Create a Magnetic Email Incentive

You already know that email is a vital part of developing any brand platform because email is a vital part of every person’s daily life.

But there’s often a large gap that exists for brands between the audience they want on their email list and the email subscribers that are already on your list.

How can you convert people who may casually know your brand into loyal subscribers?

Email Is Your Inner Circle

Take a moment to think about all the people you know. Of course, this isn’t possible as we all know more people than we could possibly count, but if you devoted just 60 seconds to this thought exercise, you will likely think of people that fit into a few different categories.

First, you have your family—the people you’re connected to thick and thin. Next, you have your closest friends. These are probably the first friends you thought about, and the people in your life who know you best. Next are the friends, old and new, who you pass and speak to at places like church, around the neighborhood, et cetera. Then you have the people you are connected to via social media who you maybe met once, or haven’t seen in 20 years.

The people you know exist in a series of concentric circles, with those closest towards the center, and those you know less well to the outside. While the outer circles can add color and scale to your life, it is the inner circle that matters most in the pursuit of a fulfilling life.

The same is true when building a platform. But that all-important inner circle isn’t social media. Email is the driving force behind deep brand connections, and growing your email list is essential to building a rock-solid platform.

Try Platform University!

Want to give Platform University (your one-stop shop for building an online audience) a spin? Get your first week of Platform University for just $1. Cancel anytime. Try Platform University for Just $1

Grow Your Email List with an Incentive

The question to ask yourself is this: What are you willing to offer in exchange for someone’s email address? We call these incentives opt-in magnets.

Here are five steps our founder, Michael Hyatt, followed to achieve radical growth with compelling opt-in magnets:

1. Mine your existing content. Michael’s first opt-in magnet was an ebook called Creating Your Personal Life Plan. It started as a series of blog posts that Michael edited together into a single PDF. This tactic can work for you, too. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel and create fresh content. You’ve already done the heavy lifting. All you need to do is re-purpose it with a little editing and some nice packaging.
2. Choose the right format. While ebooks are a perennial favorite, there are several different formats for opt-in content, from deeper engagements to quick, easy-to-digest wins. Options include a:
   • Resource list
   • Cheatsheet
   • Workbook
   • Mini-course
   • Audio series
   • Continuity series (like a challenge or devotional series delivered over a set period of days)
3. Craft a compelling headline. I cannot overstate the importance of enticing headlines. A juicy headline is almost more important than the content itself. Why? Because its the ‟sales hook” for the content. The right headline can build anticipation, create a sense of promise, and leave readers feeling like they can’t go on without getting their hands on what you’re offering. If you need help crafting compelling headlines, pick up a copy of Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich by David Garfinkel. We love it.
4. Get outside help. Excellence reflects quality, and it may be necessary to enlist the services of a graphic designer, editor, or web developer. The good news is that excellence outside our personal areas of expertise is easier to access than ever before. Services such as Fiverr, 99Designs, and Upwork can make design, editing, typesetting, even writing affordable.
5. Choose the right offer location. Finally, we recommend you put the sign-up form for your email list somewhere noticeable, such as the upper right-hand corner of the webpage. Pop-up forms work too, with tools like ConvertKit. People don’t love pop-ups, but they’re effective. If the offer is worthwhile, they’ll forgive you.

Email works. Odds are, you already have what you need to create your first magnetic email incentive.