Should I build a list first?

We used to do the weight loss thing and we had good luck at getting subscribers but bad luck converting them into sales. I think this is because I don't really have a passion for weight loss so my emails were never all that good. I just sucked at it actually.

You don't necessarily need a blog in order to get started, you can just build your list using a squeeze page.

For that you'll need to build a solid sales funnel and promote a high quality product in your follow up.

In the weight loss niche you could for instance promote a 4 week program (just an example) to lose weight. You give away the first week for free and then promote the offer the second week.

So it's all about giving away some high quality information, build trust and then present them with an offer, this will give you the highest conversions in this niche.

Good luck!

Do you have any experince of blogging? If you are experinced on blogging then you may start with a blog. It is a good option specially for newbies.
High Interaction Possibility

In weight Loss blogs, readers found others who shares their personal experiences of loosing weight, So weight loss blogs may become discussion platform for obese peoples.

More Affiliate Income Opportunity
There is high range of the products available for weight loss and are very popular among fatty peoples. These products are easy to purchase online at affordable prices.

High Adsense Income Chances

To Get More Paid Reviews

Paid reviews are also among major income source for bloggers and the niche in which many products come in the market every week is good selection for our blogging business. Obviously, In Weight loss niche there are many products launched every month specially Ayurvedic & Herbal Products. And most of the product companies are interested in giving work of writing paid reviews about their products to the active bloggers in the niche.

You're in a highly-competitive niche. I actually had a meeting with someone in this niche yesterday (for a client). Provisionally: you need an angle. It's a good niche, but you can't just jump into it with a squeeze page. It's more complex.

Tom

Chicken or the egg? Which first? Depends upon what you're good at, but you'll definitely want to get good at both: Blogging and List Building. And this depends upon your ability to communicate results with people who see you as providing a solution.

Hi Choy,

You said you are going to give IM another shot, which probably means you've tried once, failed, and quit at some point?

Before you go and give it another "shot," I want to give you some pointers, because so many people fail in this industry.

The reason why they quit is because they don't have a system, a vision, and motivation to keep going even when they fail.

Before you start building a list or a blog, you have to realize that it will take time to build something like that up. Unless you're paying for traffic, or hustling your game up, you will probably see only a couple handful of subscribers at first.

The main thing you need to have is a vision of what you want to do, a system or attack plan of how you're going to make money, and the grit and motivation to keep going.

If you'd like, I'm launching a product soon about this and would happily give you a free review copy. Just PM me if you want one, or if you have any questions, feel free to PM or skype me at gracie2339.

I would suggest start building a list of subscribers from the start. Your list can be very beneficial to you. And you shouldn't start advertising then waiting later to start and leave out all those subscribers you could of had. You dont need a blog but it's very good to have. Sending your subscribers to a helpful post and recommending a good offer in it seems a lot less pitchy to your subscribers than just sending emails with offers plus there is alot more people doing this than sending subscribers to blog so you seem different to them. You don't need a blog right away but start building a list that way when you do have a blog you can begin sending subscribers from your list to it.

Hey Buddy,

I`ll chime in here...

So here`s the thing, for anything to work in any market you are going to need a high converting lead and sales process...

So to make this work, first of all really dial in on your target audience...
Work out are you targeting men or women...

Work out the key pain points of this market, learn how to talk in a way this particular market can relate to...

and more importantly work out the core desire of your market...

Obviously lose weight right...? yes, but why?

Why do they want to lose weight?

They want to fit into that new dress, they want to feel beautiful and feel confident, they want feel healthy and alive...

You may want to niche down even more, they probably hate there flabby sides or man boobs depending on the market...

dial down on the pain points that correspond with this market and give away some free content giving an overview solution to those pain points...

In doing this use empathetic language that your market will relate to, shwoing you know what they need...

If you simple convey that you understand them and can help them in some free content then they will start to trust you and if your offer is positioned properly then you will make sales,,,

So lets say you create a free video series giving three secret tips to destroy belly fat...

you give value and actual well researched info with the sole purpose of really helping the prospect...

but hears the thing, help but dont give away the gold, the gold is the product offer at the end of your valuable training series..

choose an affiliate product that fits with your message and is proven to convert...

The build your self an email follow up series that gives value and then leads into the offer again...

Do this with different mediumsm blog posts, video, mp3s... give varied content that will help but not give away the whole damn system...

all of your content should lead to your chosen product promotion...

If you do this then you just need to concentrate on traffic...

So, great places to get traffic in this niche are...

Youtube... Facebook... blogging...

Reall any platform with a huge amount of users...

Traffic will not be a problem if your system and sales process converts and you focus on giving lively actionable VALUABLE content to people...

Valuable tips on fb, yt, and on your blog...
If you do this you will brand yourself as an expert and then you can guest post on other peoples blogs...

Good luck
Louis D

Many people who do Email Marketing do not have a Site. I do in some by many I do NOT.

It just wasn't a necessity.

I would definitely start building the list.

If you want a Site later on then you can pursue it.


- Robert Andrew

If you getting back to IM, You are choosing a very competitive market that takes lots of $ to get leads.

But why not have a great sales funnel and promote your product and collect leads at the same time. So make sales and get your leads at the same time!

Andre

You don't need a website to build a list if you are planning on using paid advertising.

However, if you plan to do free marketing, then a blog or website is an asset.

Focus on 'targeted' traffic ==> Landing / lead capture page ==> sales page ==>> follow up 'value' based emails.

Passion is not enough because it can ware off. You will need to believe in yourself, the process and stay in long enough to learn the skill sets that are necessary to become a marketer who always has lots of traffic, opt ins and conversions.

Results take time to cultivate depending on how much experience you have.

Your getting back in to IM. Good for you. But make sure that you don't just give this another shot. Because that is like hoping you don't quit.

Most people quit because they expect way too much way too soon. I am guilty of this also.

Treat this like a real business because that is what it really is. Give yourself 'enough' time for your business to start seeing momentum. For people who are new, should expect up to a full year (working part time) to start seeing good results.

Nothing Great happens 'overnight'.

I'm agree with most answers here..

Building and maintaining a blog can be hard and time consuming.. So yes, I guess you can start building a list first..

About the high-competitive niche, I believe you can get good results if you're aiming a sub niche in weight loss..

Good luck,
Jeffry :-)

I would focus on building a list while you build a site up, you can then benefit from both and intertwine them

This is off topic but important.

You have to change that mindset, to succeed in IM, you have to do it, and do it seriously.

If you treat it like a hobby you won't get far. Treat it like a business.

This is an advice I wish someone gave me I first started IM.

If you don't have at least a domain and hosting then you are going to need to pay for some way of building and hosting a funnel. Unless you use nothing more then an Aweber hosted form.

I like to keep all my funnels on my own domains.

Hands down....yes....build your list.

Do exactly what you described in your question....find a good weight loss offer...give it away in exchange for an email address...and then over deliver value on at least a weekly basis

Buy the biggest solo ad packages you can afford to buy from good solo ad providers...

I do believe firmly in providing tons of free information...but I also believe in selling good products at a reasonable price...It's my belief that you need to do both

Over deliver value in everything you offer...and remember that they joined YOU...be a positive leader and encourage people in your content...respond quickly when they respond to you...

I would not worry about a blog or website right now... do those later... concentrate on building a list of at least 500 mostly responsive people and keep building...

That is my advice for what it's worth...

Your list is more important than a website

Youll just end up not moving if you get stuck with that question. Either way is a good way, more importantly, you need to have something to offer. It wont do you any good if you cant standout in a crowded niche like that.

So start with a plan (whichever you choose, youll end up still building a list) - persevere until you succeed!

Thanks everyone for your responses. I forgot to say, I have a hosting account with hostgator and domain registrar namecheap. So i could easily host my lead/landing page.

I have around $1000 that I could use to focus on paid advertising plus I can save more if needed.

I would however need to learn how to effectively use paid advertising and how to build converting lead/landing pages. Outsourcing wouldn't be a problem for me, just need to find the right one.

Well said Debbie Kennedy-Crook --- your tips on top of LOUDOU's advice is spot-on. If there were experts like you guys around when I started I'd be rich now. Or maybe I'd still be broke, as back then I was too arrogant to follow anyone's advice! I spent too many years and wasted far too much money in search of the ONE thing that would help me make some money, chasing after "shiny objects" convinced that I could make it on my own . . . until, finally, I realized I wasn't going to get anywhere without a mentor --- someone to tell me what to do and show me how to do it. One of his first suggestions was to join forums like this and read the posts written by the experts in response to questions. I'm so pleased I followed his advice. WF is quite an eye-opener! There are lots of experts in all sections in the forum who happily and generously share their time and expertise.
Keep smiling!

Like what most people said, your better off building a high converting squeeze, do a case study showing you made those opt-ins to your list and then scale your results over and over to your subscribers and eventually will make sales because of the proof in the pudding. As your building your you can learn to put all those results on your blog/website and on a get a high interaction rate your buyers to even want more.

Funny you should ask this. I was thinking the exact same thing you we're. :-) Well, what I did was create a squeeze and a eBook and started building my list. ONLY after did I create my own blog to further give value to my subscribers. So, my answer would be - build a list first, then think about creating your own blog. All in all.. List building should be your number #1 priority! This will be an asset that will serve you very well.

The most important thing with the niche you've got is to make sure you stand out. You can get almost any information you need for free online and you can get free exercise videos on youtube. You'll also be competing with some very huge businesses with large advertising budgets when you start out so it can be difficult to find customers.

You definitely want to build a list first, you can have a blog - it will help. I would recommend looking deeply at your target market and zoning in on a particular set of people when you're building your list though - look at a particular group of people who will want to lose weight such as weight loss after having a baby or weight loss for the over 40's - that way you might stand out a bit more than if you were just another weight loss site.

I would build a list from day 0, and then progressively sell to old and newly-added subscribers. There is no "right" or "wrong" time to email someone (at least in my niche). You will see how much that doesn't matter when your list is 10,000+. So build the list, but as soon as you start building the list, start selling to your subscribers too. Everyday you run the risk of having your lead buy from somebody else.