How Do I Start A List?

How to Get Started Building a List

Merely inserting someplace where email addresses can be gathered and collected is already a first step towards building a list.

In general, there are two choices that you’ll be faced with when deciding exactly how and where you’re going to be gathering emails:

1. Creating an Opt-in Page

Amongst those who are honestly going all-out to build up a list, this is the most commonly employed method, simply because of its effectiveness.

By creating a separate opt-in page, all the attention on that page can be focused completely on the singular goal of getting a customer to subscribe to the list.

The best opt-in pages are those that have no ‘extras’ that may distract from the goal, and so normal advertisements and other links (except at least one leading back to the main website) are removed.  These are commonly known as "squeeze pages."

Really, it is sort of like plugging up all the ‘leaks’ so that everything just flows towards gathering up emails. Also, having a distinct opt-in page would allow traffic to be channeled directly to it, maybe even bypassing the main website entirely.

By doing so, the possibility that visitors will be distracted on the way to the opt-in page is removed as well. Thus, the opt-in page gives the customer a two-way decision: to subscribe or not to subscribe (with everything possible being done to ensure that the former option is picked!).

Remember: With an opt-in page, your form should always be ‘above the fold’ (so that visitors will not need to scroll down to see it).

2. Adding an Opt-in Form to the Main Website

Definitely less effective under normal circumstances, it is still an option that could be considered.

In some websites, especially blogs, which may not want to have their traffic leaving the main website to go off to a separate opt-in page, having the form as part of an easily located sidebar could even work just as well.

Of course, doing so does not have the added benefits of removing all other distractions from the equation, but it is still better than nothing.