Last updated on November 16th, 2020

Updated October 26, 2020

Opt-in pages are the “amuse-bouche” of launches. (Yep, can’t resist a culinary parallel!)

Why?

They’re your free tasters, palate cleansers. 

Opt-ins or lead magnets (btw, hate that name!)  give your audience a taste of what to expect from you AND gently remove their resistance, one step at a time. 

This is why you have to ensure that your opt-in page ticks all the boxes and has the perfect blend of conversion-laced, piping-with-persuasion flavors to woo prospects and turn browsers into buyers.

PLUS, let’s not overlook the fact… a rock-solid opt-in and opt-in page are one of the best ways to build a rock-solid email list. 

Email lists are the Teslas of online marketing – coveted and designed to fast-track your impact and income. 

BUT full disclosure: We have launched high-ticket, high-touch programs and services without a list, so to say that you absolutely NEED an opt-in will be incorrect but a list of interested buyers and hot prospects obviously makes things a lot easier.

For those of you who are new to this whole launch shebang… let’s start at the very beginning.

What are Opt-in Pages and Why Your Business Needs them (Kinda Like My Chai Needs Cardamom!)

Opt-in pages are pages with form fields (usually name and email!) so people can choose to “opt-in” to be emailed by you.

Just in case, you think that opt-in pages are a shiny new syndrome and someone just recently came up with them… let me stop you right there.

Do you remember your mom sending in filled-in coupons for a free magazine issue?

Or your grandma, for that matter, filling out a form for a box of free cookies at the store?

Yeah, that’s an opt-in page, the old-fashioned way.

The end goal is the same – get a prospect’s details in exchange for a freebie.

And THIS is based on one of persuasion’s age-old principles – Reciprocity.

Read Cialdini’s Influence to know exactly what I’m talking about.

Opt-in pages, in some shape or form, have existed for decades!

And… now here’s WHY your business needs opt-ins that establish authority and overcome resistance:

Reciprocity

Yep, that persuasion principle in play again. 

The number one reason your business needs opt-in pages is because opt-in pages lean beautifully into the principle of reciprocity that influences most human behavior. 

It’s like when you smile at someone and they smile back. Reciprocating comes naturally to us. 

Authority and Expertise

Giving away great content for free is a fabulous way to build your authority and establish your expertise. 

Folks come to view you as the go-to person because you’re dropping wisdom bombs, left, right, and center… for FREE!

Trust

Want to gain someone’s trust? Give them something they value… for FREE. Continue to build that trust with ongoing content but an opt-in page is a smart way to start building that trust.

Wondering what you can offer as an opt-in? Here are 15 fabulous opt-in offer ideas for any business.

Alrighty then… with all of that nitty-gritty ‘what’s an opt-in page’ part out of the way, let’s get down to the juicy bit…

The Fatal 5: Opt-in Page Copywriting Mistakes Strangling Your Conversions

Considering how popular opt-in pages are one would imagine that the online marketing industry has them down to a fine science, right?

Wrong.

You’d be amazed at how many opt-in pages I come across every.single.day that make at least 2 or more of the copywriting mistakes I’m about to talk about in this post. 

As a launch copywriter, my heart hurts for the leads that most course creators and coaches are losing out on because of a poorly written opt-in page. 

Best {or worst?!} part is that like sales page copywriting mistakes, these conversion-crushing mistakes are easy to avoid.

1. Miss the Mark with the Headline and Hook

8 out of 10 people only read the headline.

So, long story short if your headline and hook don’t captivate them, you’ve lost them right away.

But if your headline is powerful, compelling, and benefit-laden WHILE demolishing objections, you can be 100% sure that they’ll pop their email address without batting an eyelid.

Here’s an example of a headline I wrote for a client’s gardening class opt-in page. 

The headline and hook section includes the key benefit AND tells them that they’ll learn how to garden EVEN IF they “don’t have a ton of time or a large backyard.”

 These were the key objections that came up in the research and including them in the headline meant we were demolishing them right off the bat. 

2.Ignore the Benefits of Signing Up

Benefits aren’t just for sales copy, my friend. They’re for opt-in pages and pretty much any copy that you ever create.

Why should I part with my email address in this day and age of data theft, spam, and piracy?

What’s in it for me?

Will this be yet another freebie that lies unused and ignored in my already crowded inbox? 

Spell out the benefits of opting in. Here’s an example from a client’s opt-in page “benefit” section that describes exactly what subscribers get AND why they need it. 

When you describe benefits vividly, your prospects can actually picture themselves USING your free gift or lead magnet and that is a big win when it comes to conversion. 

3. Overlook Your Introduction

Unless you’re sharing your opt-in only with people who already know, like, and trust you, you need to introduce yourself on your opt-in page.

It shouldn’t be fluff and flab. 

This tightly-worded bio section has to highlight why subscribers need to pay attention to what you have to say and share with them.  

Here’s an example from another client’s opt-in page that highlights not only her experience but also her mission and passion. 

4. Forget About Social Proof

Does your opt-in page include testimonials? Endorsements? Logos of established sites that you have been published on or featured on?

All these elements add social proof so ignoring them will cloak your credibility in a shroud of doubt. And here’s the thing, you don’t need pages of testimonials, even a handful are good. (Check this post out to see what makes for good testimonials.) 

In the example, above, we used testimonials to highlight not only Cara’s authority but also her heart for delivering exceptional training. 

Yes, even offering something for free has to have value!

5. Disregard the Power of the Call-to-Action

Finally, and most importantly, you need a call-to-action that is more than just “Submit!” Yuck!!

According to ConversionXL, “click here” is one of those calls-to-action that despite being “plain” is pretty powerful.

A good way of creating a call-to-action that converts is keeping in mind what your soon-to-be-subscriber will get once they sign up AND what’s the pain that they’re struggling with right now.

Think about these two factors while creating your call-to-action and you’ll never have to settle for a plain, ol’ “Download” or “Submit”.

There you go… 5 copywriting mistakes that can stealthily but surely suck conversions out of your opt-in pages.

Now, it’s up to you to go ahead and give your opt-in copy a once over to see if one of these mistakes has snuck in.

And if you want to write opt-in (and launch!) copy that blends strategy, science, and serious conversion chops, drop your details below to be the first to know when Ready-to-Sell – my signature launch copywriting program opens up!