How to get email addresses
Who do you email to? This was my biggest hurdle. There are two ways I know of. One is free, but is a slow but sure method of growing your list. The other is a much faster, but riskier method of buying your list from a broker. You will have to choose which one is right for you.
Here is the solution to growing your list for free. Go Social! Social media can be your best friend. Join LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and whatever relates to your product or service. You get the idea, right?
Then, join in the forums, groups, tweet, and get involved. Write blogs, answer other members blogs, in forums, let people know who you are and what you're about. Ask them what is their biggest problem is that they're facing right now. Then use this information to complete the problem/solution worksheet. It's in the back of the book. That's what your article and solution will be about. This will increase your opt-in rate because you have the solution to their problems. There's no sense in writing reports for people who don't need or want them
Next, write an article about the problem they are facing and post it. Let them know you have the FREE solution. Ask them if anybody would like a free report that will solve their problem. Then have them contact you by giving them a link to your landing page on your website. BAM! You have an address to mail to for future campaigns. This is a great way not to be pushy or black hat, but to provide true value to your audience.
Another way to get an email list is to buy one from a broker like "The SRDS Direct Marketing List Source." But be careful! This is where people make the mistake of buying a list that isn't targeted. This results in low opt-ins and high expenses. That's because they don't know their target audience inside and out. When you buy a list, the more defined your request is to the broker, the better your results will be. If I was looking for people to buy this book, I would start with a list of business owners and entrepreneurs. People searching for "How to start an email list." Rather than just asking for people searching for books about email marketing. This is where, again, your customer profile is so important.