If you’re trying to build an email list for free, there’s a direct response marketing truism you can use to your advantage:
Use one call-to-action.
In other words, point all your top-of-funnel traffic (e.g., Twitter bio link) to a dedicated email opt-in page.
(With no navigation menu or call-to-action other than to join your list… This part is key!)
Why you shouldn’t send traffic to your homepage:
I don’t recommend sending people into the abyss of your site’s home page.
There are too many distractions on your website. Users will likely get lost and confused like a steel ball bouncing off the walls of a pinball machine.
If you give users too many options at once, they’ll usually do nothing. And that’s what focusing their attention on ONE call-to-action (e.g., joining your list for free) helps you avoid.
Original data from my email list: opt-in rate of homepage vs. email opt-in page
To prove it, here’s some data from my own email list:
• My dedicated email opt-in page converts 36% of visitors into email subscribers.
• But my opt-in form on my HOME page only converts 1.9% of visitors into email subscribers.
Why does my standalone opt-in page perform 18.9 times better than the form on my website?
Because the dedicated email opt-in page only gives you one option for what to do: join my email list for free (well, I guess two options if you count leaving the page…)
So if you want to build your list faster, test this out for 2 weeks:
How to build an email list for free:
1. Change your bio link on your social platform of choice to your email opt-in page. You can see how I do this on Twitter here. (Unless, of course, building your list isn’t a priority for you right now.)
2. Behave as you otherwise would on that channel.
3. Compare how many opt-ins you get during those 2 weeks vs. your historical average baseline.
If this doesn’t increase your email opt-ins, please let me know. I’ve never seen this NOT work.
And, whenever you’re ready, check out my signature coaching program to get better results from your email list.
Have fun!
Dylan