I get (around) 2,000 opt-in (email sign ups) per month. These 3 tips are simple and even you can do it!

I read someone is ‘’walking away from email marketing’’ this morning. And to me that sounds crazy-pants. To be fair, that person doesn’t have (or want) an online business.

But I do want an online business. And in modern-day business (any business) there is online aspects – website, Facebook, etc. There is no getting away from it.

I have been in this business game for a while and I’ve made a (fair) few mistakes. One was not starting my email list sooner.

My email list (mailing list or subscribers) are the business foundational building block. I send out email newsletters … and THAT allowed me to quit my day job, retire my boyfriend from his job, pays the mortgage and fully supports my family.

Honestly, that would NOT have happened without my email list. It is like GOLD.

Related article: How do you Know What to Sell & When? 8 Steps to Selling Your Idea

Here is how I get 2,000+ opt-ins (email subscribers) per month

#1 FREE STUFF

I have a ‘Free Stuff’ section on my (Angel Foods) website, which is on the menu. Similar to a ‘resource library’, where people can find a collection of freebies in one place, listed in categories, under free stuff.

Free Stuff page is one of the most popular pages visited on my website, due to the great title and that it is prominent on the website (again, on the menu).

When in Facebook groups where my target market hangs out, I also link to the freebies page to drive even more traffic and more sign-ups.

Related article: How to Start an Email Newsletter & Make Sales Through Emails.

#2 OPT-INS

Or otherwise known as landing pages or sign up pages.

The very first thing I did on my website back in 2012, added an opt-in. I had heard that ‘the money is in the list’ and felt like it was good advice (it was and still is!)

I offered a freebie PDF thing in exchange for an email address. I put on my homepage, footer, the bottom of the blog, widget sidebar and pop up opt-in. These converted at 2% or less (of people who saw the opt-in.)

In the next 12-18 months, I was getting 300 opt-ins per month. I created more freebies (opt-ins). I switched ESP (email service provider – to ConvertKit) and could create an opt-in in 2 minutes flat (I’m not kidding). I now have dozens of opt-ins and freebie offerings.

Related article: Ultimate Guide to Opt-Ins (What, When & How to Get on Website)

#3 CONTENT UPGRADES

Blog-specific opt-ins.

When I swapped to ConvertKit in early 2016, I had heard how easy (and effective) it was to create an opt-in per blog post. For example, a Red Velvet Cake Recipe and the opt-in was a PDF of the recipe, sign up with an email address to get it straight to the inbox.

I can create a content upgrade (PDF, opt-in, email) in 10 minutes flat using ConvertKit.

I had a fair few blog post, by that time, so I started with my top 5 most popular blog posts, according to Google Analytics. And creating those content upgrades. Then worked through to the top 10 (and so on and so forth).

Every new blog post moving forward got a content upgrade, too (well, over 80% did. Sometimes I got lazy! :P)

The content upgrades converted at 10-40%! Yes, fewer people hit the blog post, but they are far FAR more likely to sign up because that freebie was EXACTLY what they wanted!

Pretty much rocked my cotton socks off.