How Do You Rank All The Different Ways of List Building Based on Your Niche?
I received this question a few days ago from one of my subscribers and thought that it was so relevant that I decided to publish my answer here.
I want to say first of all that I believe that there are a few core methods or ways of list building; in fact, I think that there is really only one core method of list building, with perhaps a few variants.
I can see that it might be easy to think that you might build a list of subscribers who would be interested in tangible products in a different way than you might build a list of subscribers, who might be interested in a digital product. I can also see that it might be easy to think that you might build a list of subscribers who would be interested in something to purchase in a different way than you might build a list of nonprofit subscribers, for example.
However, based on my experience with list building, and building several lists, and studying the list building arena online, I have come to the conclusion that there is one basic core model that works consistently time in and time out.
This basic core model involves creating a squeeze page, or a web landing page (the webpage where your visitors go first when they get to your website the first time), and funneling all of your Web traffic to this squeeze page. A squeeze page is named this, because it is designed to “squeeze” a visitor into becoming a subscriber.
A squeeze page’s only purpose is to convince visitors to opt in to the e-mail list. The easiest way to do this, is to offer a free gift of some kind, preferably one relative or related to the particular niche.
Once someone opts in to the e-mail list, then they are directed to the various other parts of the website.
I know that this probably sounds overly simple. However list building is extremely simple. The key element is a squeeze page. You must use a squeeze page to be optimally effective at list building, no matter the niche.
