I believe a successful blog has to start building an email list because this is the only way to generate enormous traffic and loyalty. However, because of the vast competition available online, it’s important to understand the fundamentals of a successful email campaign and customer retention. For example, you have so much competition that there is NO shortage of options for visitors. Next, visitors have been online for so long that they don’t just opt into any email newsletter because you have to prove yourself before getting started. Over the years, I have worked with many people within my niche, and have learned a lot along the way. For example, I have learned:
- What makes a successful blog
- How to increase email subscribers
- How to build momentum quickly by offering value
- Landing page optimization skills
- Planning ahead
- And the bonus secret to your success
Today, I’d like to go over some proven methods of how to reach your first 1,000 subscribers quickly. These are proven ways that I use with my clients all the time. They work well because you are providing value by writing in-depth content, but also doing enormous testing a lot the way. This all translates into a solid blog that NOT only has loyal readers, but also a high conversion rate. Let’s get started by exploring the “4” MOST important factors of building your first 1,000 email subscribers quickly.
Let’s jump right in…
A Solid Piece of Content
This is the MOST important factor when building engagement and loyalty online. There is NO shortage of content available online so people have enormous options when they are skimming. You have to stand out compared to your competition, which is why I encourage everyone to write high value content all the time. Not to mention, after the recent Google update, you have to pay closer attention to quality because you’re going to have a hard time ranking if you can’t provide value to your readers. It’s funny because Google understands the user search pattern and they know that visitors are more likely to leave if they don’t find value right away. With that said, let’s look at what defines content as valuable.
Research
It all starts with research and I have always put emphasis on this part because it provides much more knowledge (you’ll learn this later). By doing appropriate research, you are finding out what your visitors are looking for within your niche. You can then cater content to their needs, which will resonate going forward. However, you have to know how to do research the right way so you find trending topics that are popular at that specific time. Keep in mind, technology changes quickly so there is NO point in writing about something that won’t resonate well with your readers. For example,
Forums are amazing because they provide in-depth resources in real-time. At any given time, you’ll have 1,000-2,000 people online who are all posting Q&A’s. This means you can find enormous information quickly, and can compile a solid list of keywords, questions, and even some answers to incorporate into your content. Social media is another cool place to find trending content because popular blogging sites are always sharing what’s new online. If you know how to search the right #hashtags, you can generate a solid list of popular content.
Structure: You have to make sure your content is structured because people don’t want to read words that are cluttered together. I would recommend keeping paragraphs no more than 5-6 sentences, making sure the line height is between 20-21px. It’s important to separate each paragraph with headings so things look well-spaced out, not to mention, many bloggers like to use images to help split things up when they feel their content is becoming way too cluttered.
Competition: One way to find out how to structure your content or get solid ideas is by visiting your competitor’s blogs. They have been around longer, which means they understand the industry more in-depth than you do. Head over to Google and type in “niche keyword + top blogs”, and start skimming through the top 4-5 because they can provide enormous tending content for you. It’s important to note what they are writing about and take some cool ideas from them. For example, if they have no images, videos, or even infographics then consider adding them within your content going forward.
Once you have done your research, you can start to put everything together. I recommend taking your time, and spreading out your content writing so you don’t get tired. I’ve noticed a tired writer will produce lower quality content, which will effect overall engagement.
Optimized Landing Page
Landing pages are awesome for immediate conversions if utilized the right way. For example, through your landing page, you can get opt-ins, conversions, earn a profit, and continue to remarket to your readers over several months. Each opt-in will increase the chance of you converting the subscriber into profits. Even though this should NOT be your main objective, it’s nice to know you do have options when you need them…right? The question now is: What makes a solid landing page?
There are a few things I suggest you use going forward to convert your reader. These are not hard to implement, but do take time to test until you reach your optimal conversion rate. Let’s take a look at some of them right now…
Provide a Relevant Offer: Sometimes, when you have valuable content, it might NOT be enough to convert the visitor so you can always offer a discount or special offer. This will entice the visitor to opt-into your form, which will increase overall conversion rates.
Colors: Always make colors attract, but NOT too bright because this can be tough on the visitor’s eyes. When they don’t like the look and feel of your page, they’ll simply leave. This means you’ll lose an opt-in opportunity and the visitor might NOT come back.
Relevancy: It’s important to make sure you have a landing page that is relevant to your content and/or website. I have been on so many sites where the landing page has nothing to do with the content. I have never opted into a form when this happens because the landing page doesn’t appeal to me. This is why I have always encouraged relevance throughout the content and on the website itself.
Always Split Test: I am surprised by the amount of people who refuse to split test their landing pages. Each visitor should be treated separately, which means if you don’t get them to opt-in, you should find out why. You should always split test until optimal conversion rates have been achieved. You never know how many people you are missing out on if you don’t keep track and optimize your landing pages. This might be hard in the beginning, but I promise will get easier as time goes on and you learn what’s important. Next,
We are in a time where you have so many new tools available to you so it’s important to make sure you use all the tools you can. This will help collect the data more quickly and allow you to implement the changes to your pages almost right away.
Find Solid Traffic Sources
I always encourage my clients to have 3-4 solid traffic sources so they can find out what’s working and what’s not. Generating leads and finding out how well your site is performing can only be accomplished when you have enough traffic flowing to your website. However, you have so many available options, you should have no problem as long as you have done your research beforehand. For example, I always recommend these 3-4 because they have high levels of engagement.
Forums: You can find relevant forums for almost every niche. Do a quick search in Google and start actively answering questions in a few of them. Add a link to your website within your signature so people can visit your site going forward.
Social Media: Amazing for niche relevant traffic, however, you need to know what #hashtags to use within your headlines. You also want to test what headlines and post types do well in attracting the right types of people. You’ll find images might perform better than others. Also, give other social media platforms a try because you never know where you’ll find an abundance of solid people who love your content and niche.
Competitor blogs: These are awesome because they are relevant and you have the ability to post comments. Many bloggers will allow you to add a link before submitting a comment, which can lead to some serious traffic. I recommend doing the following:
- Read the content
- Provide an in-depth comment
- Add a link before submitting to relevant content on your blog.
This will just help attract more people to your blog who will NOT only love your comment but also find your blog useful. It’s amazing how many people I have attracted to my blog using this strategy.
Knowledge is King
Every influential blogger will tell you the same thing. With knowledge, you can provide readers with the type of information they are looking for. This means people will rely on your knowledge to help them succeed and there is NO better way to build loyalty than this. When people trust you, they’ll be more than happy to follow your every word, which is important to build that on-going momentum and growth. Conversions also occur through trust and authority because every product you recommend will MOST likely be purchased by your readership. However, keep a few things in mind:
First, it’s important to always be genuine in your approach because trust is hard to gain, but very easy to lose. Secondly, only recommend the best products to your readers and I like to do this by writing reviews on the ones I’ve used personally to get where I am today. Third, always keep researching the new trends within your industry. For example, it’s hard to stay on top when the niche is changing around you. The good news is you have so many tools that will provide you with the MOST up-to-date information.
- Google Trends – Amazing to find trending keywords and phrases that are becoming popular overtime.
- Forums – Amazing because they are constantly in motion and new questions about your niche are popping up all the time. A great way to attract new readers and build momentum.
- Books and magazines – Some niches have magazines that will introduce new concepts to you, which you can use to increase your knowledge. You can then use the same knowledge to introduce new topics to your readership.
- Other blogs – The one thing great about online blogging is there is no shortage of information. Sometimes, when you need a boost of knowledge, you can always rely on your competition to provide you with what’s missing. Much of the information I get sometimes is from those who have been in the industry longer than I have, and this has truly turned out to be amazing.
Final Thoughts
It’s very important that you stay focused on the end goal, which is to increase email subscribers. I can guarantee you if you follow the information above, you will have an easier time converting visitors into loyal followers. It’s all about trial and error, and the above has been tested numerous times with amazing results. However, you have to be careful how you implement the strategy. From the beginning, you should pay close attention to quality because as mentioned, trust is hard to gain, but very easy to lose.
Here’s what I recommend you start doing almost immediately.
- Start by reading through the content, making sure you have noted down the MOST important points.
- Go through each one, writing out a game plan so it will be much easier for you to follow going forward.
- Start implement each of the strategies I have discussed above. For example, perform research the right way. Start visiting competitor blogs, writing down the content ideas that have been creating a buzz.
- Create your landing page, but also do some research, looking for tools that can help you create these pages more quickly. This will allow you to split test each of them, finding one that has been proven to convert well. It’s important you find the right CTR, which, in the end, will help you reach your bottom line quickly.
- Increase your knowledge by finding out where MOST of your niche’s information is available. You will be looking for the MOST up-to-date trending information. Visit:
- Blogs
- Magazines
- Forums
- Communities
- It’s time to rinse and recycle each time you are putting a new campaign into place. The first time might be tough because you are new to this strategy, but I promise it will become easier each time you go through the process.
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