Your opt-in page is absolutely critical because it is the entryway to your sales funnel. In fact, it works something like a sales funnel in itself – it draws the attention of your visitors with a good headline that identifies a problem, leads the visitor down the page with its compelling copy, and then calls them to action by giving them the sign-up form for future communication.

Selling Your Freebie

What many marketers don’t understand is that in order to sell your free offer, you still have to advertise and promote it. It’s natural to assume that everybody jumps all over an offer of free stuff, but it doesn’t often work that way. First of all, there is already a great deal of free content out there. Why would customers want yours over someone else’s? But even more importantly, they ‘pay’ for that offer with their name and email address. People do not easily give out that private information any longer.

Features and Benefits

An important part of the opt-in page is the features of your product. It’s best to list the features as bullet points so they’re easy to scan and read. In addition to describing each feature, be sure to tell the reader exactly how this feature will benefit them. In other words, don’t simply list the features and expect them to fill in the blanks. After all, it is the benefit to the prospect that resonates with them on an emotional level.

For example, if you’re offering an Internet security information product that explains the most common ways websites get hacked, add that this keeps your site safe so that you can rest easy at night.

Social Proof

Social proof refers to testimonials and reviews from other people who have previously claimed your offer. These endorsements add a great deal of credibility to your product. While they’re not absolutely essential, they help entice people to sign up. Even if your deal is not a freebie, you might want to consider initially giving away your product to the first few people who take advantage of your offer. Then you can use these positive product reviews to further promote your product.

Audio and Video

A short audio or video clip also helps to promote and sell your free offer. It can be something as simple as you saying hello and talking about how your offer will help the customer. This adds a personal touch, lends credibility, and gives people another way to digest your content.

Call to Action

The call to action is the section that tells people to do themselves a favor and sign up now. Your call to action should be interspersed with your content, as well as placed at the bottom of the page. It should also be placed near the top of the page, above the fold, so that those who don’t need much convincing can sign up for it immediately.

Simple Is Best

Keep your opt-in page clean and simple or you’ll risk losing prospects before you’ve had a chance to communicate anything. There should be no fluff and no distractions. This includes no superfluous outgoing links and no extra, unrelated content. Design your page so that there’s just one thing prospects can do – sign up.

Your opt-in page should make bold claims about what you’re offering the visitor. However, your offer has to deliver. If it doesn’t, the recipients of the offer won’t be satisfied and they’ll be less likely to buy from you in the future, even if your offer is exactly what they need.