Using Articles, Better to send to opt in page?

I think it's better to have your marketing sharpened to a very
sharp point.

Within your article you plant seeds of desire, and at the end you
reveal how that desire can be satisfied, for free, by just clicking
a link. That link goes to your squeeze page. If you write the
article right (does take a plan and some practice) people
who click practically won't read the squeeze copy - they'll be
so mad with desire they'll sign-up right away.

You really have to apply copywriting methods in your articles
but if you're looking for really high click-thrus it's the way to
go.

I believe that on every content page, you should always have a spot to opt in, even if it's just a sidebar widget - this is a theory that's new to me but seems ever so true!

How are you monetizing the new site? That will help you the most when deciding what to do with where the articles point. If the new site is not set up to make money, point the articles towards where people can opt in.

I use article marketing (and video marketing) almost exclusively these days to drive targeted, pre-sold visitors to my squeeze pages. I highly recommend it.

But here's the thing...

You need to have a good sales funnel in place before you start driving that traffic. Don't just build a list for the sake of having a list. Plan out what you're going to do with the list before you really bear down on traffic generation.

You will want at least 2 things in place ahead of time, and probably all 3:

1. Targeted offer to get them to subscribe.
2. Related special offer (OTO) so you can begin to monetize as you build the list. This can at least partially cover your costs to get the traffic. (This part is optional).
3. A good, strong, targeted upsell to offer subscribers down the line. This can be your full course, maybe coaching, or even a physical product that you have delivered to them (works well in some niches).

Work all of that out before you focus so heavily on traffic generation. Trust me, it'll make things so much smoother and more lucrative.

John

There's one sure fire way to find out which works better, spit testing!

Don't you always want to build your targeted, niche list? I always send people to opt-ins because I always want to grow and test my list. Build a list and then build relationships with your list to increase their overall lifetime value.