If you have been reading my previous articles then you’re probably aware that I believe that an email list is one of the most valuable tools you can have at your disposal when selling digital products online. In this article I outline how to get subscribers to sign up for your email list.

Before you start getting subscribers you first need a squeeze page. A squeeze page is a simple webpage with a short description and webform with the sole purpose of getting visitors to sign up for your newsletter. Squeeze pages are quite easy to design. Just offer subscribers an incentive to join your newsletter which can include the newsletter itself, a product discount or a free ebook which they will receive once they have joined your newsletter. Then finish off the page with a webform they can use to subscribe to your newsletter That’s all there is to it.

Once you’ve got your squeeze page ready you’re ready to start recruiting subscribers. Below are five methods you can use to start doing just that:

1) eBay About Me Page:- eBay do not allow you to place email sign up forms in your auction listings. However, at the time of writing this article, you are allowed to place a newsletter sign up form on your eBay About Me page. Plus, you can link to your eBay About Me page from your auction listings, so if you want you can place a little advert for your newsletter in each of your eBay auctions. This will then link to your eBay About Me page where visitors will see the form and hopefully subscribe. I personally place a link to my eBay About Me page in the majority of my auctions.

The message that links to your eBay About Me page will vary depending upon the topic of your newsletter. My newsletter is related to selling eBooks on eBay so the link I place in my auctions is as follows: “Want to know how I run this eBay store whilst automating 95% of the tasks? Then Click Here.” Obviously, you should adjust the message according to the topic of your newsletter.

For this method to be most effective your newsletter should be related to the products you sell on eBay. I sell eBooks on eBay so a newsletter related to this is what I provide. If you are selling protein powders a newsletter on building muscles would be more relevant. Alternatively, if you sell cooking supplies perhaps a recipes newsletter would be best.

2) eBooks with Resell Rights:- If you create an eBook related to your newsletter and offer resell rights this is a fantastic way to add subscribers to your list. Simply write the ebook (or alter a PLR ebook) and make sure you have a few links to your squeeze page in the ebook. If the ebook is good and relevant to your list then people will want to join your list as a result of reading it.

The more copies you sell the more subscribers you will get. Plus, by offering resell rights you also increase the potential distribution of your ebook because people who read it may also go on to sell it. Simply put, the more people that read your ebook – the higher the number of potential subscribers.

3) Articles:- Like with ebooks, if you write a relevant article and then submit it to the article directories (http://www.ezinearticles.com/, http://www.goarticles.com/ etc) with a link to sign up for your newsletter in the author resource box, this is another valuable way to add subscribers to your list. For example, if you are running a recipes newsletter, submit a recipe to the article directories. In the author bio box have something alone the lines of “I offer many more great recipes through my newsletter which you can sign up for by Clicking Here.”

4) Blog ging:- If you post each edition of your newsletter to your blog and also have a sign up form on the blog, this provides you with another option to gain subscribers to your list. You may be thinking why this would get you extra subscribers because current subscribers will have already read your newsletter won’t they? Well your blog will be picked up in the search engines also, by people searching for topics that you have written about in your newsletter. If these people who came through the search engines like your blog/newsletter they are likely to become a subscriber.

5) Encourage Subscribers to pass your Newsletter On:- Whether you are reading the HTML version or the PDF version of my newsletter you will notice that I encourage you to pass this newsletter on to others. As long as you include a webform or a link to your squeeze page somewhere in the newsletter this is another great way to get more subscribers to your email list. If people like your newsletter enough to pass it on then their friends are probably going to like it enough to subscribe.

So there you go – five ways to get subscribers to opt in to your email list. Now all you have to do is take some action and start building your list. It really is that simple. As long as you provide quality content to your list and don’t bombard them with sales messages this should be the start of a lasting, quality relationship with your customers.