Interested in starting a blog and making money from home? I earned my first $200 within 3 months of starting Frugal on the Prairie (now AllisonLindstrom.com) then went on to earn a full-time income from home about 6 months later! If you're ready to get started, I have a step-by-step tutorial for setting up your domain and hosting here, which can be a headache to figure out by yourself if you've never done it before! I also highly recommend and use Bluehost for my hosting! (<---That's an affiliate link but girl, I never recommend something I don't love or use ;)
You’ve spent all this time creating subscriber forms in ConvertKit or Mailchimp and editing your subscriber incentives. Now the sign-ups will just start rolling in...right? Hopefully!
But sometimes that's just not what happens. Are you hearing crickets? Do you feel like you’ve wasted all that time creating something no one actually wants? Don't worry, I've got the solution for you.
(This post contains affiliate links. Please read my Disclaimer for more information.)
This post is an excerpt from my course, ConvertKit Essentials, where you can learn how to impress your subscribers with a tech-savvy, professional performance.
The trick to getting people to subscribe to your blog or website is to promote the right way! You can share your opt-in's on social media all day but if you’re missing certain elements then your conversion rates will be lower.
I took my subscriber list from 810 to over 3650 in just 90 days. Here are the steps I took to promote my subscriber incentives!
Step #1: Create appealing graphics
Social media images that are thrown together haphazardly are so 2003. With free creative tools like Canva, you can create a professional, custom social media images in a matter of minutes.
If you need free, royalty-free images to use in your promotions or blog posts, I highly recommend Pixabay.
Here are some examples of the social media images I use to promote my free blogging course.
You’ll notice that they both include the following elements:
- Website URL/identifying logo
- Catchy title
- Small summary
- Examples of the free content
Step #2: Write social media messages about them, not you
Don’t take it personally but your social media messages about your subscriber incentives are actually not about you. Think about how that incentive is helping your readers and potential subscribers. How will your freebie change their lives or help add a little sparkle to their day?
BAD EXAMPLE I just created a freebie, be sure to check it out! ---> bit.ly/examplelink
GOOD EXAMPLE Want to know how to start a blog so you can make money? Sign up for my free 7-day course so you can impress your readers and earn an income online! ---> bit.ly/examplelink
Step #3: Edit social media profiles to create consistency
Consistency across social media profiles will help you establish your professionalism and authority in your niche. Sometimes a user needs to see the same message again and again before they are finally prompted to click your link and subscribe. Making all of your social media bio’s the same will help move things along.
Here's a quick example of when I was promoting my first webinar:
Step #4: Link directly to the sign-up page or blog post with the opt-in form
Make it easy for your visitors to quickly find your opt-in form to sign up. Nobody’s got the time to go on a treasure hunt around your website!
All of the links you share on social media (both in posts and bios) should point directly to your sign up page or to the blog post containing your opt-in form.
Step #5: Ask to share
There’s nothing wrong with asking your new subscribers to share your blog post or opt-in page. In fact, this will help get the word out to other users and potentially bring in even more subscribers.
Simply redirect your confirmation page to a "Invite a Friend" Thank You page (which can be created in LeadPages) or leave a link for them to share in your welcome email (Example: Click to Tweet).
Step #6: Share others' content
You wouldn't invite someone into your home and say, "Let's talk about me and only me," would you? No way!
One of the best ways to get results on social media is to share others' content and connect with them. Don't just retweet a post or heart a photo. Leave genuine comments and build relationships with other users in your niche.
Step #7: Harness the power of recorded and live video
Let's be honest here...there are A TON of bloggers out there and you need something special to help you stand out.
Nothing humanizes a brand faster than including videos in your blog and social media posts. People want to get to know you and being able to hear your voice and see your personality on the screen will help you stand out in their memory later.
If you walk away from this post and only follow one of these ideas, it needs to be this one.
Video was, undoubtedly, the largest factor in growing my email list so quickly.
“Video was, undoubtedly, the largest factor in growing my email list so quickly. ”
Creating incentives and installing forms on your site is just half of the journey to building your subscribers list.
Don't let all of your hard work go to waste by sitting back and hoping someone will sign up. They will come to you if you harness the powerful energy that free social media platforms and video have to offer.