How To Grow Your List With Every
Blog Post

You know how important free gifts or opt-ins are for growing your email list. People are bombarded with “Join my newsletter” pop-ups everyday and your free gift helps you stand out from the crowd.

When you provide something valuable, people are happy to hand over their email address in exchange.

Of course, not everyone who comes to your website will be convinced to opt-in to your list.

For example, if someone finds your blog post on healthy breakfast bowl recipes on social media, they may not be interested in your free opt-in about cutting sugar. It doesn’t mean they wouldn’t find it interesting or helpful, it just means they’re not thinking about that particular topic right now … so they aren’t enticed to click.

What if you had a way to deliver an opt-in that would captivate and convert more of your visitors into leads on your email list?

Here’s how to make this happen…

If you tailor the opt-in to the blog post that someone is reading, your conversion rate – and therefore your email list – would improve and grow.

Sounds overwhelming and complicated, I know. But it actually doesn’t have to be.

This concept is called “Content Upgrades” and it simply means creating small opt-in gifts for each (or even just some) of your blog posts.

Why do content upgrades work?

Using content upgrades can provide amazing results for converting new traffic into email subscribers, and help to grow your list quickly. The conversion rates are higher because a content upgrade is directly related, and often a continuation, to the blog post.

Going back to the breakfast bowl example…. the reader wasn’t interested in downloading a guide on cutting out sugar. But they may have been interested in a printable shopping list for a week’s worth of amazing breakfast bowls. Now that reader that normally would have left your site is a part of your list and you can begin building a relationship with them.

This concept is particularly useful for converting traffic that comes from social media or search engines.

When new readers land on your site they might not be ready to give up their email for your ebook (or whatever primary free gift you’re promoting). But… if you write a great blog post and offer something that helps them take the next step on what they’ve just read, they’ll be more likely to sign up. Of course every content upgrade is more free value you are providing, so your existing list will benefit from it too.

What makes a great content upgrade?

Content upgrades don’t have to be long or fancy, they just have to be relevant.

When creating a content upgrade, ask yourself “what does the reader want while they’re reading this post?” Your content upgrade can help them take action or implement what they’ve just read.

Now, you’re probably thinking “Amy, I barely have time to write a blog every week. How am I going to create a new opt-in on top of it?”

I hear you. But your content upgrade does NOT have to be as time intensive as your main opt-in. A content upgrade can be a one page word document saved as a PDF. No fancy design skills required.

And you likely have a plethora of handouts you’re already using with clients and in your programs that you can re-purpose as content upgrades.

How To Set Up Content Upgrades

Setting these up does get a little technical, but luckily there is software that will do most of the heavy lifting for you. Leadpages has a handy tool called Leadboxes that allows you to create an opt-in box that you can place anywhere in your blog post.

When a reader clicks the box it takes them to an opt-in form. From there, they’re redirected to a page with the content, or you can set it up so the upgrade is sent to their email.

This is an advanced list building strategy, but it can have fantastic results. Spending a bit of extra time to create a content upgrade can turn each and every blog post you write into a list building machine.

 
Now I’d love to hear from you!
What’s one thing you think your audience would love as a content upgrade? Share your thoughts and questions below so I can support you.