Once you have a new lead magnet available to attract people to your list, the next step in building your list is to send those new leads an opt-in sequence. And you’d be surprised at how many people I see who get the opt-ins whether through a lead magnet on their site or through a bundle or giveaway event, and never do anything else but deliver the lead magnet. Or they toss them into a general newsletter list and start selling to them right away.

If that works for you, great. But I’ve found it doesn’t work for me and so I’m gradually building out new opt-in sequences for all of my products and events. Eventually people will make it on to my main newsletter list if they decide we’re a good fit – and make no mistake – it is 100 percent their decision whether to stay or go.

But a good opt-in sequence on your part will help them to get to know you and bridge that gap between being a new subscriber and a loyal customer.

Here are 7 ways to get the most out of your new opt-in sequence:

1. Send a confirmation message

Even if you send your new subscribers directly to collect their lead magnet, you want the first email in your sequence to be a confirmation message. This is usually a longer welcome message that gives them their download details again and makes sure they know how to get in contact with you if they have questions.

If you have a community group somewhere like a forum or a Facebook group, this is also a great place to invite them to join your community.  

2. Remind them of the benefits you promised

It’s important to remind your new subscribers of the benefits you promised in the opt-in. This is an especially important step when people are coming in from a bundle or giveaway event. They are busy downloading several different products at a time usually and can easily forget who you are and what gift they got from you.

The key here is to provide real value and information, so that you stand out in their inbox. Share the benefits, give them tips on using your product, and talk about why they might have downloaded it in the first place.

3. Segment readers into active and inactive sequences

I’ll admit that segmenting is not something I do well or often… yet. One good idea for new readers is to pay attention to their actions, especially through the first few emails of your new opt-in sequence. Segment them into active readers – those who open and click, or respond to your requests for replies, and inactive – those who don’t click or interact with you. Create a different sequence to move the inactive people to, so you can send them different types of emails.

Contrary to popular opinion, email is not a one size fits all, and different people will respond to different topics and styles. I’m not saying to try and please everyone but give your new people every chance to become members of your community. Not everyone will be a good fit with you, but you might miss out on some awesome community members if you write them off just because they don’t respond to one particular email series.

4. Include a call to action in every email

Make sure every email in your sequence includes a call to action somewhere. You need to get in the habit of showing and telling your subscribers what you want them to do next.  Be clear and straight to the point. The last thing you want to do is leave them feeling confused about the point of your emails.

I’ll have more on creating calls to action in an upcoming series.

5. Show off your personality

The second point of a new opt-in sequence after getting them to use your product, is to let your new people get to know you. Show off your personality in your content and talk to them as if you were talking to a friend, not just someone you want to make money from.

You need to build that know-like-trust factor with them, so that they know you are worth sticking around for. Always be inviting them to visit the community site or group, to follow you on social media, and ask them to reply to your email. Let them know you want to hear from them, and that your email list is not a one way street where only you get to talk to them.

6. Don’t write a novel in your email

People get a lot of email every day. So if you want to impress your new subscribers, don’t waste their time. Keep your emails short and to the point and save the longer stuff for your regular newsletters.

You don’t want to overwhelm them with a data dump of information. Each email in your sequence should give them the next step in their journey from new subscriber to customer and community member.

7. Offer generous incentives

The biggest thing you can do for your new subscribers is to show them that you value their time and appreciate them opening your emails.  Offer them incentives that align with the message you are sharing and that fit with the call to action in your emails. This could be a subscriber’s only sale, a free checklist or other content upgrade that goes with what you’re sharing. I’m sure you can come up with all kinds of ways to incentivize your subscribers to stick around.

Final Thoughts

This should give you a few ideas on how to create a new opt-in sequence for your subscribers. It’s about so much more than just adding names to a list you can sell to. It’s all about teaching them why they made a great choice to download your lead magnet, sharing the value you can offer, and getting to know them as well as letting them get to know you.

Once you have given them time to get to know you through this sequence, it should be a natural transition for them to want to get on your regular mailing list to receive your newsletters and offers on a more frequent basis.