The Psychology Of List Building

Way too many of us get caught up in the technicalities of list building.

1. Create a free report.
2. Create an AR series.
3. Create a squeeze page.
4. Promote squeeze page via various methods such as article marketing, etc.

But how many of us really sit down and analyze the psychology of list building
and what it really takes to build your list?

Rather than give you a lot of theoretical mumbo jumbo (anybody can do
that) I'm going to give you a real live example of the psychology of list
building that actually works for me and should work for you as well. You
should be able to apply this to any niche at all.

Step 1.

Analyze the problem. In one niche that I tackle, the problem I have to deal
with is teen acne. Now, most of us are not teens anymore and sadly, as
we get older, we tend to forget what it was like to be a teen. I haven't. It
was a very traumatic time for me.

What do teens feel when it comes to their appearance, especially when
they see a zit right in the middle of their forehead?

If you were like me, you freaked out. You did everything you could to
cover it up, including combing your hair down over your face like Moe
from the Stooges. I had very long hair, so this was easy for me to do.

Problem is, by doing this, you're creating more oil on the area and you
just make the problem worse.

Step 2

Analyze current solutions. Most traditional treatments, such as Stridex,
Clearasil and other medications really don't get to the root of the problem
and don't work all that well. At least they don't work quickly. So when a
kid is going to the prom in a few days and he breaks out, he's pretty
much out of luck. Anyway, you need to thoroughly understand what the
current solutions are and what their limitations are before you can offer
YOUR solution...the better one. This is the only way you can explain WHY
your solution is better.

Step 3

Put together your free report explaining all these things. Explain the
problem, explain the traditional solutions. Then explain how YOURS is
better. At the end of the report, give them the link to your product and
assure them that they'll get the results they're looking for.

Step 4

Put together your AR series. Make it as informative as you can without
actually giving away the secrets of your solution. You may want to
reinforce some of the things that your report covered and maybe go into
more detail. You want your AR series to be at least 7 emails long.

Why?

Because most people aren't going to purchase from you after just one
contact. You need to establish trust. You've worked your way to doing
this by sharing the information that you already have.

Now, here is what most people don't realize and you need to firmly put
this in your mind.

Most people who have the problem you're targeting, already know a lot
of what you're telling them. Why? Because it's THEIR problem. They live
with it day in and day out. So by telling them what they already know,
you are reassuring them that...

1. What they already know is correct.
2. That you know it as well so you must know what you're talking about.
3. That maybe you do have a solution since you know the subject so well.

Think about it. If you told somebody suffering from acne that it was
caused by watching too much TV, they'd probably laugh in your face.
But by giving them info that is pretty well known, in addition to info that
may not be as well known, you have an easier chance of establishing
credibility with the person. This applies to ANY niche.

In short...Tell them the obvious FIRST. Then they're more inclined to
believe the not so obvious.

Step 5

Create your squeeze page telling the prospect what they're going to
learn in your report and AR series without actually telling them what it is.

For example.

"In this report, you'll discover the real causes of acne and what you can
do to prevent future outbreaks. You'll also discover why traditional
treatments don't work."

This tactic can be applied to any niche. It's more or less similar to an
article teaser that you write for Ezine Articles.

Step 6

Promote your squeeze page. Now, how are you going to do this?

You're going to tell people basically what you're telling them on the
squeeze page itself. This is where you put your call to action in your
article bio box.

For example:

"Tired of fighting your teen acne and getting nowhere? Get my free report
that explains what causes it, why traditional treatments don't work and
what you can do to prevent your acne from coming back for good by
visiting <URL>

Step 7

Watch your list grow.

Every list I have, with minimal promotion, is in the thousands because I
adhere to this simple outline. It isn't rocket science. You need to stop
thinking like a marketer and start thinking like somebody who has a
horrible problem that they need to have solved...fast.