And it rocks, if you do say so yourself.
It’s packed with value, transformational power and some down-and-dirty tips to help your clients get more of what they want fast.
But for some reason, not enough people are opting in to get your dazzling bite of brilliance.
In fact, your opt-in rate has slowed down considerably. And you’re starting to wonder if you need a new free offer, something more punchy. Or if you should change the title. Or the way you’re promoting it.
One of the best ways to attract more perfect peeps to opt-in for your free offer is to create a killer opt-in page: a web page whose sole purpose is to communicate the value and wonderfulness of your free offer in such a compelling, convincing way that your perfect prospects don’t think twice before opting in.
Here’s why you want a stand-alone, kick-ass opt-in page:
- Unlike your home page or any other page on your website, your opt-in page has no navigation or links to other pages that might distract your prospect and keep her from opting in.
- You have more copy than just the title of your free offer to communicate its power and value and thereby inspire more people to opt-in.
- You can link to your opt-in page whenever you promote your free offer. On social media. On your business card. In your email signature and more. This radically increases your opt-in rate.
So, do you have an opt-in page already that’s not doing a bang-up job of attracting new prospects, or if you’ve yet to create an opt-in page for your free offer, keep reading. Because I’m going to give you the 5 must-have elements your opt-in page needs to kick some royal opt-in butt.
#1 A Clear, Concise and Captivating Headline
No surprise here.
Headlines rule! They’re always the most important aspect of almost any piece of copy you write… your opt-in page being no exception.
In fact, these days, because of the Lead Pages craze, the headline is sometimes the only copy on the page. Just a headline and an opt-in form. This means the headline has to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to enticing people to opt-in.
So, your headline.
You want to be sure it’s:
- Intriguing: Does is grab people’s attention and evoke their curiosity?
- Clear: Does is clearly communicate what your offer is about and how it solves your prospect’s problem or gives her what she’s looking for?
- Specific: Does is contain specifics, like numbers or time frames or statistics? The more specific, the better. Don’t write “Hot Tips for Better Blogging.” Instead, use: “3 Hot Tips to Get 100 New Subscribers to Your Blog in One Week.”
- Promising: Does it promise a big payoff or yummy benefit if your prospect keeps reading or opts-in?
Let me give you some examples:
Attract 4 New Perfect Clients Every Month Without Spending a Penny on Advertising
10 Easy Ways to Cancel a Date With Your Girlfriend Without Making Her Hate Your Guts
Notice that both of these are specific [4 new perfect clients, 10 easy ways), clear and promising with just a dash of intrigue.
Big Tip: If the title of your free offer is hot, you can use your title as your headline. But it should have the same characteristics as a great headline: Clear, intriguing, specific, promising.
#2 Short Intro
Under your headline, you want to have a short, 1-2 sentence description of your offer that answers the questions: “What is this? And why should I care?”
For example:
Sign up for this free teleclass and get the straight skinny on
how to make a big pile of moolah with your first big-daddy launch…
without stressing-out, freaking-out or doing a bunch of marketing you hate.
This intro clarifies WHAT this free offer is (a teleclass) and why people should care (big pile of moolah without any stress, freak-outs or marketing nonsense).
If your free offer is a teleclass or webinar, be sure to include the day and time in your intro as well.
#3 Big Benefit Bullets:
After your introduction, you want to get down to the nitty-gritty of what your prospect will walk away with by opting in for your offer. The snappiest way to do that is with 3-5 bullets that feature all the fabulousness locked inside your free offer.
For example, if your free offer is a short report on how to increase your typing speed and accuracy (oy! I could use that right about now), you might have a bullet like:
- 3 exercises to increase your typing speed 200% in 2 weeks.
Uh, hum…notice the specifics: 3 exercises. 200%. 2 weeks.
These specifics make this bullet a lot sexier than a bullet that says:
- Exercises to increase your typing speed.
You also want to create curiosity with your bullets by suggesting a big pay off without fully revealing what it is. For example:
- The real reason he doesn’t call you back after the first date.
Can you see how this bullet would be enough to get someone on the dating scene to opt-in? He or she wants to know that “real reason.”
#4 An Image and an Opt-in Box
After you’ve enticed your ideal prospect with your killer headline, your promising intro and your benefit-rich bullets, make it easy for them to opt in by providing and big, fat, can’t-miss-it opt-in box or form. Like this:
Include an image of either your free offer, if it’s an ebook, CD, report. Or use a photo of yourself. You want some kind of photo or image to liven up your page and reassure your prospects that this is something real, tangible and trustworthy.
Also, place your opt-in form above the fold of your page so people don’t have to scroll down to find it.
#5 Testimonials!
Now, you don’t have to include testimonials but I highly recommend including 2 or 3 of them. You don’t need more than that because you want to keep your opt-in page short and sweet.
Also, your testimonials don’t need to be about your free offer, though it would be great if they were. Just use testimonials that speak to your expertise and the results you get. People just want to know they can trust you.
You can also include a short bio of yourself at the end of the page. Especially if you have joint venture partners and colleagues who will be sending their peeps to your page. You want to let your soon-to-be new fans know who you are and what you’re all about.
So, those are the 5 must-have elements for a compelling, high-converting opt-in page.
Plus… a little tip to get you started…
Before you start to write your your opt-in page, ask yourself:
What will my ideal prospect experience/have/know/be able to do after she has my free offer… and why should she care about that?
In what specific and non-specific way will her life/business/relationships/health/finances change as a result of this offer?
Answer these questions and let your answers be the ingredients, the creative goo, from which you write your headline, intro and bullets.
Any questions? Do you want me to give your opt-in page a quick review and mini makeover? Pop your request in the comment section below and I’ll get right on it!