What is an Opt-in Page?

Objectives: To learn what an opt-in page is and its three most important parts. What You’ll Accomplish: By the end of this lesson, yo...

Objectives: To learn what an opt-in page is and its three most important parts.
What You’ll Accomplish: By the end of this lesson, you will have taken your first step towards creating an opt-in page that will build your email marketing empire.
Estimated Time of Completion: 5-7 minutes
Before You Begin: Grab a pencil and paper, or open a Word/text file to take notes. Don’t skimp on this! You will be using these notes to develop your own opt-in page soon.
In step 1, you selected the right niche for your email marketing business. The research process should have convinced you of just how important your niche is. With the wrong niche, even the most “elite marketing ninja guru” can’t generate any revenues with a list. But YOU know better.
So now it’s time for the fun part: building that list!

Reminder: Your LIST is a group of subscribers you will send your email newsletter to. You are NOT a spammer shotgunning emails to unwilling people. You are running a newsletter providing valuable information and offers to your list

You’re about to embark on the exciting process of building your most important business asset.
Like any other business, you need to make a great first impression.
That first impression is the web page where visitors will decide to sign up – or not. It’s the cornerstone of your email marketing business. That’s where it all starts, when you persuade somebody to “opt into” your list.

“Opting in” is when somebody consents to you sending them emails. This happens when they enter their email on your website and click a button.

To give people the opportunity to opt-in, you need to create what’s called an opt-in page.

What is an opt-in page? An opt-in page is a web page where people can… drumroll… “opt into” your email list!

The reason we say they “opt in” is because they have the option to subscribe to your list, or not. No one is forcing them. They are voluntarily asking you to send them your newsletter when they enter their email and click that button.
But they always have the option to leave. In fact, even after people sign up, you’re required by law to give them the option to “opt out” or un-subscribe and get OFF your mailing list. (Don’t worry, all this is automated. There’s no manual work involved.)
It’s pretty obvious that the way your opt-in page looks, and what it says, must be convincing if people are going to opt-in. That opt-in page is your one opportunity to make them eager to become subscribers.
The success of your business depends on your opt-in page getting as many subscribers as possible. So it has to look right, say the right things, and focus on just one thing: getting that email.

An Example of an Opt-In Page

Here is an example of an opt-in page:

This is different than your typical storefront type of website, doesn’t it? It sure doesn’t look like Magazines.com! There aren’t a bunch of pages to browse or links to click on. It’s not cluttered with lots of shiny objects and links to products.

• The only link on the whole page is the “Start Watching” button, which also happens to be the button to opt-into Joe’s list.
• There’s very little text to read.
• Your eye instantly goes to the words “EVERYTHING YOU DESIRE” and that “Start Watching” button.
• You scan and can quickly decide whether to enter your email so you can watch the video.

The most effective opt-in pages operate like this. They have just a few powerful words communicating the benefits of entering the email. And they make it really easy to make a fast decision.
Why so simple? Your email marketing business depends on building a large and attentive list of subscribers. If you use a traditional-looking website, with a bunch of places to click around, problem is just that: they can click around!
Instead of focusing on just ONE thing – getting the desired response from the visitor – a traditional site gives people way too many options.
You don’t want to create obstacles to getting that email. A page like Joe’s gets OUT of the visitor’s way. Anyone who goes to that page will do one of two things: subscribe, or leave.

Over the past 10 years I’ve done a tremendous amount of testing. And I can say this with 100% confidence: when you are just starting out, do not deviate from a “simple” opt-in page like the one above.

There’s another thing you can’t deviate from: a professional appearance. Let me explain…

THE FIRST IMPRESSION MEANS EVERYTHING!

I know that’s a cliché, but it’s a cliché for a reason: it’s true. Especially online.

The first thing you want a visitor to see is a webpage that is well put together, clean, trustworthy and displays professionalism and confidence.

Why? Because there’s a lot of spam out there. A lot of junk. A lot of scammers. People surfing the web are on their guard. You don’t want to give them an excuse to dismiss you as one of those spammers.
This is why the quality of your opt-in page is HUGELY important. Yes, it must be simple. But it must also look professional and up-to-date.
Thankfully it’s easy to get inexpensive freelance help with opt-in page design. You’ll find a list of places to get a nice opt-in page created for as little as $10 in the Resources Section.
Still, YOU have to communicate to your designer what you want on the 3 most important parts of the page. So let’s go over those 3 things right now:

1. The Headline

Right off the bat, you need to grab your visitor’s attention and give them a good reason to subscribe. That’s what the headline at the top of the page is for.

Frankly, the headline is THE most important part of the opt-in page.

If you’re somebody who’s spinning their wheels and frustrated with their life, this message would get your attention, wouldn’t it? 
Luckily, it’s not that difficult to come up with a great headline. Just model your headline on other successful headlines out there. This is why i’e given you a “swipe file” of headlines in the Resources Section. Find a headline you like, then use it as a model for your own.
The next thing you need to do is give your visitors a really good reason to subscribe. What are they going to get? That’s where the benefits come in…

2. Benefits

After the headline, the remaining words on the opt-in page should lay out the benefits of becoming a subscriber.
On many opt-in pages, benefits are shown as sub-heads or bullet points. Those are fantastic because they can be skimmed quickly. Each bullet has to clearly state what people get when they sign up for your list.
Think of bullets as “teasers” that hint at all the good stuff you’re going to send them.

The BEST benefit of all is a FREE gift. It can be a FREE report, a FREE video, even a FREE “email course.” We call this type of benefit an INCENTIVE. A FREE gift is incredibly powerful and will increase the number of subscribers you get dramatically!

REMEMBER THIS! FREE is the single most important word to use on your opt-in page. THE WORD FREE is a REQUIREMENT. FREE anything helps to move the customer’s hand to the SUBMIT button! (I’ll talk more about FREE later – just write this on your forehead for now.)

3. The Opt-in Box

The box where people enter their email is the whole reason for the page. We call this the opt-in box and it should be big and visible.

There should be NO QUESTION as to where to click and what you need to do to get that awesome FREE information.

You’ll often see buttons that say “Submit” or “Sign Up” or “Subscribe.” DO NOT DO THAT ON YOUR PAGE.
I’ve found it’s much better to include a benefit right on the button, such as “FREE INSTANT ACCESS.” In fact, I bet Joe would get even MORE people to subscribe if his button said, “START WATCHING FOR FREE.”
NOTE: “ACCESS” is like FREE – it’s a word that has been proven to increase the number of signups you get. This is one of many small things that can increase conversions significantly.

Remember this definition: CONVERSION RATE is the % of visitors who actually sign up. For example, if 100 people visit your page, and 32 sign up, the CONVERSION RATE is 32%. When you try to increase conversions, what you’re doing is trying to find things that raise the % of visitors who turn into subscribers.

I’ll talk more about tricks that increase conversions later in this course. But here’s an excellent example of an opt-in page that uses the word FREE liberally, and especially on that all important button:

With a nice layout, a catchy headline and benefits, and a big shiny button to click, you should be on your way to collecting email addresses.

Recap:

Always make a GREAT first impression with your opt-in page.

• Professional
• Modern
• Vibrant
• Inspire confidence

The 3 most important parts of an opt-in page are:

• Headline
• Benefits
• The opt-in box (where they enter their email)

EXERCISE

• Take a look at the opt-in page above.
• Identify the headline.
• Identify the benefit(s).
• Identify the opt-in box.
• Based on what you know so far, is this a good opt-in page? Can you say why?
• Note down three things you can learn from this page that will help you make your own.

THE WISE MARKETER KNOWS… When you walk into a new restaurant, bar or potential significant other’s house, what do you see? If you see a dirty mess, do you start having second thoughts? The same goes for your opt-in page. Make it clean, sleek and professional. Let them know in a few short words what they get when they sign up. Give them some sort of incentive, a free gift or a promise of amazing value. Once you get their email address, you are on your way to making money!

NEXT: Now that you know what an opt-in page IS, in the next lesson you’re going to learn what a good opt-in page looks like.