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The Goal Digger Podcast - Episode 904 Summary
Podcast Overview Podcast Title: The Goal Digger Podcast Host: Jenna Kutcher Episode Title: 904: Start Your Email List Here: High-Converting Opt-In Ideas That Actually Work Episode Description: In this episode, Jenna Kutcher shares practical steps on building an email list through effective lead magnets that attract the right audience to your business. She emphasizes the importance of email marketing as a valuable business asset and provides actionable insights on creating engaging opt-ins.
Key Themes
Importance of Email Marketing
- Valuable Asset: Your email list is one of the most important assets in your business.
- Direct Communication: Email allows for a more personal connection with your audience compared to social media, where engagement can feel like shouting into a void.
- Sales Driver: A well-established email list is a key driver for sales and conversions, making it crucial for business growth.
Understanding Lead Magnets
- Definition: Lead magnets, also known as freebies or opt-ins, are valuable pieces of content provided in exchange for an email address.
- Goal: The objective is to solve a specific problem quickly, enticing potential customers to join your email list.
- Mindset Shift: Email marketing should be viewed as an exchange of value — providing something useful in return for access to someone's inbox.
Considerations for Creating Lead Magnets Jenna lists four key considerations to keep in mind when creating your lead magnet:
- Start with the End in Mind: Define what you want to achieve with your email list.
- Keep It Small and Specific: Focus on solving one part of a problem or providing a quick win.
- Choose an Easy Format: Select a format that’s simple for you to create and deliver.
- Be Clear, Not Clever: Your lead magnet should have a clear promise that resonates with your target audience.
Types of Effective Lead Magnets
Jenna discusses several types of lead magnets, including
- Checklists: Simple, effective tools that provide value by simplifying a process.
- Templates/Scripts: Provide ready-to-use resources like email templates or budgeting tools.
- Discount Codes: Incentives for new customers that encourage email sign-ups.
- Free Masterclasses: Offering valuable training sessions that align with your paid products.
- Digital Downloads: Informative guides or planners that help your audience achieve specific results.
- Quizzes: Engaging tools that provide insights and help segment your audience.
Personal Insights and Experiences
- Email List Growth: Jenna reflects on her own journey of learning the importance of email lists in her business.
- Testing Ideas: She shares a story about her husband's health coaching business, emphasizing the value of testing multiple lead magnets to find what resonates best with the audience.
Action Steps
- Create Your First Opt-In: Start with one simple, valuable lead magnet that aligns with your knowledge and experience.
- Consider a Second Opt-In: Having two different opt-ins can provide insights into your audience's preferences and guide your future offers.
- Sign Up for the Free Mini Course: Jenna encourages listeners to join her free mini-course at [listbuildchallenge.com](https://listbuildchallenge.com) for step-by-step guidance in creating an effective lead magnet.
Conclusion Jenna concludes the episode by motivating listeners to take action on their email marketing efforts, reminding them that they have the capacity to create valuable opt-ins that can lead to meaningful connections and business success.
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For further resources and insights, listeners can access the show notes and additional tools at [goaldiggerpodcast.com](https://goaldiggerpodcast.com).
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:01Ready to turn your brilliant podcast idea into reality. If you've been dreaming about launching a podcast, there's never been a better time to start. The podcasting world is thriving and your unique voice is exactly what it needs. I am thrilled to invite you to my free live masterclass, Podcasting 101, How to Start, Record, and Profit from Your Show. And I only teach it live once a year. In this one hour masterclass, you'll learn how to start podcasting with equipment you already own, create content that attracts listeners around the clock, and make money from your show in ways that go beyond sponsorships.
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2:10What if I told you that one simple piece of helpful content could totally change how people find you, connect with you, and eventually buy from you? In this episode, we're getting really practical about email list building, and I'm sharing the exact steps to create a lead magnet that actually works. I'm Jenna Kutcher, your host of the Gold Digger podcast. I escaped the corporate world at the age of 23 with nothing more than a$300 camera from Craigslist and a dream. Now I'm running a seven-figure online business that feels even better than it looks, all from my house in small town Minnesota with my family.
2:46Here, we value time as our currency. We mix the woo and the work, and we are in the pursuit of building businesses that give us the freedom to live lives that we love. I've always loved turning big goals into reality, and I'm here to help you do the same. This isn't just a peek behind the curtain. Come along with me and my guests as we tear the whole curtain down. Every week, we tackle practical, no-fluff marketing strategies and host honest discussions on what works and what doesn't. Join me and my expert guests for actionable insights to help you grow your dream business with confidence. Pull up a seat and get ready to be challenged, inspired, and empowered.
3:25This is the Gold Digger Podcast. If you've been putting off starting your email list because you're not sure what to offer on the front end, or it all just feels too overwhelming, well, this is the episode that is hopefully going to change that. We're talking about lead magnets, also known as freebies or opt-ins, aka the simple, helpful entry point that not only grows your email list, but actually attracts the right people into your business. I know email marketing can feel like a lot, and maybe you've thought, well, I'll just do it later, or I just need to finish this other thing first, or I'll get to it when life slows down.
4:00But here's the truth. Your email list is one of the most valuable assets that you can build, and creating your first or your next opt-in doesn't have to be hard. Today, I'm walking you through what to consider before you create a lead magnet, the different types of opt-ins that actually work, and how to start attracting the people who are most aligned with what it is that you offer. And if you're thinking, okay, Jenna, this sounds great, but how do I actually set it all up? Don't worry. I've got you covered. We are covering a lot of ground today, but if you want to go even deeper, if seeing is believing for you, I created a totally free mini course that walks you through the entire process, step-by-step, tutorial-by-tutorial.
4:40Today will get you excited about what you're going to create as your opt-in, but this mini course valued at$59 is yours free to help you set it all up from a landing page to delivery, all with ease and confidence and knowing that you're doing it right from the beginning. Jump into the free mini course right now at listbuildchallenge.com. That's listbuildchallenge.com or click the link in the show notes. Now, grab your coffee or throw on your walking shoes and let's make this the moment you finally stop putting your list off and start building it with intention. I want to take you back to when I first learned about email lists because it's a really pivotal time in my career.
5:22It was about a decade ago and I was a wedding photographer who was starting to get curious about the online space. So I was starting to learn about online courses. I was starting to dream up ways to take my knowledge and package it up for people. I was starting to kind of think beyond the service-based industry that I found myself in because I recognized that the only way to earn more was to work more. And that wasn't necessarily the life I wanted. At this time, I had been pitched an online course and I had never bought an online course before. And this pitch was compelling to me because it came with a few different coaching calls.
6:01And I was at a really pivotal place where I knew that I needed someone who had gone before me to kind of show me the way. And so when I bought this online course, which was a huge investment for me at the time, I got these three coaching calls. And I'll never forget getting on the phone with this coach. And I'm excited to tell him about my 10 ,000 Instagram followers. I'm excited to tell him about my six-figure photography business. and as we're on the call, he asked me this question. He goes, how big is your list? And genuinely, I thought he was talking about my to-do list, which was so long.
6:37I mean, I was on my own. I had not a single member on my team. I was doing all the things, wearing all the hats. And when he asked me, how big is your list? I was like, dude, you don't even know how much stuff I've got to get done. But he was actually talking about an email list. Now, at this point, I had never heard of email marketing before. I didn't understand it. I didn't get it. It didn't feel shiny or sexy to me. I didn't get why it was the thing that he was fixated on. Well, a decade later, now I do. My email list is the number one asset in my business. It's something I own and can control.
7:13It is the number one indicator of the health of my company. It's the number one way that we drive sales, my email list is where most of my business focus goes. And what I've learned over the years is that so many entrepreneurs are fixated on the things that feel sexy, that feel shiny, right? Social media has that little number under your name that everyone else can see. And they're missing the opportunity to build out a direct line of communication to the people who actually care about what it is that they're saying and what they're selling. My email list is something that is a passion of mine.
7:55Like I love serving my email subscribers. I love writing my emails. I have so much fun with it. It's like exclusive content, but it's also hand delivered messages to the people who have already said, yes, I want to learn more about this. It feels like a service, right? And so today I want to help you get started. I want to take you to a place where you feel excited about email marketing enough to take you into action because I know that it can feel intimidating. I know it can feel confusing, but if I can get you excited, my job today is to get you so excited about creating an opt-in or a freebie that you can't help but shout it from the rooftops that you can't help but express your excitement around it so much so that people are excited to subscribe.
8:45So let's talk about lead magnets, also known as freebies, also known as opt-ins. All of those words can be used interchangeably. I've even heard somebody use the word freemium, right? So there are many different ways to describe it, but essentially what it is, is it is a free, helpful, or useful piece of content that you give in exchange for someone's email. It should solve one specific problem quickly and clearly. And it's not just about growing numbers. Like you don't want to create something that like, yeah, everybody wants this, but it's about building a list of people who want what it is that you have to offer.
9:24And so a lead magnet essentially is just the entry point to your email list. Something that feels valuable enough that someone is excited to exchange their email address for. At the heart of it, email marketing is just reciprocity in action, right? You are giving someone something of value and in return, they are giving you access to their inbox. And so the entry point just needs to be something that is valuable enough for someone to say, yes, please send it to me in my inbox. And I want to stay in touch with you to hear more. And honestly, this is why I love email marketing is because I feel like on social media, you are shouting into the void.
10:07You are trying to be loud, trying to catch people's attention and hope that they care about something enough to stop their scroll, to engage and to go the next step. But with your email list, these people have already raised their hand. They've already said, yes, I want this. And so you get to speak to them differently. You get to speak to them more intimately and you don't have to fit all of the juicy information into a five second reel or into a caption. So before we get into the different types of opt-ins, I want to share four things that I want for you to consider before you create one, because after today's episode, I want for you to get into action and actually create a freebie, whether it's your first one or your next one, I want for you to follow through and take action to implement what you're learning today.
10:53So four things I want for you to consider before I start sharing the different types of opt-ins that you could create. I want for you to keep these four things front of mind so that you choose the right entry point for your email list. So first, you always want to start with the end in mind. What is the end goal? Meaning once somebody is on your email list, what would the direct result be tied to? Oftentimes this would be getting somebody to purchase something that you already have, an offer that you've already created. And it could be any type of an offer. It doesn't matter what type of business you run.
11:27So you want to start with the end in mind, which will help you create an aligned piece of content or an aligned freebie that will be a natural progression into the paid offer, right? The second thing I want for you to consider is how can you keep it small and specific? So you do not need your freebie to solve their entire problem. You want to solve one part of their problem, or you want to give them a quick win. That's what we like to call it. You want something that's doable for your audience that gets them into action, gets them a result, gets them a quick win, or solves a piece of the problem.
12:05You don't have to have a freebie that literally hands it all over. And so you want to keep it small and specific. A lot of times I think we overcompensate for maybe some of our imposter syndrome and we want to throw in everything in the kitchen sink. But in the end, it's like we're trying to have our dream clients drink out of a fire hose and it doesn't actually serve anyone. So today I want for you to think about how can I keep something small and specific? How can I help my dream audience get some sort of result? It doesn't have to be life-changing. It just has to be a result. The third thing I want for you to consider is what format of a freebie is going to be easiest for you to create.
12:46So there are a lot of different ways you can deliver freebies. And we're going to talk about a lot of the different opt-ins that I've done over the years that have been the most successful ones. And so as I'm going through them, I want for you to consider what is the easiest format for me. It might not be video. If you don't have a camera or you don't have a video set, right? It could be audio. If you love speaking into a microphone, it could be a digital download. It could be a loom. There are so many different ways you can do it and I'll walk through them, but I want you to listen to this with the lens of what is going to be the easiest format for me to deliver and follow through on.
13:18And the last thing to consider is how can I be clear and not clever? You want your freebie or opt-in to be so clear of here's what this is and here's why you need it. You want the end promise to be so specific that somebody that hears about it or lands on it, if it is built with them in mind, they are opting in and they are excited to opt in. So again, the four things to consider as we move into this episode are what is the end goal? How can I keep it small and specific? Which format will be easiest for me to follow through on? And how can I be clear in defining exactly what this is and who it's for?
13:58Now, I have to share that I have a lot of experience in this topic. And so as I walk through the different types of opt-ins, I want to tell you a really quick story. There was a stage in my business where I was just email list obsessed. I mean, honestly, I still am email list obsessed. I now just try to go deeper and not wider, but there was a year where I had this brilliant idea of what if I create a new opt-in every single week? If you're doing the math, I literally created 50 different email opt-ins in one year. My goal was like every single podcast episode is going to have an opt-in every single week.
14:34I'm going to have something to serve my people, to grow my list. And I went so wide and I don't necessarily regret it, but in hindsight, it was not the smartest business move. It was not the smartest strategy. Not only did it take up a lot of time and energy, but it made it nearly impossible to keep all of my opt-ins high converting to really look at like, how are these working out for the greater good of the business? how were they actually tying into real offers? And so as I speak about all of these different types of opt-ins today, I want for you to know I've done them all. And so I'm speaking from experience and I'm excited to share the things that worked, the things that didn't work, and just some of my favorite ways that you could get an opt-in up and running and growing your email list today.
15:16Now we're going to get into the nitty gritty of creating your lead magnet in just a sec, but first a quick thank you to our sponsors for making this episode possible. And while we take a short break, I want for you to think about this. What is one small problem that you could help someone solve this week? Because that tiny idea might just be the start of your list building journey. When we come back, I'm going to walk you through the different types of lead mangas that actually work. We'll be back in a moment. This podcast is brought to you by Mercury, banking that helps entrepreneurs do more with their money.
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18:03Checklists feel so silly and so simple. Oh my gosh, are they effective? Think like your meal prep checklist or your morning routine or your content calendar. A lot of times the best lead magnets are the best opt-ins are things that you have created for yourself out of necessity or out of need that can transfer to other people that can serve people that are just like you, that are a few steps behind you and simplify their life or solve a problem or help them figure out a better way to approach a process. So checklists are a very easy to create lead magnet and very easy to deliver. You could literally open up a Google doc, type in a checklist, have those little open boxes, and somebody could have a free printable of something that is super valuable.
18:53I remember when I was a wedding photographer, I had created this checklist for myself. That was like for pre wedding days. Like here is what I need to charge. Here's what I need to prep. Here's what I need to make sure I have everything from the wedding timeline printed out to the wedding parties, names, all set. I needed to know addresses, locations. I needed to have the shot list. I needed to have my batteries charged, my memory cards cleared. Like I had this whole checklist of like pre weddings. Here's everything that needs to get done before I get in my car to go. That is a great opt-in, right?
19:28Other wedding photographers need that. Now, again, when I'm giving these examples, you have to think in mind of like, you don't just want to have a really awesome checklist if it's not actually aligned with what you want it. But when I started entering this digital space, one of my first offers was a marketing course for photographers. So it is incredibly helpful to create a lead magnet, like my pre-wedding checklist to attract other photographers who might then need to know how to market their business to get more weddings. Right. And so you, can you see how that is aligned? So checklists are super easy.
20:02They're a very light lift. They don't need to be beautifully designed. They don't need to be really complicated. In fact, checklists should simplify something for your audience. And if you have one that you've created for yourself, ask yourself, could this help more people that are just like me? If the answer is yes, that's an amazing lead magnet. Another lead magnet that is awesome could be a template or a script. So think of like email templates, caption templates, pitch responses, budgeting tools, like anything that you've created wants to use over and over and over again. Could it be useful to other people just like you?
20:42Now, one thing that you might realize is that oftentimes businesses are created out of a need that the founder had that they decided to fill, right? So what does this mean? Oftentimes we are serving people who are just a few steps behind us, who are just like us, who have a similar pain point, who need a solution. So if you have created any sort of template in your business that could serve other people that you are trying to serve, consider packaging up that template into a very simple PDF or a Google doc and using that as an awesome opt-in. I remember I created an opt-in that was like five email templates for wedding photographers.
21:23Again, I was trying to attract other photographers so I could teach them marketing. And so the more wedding photographers I could get on my email list, the better I could serve them and then eventually sell to them. So if you've created any sort of templates in your business that could help other people, this can be a super easy opt-in. It doesn't require a lot of brainstorming. It doesn't require a lot of design. In fact, the simpler the design, the easier it is to usually use a template. We've done all sorts of different templates. Like we've done Canva templates. We've done like a podcast episode template.
21:56Like there's so many templates inside of our business that we could easily package up and use as an opt-in. And there's a good chance that you have those as well. Okay. Another type of lead magnet that works amazingly well are presets. So this is kind of in alignment with templates and this is a little hyper-specific for photographers, but here's a good example of one that did really well for me is I used to sell my editing presets. So as a photographer, I would use different presets to edit my images. People would always ask, where did I get them? I created them. And so I had three free presets that people could opt in for for free.
22:35And then what we would do is sell them the 15 total presets that I had as a part of a pack, right? So can you see that direct path of like people that are opting in for free presets are likely going to be in alignment with buying paid presets, right? That path is very clear. It makes sense. It's linear. You could also do discount codes or early access. So if you are a product-based business owner and you're wondering, okay, how does this work for me? I am a sucker for opting in for discount codes. It's so funny. I caught myself yesterday. I was looking for a specific type of shoe that I can wear in Greece because of the cobblestone.
23:13And I was landing on these websites and the pop-ups were popping up right away where it gives you that urgency, that scarcity of like save 20 % as a first time buyer. Right. And you're like, Oh my gosh, I'm going to give you my email address. I don't even know if I want any of your shoes yet, but I'm going to opt in for this. Right. And so discount codes are super easy. And a lot of times they're very easy to integrate. If you're using a platform like Shopify, where you can have those discount codes pop up and collect that email user right on the front end of the experience so that if they abandon their cart or they don't end up purchasing or they do end up purchasing, you can follow up with them, right?
23:49If they are on your site and they're opting in, there's a really good chance that they're in alignment with what it is that you offer and can either become a customer today by using that discount code or become a customer in the future by getting your emails and knowing what's happening in your shop. So discount codes and early access are awesome. I know a lot of people who will do different exclusive offers. And if you're on their email list, you'll get access first. So for example, a few photographers I follow, they do mini sessions, right? So they're just these quick shoots and they have a limited amount of spaces.
24:24And the best way to book your dream time and make sure that you get a mini shoot is to be on an email list. That's genius, right? Or massage therapists. If they're doing some sort of special or they have openings in their calendar, you want to be on their email list so that you get that notice first. So discount codes and early access. So to review the first four types of lead magnets that work amazingly well, checklists, templates, and scripts, presets, discount codes, or early access. All of these are amazing lead magnets to start with. And again, they don't require a heavy lift on your end.
24:58There's a good chance that all of these could be set up by the end of today. Now, don't worry. I've got a lot more ground to cover, but let's pause for a quick second to thank our sponsors. They make it possible for me to keep creating this free, helpful content for you. And hey, if you're loving this episode, would you mind sharing it with someone who's been stuck in the, I'll start my email list later mode up next. I'm going to break down even more types of lead magnets that work right now from quizzes to AI prompt packs. You might even have something already created that would make a perfect freebie to start and grow your email list.
Read the full transcript
25:29Stay tuned. There's more coming. When we were young, we dreamed of castles and fairy tales. And as we grow up, those dreams might shift into building something real, like starting a business. You need a website, payment systems, a logo, and a way to reach customers. It can all be overwhelming and confusing, but thankfully that's where today's sponsor Shopify comes in. Shopify powers millions of businesses around the world and 10 % of all U.S. e-commerce from big brands to folks just getting started. They offer beautiful ready-to-go website templates so you don't need design skills to look professional.
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26:41Anyone who knows me knows that I'm all about creating spaces where people actually want to be. So when we started hosting on Airbnb, it honestly felt like the most natural thing in the world. And it's turned into one of the best decisions we've ever made. Over the years, we've hosted hundreds of couples in our little spaces. We've had so many repeat guests come back and we've created this incredible community, not just with our guests, but also with the people who help us care for our space. Whether you've bought properties as an investment or have unused rooms waiting to be shared, hosting on Airbnb is a practical and profitable choice.
27:14And just think about it. If you've put a ton of time, effort, and work into your home, someone out there probably would love to experience it while they're traveling. So next time you're planning a trip or want to make some extra income from your spaces, you should definitely host on Airbnb. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com slash host. All right. So the next one is one of my favorite ones, which are masterclasses. So this is essentially a free training. This is a huge way that we grow our email list. And it's an amazing way to deliver value, to get somebody quick wins, to help them really understand the what and the why of the thing that you're selling or the thing that you're teaching on.
28:00And so masterclasses are awesome. And this could come in the form of an automated masterclass, meaning it's on demand. They can sign up anytime. Live masterclasses, live zoom calls, et cetera. This is a real value add and an amazing way to get people that are aligned or desiring what it is that you're doing so that then you can eventually sell to them, right? So if somebody opts in for a Pinterest masterclass, there's a really good chance that they would be in alignment with our Pinterest course. Makes sense, right? Again, you're not shouting to the void. You're opening up this direct line of communication for people who are already saying, I am aligned with what you're doing.
28:41I want to learn more. So masterclasses or free trainings are amazing. I think it's one of the best ways, especially if you sell a digital course or a digital product, you want to help people really understand the what and the why, and then your offer is the how. And so that is one of the best ways to grow your list. When we do our launches, we grow our list by thousands of new email subscribers. and there's so much value in an email subscriber that even if they don't purchase during the launch, then we get to keep showing up and serving them in their inbox until they're ready, right? They have an awareness around our offer.
29:17It might not be the right time or the right offer, but they're staying on the list so that we can keep showing up and keep serving them, which is amazing. Another thing that you could offer as an opt-in that is a more recent one that I've been seeing are like AI prompt packs or swipe files, meaning like these five chat GPT prompts will change your marketing or these five chat GPT prompts will help you get your workouts in. I mean, it could be literally anything. You can use chat GPT for just about anything, but if you have developed an amazing chat GPT prompt that could help other people, this is one of the main options that I feel like I'm seeing a ton of.
29:55It's probably the algorithm serving me this type of content, but I am seeing a ton of creators taking their custom prompts and giving them away as a freebie, as a way for people to opt in. And again, if you do this, you want to make sure that those prompts are aligned with the type of person who would be the right fit for your offer, right? So you don't want to just do random chat GVT prompts. Like I wouldn't want to do one of like, here's how to get your colors done on chat GVT. I don't have any offer aligned with that. I would want to make sure that the prompts that I'm giving away on the front end are in alignment with someone who would need what I have on the back end.
30:34So AI prompt packs, whether it's like a prompt for writing an email or creating content or something aligned with what you do or offer is a really trendy type of opt-in right now, but it's also super useful as people are starting to learn how to use AI and how to leverage it. I've gotten some really amazing prompts that I'm like, oh, I don't know that I would have ever thought to ask it like this or to do it like this. So it's a really, really sticky one right now in a good way. Another type of opt-in that we do a lot of are different printable planners or like almost like workbooks, right? So it's a free download.
31:11And we had one that was like our control planner. And it was essentially like when life feels out of control, this is the one sheet planner that just helps you get back on track and really see your priorities. That one did really well. We have a gold digger planner that is in alignment with what we teach on the podcast. That one did really well. It's just a one sheet planner. You can make it really cute if you want to in Canva, but helping someone who has a problem that you can solve, figure out how to kind of distill things down or get clarity around what they actually need the most help with is a really great way to have them self-qualify themselves for the next step, right?
31:49To kind of simplify the process for them. So printable planners are amazing. The next style of opt-in that is probably my personal favorite is digital downloads. And this is to me the easiest and most approachable way to position a freebie. It's really easy to create it. It's really awesome for somebody to consume it. This is probably the number one way I recommend creating something. Again, you could create a super simple checklist and make it a download. You could create a planner and make it a download. They're all very similar, but for us, we almost like to create these guides. So the most used type of freebie in my business would be masterclasses.
32:32And then second to that would be digital downloads. We have different digital downloads that are in alignment with all of our offers, right? So again, starting with the end in mind, and essentially we have things like the ultimate Pinterest guide or eight ways to grow and serve your email list or our ultimate podcast equipment guide. And these are just digital downloads that are designed in Canva that are beautiful to look at, but very informative that helps somebody get a quick win or solve a problem, right? I love this type of download just because it's something that you can create once and it can serve people for months, even years to come.
33:10And to me, it's just the best way for me personally to create. Again, I want for you to listen to all of these through the lens of like, what is going to be the easiest approach for me to handle in terms of creating an opt-in, but free downloads are kind of the most typical way people grow their email list. And again, you probably already have the knowledge or the content to create a download today. And it doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't have to be super pretty. It just has to get somebody the result that they desire. One of the last ones that I love are quizzes. And I have done a few different podcast episodes about quizzes.
33:50I think quizzes are a genius entry point into your email list for a few different reasons. So first off, people love taking quizzes, especially if you can position it in a way that someone feels like they're gaining insight into who they are, what they need, et cetera. So we've had a few different quizzes. One of them was called what's your secret sauce. I love that quiz. It's so fun. We've had over a hundred thousand people take that quiz. And what I love about it is it asks a lot of fun questions, but it also asks a lot of specific targeted questions so that we can gain insight into who this person is, where they're at in their journey, what they need the most help with.
34:29And then the results pages connect them to different free resources, different podcast episodes. It tells them about themselves. It literally feels like we're looking into a crystal ball and people are like, this is so freakishly accurate. I love it. Quizzes are a really great way to collect data on who is entering your ecosystem. And again, where are they at in their journey? What do they need help with? What are they identifying as their pain point? And there's a specific way you can set the quizzes up where let's say your quiz is 10 questions long. You want to have just a few fun questions in there.
35:02You want to have a few targeted questions that give you insight and you want to make sure that there's a specific path that gives somebody unique results based on their answers. And so I love quizzes as an entry point. We have a few different quizzes that are working in our business. And again, they're set up really intentionally and specifically, but they're also really fun to take. So here's what I want for you to know. There are many different ways that you can create different opt-ins. And I want to tell you a story about why I think you should consider starting with two opt-ins. Okay. I know one is going to be amazing and you're going to do one after this episode, but here's an argument of why I would challenge you to start with two.
35:43So before we had our children, my husband had expressed that his deep desire was to be a stay at home dad. And before we had our first daughter, I went through two miscarriages. So I had two years of back-to-back pregnancy losses. It was just a devastating, just a really hard time in our lives. And so it was this time of waiting where my husband wanted to be a stay-at-home dad, but we had no children. And we were really in the depths of figuring it out and just really working through, well, what is this going to look like? You can't really be a stay-at-home dad without kids. And so in that in-between season, my husband, who is super passionate about health and nutrition and fitness, decided that he was going to start a health coaching company.
36:27And so at the very beginning of his company, before he even had a name or a website for it, I told him, you have to start an email list. Like this is the number one priority of your business, right? Like I had learned through my own mistakes that I'd waited too long. And so I said, I don't care what you're going to call it. I don't care what it's going to look like. Let's start growing your list. And so at the very beginning, his first idea was that he was going to help people like me who work from home, who struggle with getting movement in. At the time, I really struggled with exercising. I didn't love it.
36:59I couldn't find anything I loved. I wanted to be at home. I needed fast and easy and effective workouts. And so his initial idea was like, I am going to serve at-home entrepreneurs with like quick, effective workouts. And so he created a free guide and it was five 20 minute at-home workouts, no equipment required. And so that was his first freebie. He launched it out to his following, which wasn't super big at the time. And he got a bunch of opt-ins, which was awesome, right? There's proof of concept there. This is an amazing way to experiment and see what does my audience actually find valuable?
37:31And so it would have been easy to be like, awesome. Okay. There's proof of concept. People want this. Let's move ahead. But I had the idea and I said, let's just test one other thing before we move too far in conceptualizing what this business is going to be. And I said, we had created this checklist for our own house and home of here's our grocery shopping checklist and our meal prep menu. And so we already had created it for ourselves out of necessity. And all I did was go into Canva or go into word. And all I did was take this resource that we already had for ourselves and package it up as a little PDF.
38:09And so essentially it was our grocery guide and our meal prep menu. And he put that out into the world and it got like five times as many opt-ins as the at-home workouts. It was clear as day that the people that he wanted to serve needed more help with nutrition than movement. And it changed the way that we set up his business. It changed the copy on his website. It changed his offers. It changed everything. And what was awesome is that just by having those two simple opt-ins, we were able to see, oh my gosh, we need to take this in a different way than we anticipated. But it also helped him to create offers that sold out before he ever even went to the general public.
38:53He never once had to post online about offerings or being available to help people with nutrition coaching because he had an email list of people who had already signed up needing help with meal planning and nutrition. It was amazing. And so one thing that I want for you to consider as you're starting to think through, here's what I want to do for my opt-in is are there two different ideas or two different ways to test out different things to get data? Because there is so much insightful data. You could go into Instagram and do a quick poll and be like, Hey, does anybody want this thing? They have no skin in the game, right?
39:29There is no real reciprocity there because they haven't put anything down. If you've ever done that and then you've created an offer and then nobody will give you their credit card, you know exactly what I'm talking about. And so with an email list, again, the reciprocity is showing you this value exchange that is so informative that can guide your path forward so that you create the right offer that people actually want. And so after today's episode, yes, I absolutely want for you to get up one opt-in, but I want for you to consider what could be a second opt-in that would give me insightful data.
40:04I don't want just like interesting data. I want for you to collect something that helps guide your path forward with confidence. The final thing that I want to talk about before I round up this episode is this. So the year that I created 52 opt-ins was amazing, right? I still have a spreadsheet of all of the different freebies that I created, but that is not what I would recommend doing. Again, I learned a lot in the process. I don't necessarily have regrets, but it is not the way that we do things today. Today, what we do is I look at every offer that I have and I asked myself, what are two different opt-ins that I could have running at all times, right?
40:42What are two different offers that will help people pre-qualify themselves for my paid product? And what we've come up with is essentially we have about eight to 10 opt-ins that I am constantly looking at. Right now, today, we are updating landing pages. I'm updating email sequences. I am constantly tweaking and looking at them. We're updating ad graphics. We have ads running 24 seven to grow our email list. It allows us to really focus on optimizing and really aiming for quality over quantity when it comes to our email subscribers. But again, as I said, this is the number one thing we're focused on in my business.
41:22So less can be more. And you want to go deeper, not wider when you do this. And so having a limited number of opt-ins, which is still a bigger number, but keep in mind, I have a team. I've been doing this for a decade. It allows us to really look at what is working. How is this page converting? What happens after somebody opts into our email list? What is their next step? Do they become a buyer? How long is that buying cycle? What does that look like? And all of that information helps us fuel our business in the right way. And so the goal here would be for each of your paid products have at least one aligned opt-in.
41:58And I'd argue if possible, have two, they don't have to be complicated. You're often so close to your own genius that you think that what you know, or what you do, or what you've created is just common sense. And surely everybody knows it, but that's not the case. Your opt-in is not supposed to transform somebody's life with just one free PDF, but it's supposed to get them one step closer. It's supposed to get them one quick result. It's supposed to solve one micro problem, right? It's supposed to just help them see that you can be the guide on their journey, that you can lead them to their next best step.
42:33So I hope that today's episode leaves you excited to consider growing your email list. I hope that you have some idea of an opt-in that you can create today. It can be a simple PDF. You could even deliver the result in an email itself, right? You could literally say, I'm going to teach you three things I've learned lately about X, Y, or Z. And literally the delivery email delivers it. It doesn't have to be beautiful to be effective. And so do not let your perfectionism or your desire to have everything be perfectly on brand, hold you back from getting something out into the world that allows you to offer value, to get value in exchange and to show up in people's inboxes and serve them.
43:15And then eventually sell to them. Here's what I want for you to hear loud and clear. You do not need to have a full funnel figured out. You don't need to have a huge following to start growing your email list. You do not need it to be the perfect timing or the perfect offer or the perfect opt-in. You just need one small helpful thing to get someone started on the path to purchasing. Now, if this episode got you thinking, all right, I'm pumped. I'm going to do this, Jenna. But once I have that opt and how do I set it all up? Don't worry. I've got you. It's too much to cover in one podcast episode, but I put together a free email list building mini course.
43:52It literally walks you through the entire process. So again, it helps you anchor in how to choose your lead magnet, how to create your own opt-in form, how to deliver your freebie, how to write the confirmation email, how to automate the entire process and so much more. It is absolutely free. No credit card required. You can literally walk through step-by-step because seeing is believing. And for a lot of you, you're afraid of the tech. And so I have tech tutorials that literally show you, here's what you click to create your signup form, et cetera. So go to listbuildchallenge.com. This is a free mini course.
44:27It gives you the clear step-by-step instructions that will get your first lead magnet up and running literally today. Again, go to listbuildchallenge.com, sign up for the free mini course. I will walk you through all of the steps to get your lead magnet out and into the world and serving the people that you're creating it for. You can also find the link in the show notes. I hope today's episode is the starting point for you. I hope it has finally convinced you that you are capable of creating an opt-in that people find valuable, that you are worthy of growing an email list and asset that you own, that you can have a direct line of communication to the people who actually care about what you say and that you don't have to shout into the void.
45:11You can leverage this asset you own to communicate clearly, to help people get the results that you desire to get them and to connect on a deeper level. I love today's episode. I hope you love it too. Until next time, gold diggers, keep on digging your biggest goals. And thank you so much for listening to this episode of the gold digger podcast. Thanks for pulling up a seat for another episode of the gold digger podcast. I hope today's episode filled you with inspiration, gave you information that you can turn into action and realigned you with your true North in life and business. If you've enjoyed today's episode, head on over to golddiggerpodcast.com for today's show notes, discount codes for our sponsors, freebies to fuel your results, and so much more.
45:54And if you haven't yet, make sure you're subscribed so that you never miss a future show. We'll see you next time, Gold Diggers.
46:04Thank you.
From the publisher
What if I told you that one simple piece of helpful content could totally change how people find you, connect with you, and eventually buy from you? In this episode, we’re getting really practical about email list building, and I’m sharing the exact steps to create a lead magnet; AKA: the simple, helpful entry point that not only grows your email list but actually attracts the right people into your business!
I know email marketing can feel like a lot, but here’s the truth: your email list is one of the most valuable assets you can build. And creating your first (or next) opt-in doesn’t have to be hard.
So today, I’m walking you through what to consider before you create a lead magnet, the different types of freebies that actually work, and how to start attracting the people who are most aligned with what you offer.
And if you’re thinking, “This sounds great, but how do I actually set it all up?” then don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. We’re covering a LOT today, but if you want to go even deeper, I created a totally free mini-course that walks you through the entire process, step by step. Jump into the mini course right now at https://listbuildchallenge.com!
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Goal Digger Show Notes: https://jennakutcherblog.com/email-list-opt-in-ideas-that-convert
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