You Can’t Build Your List Without *This*

If you’re like most of the coaches I work with, you’re eager to grow your list more rapidly.

Having a good-sized list that grows steadily month after month means that you will always have people to whom you can promote your programs and services to. And that’s a powerful thing. In fact, it will transform your business and your revenue!

While there’s a lot that goes into growing your list, there’s ONE vital thing you MUST have…

You must have a COMPELLING free gift.

Why is this vital?

Without a free gift, there’s nothing to entice someone to give you their email address.

Your free opt-in gift is basically a bribe – something you’re offering in exchange for their email address. (The message of “join my list” or “receive my free newsletter” is simply not captivating enough.)

But you don’t just want any old free gift. You want (actually need) it to be compelling.

We’re all overloaded with emails and information. There’s so much “noise” out there. So, it’s important that your free gift is irresistible to your ideal clients.

If it’s not irresistible, the bribe won’t work. People won’t opt-in. And your list won’t grow – or it will grow very slowly.

How to create a free gift that is compelling

Address your audience’s main pain point.

What is it that your audience cares about MOST?

There may be many things you help clients with, but zero in on the main reason they invest in working with you. There’s usually one big pain point that motivates them to contact you and then give you their credit card information.

Have your free gift address this pain point.

A few possible pain points are weight, fatigue, a chronic illness or condition, pain, and infertility.

Make the free gift specific

Rather than being general (like “10 steps to______”), your free gift will be more compelling if it provides a very specific solution to a specific audience.

It’s ideal if it promises one big thing – a magic bullet.

So instead of “7 steps”, give the #1 most powerful step. (I have to credit this idea to Ryan Deiss of Digital Marketer.)

To drive this point home, think about what would be enticing for you…

Let’s say that you’ve experienced painful menstrual cycles for months (or even years). Your cycle is so painful on first the two days of your period, that you can’t get out of bed. In this case, would you want to know 10 ways to alleviate your pain? Or, would you prefer the #1 most powerful tip for alleviating your pain? I’m guessing the latter.

We often feel that we have to provide a lot of content in order to prove ourselves, but people actually love LESS content.

When you’re struggling with a problem, you usually don’t have the time, patience, or energy to test out lots of possible solutions. You want guidance on what will help you the MOST.

I’m not suggesting that you’re going to solve all your new subscribers’ problems with one strategy or tip. I’m merely recommending that this is great content for a free gift, because it’s the perfect starting point.

Make it easy to implement

Make the strategies or suggestion(s) you share in your free gift easy to implement. This will make it more likely that your new subscribers will actually do what you suggest. And, in turn, they will start to see results and credit you for helping them!

This will build trust and credibility and make them more likely to sign up to work with you.

Even if they don’t implement your suggestions, they will experience your coaching and teaching style by reading your free gift. If they see that you’re someone who makes things simple and easy, that will also make them more likely to sign up to work with you.

What format is best for your free gift?

The most common format for a free gift is a PDF. This could be a cheat sheet, ebook, guide, blueprint, or free report. To create a PDF, you simply create your free gift in a Word document or in Pages, and then save it as a PDF.

I favor free gifts that are in the form of a PDF because it’s quick and easy for me to read/consume. I get immediate gratification. That said, there are situations where an email series (such as a 7 Day Challenge) or a video series also make excellent free gifts.

 
Now I’d love to hear from you!
Do you have a compelling free gift already created? Share it below! If you’re working on a free gift (or re-working an existing one) share your ideas about your free gift.