{"id":142838,"date":"2019-04-01T19:36:55","date_gmt":"2019-04-01T16:36:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thrivethemes.com\/?p=142838"},"modified":"2023-03-16T17:47:16","modified_gmt":"2023-03-16T15:47:16","slug":"7-optin-examples","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thrivethemes.com\/7-optin-examples\/","title":{"rendered":"7+4 Examples of Brilliantly Effective Opt-in Offers and How You Can Use Them in Your Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

You’re all set to start building your mailing list, knowing that it’s one of the most important assets for your business.<\/p>\n

There’s just one little issue…<\/p>\n

…what the heck should you create as an opt-in bribe?<\/span><\/p>\n

If you’re serious about building your list “subscribe to my newsletter” isn’t going to cut it, but neither is some generic, boring free report.<\/p>\n

So what exactly does an excellent opt-in form and page look like? Read on to find out…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Three Rules for Excellent Opt-In Offers<\/h2>\n

An opt-in incentive, an offer, a bribe, a lead magnet \u2013 all mean the same thing: something to persuade your visitor to punch your opt-in form. An effective opt-in offer can take many shapes or forms, but always includes these 3 characteristics:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

1. It Must Provide a Solution to ONE Problem!<\/h3>\n

Regardless of how people find their way to your website, they’re looking for a way to alleviate a frustration or fulfill a particular desire.<\/p>\n

Your opt-in offer is a quick taste<\/span> of the sort of information the visitor will find on your website currently and in the future. To be effective, it must target a problem specific to your audience.<\/p>\n

Your opt-in forms should provide one solution to one incredibly annoying problem each<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Note:<\/span><\/h4>\n

A common error is to be too broad and all-encompassing. Your opt-in offer is not<\/span> about solving ALL the problems.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

2. It Must Be QUICK & SIMPLE!<\/h3>\n

A one page-cheatsheet is enough. A ten minute audio file is enough. A five minute video is enough. When it comes to your opt-in offer, bigger is not better.<\/p>\n

You’re aiming for something that your visitor could instantly apply. A good way to keep your opt-in offer lightweight and bite-sized is to give yourself a time constraint.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Take no more than two hours<\/span> to create your opt-in offer!<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember that 90% of your audience are complete novices. Create it for them! Using your opt-in offer should require as little skill as possible.<\/p>\n

When your opt-in offer needs explaining, you’ve lost it<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Note:<\/span><\/h4>\n

People think that a good opt-in offer is a 400-page ebook or a 5-hour video series. While those occasionally work, the function of an opt-in is not to educate at a massive scale.<\/span> Your audience is looking for a piece of chocolate, not a gourmet meal with added benefits.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

3. It Must Be Consistent With Your Overall Message!<\/h3>\n

The most often overlooked aspect of opt-in pages and forms is consistency.<\/p>\n

To keep a good perspective on consistency, try to remember how your visitor got to your page in the first place.<\/p>\n

If the page your visitor lands on matches their expectations, it’s much easier to hold their attention (in our Next Generation List Building<\/u><\/a><\/span> training, this is the principle of relevancy).<\/p>\n

Think of it from a visitor’s perspective:<\/span><\/p>\n

Imagine a visitor fascinated by your article on, for example, cake decorating. This visitor is so enthralled by cake decorating that they click your targeted sign-up link<\/a> to learn more.<\/p>\n

Whatever they see next must continue from the same thought, almost like an uninterrupted conversation.<\/p>\n

If your sign-up offer is focused on not cake decoration, but say, baking in general, it’s an immediate disconnect. Your visitor probably won’t stick around.<\/p>\n

However, what if we offer this visitor a quick guide on homemade cake decorations? They’d be likely to download your guide because content of the page matched their expectations.<\/span><\/p>\n

11 Opt-In Page Examples<\/h2>\n

Keeping the three key concepts from above in mind, let’s look at some of the best examples of brilliant opt-in pages from around the web.<\/p>\n

Example 1 – The Quiz Opt-In<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"cerries<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/thead>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Site:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

cerriesmooney.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Author:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Erin Cerries<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Opt-In Offer:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Quiz-style personality test<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Cerries Mooney, the Brand Alchemist, has clearly grasped the concept of engaging her audience in a fresh manner. Her ebooks paint portraits of different personality archetypes. To find out yours, all you need to do is answer a quick quiz!<\/p>\n

Who could resist a quick little game to find out something about themselves? You find yourself almost throwing your contact information at the screen for a chance to find out. This is what makes a quiz so at getting opt-ins and emails.<\/p>\n

The beautiful visuals Cerries uses throughout also make for a rewarding experience and are a testament to her attention to detail:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Building curiosity like this is a surefire way to not only get more opt-ins, but also build a list of highly engaged email subscribers.<\/p>\n

Key Takeaway<\/span><\/h4>\n

Cerries’ offer is perfectly aligned with her blog’s overall tone and message. In addition, it’s easy to understand at a glance, the value you get is obvious and there’s an aspect of fun in taking the quiz.<\/p>\n

You can use Thrive Quiz Builder<\/a> to create your very own quiz and build a segmented email list.<\/p>\n

Example 2 – <\/span>The Free Report, Done Right<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"smartblogger<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/thead>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Site:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

smartblogger.com<\/a> (ex boostblogtraffic.com)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Author:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Jon Morrow<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Opt-In Offer:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Free PDF with 52 headline templates<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

As a copywriting veteran and self-proclaimed Royal Awesomeness of blogging, Jon Morrow<\/a> knows how to engage his audience.<\/p>\n

The Headline Hacks cheat sheet is a classic example of less is more<\/strong>. It\u2019s a streamlined opt-in form, grabbing attention with a single line of copy – \u201cA cheat sheet for writing blog posts that go viral\u201d – and offering them a simple template book for writing killer headlines.<\/p>\n

Simple. Effective. Anyone could write viral articles with this book. A value proposition like that is irresistible for any serious writer.<\/p>\n

This opt-in has had a consistent conversion rate of around 50%<\/strong> to email ever since it was published. And that includes cold traffic, from people who have never heard of Boost Blog Traffic or Jon before!<\/p>\n

Here’s what Jon told us about this opt-in bribe:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Jon Morrow<\/strong><\/p>\n

Smartblogger<\/em><\/p>\n

“On an opt-in page, you want the copy to be as short as possible. One litmus test is if what you are offering requires more than a headline to explain, it\u2019s too abstract. It\u2019s not familiar enough, it\u2019s not obvious enough!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Now, just to be clear, this is a 55 page document; you don’t want to do that. If I was a beginner and I was starting over again, I would give people the one headline template that works all the time to create viral posts \u2013 the one, not fifty two.”<\/span><\/p>\n

As you can see, we once again have a case of “bigger is not better”. Like Jon says, what makes this offer work isn’t the volume <\/span>of what’s on offer, but the way it aligns with something his visitors want.<\/p>\n

Key Takeaway<\/span><\/h4>\n

Jon’s offer, although grand in volume, is a simple concept<\/span> and offers a huge, almost instantly<\/span>applicable<\/span> benefit. It’s perfectly aligned with the blog’s overall tone, touching something the audience shares – the desire to be a successful writer.<\/p>\n

The Free Report & Opt in Page, Done Wrong<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

Sometimes, a negative example is as useful to learn from as a positive one. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a not-so-brilliant offer before moving on.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/thead>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Site:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

fuckupnights.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Author:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Various authors<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Opt-In Offer:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Free PDF with social experiments<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

This book is a good example of what not <\/span>to do with your opt-in offer. While the book itself is well presented and offers some entertaining social experiments, it\u2019s near useless as an opt-in offer.<\/p>\n

The major offender here is the <\/span>presentation <\/span>of the book.<\/span> The name of the book says nothing about the content, and there is no copy to speak of, on the pages advertising the book. With no obvious tangible benefit available, a random visitor will more likely click the back-button than the download-button.<\/p>\n

This opt-in example creates a curious situation: only the people already familiar with \u201cFuck Up Nights\u201d will be interested in this book. There’s nothing here for people who are new to the site. Incidentally, this is the exact opposite<\/strong> of what an opt-in offer is supposed to do.<\/p>\n

Key Takeaway<\/span><\/h4>\n

It doesn’t matter how good the content of your free offer is – if it isn’t presented in a way that is both clear<\/span> and enticing <\/span>to new visitors to your site, no one will be interested and you won’t be getting any opt-ins.<\/p>\n

Example 3 – <\/span>The Challenge Opt-In Page<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"the<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/thead>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Site:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

30daylistbuildingchallenge.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Author:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Nathalie Lussier<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Opt-In Offer:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

30 day mailing list-building challenge<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

A great way to engage your audience is by challenging them in an entertaining or useful way. Nathalie Lussier<\/a> has built a 30 day email list building challenge for this purpose, which appeals to anyone interested in building their email list.<\/p>\n

The part that really shines about this opt-in offer, apart from the engagement and near entertaining education, is the brilliantly devious way of inserting a paywall into the process.<\/p>\n

Anyone can partake in this adventure for free, receiving a new email each day for 30 days. But for the impatient ones, it’s possible to get access to the course immediately for a small fee.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nathalie’s opt-in offer educates, entertains, challenges and engages her audience and is a source of income for her, all at the same time!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Nathalie Lussier<\/span><\/p>\n

nathalielussier.com<\/span><\/p>\n

“As for how we came up with these things, it’s really been a co-creation process with our tribe. People wanted a way to unlock all the videos and they told us they’d be happy to pay for it, so we tried it and it worked.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It might seem silly because we really just do what our people ask for, and that’s been the biggest key to our success.”<\/span><\/p>\n

This challenge opt-in offer has a conversion rate of about 45%, and the paywall option gets a conversion rate of 3-4%.<\/p>\n

Key Takeaways<\/span><\/h4>\n

Your goal isn’t just to get opt-in emails from anyone, it’s to build an engaged audience. A challenge is a great way to attract the kind of people who are willing to engage with you over a longer period of time.<\/p>\n

The second takeaway is that it pays to pay attention: <\/span>Nathalie found a simple way to monetize her challenge, simply by listening to what her subscribers were telling her.<\/p>\n

Example 4 – <\/span>The Ongoing Product Opt-In Page<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Death<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/thead>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Site:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

deathtothestockphoto.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Author:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

David Sherry & Allie Lehman<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Opt-In Offer:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Free photos every month<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

You don\u2019t need to be a blogger or internet marketer to have an effective opt-in. The rogue photography duo at Death to the Stock Photo uses their own products as an incentive to sign up on their homepage which doubles as the opt-in page.<\/p>\n

The offer is consistent with the audience\u2019s desires. People come to the site looking for free photos, and Death to Stock will send you free photos monthly. It\u2019s also a good way to get visitors interested in a premium option, which is also available.<\/p>\n

Note how this follows rule #2 of an offer being quick and simple. Click a button – receive stylish photos.<\/p>\n

\"stock<\/span><\/p>\n

Photo from Death to Stock opt-in offer package<\/address>\n

Death to Stock have implemented the “freemium” business model that is common for software startups, but they’ve done it in the simplest, low-tech way possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you have a personal strength or your business has a native product, think about ways you can “freemiumize” it and use it to build your email marketing list<\/a> (and your business).<\/p>\n

Key Takeaway<\/span><\/h4>\n

An opt-in offer doesn’t always have to be one downloadable thing in return for an email address. If you can offer something on an ongoing basis, it gives your subscribers a reason to stay subscribed and keep watching their inbox for your emails – two fantastic traits most marketers can only wish for.<\/p>\n

Example 5 – <\/span>The Zero Effort Opt-in Page<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"active-growth-offer\"<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/thead>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Site:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

activegrowth.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Author:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Shane Melaugh<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Opt-In Offer:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Blog content, re-purposed as a free report<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Been blogging for a while? Maybe there\u2019s a brilliant article hiding somewhere in the dustier parts of your content feed, that never really got the exposure it deserved?<\/p>\n

Why not repurpose it into a hot opt-in offer?<\/p>\n

When you have an article that isn’t doing so well, or an older post that has lost traction, what do you do? You can put more effort into promoting it, tweak it, or forget it and move on. Most people tend to forget it and move on, forgetting that not all content is equally suited for all purposes.<\/span><\/p>\n

In other words: something might be much more suitable for a video than for a podcast episode or something might be more suitable as a free report than a blog post.<\/p>\n

Our very own Shane Melaugh had a well written article lingering around that hadn\u2019t quite found its audience. Being the clever sort of marketer, he wasn\u2019t going to just dump the article and move on, though.<\/p>\n

After a few little tweaks, the article turned into a perfect content upgrade<\/a> for a podcast episode<\/a>. The offer is advertised in a very simple way in the blog post:<\/p>\n

\"imimpact-example-2\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Conversion rates for this podcast episode went from 3% with a generic offer to 7%<\/span> with this new, more suitable offer. These opt-ins still aren\u2019t huge numbers, but more than doubling conversion rates by reusing a bit of content you’ve already created<\/span>?<\/p>\n

Seems like a good deal.<\/p>\n

Key Takeaway<\/span><\/h4>\n

Creating an opt-in offer seems like a big, scary task to many bloggers, but it really doesn’t have to be. Look through content you’ve already created and you might find a shortcut to a great opt-in offer.<\/p>\n

Example 6 – <\/span>The High Value, High Investment Opt-In Offer<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Brendon<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/thead>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Site:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

brendonburchard.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Author:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Brendon Burchard<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Opt-In Offer:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Free book (except for shipping)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Brendon Burchard<\/a> is a big player with huge influence in the self-development field. He can afford to hurl some heavy hits.<\/p>\n

He offers his book, The Motivation Manifesto, as an opt-in offer on his homepage. Now you might be thinking \u201cA whole book? That\u2019s insane!\u201d, but there\u2019s a clear method at work here.<\/p>\n

A physical book has a higher perceived value than an e-book <\/span>and here, you get all that value for free… or almost for free, anyway. <\/p>\n

While the book is free, you have to pay shipping to get it. Still a fair deal, right? But now you\u2019re involved in a value exchange.<\/span><\/p>\n

By taking the “free” offer, you’re making a small investment and you’ve started spending money on Brendan Burchard products.<\/p>\n

This approach can be highly polarizing and it can also be costly (printing books isn’t free, after all), but if you have a good marketing machine ready to process the leads, this be a killer marketing strategy.<\/p>\n

Key Takeaways<\/span><\/h4>\n

Look for opportunities to go against the flow. Everyone’s giving away e-books? How can you step up the game and stand out from the generic opt-in forms and email marketing? A physical book is one way to go.<\/p>\n

The second takeaway<\/span> is that if you get new leads to commit to a transaction early on, you’re building a list of buyers right away.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Example 7 – <\/span>The Automatic Webinar Opt-In Page<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Amy<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/thead>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Site:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

<\/a>amyporterfield.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Author:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Amy Porterfield<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Opt-In Offer:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Automated Webinar<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Amy is a social media strategist and co-author of Facebook Marketing All-In-One for Dummies. She earned her stripes by travelling the world and working with no other than Tony Robbins.<\/p>\n

After learning what she could from the world’s top marketers, she decided to stop consulting other businesses and start her own. Amy quickly found her home in front of the camera and behind the mic, creating a popular podcast and many successful webinars.<\/p>\n

It’s no surprise then, that Amy’s opt-in offer is a chance to partake in a webinar.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Amy Porterfield<\/span><\/p>\n

amyporterfield.com<\/span><\/p>\n

“Admittedly, the first time I did a live webinar, it was a mess. I was promoting my first product and forgot to add a link to the product in the slideshow\u2014a classic rookie mistake!<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

But I stuck with it, and now I do tons of webinars every year\u2014they\u2019re my primary way to reach new audiences. In fact, nothing else has been so successful for growing and scaling my business.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

An automated webinar is a curious opt-in offer. Even though technically it’s simply a recording of a previous presentation, you still get most of the advantages of watching a live webinar:<\/p>\n