Whatever your interest, curiosity or question, there’s going to be information available through a quick YouTube or Google search.
Many times, you’re directed to a website or blog for the information. Once you hit the site, there’s a good chance an opt in box pops up, encouraging you to give your name and email address in trade for a video, report, checklist, cheat sheet or spot on a webinar or teleseminar.
The benefit to you is getting the “thing.” The benefit to the person giving you the “thing” is the opportunity to turn you into a paying client or customer.
Reverse the Scenario
As an author, if you plan to make money with your books, it’s imperative you do what you can to build a subscriber list.
With a targeted list, you have a greater opportunity to sell lots of books quickly with each book you publish.
Although most authors know they should build a list, many have yet to start. One of the 
most pressing questions they have is, “How do I build a responsive opt-in subscriber list?”
Maybe you’ve heard you just need to give something away and people will eagerly give you their contact information.
So you give it a shot, put together an offer and wait and wait and…. wait.
Offer something of high value
List building does work. However, what you offer has to be the “right” thing for the end user.
Simply throwing up an offer page, telling people to get your “thing” and kicking back like a tiger in wait, is not the most effective way to build your list.
The best way to build a list is offer something to your community that aligns with your expertise and their need for a solution.
Think Long-Term
Rather than simply putting an FREEBIE together, determine how the giveaway aligns with your book(s). In essence, you’re taking subscribers on a journey that hopefully ends up with them buying your book.
The more there is an obvious connection to your products and services, the higher your conversion rates to other offers. A book is a product. Plain and simple.
Solve a Specific Problem
The more your gift solves a specific problem, the better. For example, one of my popular free offers is How to Hit #1 on Amazon. One opt in page offers a report and the other a webinar. Both cover different aspects of how to hit #1.
When someone opts in, they are taken to a Thank You page directing them to check their inbox. But while they’re waiting, they can watch a short video.
The video makes another offer for a $197 product that they can invest in for only $20.
Every offer, from the free to the $20 aligns with getting a book to #1.
The sketch is a simple conversion funnel I outlined for a client. It’s very, very simple and virtually any database program has the capability of accommodating this level of funnel to build your list.
Less is More
When it comes to what you ask people to give you, less is definitely more. In other words, the less information required, the better. You will get a higher opt in rate if you only require an email address 
compared to an email and name. Ask for a name, email and phone number and opt-ins continue to plummet.
However, when you send broadcasts messages, having a name included does increase conversions. I prefer asking for name and email rather than just the email.
Big Challenge
The greatest challenge today is information overload. Most everyone is so overloaded with information that the idea of getting on “one more list” is not very appealing.
As long as what you offer is incredibly high value AND solves a problem, people will opt in and stay on your list. If all you do is sell, sell, sell, they will grow tired of your emails that appear to only care if they buy your stuff.
This is when opt-outs skyrocket.
Make Creating a Nice Gift a Priority
Avoid falling into the trap of thinking you don’t have time create something to offer. Ethical bribes that are incredibly high value are the cornerstone of building your online business, selling books as well as other products and services you provide.
I have dozens of “giveaways” that I have developed over the years. Everything from eReports, eBooks, teleseminars, ezines, a 4-day email course and more. This has allowed me to build a list from the ground up (this means I started with nothing and built a highly profitable list of subscribers).
As an author, when you have a subscriber list one place you can encourage them to visit is your Amazon page.
