Do Lists Really Make Money?

74 replies
Hi Fellows,

Today I came up with this question as in response to no sales from my list. I have got a list of 900+ very active subscribers, have pitched them with free content as well as affiliate products. Subscribers are UK + US. Niche is MMO

CTR is nearly 55% for free and affiliate links in emails but no conversions.

This is very disappointing for me so I have came up with this question. DO LISTS REALLY MAKE MONEY?

Some light on this situation would be really helpful.
#lists #make #money
  • Profile picture of the author Silentkiller1
    You have to build trust first. Provide your list with some good content instead of just pitching them and later you can sell anything.
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    • Profile picture of the author discrat
      900 is not a big List but you should be coming up with some sales by now.

      Keep working on very good content. Look and see what sources you're Subs are coming from.
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  • Profile picture of the author izwan
    To get sales, you need to have a good email marketing provider and some copy writing skills.Conversion rate isn’t going to increase if your writing doesn’t tick your intended readers.
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  • Profile picture of the author hassan007
    Thanks for reply guys. Let me tell you that I am sending this list a lot of valuable content for almost 3 months now. I pitched them almost after every 15 days while I send them some real good researched content after every 2-3 days.

    They go to the sales page but don't convert. I can track this through my link shortner + affiliate stats.

    Any solid help would be appreciated.
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  • Profile picture of the author Richard Batt
    Banned
    How are you sending them to the affiliate offer? Are you preselling it, reviewing it or just popping it in as an afterthought at the end of your message?

    Have you looked at the salespages they're going to as well? It's possible that the sales page they're going to is the issue rather than what you are doing.
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    • Profile picture of the author Borja Obeso
      1. what are tou promoting? it might not be your fault
      2. where did you get your subs? is the offer directly related to what you offeted when they signed up? E.g. a free "affialiate marketing report" that leads to a product about affiliate marketing.
      3. source of original traffic? search? solo ads? ppc?

      I went trhough what you are going a couple of years back. You are on track just need to twick and test. this question is a step forward for you.
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  • Profile picture of the author PerformanceMan
    Originally Posted by hassan007 View Post

    Hi Fellows,

    Today I came up with this question as in response to no sales from my list. I have got a list of 900+ very active subscribers, have pitched them with free content as well as affiliate products. Subscribers are UK + US. Niche is MMO

    CTR is nearly 55% for free and affiliate links in emails but no conversions.

    This is very disappointing for me so I have came up with this question. DO LISTS REALLY MAKE MONEY?

    Some light on this situation would be really helpful.
    Sounds like you already know the answer to this. When people talk about lists being so profitable and responsive they are generally referring to lists of buyers who have purchased something from the already.
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    • Profile picture of the author jasondinner
      Originally Posted by PerformanceMan View Post

      Sounds like you already know the answer to this. When people talk about lists being so profitable and responsive they are generally referring to lists of buyers who have purchased something from the already.
      None of the 700-800K subscribers I've accumulated over the last 15 months have paid before they got on my list (essentially freebie seekers), but I make money with them every day.
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      • Profile picture of the author elevatedclothing
        Originally Posted by jasondinner View Post

        None of the 700-800K subscribers I've accumulated over the last 15 months have paid before they got on my list (essentially freebie seekers), but I make money with them every day.
        What program do you use to mail a list that big?
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        • Profile picture of the author jasondinner
          Originally Posted by elevatedclothing View Post

          What program do you use to mail a list that big?
          I spread it out to limit the risk, but all 3rd party providers.

          Right now using 2 accounts from 1 company to acquire the leads, then mailing to them and a couple of others.

          Please note, I'm not mailing to that many leads. I've accumulated that many and naturally lots have dropped off.

          My niche is most profitable with more of a churn and burn approach.
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  • Profile picture of the author joelraitt
    I never knew how valuable a list can be...here is my current example:

    Started a wine club with a twist in my local area (240 wineries, growing global demand) - I built it off a fab page I created with about 15,000 targeted fans of these specific wines. I grew an email list to about 2300 people only. We just did our 3rd offer and sold just under $10,000 worth of local wines. 93% of those sales came from the EMAIL LIST.

    Open rates 40-87% (Our buyers list opened at 87% of over 100 buyers. About 30 of them bought again.

    Email list, if TARGETED and is something specific they really are passionate about...it's pure gold.
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    • Profile picture of the author ewfedosky
      Originally Posted by joelraitt View Post

      I never knew how valuable a list can be...here is my current example:

      Started a wine club with a twist in my local area (240 wineries, growing global demand) - I built it off a fab page I created with about 15,000 targeted fans of these specific wines. I grew an email list to about 2300 people only. We just did our 3rd offer and sold just under $10,000 worth of local wines. 93% of those sales came from the EMAIL LIST.

      Open rates 40-87% (Our buyers list opened at 87% of over 100 buyers. About 30 of them bought again.

      Email list, if TARGETED and is something specific they really are passionate about...it's pure gold.

      I am very interested to know more about your wine club. I sell marketing ideas and products to private clubs (dinner clubs, downtown clubs, country clubs, etc.). Wines are important to the members and guests of these orgs.

      How could a wine club be started among this group of people? Anyone else out there marketing something to to this niche?
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  • Profile picture of the author fpforum
    I agree with what some of the others have said.. First off, you need to build trust with your readers before they start buying from you. Second of all, you need a bigger list because 900 is nothing.

    From what I've learned in the past, you really shouldn't even be emailing affiliate links to a list that only has 900 subscribers.. You should be twice that size before you even think about sending emails.
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    • Profile picture of the author Andre Slater
      How much do you know your list?

      Do you know who they are?

      Do you know what they do?

      Do you know what they want?

      Do you know their pain?

      People these days are not just buying the product they are buying you...

      Are you sharing you? If your in the MMO niche is this something you live and breath?
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      • Profile picture of the author Richard Batt
        Banned
        Originally Posted by Andre Slater View Post

        How much do you know your list?

        Do you know who they are?

        Do you know what they do?

        Do you know what they want?

        Do you know their pain?

        People these days are not just buying the product they are buying you...

        Are you sharing you? If your in the MMO niche is this something you live and breath?
        These are exactly the sort of questions you want to be asking. People will spend lots of money to solve a problem - if you don't know what the problems that people on your list are having then you won't know what to sell to them.

        If you really don't know, perhaps it might be worthwhile asking your list the question "So that I can help you better, what is the single biggest problem with your business that you are having right now?" By using the answers you can build a picture of what product your customers would benefit from the most and then you can look for that product. What's even better is that you can then send an email out a few days later saying "I have read through every problem sent to me and I've found something that will really help you..." there's no guarantee that it will work, but at least the people on your list can see that you are genuinely trying to help them and that can only work in your favour.
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    • Profile picture of the author Ron C Farrow
      Originally Posted by fpforum View Post

      I agree with what some of the others have said.. First off, you need to build trust with your readers before they start buying from you. Second of all, you need a bigger list because 900 is nothing.

      From what I've learned in the past, you really shouldn't even be emailing affiliate links to a list that only has 900 subscribers.. You should be twice that size before you even think about sending emails.
      Sorry to chime in but that just doesn't make any sense! You are saying you need 1800 subscribers before you send ANY of them an affiliate offer?

      Exactly what's wrong with IM in 2015. If I have a list of ONE and an offer that fits that person I will send it. Each one of your emails is an individual and is not the least interested whether they are one of 900, 1,800 or 18,000.

      I recently sent an affiliate offer to 5 (five) people which was targeted at each one personally together with follow up tutoring to make it all happen for them. Result, 4 sales, all took the upgrade as I suggested so the affiliate commission was $147. If I had 900 subscribers all interested in that niche I would be on my way to the Bahamas now.

      Finally, you seem to be saying that regardless of how long it takes to buid a list of (say) 1,500 +, don't send them emails? You cant really mean that!
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      • Profile picture of the author greenowl123
        Originally Posted by Ron C Farrow View Post

        Sorry to chime in but that just doesn't make any sense! You are saying you need 1800 subscribers before you send ANY of them an affiliate offer?

        Exactly what's wrong with IM in 2015. If I have a list of ONE and an offer that fits that person I will send it. Each one of your emails is an individual and is not the least interested whether they are one of 900, 1,800 or 18,000.

        I recently sent an affiliate offer to 5 (five) people which was targeted at each one personally together with follow up tutoring to make it all happen for them. Result, 4 sales, all took the upgrade as I suggested so the affiliate commission was $147. If I had 900 subscribers all interested in that niche I would be on my way to the Bahamas now.

        Finally, you seem to be saying that regardless of how long it takes to buid a list of (say) 1,500 +, don't send them emails? You cant really mean that!
        I am glad you said something... because I was getting ready to respond to that post as well. It didn`t make any sense to me either. I have profited from a list of less than 50 people. If what you offer helps them solve a problem... they will bite on it, no matter if there are only 5 people on your list or 500,000 people in your list.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Originally Posted by hassan007 View Post

    ...This is very disappointing for me so I have came up with this question. DO LISTS REALLY MAKE MONEY?
    Yeah they do! LOL 900 subscribers and no sales though sounds crazy. What are you selling and what is the price point of your offer? You may have to include for us one random email that your subscribers get from you, so that we can assess what's right and what's wrong with your email marketing campaign.

    Also, how are you getting these leads?
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    • Profile picture of the author entrepenerd
      Originally Posted by Randall Magwood View Post

      Yeah they do! LOL 900 subscribers and no sales though sounds crazy. What are you selling and what is the price point of your offer? You may have to include for us one random email that your subscribers get from you, so that we can assess what's right and what's wrong with your email marketing campaign.

      Also, how are you getting these leads?
      I agree. It sounds like the offer you're sending them to might be garbage or completely unrelated to their interests.

      We'll need more info to assess what the problem is here.

      If your message was targeted and the offer is converting, then you should have some sales coming in even if the list is only 900. A 55% click through rate is almost 500 clicks. Even at a modest 1% conversion rate for sales, that should result in 5 sales for you.

      Something is not right in this equation.
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  • Profile picture of the author karlstech
    Originally Posted by hassan007 View Post

    Hi Fellows,

    Today I came up with this question as in response to no sales from my list. I have got a list of 900+ very active subscribers, have pitched them with free content as well as affiliate products. Subscribers are UK + US. Niche is MMO

    CTR is nearly 55% for free and affiliate links in emails but no conversions.

    This is very disappointing for me so I have came up with this question. DO LISTS REALLY MAKE MONEY?

    Some light on this situation would be really helpful.
    I might not be of some valuable help since I only have 1 sub at the moment, just launched the site.

    BUT, I do know through hands on studies that people want to connect to the person behind the computer.

    Be yourself, let them get to know you as a person,promote the products with passion, make a video, express your joy with the product you've created or promoted.

    I know I buy digital products from people who genuinely express joyful emotions toward their specific product. Don't know how you do, but this might be an idea. And of course the product has to be good!

    Karl
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  • Profile picture of the author TakenAction
    Here is something that no one seems to be saying/asking.

    Did you condition them to buy or to accept?

    A huge problem many people have is they just give them free content for the first couple weeks or whatever and then [they think] they built trust and then pitch them an offer.

    The list then proceeds to be almost offended because you were giving them so much free content for so long they thought that was the relationship with you.

    You must build trust and condition them to buy. Find the happy medium.

    All in all, without taking an in depth look at your funnel, I would say these are your two problems:

    1) Didn't condition them to be buyers
    2) Your free content that you give them sucks and is re-hashed info everyone else can find with a simple Google search, therefore, they didn't want to buy the products because they figured it would be crap...just like your free content.
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  • Profile picture of the author hardworker2013
    900 is a small list but you should pitch in some incentives like offering a bonus package if they purchase your affiliate offer, that is how the big boys do it
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  • Profile picture of the author extrememan
    It's all about the relationship and the type of offers you are promoting. The products you sell to your list MUST be appealing and relevant and the newer, the better. Doing promos for launches may work for you.
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  • Profile picture of the author jasondinner
    Originally Posted by hassan007 View Post

    Hi Fellows,

    Today I came up with this question as in response to no sales from my list. I have got a list of 900+ very active subscribers, have pitched them with free content as well as affiliate products. Subscribers are UK + US. Niche is MMO

    CTR is nearly 55% for free and affiliate links in emails but no conversions.

    This is very disappointing for me so I have came up with this question. DO LISTS REALLY MAKE MONEY?

    Some light on this situation would be really helpful.
    I would tell you to teach them how to make money, but you haven't done that yet lol

    However, you can still convey the importance of list building to them and show them how you've added 900 subscribers and the tools/traffic sources you used to build that list.

    Obviously when you share the tools you use with them, make sure you send them there through your affiliate link.

    Sometimes it's not as difficult as you're making it on yourself.
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  • Profile picture of the author MatthewNeer
    Originally Posted by hassan007 View Post

    DO LISTS REALLY MAKE MONEY?
    Yes they do!

    Don't be scared to sell! When I first started, I was making some good monies from a list of about 1K promoting launches. I would suspect that you could improve your email marketing game if peeps aren't buying.
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    • Profile picture of the author AzzamS
      The answer is clearly never black and white.
      There are always similarities within the behaviour of people on your list and those who are the same audience, but at the same stroke there is abundance of differences.

      The key is understanding your audience and your list better. Chances are that if your readers are on the similar lists then they have received emails to buy someone else's product already.

      It is never about the list and always about the quality of the engagement with your content. Trust, Authority and expertise are crucial today to make you stand above the crowd. What measures are in place that ensure the list do find your content sharing of value i.e. CTR from email to the site, retention, bounce rate, sharing, etc. All of these are a measurement of how well you are engaging the audience.

      Consider doing a survey, if that is too much then how about a 'I would like to introduce myself and would love for you to respond to my email.'

      Don't be afraid to be a real human and speak to your audience, not merely behind an email. Brian Dean of Backlinko has really nailed this down.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rory Singh
    It's about what you do with that list that makes money.

    The list in itself is completely useless. When you realize that the list is not just numbers but real people (just like you and me with real needs, wants and obligations) and you start treating them with respect (that you would want for yourself), then yes they you get to make money.

    But 900 Subs and no sales?

    However, with all that said and done, I know marketers who keep hammering their lists with links to sales pages (and they still convert a lot better than this).

    And Some other marketers who have respect for themselves and the people on their lists who just send 'value' based emails daily (who have a much higher 'conversion' rate than the 'Buy, Die or Unsubscribe' Mentality.

    No disrespect to you but there is something more about this story that you are not telling us.
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  • Profile picture of the author salmcdonagh
    Who are these 900 people on your list? If they do not have money, or do not have a way of making the purchase (eg. no credit card, or no paypal account, or live in a country excluded from buying by the payment processor) then you cannot sell to them.

    Since they are so responsive (opening your emails, clicking through to the offers) why not send them an email asking them what they want, and why what you have been sending them is not what they want. i.e. find the answers to these questions by asking your subscribers, because they know for sure why they are not buying.

    Everyone here is just guessing, and our guesses will be worse than yours, because we did not build your list, so we know nothing about these people, their interests, nor about your niche and the offers you are putting in front of them.

    To answer your question though - yes, email marketing does work, but only if you are putting an attractive offer in front of people who want it, and who can afford it, and have the means of buying it.
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  • Profile picture of the author PVGUY
    Follow the 80/20 rule: post content 80% of the time and sell 20% of the time for best list and subscriber success. You can make money with a list as small as 100, however, the bigger the list the better. That's provided your list is targeted.
    Are you selling what the list expects from you. Do not sell list building products to a list signed up for bass fishing tips.
    What you want to do is become a trusted resource - the 'go-to-guy/gal' for responsible information and proven products.
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  • Yes, list's really do make money!

    Continue to build your list, and mail them different offers..

    Good luck, hope this helps
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  • Profile picture of the author artemis360
    Originally Posted by hassan007 View Post

    Hi Fellows,

    Today I came up with this question as in response to no sales from my list. I have got a list of 900+ very active subscribers, have pitched them with free content as well as affiliate products. Subscribers are UK + US. Niche is MMO

    CTR is nearly 55% for free and affiliate links in emails but no conversions.

    This is very disappointing for me so I have came up with this question. DO LISTS REALLY MAKE MONEY?

    Some light on this situation would be really helpful.
    I'm reading a lot of people are saying 900 is not enough... More is always good, but I've made money from a list of 300 before, so i know it's possible with 900.

    This depends on how you got your subs, what is your conversion on free stuff? Not just talking about CTR. If they constantly download the free stuff then yeah they're freebie seekers. What specifically are they downloading? I know it's MMO but it's still pretty vague. CPA, affiliate, adsense, etc. What are you sending them? Find out if they're truly interested. Being general is fine but segmenting your list separates the freebie seekers to those serious about MMO. Know your subs. You can even send out a quick survey on what they want to know more about.

    Most importantly, don't give up. This is where most people give up is when they are discouraged and don't see results. This is the point where you need to be laser focused. 900 is a good size. Don't be afraid to get unsubscribes either. Start refining your list, segment, and be laser focused. You may also want to improve your copy by having people review it.

    Keep moving forward ,

    Artemis
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  • Profile picture of the author asiogroup
    Okay,
    I have a list of 129 people and I made 3 sales with my first email promoting a product.
    and then I have another list of 700 people captured from a food recipe and I emailed an aff link of a popular recipe eBook, no one bought.

    So, it varies from niche to niche.
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    • Profile picture of the author discrat
      Originally Posted by asiogroup View Post

      Okay,
      I have a list of 129 people and I made 3 sales with my first email promoting a product.
      and then I have another list of 700 people captured from a food recipe and I emailed an aff link of a popular recipe eBook, no one bought.

      So, it varies from niche to niche.
      Nothing wrong with that. It is better than most in regards to conversions and size of the List



      - Robert Andrew
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  • Profile picture of the author kullshaan
    always compare all virtual things with your physical world, so what is list?
    your list should be your friend, and you know how to tackle best with yur friends, so nothing is hard here, think simple and work on it , if you do not work on it you will not succeed always
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  • Profile picture of the author andorod77
    Like others have said, try to pitch in some free valuable content and set it straight that some of the products will be paid, but of high value.

    Include some of your researched content in the email and encourage them at the end to keep a look out for your next email to boost open rates. Sound enthusiastic about your niche and don't compose the body of the email like an ad, but more like an honest recommendation of a product.

    Be sure to also include a call to action or a limited time offer to entice the buyer's to follow your demand and buy the product.
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  • Profile picture of the author hassan007
    Thanks for all the helpful replies guys. So your main questions here are

    i). From Where I got Subscribers?

    I got subscribers mainly from Facebook and few from forum and blogs (organic traffic)

    ii). What I am Promoting to Them?

    I promoted a mix of clickbank and WSO's (Ranging from $5 to $49)

    iii) What I have sent them as content or free offers?

    List Building Methods, PPD Cash Method and a Few Adsense Resources.

    Before sending I always check the landing page of offer multiple times so there is no chance that it doesn't work for all 900+ people on list
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  • Keep building your list, and promote front end offers ($5 - $50)
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  • Profile picture of the author Jack Hunter
    Good targeted lists do. Lists loaded with freebie seekers don't.

    There is this trend to get people on the list by giving them free item. I tested that and its not even close to lists I build where they get offered to be added to the list AFTER they purchase.

    But 900 is nothing, you can build that for 10 bucks, free offer and FB ad. You get what you pay for.
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  • Yes, lists will generate you money so long as you don't over promote to them, then your "burning" your list and people won't open your emails.
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  • Profile picture of the author bluejeans
    Some niches convert better than others too, although this has probably already been mentioned. Can you tell us what niche at least you are promoting?
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  • Profile picture of the author blitz20
    Lists are the best thing you can do, between all my lists I put in about 5-8k optins a day. Best part is the optin will continue making you money each week.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alan208
    I agree that your list needs to trust you but you also should make sure that you are sending them offers that they are interested in.

    Survey your list and if the don't submit to feedback offer some free incentive after they've completed the survey.

    Then try to promote products that they're asking for.
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  • Profile picture of the author Edwin Torres
    Yes lists can make money.

    Try running a survey to your email list and see what they're interested in. Maybe you're promoting products on topics they don't care at all about.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nirali
    Who you contact is just as important as what you say. You could have a mailing list of a billion people, but if those people aren’t interested in what you have to say and, crucially, what you have to sell, your long list won’t work.
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  • Profile picture of the author lunaBEAM
    Promote good, converting offers, not just anything.
    Out of that 55% click through rates, only a fraction would be... if it's something it interests them...
    so it depends on the niche...
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  • Profile picture of the author Lucasp
    Originally Posted by hassan007 View Post

    Do Lists Really Make Money?
    No.

    The entire list building related industry was devised by communists to fill up the inboxes, and distract the attention, of capitalist workers so their output was reduced and western economies would fail.

    Mark Zuckerberg is also a communist sympathiser and devised a similar strategy.
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    • Profile picture of the author Ged Clayson
      Yes. You should be looking to achieve an opening rate of around 20-35% might be lower and could well be higher. Of those who click thru to your affiliate offer, you will be lucky to convert 1-3% into sales. Clickbank products typically convert at 1%. If you do the math, 900 subscribers isn't going to get you many sales. But it's a great start.

      Try to get your list to at least a 1000 subscribers and then go looking for solo ad swaps to get highly targeted traffic to your optin page to grow your list further.
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  • Profile picture of the author Cityofdreams
    I don't think list's matter that much, in my honest opinion the life of one person on your list can vary from 6 weeks to a year..

    Building lists is great don't get me wrong, but its just like icing on the cake.
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    • Profile picture of the author jasondinner
      Originally Posted by Cityofdreams View Post

      I don't think list's matter that much, in my honest opinion the life of one person on your list can vary from 6 weeks to a year..

      Building lists is great don't get me wrong, but its just like icing on the cake.
      Keep smoking those bongs you're selling brooohhhh lol

      Lists don't matter - if you don't want to make a lot of money.

      If you were actively building a list for your business, you would be able to generate more predictable revenue and have an audience to reach whenever you wanted for sales or just to say hi.
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  • Profile picture of the author t0113k
    I have a list of over 50 Mio. subscribers
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  • Profile picture of the author skmyna
    It is good that you are building a list. Try to make it big.If you want to see some nice and big commissions rolling in from your list everyday then you should have at least 10000 subscribers. It also depends on how responsive your list is. It says every subscriber worth approx $1 per month. So try to maintain a healthy relationship with your subscribers. Cheers.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dylan Smith
    As you have a buyers list you can make money every day
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    • Profile picture of the author jasondinner
      Originally Posted by Dylan Smith View Post

      As you have a buyers list you can make money every day
      For anyone reading this and the other posts saying "as long as you have a buyers list, you can make money every day," it's not the case.

      It helps, but you can make just as much, if not more with a non-buyers list as you can with a buyers list.

      So many variables can determine that including the market, the offers being presented to them, your actual copywriting skills, etc.

      Don't let this stop you. Don't wait until you can get a buyers list.
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      • Profile picture of the author discrat
        Originally Posted by jasondinner View Post

        For anyone reading this and the other posts saying "as long as you have a buyers list, you can make money every day," it's not the case.

        It helps, but you can make just as much, if not more with a non-buyers list as you can with a buyers list.

        So many variables can determine that including the market, the offers being presented to them, your actual copywriting skills, etc.

        Don't let this stop you. Don't wait until you can get a buyers list.
        There are many IMers including Alexa Smith who do not have ANY buyers List at all and do amazing things with their IM business
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  • Profile picture of the author Martin Avis
    Originally Posted by hassan007 View Post

    Today I came up with this question as in response to no sales from my list. I have got a list of 900+ very active subscribers, have pitched them with free content as well as affiliate products. Subscribers are UK + US. Niche is MMO

    CTR is nearly 55% for free and affiliate links in emails but no conversions.

    This is very disappointing for me so I have came up with this question. DO LISTS REALLY MAKE MONEY?
    The honest answer is - 'it depends'.

    Yes, lists CAN be the source of a lot of income, but the determining factors are:

    1. Who is on the list
    2. How much they trust you
    3. How well you communicate with them
    4. How often you communicate with them
    5. Which offers you are promoting
    6. HOW you are promoting those offers

    Your original post doesn't really help us address any of those points.

    In order to give you better advice I would like to se a couple of examples of emails you have sent out with product promotions that have failed to sell.
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  • Profile picture of the author Roderick Gardner
    Right I think you should go down the free cpa route . Use a cpa network with loads of free cpa offers which your list wouldn't have to exchange money for . For instants email submit , zip submit .
    You can get paid all sorts of commissons . Check out cpa networks like peerfly .Theres loads just do a google search .I hope this gives you some ideas
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  • Profile picture of the author maxsi
    No relationship with your list = NO profits (it's simple)
    another thing is => create targeted lists on your niche
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  • Profile picture of the author SoloSalinas
    Don't listen to those saying 900 people on a list won't make you money. You can have 300 people on your list and make a lot of money. Those who say otherwise simply don't know what they're talking about.

    Just make sure your list is highly targeted and pitch them right away after you deliver content. You don't want freebie seekers and non-buyers.

    I would rather have a list of 100 buyers than a list of 1,000 freebie seekers.
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  • Profile picture of the author zionbar
    how did u get ur subs?
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  • Profile picture of the author Dilip Mane
    There is no need to make a mistake that most of the newbies or quick & easy result seeking marketers do quite often. There is absolutely no reason to be disappointed as everything else like decent list size, active subscribers, and good CTR is in favor with you. Lot of marketers still struggle to reach at this point.

    The only thing remaining is the conversion. Two possibilities seems apparent.

    Maybe your affiliate offers are not related to the context for which your subscribers are subscribed. From a CTR of 55% it is evident that they are eager to know what you are promoting but eventually they are not taking further action as the offer may not be the one they are interested in.

    Or maybe there is an absence of trust or relationship with the list that makes subscribers to go forward with a confidence and which results in conversions.

    Just review and test & tweak the finishing things as you have everything else in place for you. That's not a lot of work and should never be a disappointing situation either.
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  • Profile picture of the author psinxo
    Yes, having a list is valuable. Regarding your situation, I would suggest that you find out what your members are interested in and that should give you an indication of what to market to them.
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  • Profile picture of the author winnermarketing
    what??
    OF course!!!

    Money is in your list!
    -you should work to increase number of your subscribers!
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  • Profile picture of the author Javisito
    Lists do not make money...

    The relationship you got with your subscribers on your list is what makes you money.

    Why not survey them and find out what THEY are interested in?
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  • Profile picture of the author RahimaMal
    You can have your computer and website destroyed entirely but you can still make money if you had access to your list...

    Here's why...

    * Your mailing list is your biggest asset
    * It is your own traffic source where you can send it where you like and whenever you like
    * You simply send an email and make money OR have an email marketing campaign set up and there ya go, money on autopilot.
    * Its like a personal ATM; whenever you need money, just send an email to your list!

    But this doesn't work as well with a freebie list...

    You need a customer list! That's where the profit is made!

    You can make 10x more profit from a customer list than a freebie one.

    Start building a customer/buyers list from Day 1!
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    • Profile picture of the author jasondinner
      Originally Posted by RahimaMal View Post


      But this doesn't work as well with a freebie list...

      You need a customer list! That's where the profit is made!

      You can make 10x more profit from a customer list than a freebie one.
      Do you have the data to back this up? Or are you just regurgitating something you heard from a guru on a teleseminar lol
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      • Profile picture of the author RahimaMal
        Originally Posted by jasondinner View Post

        Do you have the data to back this up? Or are you just regurgitating something you heard from a guru on a teleseminar lol
        My mentor John Thornhill preaches this a lot. A buyer will always buy from you, as long as you over deliver.

        This is why I'm currently committed to developing a buyers list.

        Also, Jim Cockrum says this a lot, that a customer list is worth 10x more than a freebie one. He was voted the most trusted marketer online, and he doesn't promote product after product.

        Anyway, it seems only logical. Psychologically, when you buy something from someone that delivers value, you will buy again. Look at it from a customer perspective, when you opt in to someones freebie list, most of the time you forget who that person was...or when you opted in.

        I understand your skepticism btw. I'll try and get proof from him and send it to you?

        That way, you don't have to spend so long building a freebie list and can focus on building a buyers one. Which is what I'm currently doing. Freebie/prospect list is long.
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        • Profile picture of the author jasondinner
          Originally Posted by RahimaMal View Post

          I understand your skepticism btw. I'll try and get proof from him and send it to you?

          That way, you don't have to spend so long building a freebie list and can focus on building a buyers one. Which is what I'm currently doing. Freebie/prospect list is long.
          I'm not skeptical of your reasoning and I wasnt asking because I'm new to this. I've been at this a lot longer than most people in here, and this thread.

          I was being facetious and a little sarcastic.

          And I certainly don't need a lesson in list building as I probably added more leads to my list yesterday (8960) than you will in all of 2015.

          I have a lot of respect for John Thornhill as I have a personal relationship with him and have known him for years, and although I don't personally know Jim Cockrum, I respect him as a marketer as well.

          But I don't want people in here reading your comment to think its the only way.

          As I mentioned earlier in this thread, and for those who are reading and are ready to just throw out the whole freebie seeker part of their business - you can make just as much money, or more with a list of freebie seekers if you know how to monetize.

          I do it day in and day out in big numbers.

          Don't ignore the non-buyers. Plenty of ways to monetize them.


          Edited: Because I thought she mentioned Alex with John, but it was Jim
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          • Profile picture of the author discrat
            Originally Posted by jasondinner View Post

            I'm not skeptical of your reasoning and I wasnt asking because I'm new to this. I've been at this a lot longer than most people in here, and this thread.

            I was being facetious and a little sarcastic.

            And I certainly don't need a lesson in list building as I probably added more leads to my list yesterday (8960) than you will in all of 2015.

            I have a lot of respect for both Alex Jeffreys and John Thornhill as I have personal relationships with them and have known them for years, but I don't want people in here reading your comment to think its the only way.

            As I mentioned earlier in this thread, and for those who are reading and are ready to just throw out the whole freebie seeker part of their business - you can make just as much money, or more with a list of freebie seekers if you know how to monetize.

            I do it day in and day out in big numbers.

            Don't ignore the non-buyers. Plenty of ways to monetize them.
            Bravo. Post of the day!

            I, too get tired of the incessant 'mantras' ( many of them silly ) that are spouted off day after day after day in Forums like this..
            i.e. you must have a Buyers List and you CANNOT succeed without it and a freebie list is worthless
            etc..etc..


            blah,blah ,blah


            - Robert Andrew
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            • Profile picture of the author jasondinner
              Originally Posted by discrat View Post

              Bravo. Post of the day!

              I, too get tired of the incessant 'mantras' ( many of them silly ) that are spouted off day after day after day in Forums like this..
              i.e. you must have a Buyers List and you CANNOT succeed without it and a freebie list is worthless
              etc..etc..


              blah,blah ,blah


              - Robert Andrew
              Yeah, most people don't know any better because of who they follow and/or where they get advice from (hopefully not exclusively here lol).

              I just wanted to make it clear to her that I didn't need a lesson in list building, but maybe it was my fault that she interpreted my previous reply to her as if I did.

              There is tremendous value in having a buyers list depending on your market.

              However, as you, me, and a few others know from experience, it's not the only way and if you never got a single buyer on your list, you can still become wildly successful.

              End of story!!
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  • Profile picture of the author tyronne78
    Rory Singh nailed it when he said "It's about what you do with that list that makes money." Focus on building a list of people that know,like,and trust you.That's the key to making sales. Another thing,don't be boring. That's the #1 marketing sin when it comes to email marketing and marketing in general.
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  • Profile picture of the author yogibeezy
    Try to scrape email lists from your local area. People that are engaged with the same business and want to learn more. Be skeptical, build trust. or else you can start all over. Why not perform a Facebook Fan page and export all fb friends emails. you can try that.
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  • Profile picture of the author marks2424
    I often find it funny that people here keep talking about trust when the people selling how to make money online constantly tell us how they made 1000 dollars the first week of a new launch. There is no trust there as there hasn't been enough time to establish trust. I think sometimes what is trying to be sold isn't really that good. I have a site I put up about 5 years ago and pretty much forgot about it, I get about 300 clicks a month and have never sold a thing. I have about 10 products on the site all pertaining to the same subject and explain that people learn in different ways and that is why I have so many different links going to almost the same thing. I thought with so many options someone would buy something. Sometimes I think all this stuff as nothing but a bunch of crapppp. At the same time I keep thinking there has to be something I am missing and once I discover it I will start making the money so many people say is out there to make.
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  • Profile picture of the author Lance K
    You said you had been at this for 3 months and that you send content every 2 to 3 days and pitch about every 15 days.

    So say someone interested in MMO joins your list and has a hankering to buy something. You don't send them an offer until 15 days later? 15 days is an eternity to someone interested in learning to make money online and ready to purchase.

    By the time you make them an offer, they've probably joined someone else's list and made a purchase or 2. The hottest prospects are long gone in 15 days (probably don't even open your emails anymore). Your content may have even intrigued them. Perhaps enough that they went searching online for more information. When they did, they stumbled upon someone else with something interesting. Except, when that person got them on their list, they hit them up with and offer for some hot button secret sauce and the rest is history.

    Structure your funnel to provide solutions asap for the cash in hand hot prospects. If you can do that without annoying the crap out of the colder prospects, then great. If not, get more hot prospects on your list.

    In the meantime, you may want to reflect on whether the MMO arena is the right one for you at this point.
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