How to Build a List From Scratch In 5 Steps: Step #1

Welcome to Step #1!

I was scrolling on Facebook a couple of days ago, and stumbled upon this post in Fred Ferguson's Eclipse group...

Being the helpful and handsome soul I am, I replied to Thomas' post and told him what to do.

But I realized that there were many others just like Tom who could use the same advice too.

And no Facebook comment could do this question justice. It needs more details!

So here we are. Let's get started...

Listen... you only make money when you sell. So we're working our way backwards here.

Decide on what you'll be selling. Will it be your own product or will you be promoting an affiliate offer?

This matters because everything you do from here on out will need to be congruent with what you're ultimately selling.

There's no point in building a list with people interested in Kindle publishing only for you to end up promoting dropshipping courses.

Congruence is everything here.

Choose a product you will sell/promote... and let's move on.

It goes without saying that if you wish to build a list, you must give away something of value to attract subscribers.

You can call it a freemium, lead magnet, freebie, Kim Kardashian or whatever you want.

But you have to give something away for free.

You gotta bribe people to get them on your list.

Short reports - these are one of the most common types of lead magnets. A short report that focuses on solving one specific problem in the niche will be very useful for subscribers.

Checklists – a checklist will help give your subscriber a list that keeps them organized. For example, a checklist of foods to avoid while on the keto diet.

Cheat sheets – these are similar to checklists but they are summaries of key points and provide more information. For example, a list of things one should include on a sales page.

Video tutorials – these are very effective and can be broken down into a 4-part series where you deliver one ‘episode’ daily. Videos are great for conveying abstract concepts which are better explained visually.

Resource guides – if you’re an expert at what you do, you can bet that others will want to know what tools and other resources you’re using.

Specific tools – tools and apps are great as freemiums. For example, if you’re trying to build a list in the weight loss niche, offering a calorie calculator app as a freemium will be very effective.

Swipe files – a collection of tested and proven swipes will definitely help to shorten the learning curve.

Case studies – everyone loves a case study, especially one with warts and all. The case studies which show mistakes and how failures were turned into successes are even more valuable because they show the reality of things.

These are just a few examples of 'bribes' you can give away to tempt people to get on your list.

But there's something very IMPORTANT YOU MUST KNOW!

For your freebie to convert it needs to:

1. Solve a problem!
2. Be something the potential subscriber wants.
3. Be congruent with what you'll be promoting or selling.

You must tempt potential subscribers by dangling a freemium that’s too irresistible to pass up on.

You can only do that by giving them what they truly want. It’s imperative to create a giveaway product that gels with the visitor’s needs.

I usually create freebies for my list and I know exactly what they're looking for... and my freebies ALWAYS solve a pressing problem!

I knew that many of my PLR customers had no idea how to use the PLR content they were buying. This is a VERY REAL PROBLEM!

So, I created the Profit With PLR: 5 Day Plan. You can see it here.

I have a Reseller PLR store. Several people who were purchasing my PLR packs didn't know how to profit with the content.

Again... this was a PROBLEM!

So, I created the Reseller PLR lead magnet. You can see it here.

Every time I have a product launch, I literally get hundreds of clueless affiliates sending me inane affiliate request notes.

Other vendors face the same problem too!

This is an annoying PROBLEM to say the least.

Of course, that meant I had to create a lead magnet for that too, just to guide new affiliates who wanted to promote my stuff. You can see it here.

The freebie you create must solve a problem.

And it must be congruent with the offer you plan to sell and promote.

Even this mini-training you're reading is solving a problem - it's showing you how to build a list from scratch.

And it's congruent because... well, I have plans for you in future.

I thought you'd never ask!

Finding problems is easy. You just need to look at what the people in the niche are saying...

To do that, all you need to do is join a few forums and Facebook groups in your niche and look around.

Of course, I'll show you a real-life example...

I went to the WarriorPlus support group...

And searched for "please help"...

These are all potential ideas for you to create freemiums about.

Where there are problems, there are opportunities.

When creating a freebie to give away, you want it to be helpful - but it should NOT be so comprehensive that the subscriber no longer needs you after that.

Your freemium should give them a taste of what's to come.

Just like how they give you food samples at the supermarket so that you end up buying the whole box of cookies or whatever they're promoting.

The purpose of freebie is to get the lead, hook the subscriber on your content and get them excited enough to buy what you're selling/promoting.

Your freemium should be related to the products that you'll be selling or promoting.

If you're selling an email marketing course, here are some problems people in the niche may face...

Problem: No one cares enough to open their emails.
Freemium: How to Increase Your Email Open Rates!

Problem: People are opening their emails but no one is clicking on their links.
Freemium: How to Increase Your Email Click-through Rates!

Problem: People are clicking on the links but no one is buying a damn thing.
Freemium: How to Use Email Storytelling to Increase Your Sales!

If you're selling a copywriting course...

Your freebie might be:

- How To Write Attention-Grabbing Headlines!

- 7 Tips To Improve Your Landing Page Copy

- 5 Secrets to Injecting Scarcity in Your Salescopy

See... the freebie is related to what you're selling and only addresses one part of the problem.

But your freebie needs to be so good that it overdelivers and makes the subscriber wonder what else is in your paid course.

If you can do that, you WILL get the sales.

After all, building a list is pointless if you get no sales.

You want to see sales coming in, and not just people clogging up your list and increasing your monthly autoresponder fees.

I know what you're thinking...

Stop sucking up to me! I like being humble, thank you!

Everyone and their grandmother will tell you to use PLR content...

And that's fine. I'm not going to go into detail about using PLR. That's not what this training is about. But it's an option you have.

Alternatively, you could just create the freemium yourself or hire someone to do it for you. Or use PLR for ideas, but rebrand it and make it yours.

You can read my PLR Rebranding Guide Here.

Not too long.

People have the attention span of a housefly these days. If you're writing a short report, keep it short.

About 3 to 5 pages will do. As long as your content helps the reader, you will be fine.

In fact, if it's short and useful, that's even better.

This applies to videos too. Keep it anywhere from 5 to 8 minutes and you'll get the job done.

I have a YouTube channel here... and most of my videos are within the 5-10 minute range.

Keep your content short and digestible.

The only time you can get away with writing longer content is if your content is interesting and entertaining... ahem... like mine.

But you're not me. You don't have my style. So keep it short.

On the other hand, if you're like me, you may prefer to use an ecover like I did in my landing pages shown above.

It all depends on your style of doing things. The rules are not set in stone. Do what works for you.

What's most important here is that if you do decide to use an ecover, make sure it looks good.

- If you are trained in graphic design, you can create one yourself.

- If you're not trained, you should hire someone on Fiverr to create a cover image for you.

- If you're not trained but you think you're good at graphics, you should DEFINITELY hire someone on Fiverr. A real pro... ahem... unlike you.

It depends.

If you're using a simple landing page that doesn't require an image, you won't need one.

I took a screenshot of Tony Shepherd's landing page.

He doesn't use an image, but it converts well. Trust me, I know.

You start by finding a product to sell or promote.

Next, you find a problem within this niche to solve. 

You create a congruent freemium for it.

You create an ecover for your freemium, if you need one (OPTIONAL).

Well done! We're coming along just fine. I'll see you in Step #2...

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