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There a bunch of ways to make money online, but nothing beats having a huge subscriber list to market to. If you can build your own opt-in list, your opportunities are endless!

So you’ve built your list, what next? Simple, build it some more! You can never have a list that’s too big, however big it gets, keep building.

But how do you make money from your list?

The secret is to make sure your emails get read! There’s no point in having a list if the people on it don’t read your follow up messages!

When your subscribers see a message from you in their inbox, you want them to open it rather than delete it. For that to happen you need to create a strong impression when they first sign up to your list.

What’s the best way of achieving a great first impression? Give something of real value away in return for their opt-in. This is where lots of people make a big mistake. They simply give away a 10 page report that is nothing more than a pre-sell for their product. I know when I sign up for “promised secrets” and nothing more than a sales pitch it turns me right off. I usually unsubscribe straight away or just delete future emails from the author.

It’s not enough just to give away rubbish if you ultimately want your subscriber to part with cash. The best pre-sell you can do when email marketing is to give, give, and then give some more! Don’t just re-hash some crappy PLR report and pass it on to your new prospect, take the time to give away really valuable information and tips. Literally give away information that you could genuinely charge for and justify.

Treat your free offering, be it a free download, free sample or free subscription as a loss leader. If you impress your prospect with your free incentive your name will become instantly associated with quality. They will see you as an expert, someone they can trust and respect. These perceptions will move you a lot closer to a sale than some rubbish PLR report or sales letter.

Do the hard work up front and reap the rewards later. But don’t stop with your free report or incentive. Use your first half a dozen emails to offer more advice. Promote useful free resources rather than try and sell. By doing this your prospects will want to open your emails because of their value.

Only once you’ve reached this stage of trust and respect should you introduce promotional emails designed to make you money! And when you do, do it subtly, don’t just launch into a series of emails promoting your own product. Write some genuine reviews of some affiliate products that will really benefit your reader. If you genuinely believe that the product will really benefit your subscriber, that sincerity will really come out in your message, and as a result you’ll get more clicks on your affiliate link.

If you only promote genuinely good products and services, those that buy the affiliate product will be pleased with their purchase and trust your recommendations in the future. In between promotions, continue to identify free resources to keep their trust, and to keep getting your email opened.

And now, and only now, should you promote your own product. You’ve created an expert status, a position of trust, you’re now someone your subscribers want to buy from. When you tell them how good your product is, they’ll believe you and want it!

Email marketing is the same as any form of sales, its about building a relationship with your prospects. Think relationship first and selling second and you’ll be successful in the longer term.

To learn more about email marketing and list building, grab a copy of my Free “List Building Riches” report, it’s 50+ pages of solid content written to turn you into a loyal subscriber!

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