Wayyy back in the beginning days of my business, I would always hear that I had to build my list if I ever wanted to be successful online.

This advice was sound…over the years I’ve built a highly-engaged list of customers, fans + followers that I simply adore.

Let me start by saying I am not a case study for building a list “quickly.” This did not happen overnight. Not.at.all.

The single most important strategy I used to build my list with amazing people is to create awesome opt-in offers – uber-valuable giveaways that align with my mission.

Today, I’m spilling my entire opt-in offer trajectory beginning in 2006 and leading up until today…featuring the good, the bad and the hideously embarrassing. Happy reading 🙂

Opt-In Offer Version 1 – The “Newsletter”

Oy. The very first opt-in offer I created was back in 2006. I hired someone to design a website for me for $500. “What a Bargain!” I thought.

My homepage featured a huge revolving photo of a boardroom with a really shiny wooden table that basically took up the entire page. The photo would revolve to close-ups of the boardroom – a close-up of the chair, a close-up of the corner of the table, a close-up of the slightly ajar door. Riveting.

Hidden below this massive revolving photo was my opt-in offer that simply said “Subscribe” with a blank field for an email address.

I think I had maybe 5 signups, and one of the 5 signups was me testing to make sure it worked.

Very depressing.

Lesson Learned: Don’t bury your opt-in offer at the bottom of the website. Don’t just ask people to “subscribe” because…why would they? And, most importantly, don’t put a big revolving picture of a boardroom with a table that looks like it had too many dips in Pine Sol. I didn’t even have a boardroom in my actual office. Nuff said.

Opt-In Offer Version 2 – Get Updates from Me!

When 2007 rolled around, I started feeling frisky. I was booking paid speaking engagements, working as a spokesperson for some amazing brands, and bringing in some awesome clients. However, I was marketing my business solely offline, and I really wanted to use the online world as a way to market to a global audience. I also knew I couldn’t keep up the pace of extensive traveling and 7-day work weeks.

Because I reached some modicum of success + visibility that year, I decided that my shear being would be enough for people to flock to my website and sign up. I updated my website, moved my opt-in to the top of the page, and wrote a simple sentence “To get updates from Melissa, enter your name + email here.”

Sadly, very few people added their name + email. Bubble bursted.

Lesson Learned: Just getting updates from “me” wasn’t compelling enough to for people to sign up. Unless your business or personal brand is the equivalent of Brangelina, create a more compelling offer.

Opt-In Offer Version 3 – The Perfect Pitch eBook

Oooh baby – now I was onto something! By 2008 I decided to write an eBook called The Perfect Pitch that delivered the nitty-gritty goods on getting press coverage. People were signing up like crazy, and I consistently received messages that people loved the book and couldn’t believe it was free. Sweet.

But, there was one problem.

A professional baseball player I connected with at the time thought my eBook was about “pitching” – like, pitching in baseball.

Hmmm…still wondering how many people I lost that year who assumed my eBook would wax poetic on batting averages instead of sharing the merits of building relationships with the media.

Lesson Learned: The headline of your opt-in should clearly explain what people are opting-in for. Clear always beats clever.

Opt-In Offer Version 4 – How to Pitch the Media Like a Pro eBook

After realizing I had a title problem on my hand, I hemmed and hawed wondering if I “really” needed to change it. Changing my opt-in would mean hiring someone to change the opt-in box on my site and then hiring someone to create a new cover for the already designed eBook.

It just felt like so.much.work.

Then I took Marie Forleo’s B-School program the very first time she ran it. This program is still today the most influential program I’ve taken and the best business investment I’ve made. Marie offered amazing insight into crafting a great opt-in offer, and so I took action and re-named the book How to Pitch the Media Like a Pro.

In that year alone, I tripled my email list with amazingly-ideal clients.

Lesson Learned: Fix annoying details pronto so everything works more efficiently and effectively. If I decided that making simple changes to my website and eBook weren’t worth it, I wouldn’t have been able to grow my list so massively that year with people that were a total dream to work with.

Opt-In Offer Version 5 – How Famous Are You? Quiz

My How to Pitch the Media Like a Pro eBook had finally run its course by last year and I decided to retire it as my opt-in offer for a two reasons.

1) It was in need of some serious updating

2) I didn’t want to be known as “just” the PR girl any longer. I’ve helped thousands of people between private clients, classes, workshops, webinars, etc over the years with many things – like copywriting, sales techniques, marketing know-how – in addition to PR. I wanted my new brand to be reflective of these areas of expertise, while still staying true to my PR roots.

I created a really cool quiz that would help people understand the areas of their business that were thriving, and the areas that needed some attention in order to move into business celebrity status. It was a successful opt-in; but something about it didn’t feel quite “right” for me.

Lesson Learned: If it doesn’t make you feel proud + pleasurable, get rid of it. Pronto.

Opt-In Offer Version 6 – Irresistible Business Challenge

Last week I gave my opt-in offer another makeover. Why? Because my existing opt-in didn’t feel “right,” and when things feel stale, old + boring it’s time for a makeover. Magazines don’t cover celebrities that never change (unless the story is about how youthful they look after all these years.) They cover the celebrities that chop off their hair and make Maxim’s sexy list.

Earlier this year I created a free challenge that was one of my favorite business decisions to date. The original five challenges were so much fun to create and I received excellent feedback – so, I thought, why not convert them into an opt-in offer?

My brand-new opt-in offer is a beautifully-designed eBook filled with pops of color, creative energy, and five awesome challenges that will make the media and your customer’s swoon. You can grab it by filling in your name + email in the little box to the right of this page, or in the banner at the bottom of the page. If you already got it, I hope you enjoy!

Lesson Learned: If you pour your heart + soul into something and the entire process feels like a guilty pleasure, it’s a sure bet that others will feel the same!