
Let me show you how these mental shortcuts work, and why they lead to irrational behaviour.
