What's the best way you build a relationship with your list?

Everything you contact your list, you should be providing them with some level of value, usually information, with some kind of pitch to sell a product or service.

When creating this value for your client, think to yourself, why do you NEED this product or service, and write your copy around that question.

Hey ChesterDan,

You are correct with the free giveaways to a certain extent. If you hammer your list with free offers all the time you will train them not to buy from you.

As soon as you try and sell anything they will revolt and start complaining that 'you've changed'.

I do however send out blog posts that I have written as free content but ultimately there may be a subtle affiliate link in the post itself or in the P.S of the email.

With regards to keeping the relationship fresh with your list and adding value there is a unique concept which I learnt from Ben Settle who is THE go-to email marketing guy. He calls it infotainment.

He combines information with entertainment so essentially you don't 'hard-teach' but there is always an underlying 'lesson' in his emails but is portrayed in an entertaining way.

I would recommend you look him up he does have a paid newsletter which I subscribe to but it's kind of expensive ($97 a month) but you can learn loads just by being on his list and seeing the way he emails.

Another great way to connect with your list is to tell stories in your emails. Either about you or somebody else, make it emotional and then segway into whatever you are promoting.

Start the email with the 'time and place' technique.

'It was 2009 and I was pacing around the hospital'

You can't help but want to read the rest of that email

I could carry on talking about email writing techniques but I'd never get this post finished..........

Hope that was useful

I think give value. Teach them something. Your goal should be for them to think, I am so glad I ran into that guy. One of my favorite lists is Brendan Mace. (not an affiliate of his list) I look forward to his emails. he even emails multiple times a day and I still open all of them and read through. His emails are interesting and creative. Another thing that helps is he has a lot of personality. That comes through on his channel and on his emails.

Tell stories about rebelling against a common enemy as your reader e.g. big pharma, the banks, fitness gurus etc.

Here's a simple template:

1. The situation
2. The problem
3. Why you found it impossible to solve before
4. The solution you came up with
5. Why your solution is better than the other options
6. The result

Make sure your story has an emotional swing (like in a soap opera) that doesnt just offer a benefit but salvation if your reader follows your advice/buys your product.

This is classic direct response psychology that also works great in emails.

Check out Ian Stanley's 80/20 Email Copy course or The Email Alchemist by Daniel Levis (one of email marketing's godfathers) for more story telling email tactics.

Give value to them. Ask their problems and try to solve their problems.If you can solve their problems then they must give something to you. In this field, service is everything.
Wanna try to be a problem solver. Then if you offer them something they must buy it.
Don't wanna sell all time. Don't say buy it. Say the pros and cons of it and which benefit you get from this.
It's the best way and hidden tactics of email marketing.

Hey ChesterDan,

I totally agree with your opinion - Apparently, giving out too many gifts for free lowers your perceived value in their eyes and comes across as too needy.
We ourselves being Subscribers don't feel nice if our Inbox is only filled by Promotions & Offer emails. This is truly challenging when we are the Email Marketers to send out such emails frequently & expect crazy numbers of Opens and Clicks!

This piece of data from a Blog posted on EasySendy Pro could boost the engagement with Subscribers!

Add more links to other pages that might stir an engagement.

Do not just focus on your product pages. Include a manual or a guide or anything that can grab the attention.

Include contents that everyone will like in a sidebar that remains intact throughout the course of site viewing.

Great luck to you

You should provide a good value to them and mix your freebie with some promotions,
Your list will like you to be their friend, dont be just another promoter to them, be the close friend, be really you to them