What kind of content you provide to your list?

Bingo.

Unless someone joins because they're on some kind of Guiness record quest for most email subscriptions, they joined because you promised them something they want. Whether that promise was entertainment, education, how-to, etc., quality content is content that furthers that promise.

You want an example? Fine. Let's look at the ever-popular topic of weight loss.

You offered a 10-day meal plan based on a course or program you want to promote.

Your first couple of weeks of content are easy.

> An introduction to what's coming
> A shopping list
> Daily emails with the next day's meal plan
> Recipes or links to recipes for the dishes on the meal plan
> Sources for odd ingredients
> Once the ten days are up, pitch the main product (after teasing it during the initial promise fulfillment.)
> Links to academic research supporting your chosen plan
> News items, articles, videos, etc. related to the plan
> Use your imagination...

If you've done a good job selecting a target group and building a proper customer avatar, you should be able to keep the emails coming for years, including enough money links to make the work worthwhile.

A lot of people just want deals. Yes, popular for IM emails. But that is not the only niche. Plenty of women, for instance, look for regular deals from a favorite store. Its just the deal and not content about shoes.

You have a point, but it all goes back to setting expectations. If I'm looking for deals or coupons, I'm going to join a list that promises me deals and coupons. My wife does so regularly, and I have no problem with that. The content (notice of deals and coupons) matches the promise.

On the other hand, if I'm looking for content about shoes, I don't want an endless stream of promotions about things "someone interested in shoes" might be interested in. If you're throwing spaghetti against the wall to see what sticks, you won't be using my wall for long. And in that regard, as a marketer, I probably allow a longer leash than most pure consumers.

If you choose to outsource to writers or use PLR, I'd strongly suggest adding fact-checking to the top of the list. I used to buy PLR until I figured out I spent so much time checking facts and correcting them that I could just as well do the articles myself. The same goes for the cheap writers who don't have time to check for accuracy if they want to eat.