You finally realize that you need a good author opt-in list. After reading countless articles and sought expert advices and have read many success stories of people creating a small fortune with opt-in lists you finally decide to have one of your own.
Then it happens, you think you have known everything there is to know about opt-in lists and have followed their advices to the T and you still weren’t able to make a profit.
In fact, you may be losing money. You maybe hiring writers to help you out, or there are some expenses incurred, even if you have a big list, but only a very small percentage actually buys from you, your still losing profit. You’ll realize this after a few months when you see your statistics and sales figures. How can you fix this?
So what could have gone wrong? Why have other authors succeeded where you have failed?
The most common mistake is that you dived straight right in.
No plan is your first problem. You chose a topic where you think could be quite popular and would earn you money. This just not the case. Just because you wrote to people from the list doesn’t mean they are going to buy instantly.
You didn’t do any research, in particular keyword research.
Keyword Research
Discovering what people are searching for is crucial for any business including your author business. Your business needs to be built around what people ACTUALLY want; not what you THINK they want.
I use two easy and free methods to discover what people are searching for.
a) Ubersuggest.com
A great free tool from Neil Patel that allows you to enter a keyword or keyword phrase into the search box and the top 100 choices appear including the volume of searches and their long form additions.
eg Author branding
How to build an author brand
Author branding for beginners
While long tail variations may have less volume, you will have an easier path to rank for these terms over the major keyword phrase you originally entered. Add these long tail phrases together and you’ll end up with considerable search volume. This is a great way to add to your author opt-in list.
b) Alphabet Soup Method
Simply go to the search bar on Google and type in your keyword; lets use author branding again.
Then after the term add the letter ‘a’.
A drop down list of the current search terms will appear. eg author branding article, author branding agency, author branding affiliate and so on. Usually about 6 or 7 suggestions drop down.
Do this for every letter in the alphabet. eg ‘b’ might show up author branding book, author branding best methods and so on.
By using the alphabet method you’ll usually create around 150 red hot, currently searched terms on Google. Boom!
A successful opt-in list requires preparation and planning. You must target who will be on your list, offer the right product or service THEY want and continue to serve that list as it grows.
Here I will offer more advice, for those who have started an opt-in list and have failed, you can rejuvenate your failed venture. For those who are starting, here are three quick and easy ways to build a profitable opt-in list.
1) Get your customers to trust you and your products first. Just launching your opt-in list would not make you an expert and a believable selling author.
Put out many articles first before you start an opt-in list. Write about the topic you know and have started and used for your site. Use forums first to gain knowledge about your customers, about their wants and needs and target those wants and needs.
Join forums from other sites as well. Provide expert advice and recommendations. Build up your goodwill first, then you will be able to start your own opt-in list. You can build a base as well with other forum users. You can ask them to join your list. Friends are always good customers. Put up a link in your signature box to your site so that they may be able to see what you’re business is all about.
The fact is the money will only come in when the consumers and subscribers believe and trust in you. They want a product or service that could be a good exchange for their money. People are not going to buy something out of your recommendation if they don’t know you.
2) Find a product or service or build your own that people want and need. Although it may not be your forte, if you provide a service and product that you have researched and learned about well, you can develop moving forward. Invest your time, effort and money in what readers really want, not what you think they may want.
Do your research well and you will see the profits come in. Also provide your subscribers with promotional material that they could actually use and refer to others.
3) Make friends with other opt-in list users. This is basically beneficial especially if it is someone who has already launched a successful opt-in list. Engaging with your readers so they can like, know and trust you will build your author opt-in list and make it financially rewarding.
Experienced opt-in list users adopt the high engagement method. This doesn’t mean always selling something to your list. Build trust and the sales will follow.
Building a profitable opt-in list don’t just happen overnight. There is much preparation and effort to do. Author opt-in lists are built from scratch, as your list grows, you should also maintain the quality of your list. Keep it organized and manageable. Get or hire help if need be, just make sure that your subscribers are happy and satisfied and they will be willing to buy from you.
Having an author opt-in list is crucial if you want a financially successful author business. It allows you to build trust with your readers through engaging content. Give them exactly what they need. Add value to their reading experience.
Savvy author know to not always be selling. Give great content to your readers and sprinkle in a call to action for them to buy every now and then.
Continue to grow your list. It’s the greatest asset (besides your books) that an author will own. And remember you only ‘rent’ followers from social media channels. They own the followers and not you. Build your own author opt-in list!