Of all the methods of driving traffic to your sales sites, email marketing remains the easiest, cheapest, most effective, means of accomplishing that goal. Any marketing guru will tell you; “The money's in the list”, and they're absolutely right! The key to building that list is utilizing squeeze pages (also known as an opt-in, or landing page) that are successful in enticing visitors to give you their email address, and subscribe to your email newsletter.

I've compiled a list of the 5 key elements that are absolutely essential for building a highly effective, list-building squeeze page. Make sure you incorporate all of these items, and you're sure to build a landing page draws in email subscribers like a magnet!

1. Offer Something of Value

It's not enough to simply offer prospective subscribers the opportunity to receive your emails - no matter how content-rich, or informative your communications may (and should) be. You need to offer them a desirable product or item (such as an ebook, training material, software, etc.) that will make them eager to opt in.

2. Write Compelling Copy

Be enthusiastic in your description of the item you're offering. Create a sense of urgency and use language that will get visitors excited about receiving your offer. Highlight the key features with bullet points, and detail the benefits your visitor will enjoy as a result of acquiring your free product.

3. Don't Use External Links!

Your visitors should be presented with
only two options. Either enter their email address, and download your free product, or navigate away from the page. That's why it's called a “squeeze page”. This is not the time to try to sell them an affiliate product, or get them to visit your blog, or membership site. You'll have plenty of time for that once they're on your list. But if you give them a reason to pursue other distractions, that will never happen.

4. Be Assertive!

Don't be afraid to tell your visitors what to do. This is known as a “Call to Action”. You should present your offer as though acceptance is assumed, and they'd be absolutely nuts to pass it up! Direct the visitor to the opt-in form, and use affirmative, dynamic phrases on, or near the “Submit” button like: “Download Now!”, “Don't Miss Out!”, and “Get Access Now!”.

5. Image is Everything

You only have about 8 seconds to captivate a visitor's attention before they decide whether or not to stay on your site. If your squeeze page looks boring, or ugly, chances are pretty good they won't stick around to read your compelling, exciting text, or care about how great your free offer is. A professional looking design with attractive graphics will go a long way in converting prospective subscribers. Research has shown that adding audio to your page increases opt-in rates, and a brief 2 or 3 minute video works even better!

And don't worry if you don't have any design chops, or a lot of money to hire a professional web designer. These days you can buy great looking, pre-designed squeeze pages for very short cash, that you can easily customize to fit your needs.