When people sign up to your list, it can be very satisfying to see the number of people on your list grow. However, what about the person who has signed up? What are they getting out of the deal? Yes, certainly they will be getting the gift you have promised, be that a

• Report,
• Video,
• Membership trial,
• Software package

and so on.

However, how do you feel when you get a surprise, like the nice kind?

I think of this exact example when I opened an account with an office supplies shop and ordered a few office items over the internet, to be delivered to my office. I received everything on my order, plus a whole lot more as an introductory gift. It was an unexpected bonus that was really nice.

Not only was there a bonus, but it was made up of useful things, not the items they could clearly not actually sell. Hence, they showed an interest in my business and genuinely cared. You can do the exact same thing in your email marketing and list building efforts.

You need to deliver everything you have promised, and if you have a course that you have created, or some other really valuable product or membership access, include that as a gift as well. I know that for some of you, this will seem like giving away all your hard earned goods and services. However, ignoring the small percentage of people who will take all they can get and run, you will find overall, that you have a more loyal customer base and a growing list of people interested in what you have. It comes down to the old saying of giving to receive. The tighter we hold onto things, the harder it is to get more. By releasing, we open ourselves to receiving so much more. These are fundamental rules of the universe. People are all the same and overall, will respond well to the above principle.

I know it may be a little more challenging if you are just starting out but have some ideas for that as well. I recommend that over time, you create your own products as this will give you great leverage but in the meantime, you may need to write a quick, but information rich report on your subject that you are offering to your list. Theoretically, if you know your product and are hopefully passionate about it, this should be an easy task. If you are super busy, you could outsource the job to someone else. However, make the effort to actually add some unexpected bonus to your list as this will make a difference to your results.

Placing bonus material on the download page when people join your list is a very valuable process in developing a long term relationship with your subscriber. People like to receive unexpected gifts. It does make a considerable difference and if you can, creating a video will make it even better, such as a personal recommendation by you for the bonus download. This all helps to build trust.