How Do I Set Up a Mailing List?

If you’re thinking there are a lot of pieces and parts involved in setting up a mailing list, you’re right.

The good news is that if you have all the steps laid out in front of you, then setting up a mailing list really isn’t all that difficult. That’s why I’m sharing this mailing list checklist with you.

Take a look…

Do Some Market Research

In order to offer something that your prospects are going to get excited about, you need to figure out what they want.

TIP: If your niche predictably lays out cash for a certain type of product, then that’s a good sign that the product is in demand. That type of product will make a good lead magnet.

Here are the steps to take:

• Go to marketplaces like ClickBank.com and Amazon.com and search for your keywords. Take note of the bestsellers in your niche.
• Search Google for your keywords, and take note of what the top sites in your niche are selling.
• Check out the sponsored ads in Google to see what your competitors are selling.
• Visit popular blogs in your niche to see which topics get a lot of comments.
• Check out social media pages in your niche to see what kind of content gets a lot of traction.
• Survey your market and ask them what they want.

Create Your Lead Magnet

Now that you know what your market wants, it’s time to create a useful yet incomplete lead magnet that naturally leads to your paid offer.

First, you need to decide what product you’re going to promote from within your lead magnet:

TIP: Preferably, you should be promoting your own product. If you haven’t gotten that far with your business yet, then you can promote an affiliate product.

Second, you need to decide on a format that best helps you promote your intended product. Your product might be in the form of a:

(And similar products.)

Third, decide how you’ll create it:

Fourth, create something that naturally leads to your paid offer. Be sure you have a strong call to action for the paid product at the end of your lead magnet.

Set Up Your Lead Page

Now that your lead magnet is complete, you need to create sales copy that persuades prospects to join your mailing list.

This doesn’t need to be long-form copy. Instead, check off these points as you create your lead page:

• Does your lead page look polished and professional?
• Did you start with a strong benefit-driven headline?
• Did you showcase the top five or so benefits in a bulleted list?
• Did you insert a strong call to action to encourage people to join your list?
• Did you test your opt-in form to be sure everything works as intended?

Next…

Set Up An Autoresponder

Now you need to set up an autoresponder. Check these points:

• Are you using a reputable email service provider (ESP) such as Aweber, GetResponse, MailChimp or similar services?
• Did you create a multipart autoresponder series to close the sale on your paid product?

Example: “The Five Fat-Loss Secrets Your Personal Trainer Doesn’t Want You To Know.”

Each email would describe and explain one of the secrets, and each email would include a pitch for a related paid product.

• Does each email include good content to build a relationship, plus a promo to generate sales?
• Did you use a responsive template so that your email looks good across devices?
• Did you proof, polish and spell-check your emails?
• Did you plan what to send to your list beyond this initial autoresponder series?