How To Turn A List Into Cash?

This post started with a tweet…

@andrewstark Hello! looking for a mentor of shorts..can you contact me when you have some time? thanks!

— Brian Rose (@idealmind8) June 7, 2012

Now I replied as is the polite thing to do when you someone connects with you on twitter.

@andrewstark sorry didnt see your reply until now…themancavemag.com keep in mind its being revamped

— Brian Rose (@idealmind8) June 8, 2012

As you can see I always think it is important to be using your blog content to generate a list.

@andrewstark I do not, since it’s a magazine style site not sure how I can turn the list into $$

— Brian Rose (@idealmind8) June 8, 2012

So rather than just reply personally to Brian I thought I’d share with everyone how to turn a list into $

The hook

Now in the case of a magazine site like the mancave we have the draw of fresh regular content and a box in the top where the call to action could be as simple as “Enter Your Email To Keep Up To Date”.

This is a news based site, and the reason they attract readers is to find out about the latest news items, so by getting access to news before the rest of the readers is something that would appeal much better than a free ebook or audio interview.

Getting Paid Instantly

 Now when someone decides to join list this is the ideal chance to try and sell something. Set up aweber so that when the visitor confirms their e-mail address they are taken to a thank-you page.

I see that you don’t have paid subscription levels, but you could create a welcome video explaining what the sites does and encouraging the reader to make regular comments and help improve site interaction. If you do have a subscription offer this is the place to try and sell it, this lead is red hot for you at the moment.

Underneath this video place your hottest converting affiliate offer. Make it big and bold, tell the reader why they need to click through to the offer and buy it. This bit of virtual real estate is the equivalent of the chocolate bars and magazines placed next to the till on your way out of the shops. You know that you don’t need them, but somehow you always end up buying them.

Repeat Traffic

The real benefit to list building for a magazine site is the ability to drive instant targeted traffic. When people joined the list to be the first to hear about your new posts it makes perfect sense that as soon as you hit publish it’s time to broadcast out to the people who want to know about your content.

With more traffic it becomes much easier to monetize a site. Even with basic monetization such as adwords you will see a bigger return by having more traffic. If you can show advertisers the increasing flow of traffic with spikes when you publish a new post it means that you could sell advertising space for a higher price.

In fact almost any monetization method you can think of will make more profit if you have repeat viewers.

The Relationship

In the follow-up series you can tell the reader all about the different authors, and encourage social interaction. If you can get the readers subscribed to social media and read then share the content you’re now well into the ideal situation of viral marketing.

Also if you do want to make the reader feel really special you can do subscriber only contests, podcasts where you take the time to answer readers questions, and just generally make long term friendships with the readers.

Traditional magazines have a letters page to encourage reader engagement, you don’t have to wait for the postman to do this. With a subscriber list you have direct access to point out the best content on your site, and the chance to get live direct feedback from customers.

Summary

List building for a magazine site is something very powerful that allows you as an editor to be more in touch with what your readers. With this sort of list you’re never selling directly, unless you do have a paid subscription plan.

The key here is soft sell with normal methods of blog monetization. When you write reviews of new products put links to the best places to buy the gadgets, and don’t be afraid to use affiliate links in these situations. Have you noticed how offline magazines are now putting in QR codes, I’m pretty sure that these links will be earning someone an affiliate commission somewhere along the line.

Just remember that if you do need someone to create and install a form on your site I’m available for hire

Andrew