Why You Need an Opt-In List by Liz Canham

You need an opt-in list because it is very rare to sell to someone first time from your website. So, say you send out a great advertisement and you get hundreds of visitors to your website. It is most unlikely that any of those visitors will make a purchase or join your affiliate programme straight off. They will maybe want to think about it. It may look complex and they don’t have time to look right now. They may not have the money at this minute. By the time they do have the time and/or the money to investigate your product or programme further, they may have lost the url. They may even forget about it altogether. If you don’t have their email address, you don’t even know who those people are. If they forget your website address, there is no way you can remind them. There is no way you can tell them about your special offer. THAT is why your MUST capture their email address. Once you have that, you can tell them about your products and programmes until such time as they buy from you or unsubscribe from your list.
OK, now we’ll talk about what you might be able to offer in exchange for someone’s email address. Generally, information of some kind is the easiest thing to offer. It might be a newsletter like this one, a training course, an e-book, etc. Even if you think you are too new to the internet to know enough to teach others, there will always be people out there who know less than you do.

Before you start capturing your subscribers, you need to have planned and set up the content of your newsletter or whatever. For example, you will need to write or identify articles of interest. If you are going to use other people’s articles, do so with care. Always show their name as the author. If they request a courtesy copy of your publication, always provide it. If they request that you include a link to their website or subscription form, include it. If you fail to do these things, it will cause you trouble in the long run and may ruin your reputation on the internet.

When you email your newsletter, use your own name in the “From” box. Don’t be smart and make something up or hide behind a company name. Don’t forget you’re trying to help these people so that they will come to trust you and buy from you.