Build Your Email List with Relevant Content

Visit any major city, and you’re likely to be met with street vendors who are trying to peddle their wares…likely at a price that is…well you wouldn’t pay Porche prices for a Ford Fiesta.

When my wife and I were on our honeymoon, we were constantly approached by these folks, some of whom were just begging, some who has these fast talking presentations to try to trick you into paying for a trinket. 

Get Buy-in with Relevance

In the 2 weeks we were traveling, I bought something twice:

1. One was a rose on the first night, at dinner. The guy was in the right place (on purpose), and targeted the right guy: a young man in love, probably on his honeymoon.
2. The other was 2 ponchos from a guy who seamlessly switched to selling them from water as it started raining. He solved an immediate problem I had.

How this Helps Build Your List

“Build your email list” is something I constant tell students, coaching clients, and anyone else who will list. But when you try to build your list, you can’t just “yell” at people to sign up. Email addresses are basically treated as currency these days.

You need to show you can provide value. Instead of saying, “hey join my mailing list,” you do what the vendors from above do:

1. Be in the right place at the right time by offering helpful content. Create your content and put it out there for people to find (with some SEO help).
2. Solve an immediate problem. If your target audience is having trouble keeping their WordPress sites secure, offer a security checklist they can opt-in for.

Coming Up with Good Content

If you want all of my tips for coming up with good content,this post has you covered. But here’s the gist:

1. Find a place to log everything
2. Triage those ideas regularly and create a content schedule.
3. Put time on your calendar to create content
4. Batch your content so you’re not constantly feeling behind.

Then you create a content upgrade that’s relevant to the post. I don’t think you need a new upgrade for every post, but I try to keep it to certain categories (1 optin for podcast content, 1 optin for productivity, etc).

The more relevant the upgrade, the more likely a reader is to turn into a subscriber!

Do What Works Best For You

One more tip: Not everything has to be epic. The more you create, the easier ideas flow. So start with some low hanging fruit, repuprose it, and build from there. 

Offer actionable advice, tell a good story, and solve a problem. Show people you can add value to their lives and they’ll gladly join your mailing list.