The opt-in offer is the entry-point of your sales funnel, where people first provide some contact details and show initial interest. This is a free product or service that entices the visitors to your site to sign up for your mailing list. Most people are reluctant to give away their name and email address for nothing more than the promise of quality content. Your opt-in offer is an incentive for doing so.
When considering what type of product to offer as an opt-in incentive, you have unlimited options. Here are a few popular ones:

Electronic Downloads

Electronic downloads are some of the easiest products for you to create. An eBook is a PDF that can be viewed on any computer. A report is a short eBook that can be as few as seven to ten pages, as long as it helps the reader solve a specific problem. Aside from reports and eBooks, your download could be a resource guide, a mind map, a detailed infographic, a checklist, template, or some other downloadable content that solves a clearly defined problem in just a few steps without a lot of effort.

Training Courses

Online training courses (or eCourses) are segmented courses that come with educational aids such as worksheets, note-taking sheets, chapter summaries, and so on. An eCourse guides the reader, step by step, through the process of solving a problem. An eCourse can be presented in PDF format or by using a series of emails, videos, audios, or even live webinars. You can offer it online, by download, via your blog, or as installments sent via email.

Apps and Free Software

Software programs also make excellent opt-in offers, especially because of their high perceived value. With the rise of mobile devices, mobile apps have become increasingly popular. These are small software programs that help users do something through the use of their mobile devices (usually smartphones). The great thing about this software is that people will use it often, which keeps you continually on their radar.

Free Trials and Consultations

Free trials or consultations are offers that let prospects try out your service for a limited time. Without giving away your full product or much of your time, people get a true taste of the value you offer. A free trial could be a limited-time membership to a paid website, a limited-time use of your service, a free trial of a software program, or a 30-minute strategy call.

The Elements of an Excellent Opt-in Offer

People love free stuff! However, if their interest is to continue, even a free offer must deliver results. It has to be irresistible to your target market and solve an urgent problem for them. Your offer needs to be something unique that people won’t find at the same quality and value anywhere else. This is especially important considering your competitors are trying to target the same traffic that you are.

It can also help your cause if your opt-in incentive is a limited-time offer, because this adds urgency to the deal. The customer is afraid that if they wait too long, they may lose the chance to take advantage of the offer.

Finally, since your offer is the main thing that draws in your customers, it needs to be visible everywhere possible. Create a landing page for your offer and also put it on the sidebar of your blog and any other relevant sites. If it’s just what your readers are looking for, they will become subscriber.