What's a Good Size List and How Much Does it Earn?

16 replies
I'm developing my list now, and I wanted to know what a good benchmark is? I have my own product that I will be selling, along with affiliate products on CB.

At these sizes of lists, what can I expect to earn?

1,000
5,000
10,000
50,000
100,000
#earn #good #list #size
  • Profile picture of the author Dexx
    What you can expect to earn is relevant to the amount of value you provide.

    A spammer can buy a list of 10,000,000 people...doesn't mean they will make a penny if the list sees nothing of value from them (not to mention deliverability rate, junk/spam complaints, no relationship with the list etc)

    ~Dexx
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    • Profile picture of the author Anthony Gibson
      Originally Posted by Dexx View Post

      What you can expect to earn is relevant to the amount of value you provide.

      A spammer can buy a list of 10,000,000 people...doesn't mean they will make a penny if the list sees nothing of value from them (not to mention deliverability rate, junk/spam complaints, no relationship with the list etc)

      ~Dexx
      That's exactly right, you will be compensated in direct proportion to the value you provide.
      Jeff Walker has achieved $80 per name earnings before, while I'm sure there are people with larger lists than him that don't even scratch the surface.

      Anthony
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    • Profile picture of the author osail
      Originally Posted by Dexx View Post

      What you can expect to earn is relevant to the amount of value you provide.

      A spammer can buy a list of 10,000,000 people...doesn't mean they will make a penny if the list sees nothing of value from them (not to mention deliverability rate, junk/spam complaints, no relationship with the list etc)

      ~Dexx
      Dexx laid it out perfectly.

      Take the time to build a quality list rather than a "quantity list."

      Also, you cant just have a massive list and call it good. You have to give your list good content in order to build trust and also make them excited to receive your emails. And you have to be consistent too.

      There are also many factors pertaining to how much money a list generates.
      The type of list: (buyers, freebee seekers)
      The Product: (Good conversions, quality, Low refunds)
      The Email copy (The Subject line, the copy of the body of the email)

      You have to find a good balance for all of these things.

      Best advice I can give is, When you start building your list start off with something that makes your list get an introduction to you.(a video or ebook that YOU wrote) Rather than instantly pitching something that you want them to buy.(having a really good personality is awesome for this. example. Bad example. notice how he just sits there and explains everything...Really boring. add some flair. My first product i ever bought was from a guy who was really funny when explaining his products or how to's. I followed him for a long time!) Drip feed them content. (Marketing strategies, or heck something motivational that mattered to you today) Then market something to them. But build into it. Best way to sell a product to a list is to have a webinar with another person. Or you selling your product.

      Also stick with something kind of close to what your doing. EX: blogging or listbuilding or some other form of IM. Dont jump too wildly to different product subjects when you decide to promote them. instead promote something relevant to them example. If your into listbuilding and thats what your teaching your list. Promote a copywriting course. OR a software that helps them track emails better. You are not limited to this but only stray away when the product converts really well and its something that even you are excited about.

      Originally Posted by MarketingInjection View Post

      Very informative. So my follow-up question would be..

      How do you go about making a qualified list of buyers rather than free-seekers?

      My site will offer 2 things:

      (1) a Product of my own that I will be putting on CB to hopefully increase sales
      (If I sell my product through CB will I get their email as well, or is that kept private?)

      (2) a free eBook for email sign-ups that is a much more condensed version of my product

      So should I maybe add the following?

      (3) Content pages promoting affiliate products

      Thanks all!
      Its actually simple to separate them. After someone has bought something from you,(specifically YOU) have them opt in again for another one of your lists, make this the only option for them to get your product. Then have this list redirect to your product. Tadah! You have started to build a buyers list. I'm sure you have seen this style laid out when you purchase clickbank products. And to answer your question. No, clickbank will not give you their email. You will have acquire their email manually. IE the example above.

      (obviously this list is going to be way smaller than your other lists. But this one is of massive quality so treat it right)

      And yes this means managing more than one list. Most people have at least 30 or so. But you dont have to go that complex. And the great thing about lists is that you only have to spend a few hours a day to manage them. So it isnt all that bad.

      From the sound of things your offering your product right off the bat. While this isn't bad, it isnt also the best either. Once again content is key. Part of your ebook can be good for acquiring leads but it has to be compelling in order for them to really buy it. A hook that makes them feel, "I have to know this guys secret so i can have the same results." Getting a sample of your ebook to me sounds like "opt into my list so you can receive my pitch to sell you something." you would have better luck giving away an ebook that entails something close to your product. (not the product it self) example: an ebook on "My Top ten reasons why your missing out on $1000's in your (insert IM strategy)"

      "(3) Content pages promoting affiliate products"

      once again this is okay if the pages make the product really compelling IE dangeling something of value. Products are not perfect. You can purchase a product and find something that was missing or wasnt explained very well. That gives you a chance to swoop in and give your list an added bonus that completes the product or complements it. This works extremely well. because you reviewd it and your giving them something extra that makes them want it more. Thats part of a buying mentality formula that people use: They buy on emotions and then back it up with logic. and added safety. But thats another topic.

      Couple more tips. TRACK EVERYTHING/TEST EVERYTHING.
      This means from different squeeze pages, To different Emails.
      This helps you maximize profits massively.

      Even some slightest changes can make your conversion rate go up or down. You have to test to see which one is working for you. Top Email marketers do this.

      They test their strategy like this.
      They either test landing pages or Email copy or click threw Rate.
      (better to test one at a time so results don't get mixed up)

      Traffic that gets landing page A converts at 13%
      Traffic that gets landing page B converts at 16%

      Since landing page B had the better ratio he/she can then send their full list/traffic to Landing page B. and thus earns you more money or results.
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  • Hey there,

    I would have to say that on average you can expect to make $1 per subscriber per month if you are providing good value with your products and emails. Some would say higher like 2 dollars, and some would say less like $.50 cents. It all depends on if you are running your business in the correct way. And Dexx is right you must provide value and build a relationship with your list. You will make money if you have a list that knows you, likes you, and trusts you. But you must provide quality content. Doing this will put you well ahead of most marketers.

    Peace and Love,

    Anthony Spencer
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  • Profile picture of the author RichardF
    Impossible to say. You can earn a fortune from a <1000 list if it's packed with proven buyers who really want what you have to offer. Or you could make a big fat 0 if you're not providing anything useful, or if they're all freebie seekers. My advice: Stop thinking about the numbers and just DO IT.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by MarketingInjection View Post

    At these sizes of lists, what can I expect to earn?

    1,000
    Look at it this way, Mr. Injection ... which do you think is likely to be the more valuable list in terms of annual income potential: a list of 1,000 people all of whom have bought a new Porsche over the last 3 years and have opted in to an update service to notify them of when the next new model will be available and provide updates on new "extras" for their current model ... or a list of 1,000 people who responded to an ad offering "free advice if you can't get a credit-card" and then opted in to receive a free e-book/report called "How to get a credit-card without a credit check."

    You see, I'm sure, that the income potential of these two lists is radically different?

    This is why nobody can possibly give you meaningful figures, here.

    It depends on who the people are, what they've responded to, whether they're known to have credit-cards, whether they're previous buyers, what sort of niche it is, and a few other factors, too.

    It would be really easy for two different lists of 1,000 to have a hundred-fold difference in earning expectations.
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      One very powerful marketing model is to build a list initially of CB buyers rather than attracting a bunch of freeloaders. For example promoting a CB niche product nominally priced at $47 with a commission of 75%, you will be earning around $34 per new subscriber. With targeted traffic and an effective presell page coupled with a reasonably converting product that's $34,000 on the low end of list size. First time buyers also tend to have a much higher conversion rate for repeat orders at progressively higher priced products. You really don't need a large list of proven buyers to make a very nice income.
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      • Profile picture of the author James Sides
        Just remember that freebie seekers don't ever convert as well as previous customers.

        I'd take a list of 1,000 buyers over 10,000 freebie seekers anyday.

        It actually amazes me how when I send an email to my "freebie seekers" I always get a few who flag my email as spam. I mean really??? You joined my list, got something valuable for free, and then report me?

        Talk about irritating.

        Cheers,

        James
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        "People will remain the same until the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change."

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  • Profile picture of the author uebomoyi
    Providing value is the most important concept I learned when building a list. You can easily lose your subscribers if you are constantly trying to sell to them. I've seen this happen before and I've also seen subscribers say that they'll buy anything no matter what it is from the person they've subscribed to, only because that person provided so much value for free in the beginning. So if you get the value part right in the beginning all I can is you'd be a very happy man when you market a new product launch to your list later on.
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  • Very informative. So my follow-up question would be..

    How do you go about making a qualified list of buyers rather than free-seekers?

    My site will offer 2 things:

    (1) a Product of my own that I will be putting on CB to hopefully increase sales
    (If I sell my product through CB will I get their email as well, or is that kept private?)

    (2) a free eBook for email sign-ups that is a much more condensed version of my product

    So should I maybe add the following?

    (3) Content pages promoting affiliate products

    Thanks all!
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  • Profile picture of the author mrshades
    10,000 freeloaders please... hello zip subs!
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  • Profile picture of the author jaghananet
    How active are you list? How many dead mails? CTR?
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  • Profile picture of the author discrat
    Originally Posted by MarketingInjection View Post

    I'm developing my list now, and I wanted to know what a good benchmark is? I have my own product that I will be selling, along with affiliate products on CB.

    At these sizes of lists, what can I expect to earn?

    1,000
    5,000
    10,000
    50,000
    100,000
    Think quality not quantity !
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  • Profile picture of the author crimsonbook
    Like what the rest have been saying. You can have 1 million freebie seekers opt-in and make 100 bucks, or 100 buyer opt-ins that can make you 1000 bucks. Depends how you've been treating your list(s). Are you constantly sending them offers day after day? Or have you been patiently building a relationship with them with story telling and providing quality information?
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    • Profile picture of the author RPaige
      I truely believe that the value you provide will dictate the amount of money you will make. Also, pay attention to where your opt-ins are coming from. As previously stated in another response, many people will opt-in and then mark your email as spam! So, quality is better than quantity.
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  • List size doesn't mean a thing. It is how responsive your list is that counts. Work on building a list of buyers in your niche.
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