Email List Building: Opt-in Freebie Ideas

When you’re trying to grow your email list, something you can do to speed up the process AND attract the right subscribers, is to offer something of value for FREE in exchange for an email address.

It can be something really simple and before you overthink it, you probably don’t have to do much work to create it. It may be something you already have that can be packaged up into a PDF or a template of some kind, ready to send out on email.

Creating an opt-in freebie to attract your ideal client

Before you get started with work on creating the opt-in freebie, make sure you know WHO you are trying to attract onto your email list. More is not better. You only need your ideal clients to subscribe - not everyone in the world with an email address!

If you haven't done this already, document everything you know about your ideal client, how you can serve them and what they are struggling with.

You need your freebie to be related to your area of work and the problem you solve for your clients. This ensures that only the right people subscribe to your email list to get hold of the freebie.

Don’t give too much information away in your freebie

With an opt-in freebie, you should aim to provide something of value, without providing too much information. I don’t say this because I believe you could replace the need for your paid product or service with a freebie, rather it’s about saving yourself a lot of work. You also want to avoid overwhelming the person who downloads the freebie. Keep it simple and actionable so they can get a small win from your content

As an example, I could write a huge guide on how to increase your email open rate. For my freebie, I narrowed that down to using subject lines to increase open rates. I kept it really simple by giving 10 subject line tactics. It’s a PDF with 10 tips, each with a very short explanation.

Opt-in freebie ideas

What kind of opt-in freebie could you create? Creating a PDF guide is a simple idea and is easily printed by the recipient if they want to do so. You could also share a Word doc/Google Doc or Excel file/Google Sheets file which can work well if you are using a template as your freebie.

Think about tools you use in your business or for your clients and consider if these would make a good freebie. I have a simple email marketing scorecard which is a Google Sheets file. It works well as a freebie and I didn’t need to create anything new - I simply used a tool I already have. Easy!

I’ve seen a few ‘Ultimate guides…’ freebies, but in my experience, you don’t need to create something as detailed as an ultimate guide to get quality subscribers. It’s a lot of work!

Some simple ideas for opt-in freebies that work well:

• A mini ebook - but keep it brief! You don’t need to write War And Peace.

• A PDF guide.

• A bonus pack. Works well when paired with a blog article. “Subscribe to get the bonus pack related to this topic”.

• A workbook.

• A checklist.

• A case study.

• A tried and tested method of your own invention - call it your “secret”. This one can simply be a reply email - no need to create a downloadable document.

• A cheat sheet.

Your opt-in freebie title is the most important bit

Once you’ve decided the content and format of your freebie, you need to give it a name. The title of your freebie is key and it’s actually more important than the content. I say this because, sadly, quite a few people won’t bother to open your freebie at all! This shouldn’t put you off creating it though. I’m just trying to drive home the fact that your freebie doesn’t need to be the same high quality or as in depth as something that people would ordinarily pay for.

Coming up with a compelling title should be the bit that takes the most effort. If you can’t attract your ideal client’s attention, you won’t get results. Make it clear what the transformation for the reader will be when they download your freebie. Describe the problem your guide solves. Always remember that it takes a lot of trust to hand over an email address. Make them REALLY want it!

Lists make great freebie titles, for example:

• 10 ways to do X, Y, Z

• 5 ideas for X, Y, Z

• The 3 things you should never do when…

If your freebie is going to save somebody time or money - tell them that’s the outcome.

Conclusion

Using an opt-in freebie is an excellent way to grow your email list with high quality, relevant subscribers. But only if you make sure the content goes towards addressing a pain point of your target audience and is in alignment with your offering.

Freebies don’t need to be in-depth or high value, they simply need to go a little towards solving a problem and provide a quick win. It is very likely you have some existing content which you could repurpose as a freebie. Don’t make it too hard for yourself or you will likely never create it!

The most important part of your freebie is its title. You need to take time crafting this and make sure it resonates with your ideal client and describes a transformation that is attractive to them.

Now go forth and create a freebie! Let me know in the comment which type you have chosen and the results that you get. I’d love to know.