Solo Ads - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

I just started using solo ads myself and from what I have read, double opt-in is always the best way to go for the long run. Personally, showing the product after they have entered their email is not something I like to do.

I like to send them to a thank you page telling them what to expect and leading them through the double opt in process. However, I always put a banner ad or link to the product on the thank you page.

Then, like you did, I lead them to the product as soon as they have opted in to my list completely.

Benjamin Ehinger

Hi Jennifer,

I have just purchased several solo ads as well which have yet to run, so I can identify somewhat with what you're experiencing. Personally, I don't use double opt in. I want to make the process as simple as possible for my subscribers, plus like you mentioned, you can get a large percentage of unverfied subscrubers who don't double opt in. But I have heard that double optin is still generally recommended for better long term list stability like Ben alluded to. So I guess I'll see what happens there in the future.

In terms of sending your subscribers directly to your freebie download page right after they opt in, I don't do that either. I'm going to be sending them to a OTO for $9.95 that is directly related to the freebie I'm giving away on my squeeze page. I'm giving away a list building report, so my OTO is squeeze page templates. But, at the top of my OTO page, the first thing I say is to make sure the subscriber checks their inbox for their free report so that they don't think they were scammed.

Hope that helps.

Definitely single-opt in only.

Then send them to a $27 OTO (one-time-offer), if they say yes then send them to a $47 OTO if they say yes then send them to the FREEBIE with some banner links to other related products.

If they say no to OTO #1 offer them the same thing for $17 if they say no, then send them to an OTO on a different topic for $17(like if the original OTO was listbuilding then send them to one for facebook). If they say no to that then offer it to them for $7. If they say no then send them to the FREEBIE with banners.

It sounds like a lot of work, and it is, but the time investment is well worth it because you can quickly separate the buyers into a separate list.

Blast your freebie seeker list with adswaps to help get more people into the funnel/build your list. Send them 3 emails per day with offers of your products/affiliate/MRR products until the leave your list or buy something. If you use GetResponse then you can have a special opt-out message that puts them on an "email me less" list instead of completely opting-out. Some may frown on this approach, but what do non-buyers who only want free things do for you? Inflate your numbers, big deal. They also cost you money because all autoresponders charge by the person.

Cultivate your buyers list by building content driven rapport and gradually lead them into higher ticket offers/webinars. That's my take on it anyway (backed by some of the more aggressive and more affluent names in the biz).

K.Callwood....you took the words right out of my mouth.

Great post K.Callwood....long-term strategy is what you should be after here. Unfortunately I think a lot of the times with solo buys people get greedy and are after those short term results.

A smart list is much more valuable than a big list!

There are many different approaches, each of which will bring you a
(slightly) different result... so testing is the way to decide what
brings you the BEST results for YOUR needs.

A few things you may want to test:

1. Single vs Double opt-in - almost always, the double opt-in will
get you fewer subscribers

2. Asking for ONLY email address vs. other data (like name, address)
will usually get you more opt-ins

3. Instant delivery to download page vs sending download via email -
one will force subscribers to confirm in order to get your gift or
bonus, and in general, unsubscribe (or non-reader rate) is higher
after that step

4. Landing page copy (too much to list, but try different headlines,
bullets, call to action, images, etc.

5. Post opt-in page copy - you can use this space to build up
anticipation for the goodie you'll be sending them - once they
confirm their opt-in subscription (or read your welcome email)

6. Immediate upsells vs. no upselling or even selling... is a choice.
After testing, you may be a firm advocate for one (or the other!)

7. Your welcome email sets the tone for your relationship with the
new list, and is the single most important message you draft in your
autoresponder sequence. Test variations to see which has the best
'stick rate'.

There's a LOT of psychology and strategy behind this, though.

And a lot depends on what you're planning to do with the list.

Do you want bigger numbers, or higher quality?
Do you want only targeted readers, or is anyone ok?
Do you want to make a quick profit, or nuture the list over time?
Do you want to just 'sell more stuff', or are you on a mission to
touch and change lives?

All of this will condition how you go about your advertising and
list building, imho.

Depends. If you know the list or demographic well enough, you might want
to ask for creative control over the ad. If you feel the list owner has a better
relationship with his/her audience, you may be better off having the email
crafted by them.

Using a tracking link in the ad/call to action works for me.

Hope this helps.

All success
Dr.Mani

Gain trust? LOL You're not going to gain an ounce of "trust" slamming your subscribers 3 times a day. Churn and burn only runs people off in the long run and word spreads that you're pushing anything and everything without any editorial discretion just to make a buck. I call it churning and burning bridges.

But the rest of that post had some good stuff about using OTO's, etc.

John