Create a Class to Compliment
Episode #6 of the course How to rapidly grow your email list by Jessica Festa
One trend many influencers are jumping on is turning readers and followers into subscribers through free classes. And that’s because it works.
How It Works
Giving away your best stuff for free through a complimentary class might sound counterintuitive, but it’s actually an excellent way to prove you know your stuff. So, don’t hold back. Just like with yesterday’s Content Series, consider a strategy or workshop that your readers will really benefit from—so much so, they’ll think, “Well, if this is what they gave away in a 60-minute class, I can’t wait to see what else is in store!”
Now, there are many strategies for teaching a free class to encourage signups. A few include:
A Facebook Live Workshop
If you’re just dipping your toes into the world of online workshops, Facebook Live (or any other livestreaming platform) is a great place to get started. Here’s what you do:
• Come up with your workshop (title + date/time + content).
• Create a worksheet to go along with it.
• Promote the workshop across your social media channels and include the link they’ll click to get the worksheet (after subscribing to your list).
• Promote the workshop to your email list. Yes, they’re already on your list, but this is a great way to nurture them and give, give, give.
• Do the workshop. Make sure to bring the energy! You want to impress your viewers, so practicing your workshop before going live will be helpful. Bonus: When you go live, your Facebook followers get notified, so even if they weren’t aware you were doing a workshop, they may end up there.
• Re-share the workshop to your page with the worksheet opt-in link.
• Rocked it? Create a landing page where you host the video and worksheet and promote it in your sidebar. To gain access to the landing page, readers must opt in to your email list.
You can find a visual example of the above strategy here.
A Multi-day Challenge
Feel free to get creative on the exact way you implement this, but here is one method I love:
• Come up with a challenge topic—for example, “The 5-Day Eat Healthy Challenge.”
• Create a beautiful landing page talking up the challenge and giving people the option to join for free (as long as they opt in to your email list). You can find a visual here.
• Each day, send them a lesson with a CTA straight to their inbox. This helps ensure they put learning into practice (so they’re actually growing from your challenge).
• Along with growing your email list, choose a social media platform and have participants follow you there to share challenge triumphs each day. To really ensure engagement, tell participants that those who comment each day will be entered to win a prize.
A Traditional Webinar
A traditional webinar is also an option. This is a more formal online class, where you use a service like WebinarJam or Zoom to showcase your class slides. In order to gain access to the class, the student must opt in to your list.
Note: Often with webinars, the end goal is to sell a product/service. These can be extremely powerful for sales, especially if you relate to your audience (“I was once in your shoes”), wow them with amazing content, show them the possibilities if they implement your strategies, and then pitch them an incredible offer. That doesn’t mean pricing low but instead, adding more value with bonus offers.
Your Turn
Choose one of the above free class strategies and plan it out. While you’ll need more than a day to finalize your course, take tonight to at least outline it.
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