Part of the guide: Blog Traffic
Back in the day, I was able to convert 5-20% of my blog visitors into subscribers. Right now, those statistics are mind boggling and totally unrealistic. The majority of marketers use blogs to build email lists (well at least the smart ones). Anyway, we use our lists to build relationships with our readers which ultimately results in loyal followers and customers.
Lately I’ve been putting a lot of thought into how I can increase my blog opt in rates. So I spent a whole week scheming up evil plans. Before I reveal exactly how I dramatically increased my subscription rates, let me tell you the truth…
You’ll be lucky to convert 5-10% of your readers into subscribers. Ten percent is actually abnormal, but it’s perfectly achievable. Generally, most people convert less than 5% of their readers into subscribers, but using my ninja strategy you should be able to boost opt in rates dramatically.
First of all, you need to use really good opt in bait. If you don’t already know, opt in bait is generally some form of free information you offer in return for your visitor’s details. In order to build your list, you must offer high quality opt in bait. The kind of quality information you’d pay for!
The trouble is, you can’t use the same opt in bait for everyone. On this blog I get all kinds of readers. I use the same opt in bait (a free course) for everyone. I have generic biz opp seekers, Internet marketers, experienced Networkers & a ton of “make money online” guys reading my blog daily. If I could offer targeted opt in bait for all the different readers I get, I could pull off 30%+ opt in rates.
You just can’t offer the same bait to everyone as you’ll always attract random visitors. So here’s the solution, filter your visitors through multiple pages and email lists. You can’t exactly have an email list per page as that’s crazy, but I’ve found creating 3-10 different lists to be highly effective. If the majority of your blog traffic goes to your home page, filter it.
You might have 5 categories/pages on your blog. You can create a different email list for each one. Then you just create different opt in bait for the 5 different category’s of visitors you’re getting. It’s a really simple strategy, but can produce phenomenal results. A master of this strategy is CopyBlogger. The site has a navigation bar at the top with links to 7 pages.
Each page is about a different marketing strategy. There’s a ton of information on each page finished off by a free download on the subject. So instead of having 1 generic list you’ll have multiple email lists that are 10 times more targeted. It will also result in far more subscribers as you’re giving readers more options.
The next trick I’ve been using involves popups… Not everyone uses a popup as they are kind of annoying. So unless you offer irresistible ”opt in bait”, you won’t get many conversions on your popup. Here’s the truth, I get around a 2-10% conversion on my popup. I’d say on average a few percent. Those conversion rates aren’t bad at all. Then I get a 2-4% conversion on the form in my sidebar. Usually, visitors will make the decision of joining your list as soon as they see your opt in box.
They’ll make a decision for every opt in box they see. If they reject both boxes above the fold, they’ll hopefully proceed to read your article. Then at the end of the article (if it’s good) they’ll think you’re a cool guy who provides unbelievable value. At this stage you have the highest chance of getting them to opt in. (but only if your content rocks)
So you use this magical mind trick that magnetically attracts more subscribers… It’s called using a P.S. line! At the end of your posts, simply add a quick P.S. asking people to opt in. Examples?….
P.S. For more cutting edge ninja mind tricks that’ll explode your opt in rates, boost conversions and make you more money, put your name and email in the form on the right.
P.S. If you’d like to learn how to master the art of list building and email marketing, put your email in the form on the left.
Cool ehh? Well it’s so simple, but it works like crazy. You can do the same thing to increase the amount of comments you get. Just command your readers to leave comments! Ask them for their thoughts and questions and you’ll get a crap load of comments. As I’ve said a million times before, people will generally do what you tell them!
In Prosperity,
David Wood
P.S. Leave me your thoughts, comments and questions below!
Bruce, July 28, 2011, 10:15
Hi David, Good post. I have a good number of people visiting my blog. And people like what I write, as I help them to Live the Life of their Dreams. But I have a lot to learn about conversion. Which I need to do so I can help more. Live in the moment it’s a present, Love greatly & unconditionally, Laugh at challenges, funny things and self. Bruce PS. Loved the PS will be using that to help people to Live the Life of their Dreams 🙂
Graham C. Judd, July 28, 2011, 10:20
Love the ideas! Thanks Dave.
Michael Mueller, July 28, 2011, 10:25
Fantastic Info David. Being fairly new to blogging and establishing a list, your simple explanations have steered me in the right direction. Thanks.
Joe Casias, July 28, 2011, 10:30
You were never meant to do this alone
Reading this changes nothing. Doing it with people who show up changes everything. That is the whole difference between the people who transform and the people who keep starting over.
Start free →Great stuff Dave, thanks for all you do for the Industry.
Troy Mcknight, July 28, 2011, 10:35
Very Good Post David I Learn A Lot.
Ryan Biddulph, July 28, 2011, 10:40
Hi Dave, I’ve been using the PS line after learning about it here, and must say my opt-in rates jumped. I also did the most important thing I’ve ever done as a marketer: put forth the intent that I will do things from a place of wanting to help others, NOT doing things because I fear annoying people. Hands down, getting past the fear of annoying people is the biggest block marketers face. It’s a deeply-seated fear of criticism which sticks around and has to be addressed hour after hour, if you want to be successful in this game. I’ve used pop ups for months, and will use them forever. My rates continue to increase, because I know I offer a value-based, inspirational newsletter. So if somebody is annoyed by my pop up, they are simply impatient, and refuse to see value when it hits them, so we are not a match. I release them, and make room for people who don’t mind take 2 seconds to either enter their email address or press the “X”. Thanks for sharing your insight Dave. RB
Jennifer Smith, July 28, 2011, 10:45
David, this post is fantastic! Your insights always help me push my blog to new heights. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us.
Michael Brown, July 28, 2011, 10:50
I’ve learned so much about keyword research and SEO from this post. It’s incredible how just a few tweaks can drive so much traffic. Thank you, David!
Emma Garcia, July 28, 2011, 10:55
David, could you elaborate more on how to effectively use Feedburner for RSS feed promotion? I’m curious about the best practices.
Liam Johnson, July 28, 2011, 11:00
While I found the post informative, I think it would be helpful to include some case studies or real-life examples of these strategies in action.
Olivia Davis, July 28, 2011, 11:05
Hey David! Long time no see. How have you been? We should catch up sometime soon. Maybe discuss some of these blogging strategies in person?
William Martinez, July 28, 2011, 11:10
I struggled with driving traffic to my blog for a long time. Implementing some of the tips you mentioned, especially guest posting, made a huge difference. Thanks for sharing!
Sophia Wilson, July 28, 2011, 11:15
I’ve been using Ubersuggest for keyword research and it’s been incredibly helpful. Highly recommend checking it out if you haven’t already.
James Lee, July 28, 2011, 11:20
David, this sounds too good to be true. Do you have any evidence or case studies to back up these claims? I’d love to see some proof.
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From the company side, segmented list building like this is exactly the direction our marketing team pushed distributors toward for years — one general list converts worse than three or four well-targeted ones, and that part of the post holds up against what we saw internally. Where I’d be careful is the specific percentage jump quoted here. I never ran a blog myself, only advised on messaging and funnel structure from inside the company, so I’d treat the 30% figure as this particular blogger’s own result on his own traffic rather than something you should expect to replicate by copying the structure alone. The segmentation matters more than the specific bait offered, in my experience, though I recognize that’s a much less exciting thing to say than a headline percentage.
Renata’s segmentation point gives me pause, not confidence — building four lists sounds like work suited to a team, not a man alone with one course.
The strongest case against Renata’s advice, for someone in your position, Arthur: a single well-targeted list beats four mediocre ones every time, and splitting attention across several opt-in offers before any one of them is dialed in is a classic way to under-serve all of them. I don’t fully hold this view, but it’s the sharper argument than ‘do more lists.’
Renata’s right that segmentation works, and here’s a way in without building four lists at once: pick your single most common visitor type from your own analytics, write one piece of bait for exactly that person, and measure the opt-in rate for thirty days before adding a second list. What would your numbers tell you if you only had to please one kind of reader?
Simone’s thirty-day test is the right instinct, but thirty days on a blog with modest traffic could easily be under a hundred visitors — nowhere near enough to distinguish a real opt-in rate from noise. I’d want at least a few hundred visits per variant before trusting the number either way.
Popup, sidebar, P.S. line, and now four separate lists to build. Which one of these actually moves the needle first?