How To Build Your Greatest Opt-In List

By Sopan Greene
Posted Monday, August 16, 2004

I get e-mails all the time from people on my list asking about how to build their lists. This is the most important part of your business. The more subscribers you have, the more joint venture offers you'll get, the more money you'll make, and the more people you'll connect with. The best tip I have on this is at: (http://www.nmmastery.com/freereports/fastestlist.shtml)

But don't make the mistake that most businesses do - don't ignore how you treat the people who already subscribe to your list or who are already your customers. If you don't give people reasons to stay subscribed, you'll lose them. It's important to not abuse your list (by hitting them with too many ads and too many offers). It's important to appreciate your list (by giving them valuable information they can't get other places). But most importantly, you have to give them some of your personality. Yeah, give 'em some of good old you. I don't mean you should be an egomaniac. I mean you have to reveal a little bit of what makes you unique and great as a soul.

There are tens of thousands of ezines out there. Why should someone read yours? Because of the ads? I don't think so. People read ezines that give them valuable free advice, that make them laugh, that make them feel connected to the author (like you understand who they are and what they're going through), that make them feel better after they read it.

I'm not saying that you have to be a genius or a comic either. If you're not losing subscribers on a regular basis then you're not expressing yourself enough. It's okay, even great actually, to be honest even when it pisses people off. My subscribers that have been with me the longest are the ones who are serious about their business. The people I lose are tire kickers hoping to win the lottery one day. Those people are never going to buy from me and they are never going to create a successful business so I'm happy to let them go.

I love being around inspired people who actively take action to create what they want. I don't have time for people who waste their time complaining and acting like a victim. Does this sound harsh? It's not. The people you allow yourself to be with will either take you up or down and I'm going up...and I'm bringing others up with me.

I write for the 20% of people who are actually taking action and are committed to creating the life of their dreams. That's not everyone. These people read what I have to write and know that I'm coming from the heart while building my business and helping them to build theirs. So each time you publish a new issue of your ezine I invite you to push yourself a little. Expose a little more of who you are to your readers. Let them know what you love and what bugs you. Your readers are humans like you, they have ups and downs, families, friends, jobs, dreams, etc. Share a little of your life with them. They'll appreciate it and you'll build a great community of online friends and supporters.

Connect with your readers and your ezine list will explode (in a good way). More importantly, you'll be impacting people's lives in positive ways. When they see you being strong in who you are it gives them the confidence to express themselves in the world. We could all use a little more honest self expression. So share yourself and build your list and be an online success. I dare you to go for it.

About The Author
Sopan Greene, M.A. is a marketing & life coach & editor of the Net Profits newsletter. Get 2 FREE eBooks & a FREE report: "Million Dollar Emails","How To Start Your Own Traffic Virus" & "The 13 Deadly Internet Marketing Mistakes Almost Every Business Is Making..." mailto:webmaster87-5956@autocontactor.com
(www.NetMarketingMastery.com)