12 Examples of Brilliant Opt-in Offers for List Building

A HUGE myth in the download creation world these days, is that simply creating a download for every blog post will increase your newsletter list! This is NOT the case!!  Your download has to be in the right place at the right time, in front the RIGHT reader, and SUPER useful in order for it to influence anyone!

SO, to dispel this myth even farther, today I wanted to talk about about not only the RULES to a converting download…but also the various types of downloads you can create for your readers!!

In the list below, notice I’ve left off creating simple downloads like “checklists”.  I wanted to REALLY focus on creating downloads and really have NO choice but to be created around a solution.  Checklists are handy…and great to create in a pinch, but the more well rounded your solutions are…the more your readers will be coming back for more!

Three Rules to Converting Opt-In Offers

A download is a waste of time…if your reader doesn’t want it. So, HOW do you make your reader NEED the download you are offering? Lucky for you, there are three SUPER simple rules you can stick to in order to make sure you have a high converting winner on your hands every time.

1. Your download must offer ONE solution. No more than ONE!! Why? Think about your reader as if they were A.D.D. You want them to focus on ONE solution, since that one solution will eventually lead to a bigger opt in like an event or a product. If you have more than one solution in your download, your reader will lose focus and it won’t be clear what YOUR focus is.

2. It must be a simple solution & quick to digest. Don’t over think this!! You want to keep your downloads simple for two reasons. 1) Your reader wants a quick solution. The biggest selling point of your download is the idea that they can have their problem solved in a SUPER short amount of time. Life is crazy…and checking things off your “gray hairs” list is more valuable than anything else you can give your readers. 2) Your time is valuable…so creating a USEFUL download for your readers in less than an hour is not only time saving, but it’s INSANELY profitable later. TIME IS MONEY!! (I freakin’ hate that saying…but it’s so true.)

3. Your download’s solution must be consistent with your business’ overall message. OK…so you have either niched down your business OR you are in the process of figuring it out. Whatever the case may be, your goal with your downloads is to attract your PERFECT customer. You do this by making sure your download fits perfectly with what you teach on your blog. Your niche should be set up like a project with steps. Your niche is the finished project…and the steps you take to get there are the blog posts, downloads and events you create to get there.

Top 8 Converting Opt-In Offers for Bloggers

There are SO many different types of downloads you can offer your customers. (I uploaded a PDF to the Facebook Group with a list of great download ideas! Find it in the docs section!) BUT, there are absolutely a few downloads that have been known to achieve MASS conversion rates. Some take a little more work than others…but they all touch on your reader’s need for a quick and thorough solution.

1. The Quiz - This one is fun, and SUPER high converting! (C’mon…raise your hand if you took the “Who’s Your Soul Mate” in Tiger Beat when you were a kid. JTT and I are destined…I’m not ashamed!!) Quizes are great because they give you insight into what your readers need from you as a problem solver…but they also give your reader an insight into something they may not have known about themselves! A great example of this is: You are a mental health expert, teaching people how to relax and organize their thoughts. You create a quiz that tells your reader what kind of “thinker” they are. This gives you GREAT stats on the types of customers that are ending up on your page and some of the solutions you can offer to help solve their problems. Check out a site like Typeform!
2. The Free Report - The free report IMMEDIATELY tells readers they are going to get some important information, whether you have mass amounts of stats, a custom report for your customer’s issue, or a report tied into the results from the quiz we talked about earlier. (One of the coolest reports I’ve received recently was a “personality report” based on the Myers Brigg’s personality type I was given. It was three pages long…and who doesn’t love reading about themselves!!??)
3. The Challenge - YAY CHALLENGES!!! As a self-crowned queen of challenges, I LOVE these badboys. In the last two months, I’ve welcomed over 600 new subscribers to my list…JUST by creating these 30 day challenges! The great thing with this opt in, is that A) You are creating content that can be used over and over and over again when you relaunch the challenge. B) You are creating content that can be re-purposed into blog posts and downloads. C) Challenges can be any length!! I’ve taken challenges as short as 7 days!
4. The Blueprint - The word “blueprint” just tells your reader “all inclusive”. It immediately evokes an image of an overall, easy to read idea. You are literally mapping out an answer for them. You can create a blueprint for ANYTHING that has a step by step process. You can create a one page infographic that maps out each individual level or action the reader will need to take.
5. The 3 Step Solution - This one SORT of falls into the “report” category…but I’ve kept it separate for the title alone. The 3 Step Solution tells your readers IMMEDIATELY that their problem is as good as solved. Literally…in less than an hour, their problem will be on it’s way to solved city. This one incidentally, is also a BLAST to create. I generally create a 4 page PDF (6 pages if you count the front page and the FB Group ad in the back) that includes a summary of their problem and steps 1-3 on each page with a image or worksheet area at the bottom. Remember when I told you that THE most important rule to a converting download is that ONE problem needs to be solved? This download focuses on that problem!
6. Webinar Replay - OK…let’s say you are planning on doing a webinar next month. After your webinar is over…you’ll have a ton of options to use that recording either as a paid product, a 48 hour replay, or…drum roll…a free download!!! I’ve used my shorter webinars as opt-ins before and they are AMAZINGLY converting!! They take about 15 minutes to set up (and host) using ” Lead Pages“! High five for re-purposing!!
7. Worksheets - Readers want to feel like they are taking action!! If you’ve hung out on my website at all, you’ve seen worksheets, assessment sheets, workbooks…TONS of solutions to help readers organize their office spaces and ideas. Worksheets are a GREAT way to pull together an intense blog post, lay it out in a way that your reader can take action, and having a download that your reader can print out and use over and over again.
8. The Swipe File - The swipe is one of the HIGHEST converting downloads (aside from the challenges) that I offer on my website. Swipe files are copy and paste information that you can give your readers. It gives them access to the behind the scenes way your business works. Swipe files have included “The 7 Emails I Use In My Sales Funnel”, “5 of the Best “About Me” Pages On the Internet” and “7 Facebook Live Scripts That Will Convert Listeners Into Subscribers”. All your reader has to do is alter the text to fit their brand and feel!
9. The Video Series - Much like a mini-challenge or an email series, you can spend an afternoon creating 3-4…30 minute videos that walk your readers through solving their problem…step by step. Think about the solution you are offering your readers…can it be broken down?  Remember, you don’t HAVE to be on screen!! Use a website like Canva to create slides, or Quicktime Player to do a screen and audio recording!
10. The Workbook - If you’ve been creating worksheets and checklist for a while…think about combining them into a very niche workbook! Before each worksheet, include a “how to use” page and a brief lesson to get them started!  Again, this should only take an hour or two to put together!!  Don’t go nuts!!  (Or…if you DO go nuts, slap a price tag on that baby!)
11. The Toolkit - I freakin’ LOVE toolkits!!  They allow me to give my audience a FULL collection of downloads and videos to help my readers get from point A to point B!  I use squarespace to create my toolkits!  This company makes it easy (and gorgeous) to set up downloads, videos and text all in one place! You can create these pages in less than an hour! (The process of creating a toolkit is VERY similar to how I create my digital libraries on Squarespace!!  You can grab access to a 20 minute video walk through below!)
12. The Digital Library - The download library has been a HUGE benefit to my small business!  It’s allowed me to pull aside the downloads I REALLY want to focus on my business…and see how well each topic is doing with my readers!  I’ve had a lot o requests for it…so I’ve included access to my step by step download library creation HERE!!

I’d LOOOOVE to hear from you!!  Tell me below what you are planning on creating from the list above!  Are you ready to create a free download that will SERIOUSLY change your reader’s life or business?

If you haven’t yet, be sure to join us over in the Uncork Your Dork facebook group!! Every week I give you a ton of new downloads, livestreams on traffic building topics….and a SUPER fun group of fellow bloggers and business owners!

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