6 Ways to Catch More Opt-ins Than Ever Before

Remember that when you have new visitors at your website, your #1 goal is to get them on your ezine list! That way you have permission to contact them again and again, educating them about your helpful services and products that they came to learn more about.

But you can't just put up a link that says "free newsletter". No one cares! You need to carefully craft an opt-in box that works like a big net, catching the exact type of "fish" you want as your ideal clients and customers.

Also remember, don't hide your box at the bottom of your web pages. Right now, most testing shows that the best place for your opt-in box is the upper right corner... loud and proud!

Here are six simple things you should have in your opt-in box that will help you get more signups than ever before.

1) An Attention-Getting HEADLINE

Remember that online readers SKIM copy - they don't read it word for word. So the headline in your opt-in box may be the ONLY thing they read, which determines whether they sign up or not. So don't waste this space saying something like "Free Newsletter" or even worse... "Sign up for our mailing list." Ugh! Instead, tell me the MOST exciting thing your ezine will give me!

Examples: "Are You Ready to Blast Off Your SALES This Year?" "FINALLY: Learn How to Keep That Weight Off For Good" "Insider Secrets to Writing Novels for Big Bucks"

2) A Raving Description of Your Ezine

Work hard at putting together a description of your ezine that gets prospects excited to sign up! Remember they're tuned into station WIIFM ("What's In It For ME?"). Tell them what your information is going to DO for them as well as everything they GET. Examples: How-to articles, quick and easy tips, free resources, insider secrets. Aim for your description to be between 15 and 30 words.

3) A Field to Enter Their FIRST NAME.

Getting people's names along with their e-mails allows you to personalize your ezine for them. For example, if I was on your list, your e-mail would come to me saying, "Dear Ali..." The subject line could even say, "Ali, here's your free tip". Why do you want to do this? Studies prove that having the recipient's name in the subject line of your e-mails can increase your open rates by 60%!

The problem is, many people value their privacy and are hesitant to give you their full name. For this reason, just ask for their FIRST name. It's been proven that you'll get MORE names from people if you only ask for the first name. (And their first name is generally all you'll need anyway.)

4) A Field to Enter Their Primary EMAIL ADDRESS.

Many people have a backup or personal e-mail address that they use just for receiving newsletters and promotions. The problem is they are often from free e-mail services like Yahoo or Hotmail. These services filter e-mail like crazy, and their mailboxes fill up quickly, so there's a good chance your e-mails won't even reach these recipients.

The solution is, simply ask for their primary e-mail. It's amazing, but simply ASKING them to enter their primary e-mail will get you more quality e-mails on your list! (You'll also get less bounce-backs from undeliverable e-mails. If you get too many of those, it raises a red flag to some spam filter programs.)

5) A BUTTON That Says "Subscribe" or "Sign Me Up Now"

Make it very clear what they should click on to activate their subscription once they type in their name and email. Don't use something confusing like a link that says "submit form".

6) Your PRIVACY POLICY, right then and there.

Everyone's scared to receive more spam these days, so put your prospects at ease. Don't make them wonder what you're going to do with their e-mail addresses. State right next to or below your opt-in form what your policy is. Mine is, "We will never sell, rent, trade, or share your e-mail with any other organization." (Feel free to use that yourself.) DON'T make people click on a link to read your privacy policy - it looks like you have something to hide. In fact, in some U.S. states, it's now required that you state your privacy policy right at the point of opt-in, so it's a good idea no matter where you do business.

Want to See a Sample of This in Action?

If you'd like to see many of these components in action, see my pop-under box at www.ezinequeen.com/popup.htm.

And if you'd like MORE step-by-step instructions on how to get more signups at your website (and beyond) and build your list bigger than ever before, see my SPECIAL REPORT: "101 Simple, FREE and Low-Cost Ways to Quickly Build a Massive EMAIL LIST", which you can learn more about here.

� 2005 Alexandria K. Brown

Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen," is creator of the award-winning 'Boost Business With Your Own E-zine' system. To learn more about this step-by-step program, and to sign up for her FREE how-to articles and FREE audio class, visit http://www.EzineQueen.com

---

5 Ways to Make More Money With Your E-zine

Have you been publishing an e-mail newsletter for at least... Read More

Email Newsletters: The Header

Managing Subscriber addresses: At the top of your email message... Read More

Where And How To Get Information For Your Newsletter And Ezines

With the rapid expansion and diversion of commerce, manufacturers, career... Read More

Newsletters ? Keeping Your Customers Informed

Many businesses use email newsletters to introduce themselves to new... Read More

WHOOPS -- There Goes My List! (Are You Backing Up YOUR Biggest Asset?)

Have you ever accidentally lost an important file on your... Read More

7 Ways to Self-Promote Within Your E-zine

We all know that an e-zine won't attract and keep... Read More

10 Tips For Ezine Publishers

1. Many Ezine Publishers use too many styles of separatorin... Read More

What Ive Learned From My Subscribers

As editor/publisher of Book Promotion Newsletter, I am fortunate in... Read More

5 Essential Online Tools for Writers and Publishers

Writing a newsletter or article can be very time consuming.First,... Read More

10 Winning Ezine Publishing Tips

1. Share your personality with your subscribers. Your subscribers are... Read More

Explode Your Business

You can make a decent income selling products and services... Read More

Location, Location, Location

The first thing you should consider in advertising is the... Read More

21 Questions to Ask Any List Service Before You Sign on With Them

If you publish an e-mail newsletter, or "e-zine," you'll need... Read More

An Embarrassment of Riches - Part I

The Internet is too rich. Even powerful and sophisticated search... Read More

How To Develope Content For Your Ezine Without Having To Write Your Own Articles

Do you struggle with creating content for your ezine? You... Read More

Why Arent You Using CGI?

The very name CGI used to send chills up my... Read More

Is It a Newsletter or Just One More Commercial?

When I purchased my very first computer, not too long... Read More

Plagiarism on the High Seas

More and more companies are finding the value in informational... Read More

3 Things You Need to Do to Turn Net Information into Cash

Although we are in the information age, very few people... Read More

What Makes An Ezine Worth Reading?

What makes your ezine hot stuff? With literally thousands of... Read More

E-zine Promotion: 10 Smart Reasons To Charge A Fee For Your E-zine

You publish an e-zine, you may consider to start charging... Read More

Some Things I Have Learned About the Exciting World of Ezines

1. Don't ever stop advertising for new subscribers.I know this... Read More

7 Ways You Can Make a Huge Impression With Your Ezine Welcome Message

Many times I receive a Welcome Message from someone after... Read More

Finding the GOLD with Ezines and Google!

HiHow'd you go with your product search?Here's another way to... Read More

Getting Subscribers For Your Newsletter Is As Simple As This...

Having a newsletter is one thing but how many subscribers... Read More

5 Tips for Catching Errors in Your Manuscript

What is your worse fear as a self-publishing writer? For... Read More

How To Use Viral Marketing To Grow Your Opt In Email List

If you have read my article called "What is Viral... Read More

What Every Ezine Owner Should Know About Unsold Ad Space

The deadline approaches and your ad STILL has not sold.... Read More

How To Write Effective Ezine Ads... And Then Some

When writing an ezine ad, there is a big mistake... Read More

Good News About Getting Published

So you want to get a book published and add... Read More

Does Your Subject Line Do the Job?

It's proven that the FROM field of your emails is... Read More

How to Make Your eZine Work for You Long After Its Published

If you publish an email newsletter, do you convert the... Read More

Print On Demand Questions

Print on demand (POD), a cross between self-publishing and digital... Read More