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Awesome List Building With Your Perfect Blog Post

This post was most recently updated on September 29th, 2022

List BuildingYou can do some Awesome List Building With Your Perfect Blog Post, if you just keep these few things in mind.

Now, it’s true, not every blog post is designed for list building.

In fact, not every blog post should be designed for listbuilding.

That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t include list building elements in every blog post.

You can and you should.

But you don’t need to make every blog post look like you’re begging people to join your list, either.

There’s a fine line between being awesome and cool, and being a troll and a spammy you know what.

So, keep that in mind.

Meanwhile, let’s talk about writing a perfect blog post for list building.

When you’ve got it right, it should be something you can share everywhere your little feet can take you, and always be building your list with it.

It’s a virtual “pounding the pavement” strategy that works, if you’ve got that perfect blog post going for you.

So, let’s dig into that a bit, shall we?

How To Write A Perfect Blog Post

So what is a perfect blog post anyway?

It’s an article that

  • gets your readers engaged
  • draws them both feet into your niche topic
  • really interests them in what YOU are all about
  • spotlights your authority
  • builds an authentic bond of trust between you and your readers

A perfect blog post is designed to make your readers want to know more about you, more about your business, and more about getting more involved with you.

How To Write A Blog Post

Each time you sit down to write a blog post, think carefully about

  • WHO you’re writing for, and
  • WHAT MESSAGE you want to convey

So the first thing you need to do is to determine who your audience is for your blog post.

Ask yourself if your audience…

  • is interested in what you have to say
  • gets lots of value and help from your blog post
  • will get key benefits from your blog post

When you answer those questions, you will know who your audience is.

Now, when it comes to developing your message it should be simple.

Knowing who your audience is requires that you know precisely what message should be.

Your audience defines your message, just as your message defines your audience.

Set out to deliver a clear message.

That message should perfectly address the needs, desires, struggles and challenges of your audience.

If your audience is dying to learn how to buy and trade gold, your message is to show them how to overcome the most common, key challenges to buying and trading gold.

It’s that simple, but so many folks just don’t make the connection between what their message is, and what message their audience is waiting to receive.

I struggled making this connection too, so I know how easy it can be to do.

Elements of a Blog Post

The things you need to put into your blog post are these.

A compelling headline or title

Compelling headlines should reflect the message that you are delivering.

Make sure the title of your article includes the keywords that are relevant to your message.

Include words of emotion and power.

This will draw your readers into your article.

The body of your article.

The body of your article is obviously meant to convey your message as convincingly and meaningfully as possible.

Do your research.

Start with a great outline.

Then, fill in the pieces of the puzzle, and you have your blog post.

Valuable references.

Assuming that you are not an expert on everything related to your topic, it is important to reference expert articles and blog posts.

That can help give substance to your message.

If you know that somebody is really good at Twitter marketing and you’re talking about social media marketing in general… then link out to an article by that person.

This helps give your readers more information from a wider body of experts other than you.

Remember, your readers are not primarily interested in you.

They just want their problem solved and their concerns addressed.

If you send them to somebody else who can help them get the value they’re looking for, you become their hero.

They will love you for it, and visit back often to get more of their problems solved either by you or by someone your refer them to.

Either way, it’s all good for you 🙂

Engagement factors.

Make every effort to engage your readers in conversation and calls to action.

Don’t just give information and boring statistics.

Don’t just solve a common problem and leave it at that.

Give your readers things to think about.

Try to relate the information to their particular concerns.

Ask questions and elicit emotion… excitement, fear, inspiration.

Try to develop healthy comment threads that people want to be involved in.

Your blog post is not meant just to inform but to engage.

In fact, engagement is probably far more important than informing your readers.

Calls to action.

Calls to action are the most important reason to write a blog post.

Yes, you want to solve your readers problems.

You want to connect to them.

And, as I’ve just said… you want to engage with them.

But you also want them to do something.

You want your readers to take action to implement and start doing something.

Ask them to click on the link to see a service that you offer.

Maybe you want them to buy an affiliate product that you have referenced inside of your article.

Encourage them to take that action.

In this article, I’m talking specifically about list building.

So the calls to action that we’re talking about are those that ask people to join your email list.

Let’s see the best ways to do that.

How To Build An Email List With Your Blog Posts

Notice that I didn’t say build an email list with your blog.

I said to build an email list with your blog post.

The difference is this.

People try to build an email list with their blog by setting up sidebar opt-in boxes or banners.

They use these to prompt their readers to subscribe to their email list, usually in exchange for some great free offer.

In their zeal to push the envelop with their list building,  they often hit site visitors with a barrage of pop-up ads.

The Pop-Up Ad

I know you’ve seen pop-up ads.

You’ve probably been annoyed by them.

I know I have been.

Yet, the conventional knowledge among blogging pros, is that the pop-up ads work very well.

That means that they get people onto your email list.

I still take issue with the success of this method, though.

Building Engagement

You see, building an email list requires that you get subscribers who really want to follow you.

You must have subscribers who are really interested in what you’re doing.

They must trust you.

Just because pop-up ads increase your rate of list building, it doesn’t mean that the people added to your list are engaged.

It doesn’t follow that they will be opening your emails and engaging with you inside of your newsletter.

Avoid cheap techniques designed to trick people into joining your email list.

Offering cheesy ebooks that circulate everywhere just to get a bigger number of followers is sorta self-defeating.

If you can’t give great value with your free offer, then just simply promise people a great newsletter… in other words, your emails.

List building is not about numbers.

People think it is but let me tell you from experience… it’s not.

So forget about it.

Here’s the real deal…

  • List building is all about engagement.
  • It’s about an engaged following.
  • And more specifically, it’s about having a loyal following.

I don’t believe that standing on your head and popping up ads and opt-in offers all over your blog post is the right way to get people to join join your email list.

So let me share with you the things that I do believe work well.

Awesome List Building Techniques For Bloggers

If you’ve written your blog post according to the guidelines that I gave you earlier in this article, then you should have attracted readers who are honestly interested in your topic.

They should be ready to engage with you on some level.

Let’s suppose that you’re discussing a major niche topic or problem and offering solutions.

That is the perfect time to ask people to join your email list to get even more information and solutions via your newsletter.

So if you’ve written a long post about how to knit hats, then that’s the time to say…

Join my email list if you would like to have great tips delivered right to your inbox.

There are several ways to do this within the text of your article.

You can you do this with a simple inline anchor text.

Just link any text in your article, to any page you want people to be redirected to when they click.

They will be redirected to that page.

You can use a “lead box” to funnel people into a 2-step opt-in.

It is even better to make your offer visual, which obviously catches more eyeballs.

With ThriveLeads, you can embed a content box, containing whatever content you want people to see.

When people click on that lead box subscription form pops-up , which always converts much better.

That’s a classic example of the 2-step opt-in.

If people are interested in the offer (like “Get Your Free Blog Setup”)… they will click the lead box.

When they do, they get your light-box opt-in form and can then join your email list.

Now, I created the above lead box and 2-step opt-in form with the ThriveLeads.

ThriveLeads is a premium WordPress plugin designed to capture leads and build your email list.

It is a one-time only cost, with no monthly subscription fees, unlike most similar lead generation plugins and software.

Click the image below to sign up with my affiliate link (If you make a purchase from this link, I may make a commission which in no way effects your cost).

Ultimate List-Building Plugin for WordPress

It’s really simple to do, so you can always test new lead magnet offers easily and quickly.

See what works best and run with that one.

Ditch the rest, my friends 🙂

Here’s the thing…

People want solutions (i.e., not just more information, information and more information that they don’t know what to do with, you know?)

Even more, people want to connect with you.

More about the 2-step opt-in

The best way to do that is with a 2-step opt-in.

With the2-step opt-in, you tell people to “click here” if they would like to get your “XYZ.”

They don’t see a subscription form, like a form asking for their name and email etc.

Subscription or opt-in forms that show up right away make your readers run the other way.

They instantly see that you want them to take some action such as putting in their email list and name and so they resist.

Help People Take Action

You know what… people resist taking action.

It’s just hard-wired, I think.

They like passive.

It’s a subconscious comfort zone for them.

Instead of heeding to your “call to action”, they are more likely to just turn a blind eye to your opt-in form.

But with the 2-step opt-in technique, you merely ask them to click if they’re interested in a certain topic.

When they do, then they get to the next step in the process… the opt-in form.

But by then, they’ve already give you permission to get to that stage.

Get it?

I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal when you break it down rationally, but believe me, it is.

All the testing proves that when people have given you permission to proceed, they are far more likely to respond.

So you might say “to learn more about XYZ click here.”

When the reader clicks (that’s their permission to proceed), they then get your opt-in form.

So you see, in stop 1 they said they want XYZ… “please give it to me.”

Then in step 2, they see that they only need to subscribe to get it.

Require Mini-Commitments

People are much more likely to convert into subscribers when they commit one step at a time.

This is what we call mini-commitments.

The first commitment was… “yes I want XYZ.”

They committed to that when they clicked on the link.

They are already mentally prepared to do whatever it takes to get XYZ.

When they see that they need to put in their email address to get XYZ, they’re far more likely to do it than if they just were asked right up front to fill in a subscription form.

Banner Ads

You can also post banners inside of your blog post.

A banner can simply say “join my email list” to get XYZ.

You can even embed opt-in forms directly from your order responder.

Major services like GetResponse, Aweber and others usually have a plugin to help you do that easily.

I’m not crazy about that method because I don’t believe that people like to see opt-in boxes inside a blog post.

Why?

Because, again, they immediately see that you’re asking them to take action on something… resist 🙂

Pop-Up Ads

As for pop-up ads, I do believe that exit pop-ups are one of the better forms to use.

They’re not nearly as intrusive and disruptive as those that pop-up while someone is trying to read your content.

They’re already exiting your blog post.

The exit pop-up just gives them one final reminder before they leave to join your email list.

It reminds them what they have to do (i.e., subscribe to your email list) to get even more great content from you.

Offer Something Related To Your Article

Your blog post appeals to people on a certain topic because they’re interested in that topic.

So if you then ask them to join your email list to get information on another topic, well, it just doesn’t really work too well.

So if I’ve written a blog post all about cats, and in it, I asked you to join my email list to find out how to get some great juicing recipes…

forget about it.

Total disconnect.

My reader wants to know more about cats.

They probably don’t care a hoot about juicing recipes.

So while they’re reading my great blog post about cats, I want to ask them to join my email list to get on my email newsletter all about cats.

Make sense?

That should actually interest them.

The more relevant my “join my list” offer is to the topic that I’m writing about, then the more likely I am to convert my readers into a subscribers.

In the alternative

You could simply ask people to join your email list with no free offer at all.

That will work as long as you’re always writing on the same topic, pretty much.

They’ll simply want more on that topic.

But understand…

People are interested in getting a specific piece of information related specifically to the main topic of the blog post they are reading.

That’s just a much better marketing hook.

So try to find something highly relevant to the blog post you are writing.

This is one of the absolutely greatest ways to build your email list from your blog.

You can even offer a pdf version of the blog post they just read.

This works especially nicely if you’re writing a long form blog post with lots of information that people may want to refer to often.

By offering a pdf (an ebook version), your blog post can become a resource to your readers.

A downloadable pdf means that people don’t have to go searching for your blog post every time they want to access your informative article.

Simply convert your text into a pdf, and tell people “if you would like to get a pdf version of this blog post so that is always at your fingertips, then click here.”

When they do they should get a light-box version of your opt-in form.

Voila 🙂

Summary of Resources

Get ThriveLeads for a truly reasonable fee, unlike most similar lead generation plugins and software.

Click the image below to learn more about it.

Get ThriveLeads with my affiliate link (If you make a purchase from this link, I may make a commission which in no way effects your cost).

Ultimate List-Building Plugin for WordPress

Awesome List Building With Your Perfect Blog Post

I hope you’ll apply some of these awesome list building ideas to leverage your next perfect blog post.

Do you have other ways to do some awesome list building on your blog?

I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments below, and yes… I’m always on the lookout for your social shares 🙂

-Donna

Donna Merrill
Donna is a well known blogger and creator of "Blogging Magic" - an intensive guide to blogging. "Blogging Magic" is for beginners who are trying to figure out how to bring their blogs to life with tons of visits, comments and social media interaction. It's even for advanced bloggers looking to reach new levels of authority and engagement with their audience.

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48 Responses to Awesome List Building With Your Perfect Blog Post

  1. Steve
    Twitter:
    May 18, 2017 at 7:22 am #

    Hi Donna,

    Some really good tips here. It’s easy to forget the purpose of building your email list and not purely focus on numbers but build a good relationship with your readers.

    I prefer to leave an opt-in form at the bottom of each post with a call-to-action something along the lines of…Like this post…

    And only when I know the post is being received well will I consider added a content upgrade with the aim of making the article and content better.

  2. Monika Sharma
    Twitter:
    May 9, 2017 at 12:33 am #

    Hi Donna Merrill,

    You always share valuable post for your audience & this is the reason that visitors always come get information post. I honestly like this post that tell the value of Blog Post with proper Elements, headline & content body.

    These are the basic & important factors for a Perfect Blog Post.
    Monika Sharma recently posted..Five Security Tips While Working On The Office InternetMy Profile

  3. Grant Merriel
    Twitter:
    April 11, 2017 at 3:38 am #

    That’s a super awesome post Donna!

    We have mostly been using all kinds of forms on our website: sidebars, post footers, ribbons, in-content and exit pop-ups.

    But out of those forms, exit pop-ups work for our website really well.
    Grant Merriel recently posted..Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid of Delegating Important Tasks – More Time More Profit: Helping Entrepreneurs and Business Owners Scale their BusinessMy Profile

    • Jitendra Vaswani
      Twitter:
      May 6, 2017 at 9:51 pm #

      Hey,

      This list is really helpful to build a perfect blog post.

      The content should be engaging as well as SEO proof to make your blog a complete success.

      Thanks Again!

  4. Mi Muba
    Twitter:
    April 10, 2017 at 1:50 am #

    Hi Donna

    In the beginning of the post you mentioned a great reality of online marketing that says one should not promote all the time everywhere and get the appropriate opportunity to promote decently.

    The same rules applies to blogging. If we keep asking people to subscribe our newsletter or reshare our post they would do just once and then later on unsubscribe. It should be value of contents that influence them to be our subscriber.

    A blog post is a powerful tool to achieve multiple objectives and obviously list building is one of them. It also works great for lead generation.

    Many thanks for the mention Donna and that post helped me grow my list up to 10 per cent so far and percentage is rising day by day.

    Have a great week ahead.
    Mi Muba recently posted..Free website traffic vs paid traffic; which one brings more moneyMy Profile

  5. Swadhin Agrawal
    Twitter:
    April 8, 2017 at 9:54 am #

    Hello Donna maam,
    What an in depth post. I am so glad you wrote about it. Most should get started with list building as soon as they can because list building is definitely a profitable and long-term thing.

    You have clearly mentioned all the things that makes a blog post a lead magnet, a resourceful article, a call to action and of course a simple content upgrade.

    Thanks for writing this post maam, tweeted it.
    Have a great weekend ahead.

    P.S. Are you not so active on Twitter maam?

    -Swadhin
    Swadhin Agrawal recently posted..Grammarly Affiliate Program Review 2017: Complete Details (+ $25 Activation Bonus)My Profile

  6. Mandy Allen
    Twitter:
    April 8, 2017 at 9:25 am #

    How to write a perfect ‘bog’ post just made me laugh out loud! I love unintentional typos! I always love your tips. One thing I need to get done to help build my list is to introduce a squeeze page, which I have never done before. I really must get onto that!

    Enjoy the journey!
    Mandy Allen recently posted..And We Have Lift Off!My Profile

  7. Manidipa Bhaumik
    Twitter:
    April 8, 2017 at 9:04 am #

    Hey Donna,

    How have you been?

    What an indepth article you have shared here!

    List building is not about numbers – and I am totally inline with that. Though many people think opposite, but it matters only when all of them are engaged.

    Thank you for sharing all these helpful tips here. Take care and have a great weekend 🙂
    Manidipa Bhaumik recently posted..How to Choose the Best WordPress Hosting for BeginnersMy Profile

  8. Joy Healey
    Twitter:
    April 8, 2017 at 8:27 am #

    Hi Donna,

    Excellent post about list building with your blog!

    It amazes me how many people that I thought would have known better still use (and even teach) splatting an opt-in form right across their blog post the minute you arrive. Before you’ve had chance to read anything. I have developed a reflex “click to shut it” action. And if it’s not obvious how to close it, I close the whole site.

    I already use Thrive, and HOPE that my list-building box is unobtrusive enough that it doesn’t annoy people.

    Having said that, I have been noticing your “inline” technique for some time now and agree that’s so much more appropriate.

    Joy – Blogging After Dark
    Joy Healey recently posted..Quarter Of The Year Gone – End of Financial YearMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill April 8, 2017 at 8:50 pm #

      Hi Joy,

      Well, the great thing about Thrive Leads that I really appreciate is that you can use it make your list building a very natural and “native” part of your blog.

      No need to be annoying and pushy about it 🙂

      Besides that, I do very well with the “inline” link promotions too.

      I consider them a very soft “disrupter” since people must choose to click them to get more info and CTA.

      Thanks for your insights my dear 🙂

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..A Killer Three Post Content Strategy To Drive Traffic To Your BlogMy Profile

  9. kesavan April 7, 2017 at 3:45 am #

    I am at the beginning stage of the blogging and i learnt many things like Email list, how to write a blog effectively, key things in a blog post through this post. Thanks Donna for offering me such information’s.

  10. Sherman Smith April 6, 2017 at 11:52 pm #

    Hey Donna,

    Attracting visitors who are interested in your blog post and CTA offer is vital. It’s not about how many opt ins you get, but who is actually opting into your email list.

    Vanity metrics was my weakness at one point, but it was the energy that drove me to keep going. But now, everyone should heed your words when it comes to list building.

    I also use Thrive Leads and they give you a lot for that one time payment. I went ahead and purchased Thrive Content Builder as well which has a lead generating feature that connects it to Thrive Leads.

    I have used content upgrades on a few of my post and have had some success with it. I may have to simplify my CTA in order to get better results.

    Great post Donna! Have a great weekend!
    Sherman Smith recently posted..How To Build Trust And A Loyal Following With Your BlogMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill April 8, 2017 at 8:21 pm #

      Hi Sherman,

      You’re doing all the right things on your blog, no doubt.

      Good you got past the vanity numbers, but they do feel good, don’t they?

      Conversions, my friend.

      That’s the real gusto.

      I love the Thrive Leads and Content Builder… they really help drive people into your business, and that’s what’s so often lacking in the blogger’s arsenal.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..What Makes Your Blog Unique?My Profile

  11. Janice Wald
    Twitter:
    April 6, 2017 at 4:30 pm #

    Hi Donna,
    I liked the part about the references the best in this stand-out-strong article.
    You never read that it matters in blogging tips articles. Thanks for the validation. I think it’s important too.
    Janice

    • Donna Merrill April 8, 2017 at 8:16 pm #

      Hi Janice,

      Absolutely… references not only help your readers be informed, but it expands your circle of contacts in the business.

      Remember Miracle on 34th Street when Macy’s sent people to Gimbels if they couldn’t deliver what the customer wanted?

      That’s the kind of thing you want on your blog 🙂

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Infographics – The Best Way To Boost Your BlogMy Profile

  12. Chris DeeWaard
    Twitter:
    April 6, 2017 at 3:02 pm #

    Hi Donna.

    Great post, as usual. Very informative.

    I like how you focus on using blog posts instead of the blog itself to get subscribers. I like the idea of an exit pop-up compared to the pop-ups that I see mostly, from those that use them, when I first land on the blog posts, or worse, when I’m in the middle of reading something and BAM, there it is. That can be very annoying, to me anyway.

    I already understand the basics of most of what you mentioned here, just haven’t really implemented anything. One of the many, many things I need to do to improve my blog.

    Thanks for sharing this with everyone. It will most certainly make a difference for those who use these techniques.

    Have a great week……..Chris
    Chris DeeWaard recently posted..Internet Marketing Versus Having a High IQMy Profile

  13. Amar kumar
    Twitter:
    April 6, 2017 at 5:49 am #

    Hey Donna,

    It is really very informative post and I totally agree with your points. Your post always comes with some additional and unique tips. Possibly everyone write a blog post to drive maximum traffic, their main intensity to withdraw attention of readers for few more minutes. It is really important while writing a blog post that for whom you are addressing your content.

    It is the main key which will helps you to target more and more audience. You headline has more potential to engage reader to go through whole content so need to create effective headlines for genius results. Eventually, thanks for revealing a light on this topic.

    With best wishes,

    Amar kumar
    Amar kumar recently posted..12 Things You Need to Know About SEO HostingMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill April 8, 2017 at 7:38 pm #

      Hi Amar,

      I’m glad you make the point about the importance of the headline.

      I didn’t really get too deeply into that, but it is really on top of your list of ways to get readers to your blog to get things started.

      But as you say, the headline is also a way to get your reader “to go through the whole content” of your blog.

      When you promise to deliver something really valuable in your headline, readers will tend to stay until they’ve uncovered the gems 🙂

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..6 Most Effective SEO Tips You Can Use In 2017 To Explode Your Search TrafficMy Profile

  14. Cori Ramos
    Twitter:
    April 5, 2017 at 1:20 pm #

    Oh my goodness Donna, you knocked it out of the park with this one! Thanks for sharing all your techniques with us. I really got a lot of ideas here. I especially like the suggestion about offering a pdf version of our longer blog post.

    I don’t have anything different to offer to grow our list. I keep a opt in box below every post and there is an opt-in bar at the top of the blog. I also have one on my Facebook page. I also share a copy of an issue so folks can take a peek at what they’ll get if they opt-in.

    I don’t want to overdo it and come across as over-bearing so I keep it simple. 🙂

    Thanks so much for all these tips. I saved it to my pocket to use as a reference so I see how I can use these techniques you shared.

    Hope you’re having a great week so far!

    Cori
    Cori Ramos recently posted..How To Be A Kick A** BloggerMy Profile

  15. Atish Ranjan
    Twitter:
    April 5, 2017 at 7:27 am #

    Hello Donna,

    Writing a resourceful blog post for your blog is what blogging all about. If you are able to solve the problems of your audience, you are good!

    The better your contents are better your list growth will be. You can write a lot of rules to make a great post but the ultimate goal of every post should be to solve someone’s problem or issues or educate your audience.

    Nice post, Donna. Have a great day.
    Atish Ranjan recently posted..Dacuda PocketScan – Portable Pocket Scanner (Review)My Profile

  16. Amaka Adindu
    Twitter:
    April 5, 2017 at 1:40 am #

    Thank you for the info…I was in a conversation with someone who was sharing how he build list with his blog. That sounded old school to me. He understands coding. It was clear to me he was living out some important part of what he was saying. Lets say I was not sold on his technic.
    You have simplified the process better.

  17. Lisa P. Sicard
    Twitter:
    April 4, 2017 at 7:08 pm #

    Hi Donna, I love those little boxes you have sprinked through the post – are they part of the thrive landing page packages? (I see you call it leads here, I will be checking it out) I looked at the landing pages and it’s on my bucket list now.
    I definately need more CTA’s throughout my posts and pages. I always preach the 80/20 rule but probably practice the 90/10 rule.
    Thanks so much for these tips today Donna as I’m looking to kick it up a notch at my place. Enjoy the rest of your week and I hope the rain here doesn’t head north to you.

    • Donna Merrill April 5, 2017 at 11:11 am #

      Hi Lisa,

      They are part of Thrive Leads (the blue one)… you can see it live here… https://www.donnamerrilltribe.com/start-blogging/

      That’s a page I set up with Thrive Content Builder.

      Here’s the thing with Thrive.

      Each of their products is a single, one-time only purchase for a flat fee. No monthly subscriptions 🙂

      BUT, if you want to get ALL their stuff, you can do a monthly subscription instead, pay that and get all their plugins included, and even Thrive Themes, too.

      I personally do not have the monthly thing, but am thinking of doing it.

      Meanwhile, the individual plugins are great as-is for any WordPress site.

      -Donna

      P.S. Its been raining here on top of the snow…we are expecting flodding 🙁
      Donna Merrill recently posted..15 Super Strategies To Start Or Increase Your Email List In Just 20 Minutes A DayMy Profile

  18. Dan Guillermo
    Twitter:
    April 4, 2017 at 5:13 pm #

    This was a really great post. I will need to reread a few times to really internalize these tips. You are so right about the list not being about the numbers. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the money is in the list. I learned the hard way that the money is actually in your relationship with your your list.

    Awesome post, I will continue to come back to your site since there is no much to learn here.
    Dan Guillermo recently posted..Can an Introvert Succeed Building a Personal Brand?My Profile

  19. Praveen Rajarao
    Twitter:
    April 4, 2017 at 4:15 pm #

    Hello Donna,

    That is a clever way to include the call to action within the blog posts. You have explained it so well and it is very useful for all bloggers to understand this and implement the same if they want to build their lists.

    Also the content of a “viral post” is clearly defined for anyone to succeed with their articles. Thanks again for a wonderful article.
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  20. Edward Thorpe
    Twitter:
    April 4, 2017 at 10:58 am #

    Hi Donna,

    Killer sales letter. On the same time, your understanding of the psychology behind building a responsive email list is uncanny. Relevancy and authority being the 2 keys

    Your how-to tips were brilliant, too.

    It makes no sense to hit visitors with pop-ups, and the like, before they know if you can help them.

    Exit pop-ups, if you interested them, is so much more effective for building a list of suspects that you could turn into prospects and then convert into customers. Great post, thanks,
    Edward
    Edward Thorpe recently posted..Congressional Members Sell Out American Public’s Internet Privacy RightsMy Profile

  21. Chery Schmidt
    Twitter:
    April 4, 2017 at 10:15 am #

    Hello Donna!

    You sure do make it all sound so easy girlfriend LOL I do need to pay more attention to my call to actions. Let’s see if I can get this Thrive Plug In working on my blog…

    Thanks for sharing
    Chery :))
    Chery Schmidt recently posted..Quit Setting Yourself Up For Failure!My Profile

  22. Anand April 4, 2017 at 7:30 am #

    Excellent compilation of resources, as usual, Donna. List building is the secret sauce of blogging success that many bloggers ignore. As you rightly say, it’s not about numbers, but how many engaged readers you have. And people still won’t subscribe unless you have it as a prominent CTA, and throw in a free download or some other freebie as a carrot. It’s good to make use of any tools that may help build that list a bit faster.

    As for that perfect blog post bit, that’s a good title for a whole new blog post, isn’t it? I’d like to read more about. Thanks again for yet another really informative post.
    Anand recently posted..LiveChat Bots vs Human Response to LeadsMy Profile

  23. Susan Velez
    Twitter:
    April 4, 2017 at 6:14 am #

    Good Morning Donna,

    Great blog post and I am one of those annoying bloggers who have a popup. I’ve actually been wondering about whether or not to keep it or not. After reading your blog post, I may have to reconsider. After all, you’re definitely correct, we don’t just want anyone and everyone on our list.

    As for the in content opt-ins, I know those work as yours got me to sign up for your ebook “4 things I did to build my traffic only using free traffic”

    By the way was an awesome read and something that I am implementing. Don’t worry, I’m not using it as a recipe cookbook to copy your success 🙂

    Thanks for sharing these tips on writing the perfect blog post. This is something I’ve always been working on improving. After all without the perfect blog post, no one is going to want to stick around and read my blog.

    Thanks again Donna and I hope you have a wonderful day!

    Susan

    • Donna Merrill April 5, 2017 at 10:49 am #

      Hi Susan,

      If your pop up is working and you are getting high quality opt-ins…keep it. If not, you may be turning some people away. We are all unique. I know many bloggers that do great with pop ups. Others, don’t so you need to take inventory of who is signing up and if they are purchasing an offer.

      Those that sign up for my free offer usually convert and a pretty high percentage. But that took a long time to figure out lol.

      Enjoy your day,

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..15 Super Strategies To Start Or Increase Your Email List In Just 20 Minutes A DayMy Profile

  24. Ryan Biddulph
    Twitter:
    April 4, 2017 at 2:58 am #

    Hi Donna,

    Excellent tips.

    I tell you; that simple CTA makes a big difference. I added a tidy little opt in form to the end of most posts, a few weeks back. I also simplified my CTA; offering simple, helpful blogging tips. Clear, simple tips work wonderfully, so folks sign up for my list.

    As for list size I paid no attention to list building for years. And even now, I give not a ton of energy to list building. And I am doing OK 😉 But the clearer I get, naturally, I grow my list and see increased engagement rates with subscribers, both through my list and through blog comments.

    Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Ryan
    Ryan Biddulph recently posted..11 Blogging Lessons from My Wildest Travel ExperiencesMy Profile

  25. Mark
    Twitter:
    April 3, 2017 at 3:30 pm #

    What an awesome blog post Donna!

    And your proven list building tips are extremely practical
    and non techie!LOL! Thanks!

    As usual, you have provided a ton of extremely valuable
    content.

    List building, on or offline, is definitely an extremely fine art.

    And you shared many of the proven subtleties, which can definitely make
    or break, a list building strategy.

    Thanks for providing an extremely easy to follow road map coach!
    Mark recently posted..How Extremely Savvy Small Business Owners Unlock Their Long Term Profit Vaults!My Profile

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