Just about everyone has heard the saying “the money is in the list”. Most people may even believe it, however, most new internet marketers will not heed the advice to start building a list. If they do they are likely to make a huge mistake and just put their opt in box in the sidebar of a blog.

This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make in list building. When people come to your site there is so much information for them to read, and actions for them to take, you lose a lot of subscribers by only having your opt in information on your website. The best way to build a list, and convert your traffic from lookers to subscribers is to create an opt in page.

What is an opt in page?

An opt in page aka squeeze page is a page you set up with one intention, and one intention only ~ to get someone to sign up to your list. That’s the only thing you want them to do, that’s the only choice you make available. They either sign up or they click the back button. It is a short page, with just enough information to get them to enter their information.

If you create an opt in page you will increase your opt in rate in a huge way. We mentioned how many options there are on a regular page and a person with too many choices generally makes no choice at all. Your opt in page only gives them one choice, sign up or click the back button. If you have an interesting incentive for them to sign up they will.

What do I need on my opt in page?

As we said, the opt in page is a very simple webpage. There are only a few elements needed to create an opt in page that converts. The first of which is your free gift or incentive. This is a freebie you offer to people in exchange for their name and email address. This freebie can be a free report, a newsletter, or even a 5 or 7 day ecourse. Whatever you choose, as long as it is directly relevant to what people are looking for it will work. You can create this report yourself or even have one written by a freelancer. You can also use a plr report, or even a brandable report from an affiliate program. It doesn’t have to be complicated, you just need to have one.

The second element on your squeeze page is your headline. This is where you grab their attention and make them want to keep reading. This is what lets them know if you what you have is a match to what they are looking for. Here’s an example of one of my well converting squeeze page headlines. “Learn from a Giant Squid How to Make Squidoo work for You” Learn step by step how to choose a topic, find great products to promote, set up a new squidoo lens and start making money!…” This is for a 10 day ecourse on how to use squidoo to make money. This site converts quite well because people come looking for how to do squidoo and that’s just what this page offers.

A quick list of benefits people will receive from opting in, what they will learn, how it will help them to know the information provided. You can do this in a bullet point list, which makes them very clear and accessible. Make sure you are talking about benefits, from the reader’s perspective, how is your information going to help them?

The last piece of the puzzle is your opt in box itself. You can get this from your autoresponder. Make sure you mention the free gift and give them some instructions. It seems ridiculous, but when you specifically say something about them entering their name and email address conversion rates go way up. Crazy but true. Once the code has been created by your autoresponder, all you have to do is paste it right on to your squeeze page.

Once you’ve finished this simple page the key is to send all your traffic through this page first. That way you can get people on your list and have the opportunity to talk to them more than once. The more times you can put your product or service in front of someone the more likely they are to buy from you in the end.