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Welcome to Part 3 of our brand new 6 part mini-series, where we’re sharing some of our most popular action plans from inside our WomanpreneuHER University program. It’s an incredible community of online business builders, coaches, and course-creators, who all come into the program to turn their passions into something profitable (and sustainable). And it’s inside WomanpreneuHER University that we show them how to create, grow, and scale their product offers — passively.

Women entrepreneurs come into this program at all levels. We have people who are still exploring their entrepreneurial options and people who already have 6-figure businesses and are looking to take their income to the next level. Wherever they are, we give them the strategies they need to get them where they want to be.

And that’s what this 6-part series is about!

While we can’t give you all of the success strategies you get inside the program, like 1:1 coaching, personal feedback, content reviews, strategy, tech training, and more…

…Having an action plan you can follow is a pretty awesome place to start.

Last week we looked at the steps for those of you who have created a product offer or are in the beginning stages of creating an offer, but are not 100% confident it will sell! (Check out the post: Created a Product! But Is It Irresistible? (Part 2) here)

Today’s action plan is for those of you who have an irresistible offer…

…but no audience to sell it to!

If this is you don’t panic, just keep reading because we are going to break down the foundational steps you need to know to build your target audience!

Now before we do jump in, I wanted to remind you that I am giving my community FREE access to my 4 Steps To $500K in Passive Income with Digital Products and Online Courses Masterclass. Join the FREE on-demand training here and let’s jump in.

Have a Product Offer or Idea, But No Audience? (Let’s Fix It!)

Your financial security is going to be a direct reflection of the number of quality leads you are able to drive into your business, particularly your email list and online communities.

If you are able to create a system that drives leads into your business every single day, and you have systems in place that allow you to sell to those leads on autopilot, you will make money, every single day, with minimal work.

What do we mean by NO AUDIENCE?

Before we dive into the first step, let’s just get clear on what I mean when I say ‘No audience”.

Now, you will hear coaches tell you that you can make money online with NO list.

That is a LIE!

To get to the cash, you have to be consistently feeding your funnels. You cannot drive sales if you do not have PEOPLE viewing your product offers.

If you do not have enough people seeing your offers, if you don’t have enough people to talk to on sales calls, if you do not have people who are warmed up and primed to buy – people who are interested in what you have to teach them – you are not going to make the level of sales that you want.

Point. Blank. Period!

Most people have an email list and social media following of less than 1000 people combined and when you are trying to build a really successful business, that just isn’t going to cut it.

No people means no profits BUT what do you do if you are struggling to grow your list or you just don’t know what you should be doing to attract and grow your audience quickly?

Here are your first steps…

your first step: getting your first 1000 subscribers

For most people, hitting 1,000 subscribers is the first big milestone in their business because it’s the first step toward monetization.

The rule of thumb is that every subscriber on your email list should net you $1.00 in monthly income. So, if you have 1000 subscribers, you should be making about $1000 a month in income, which is significant profits.

And in my opinion, if you can make your first $1000, you can make your first $10,000 and if you can hit $10,000 you can get to your first $100K.

Getting your first 1000 subscribers might sound like a tall order, but because of the way online marketing works, you will want to make sure you have the attention of at least 1000 targeted leads before you begin promoting your offers.

WHY?

Only a fraction of your existing audience is going to see each of your social media posts, promotional emails, and calls to action. An even smaller number will click on those call-to-action links, and only about 1-2% of those people will ever purchase from you. So do you see the odds that are stacked against you?

1000 subscribers is the number you should shoot for before you begin promoting your offers – if you hope to get a good return on your launches and marketing campaigns. That’s why this is actually the first lead generation milestone I walk my students through inside of WomanpreneuHER University.

Your list is absolutely crucial to the momentum and growth of your business.

And speaking from experience, having waited 18 months to even think about building an email list, cost me tens of thousands of dollars in revenue. I do not want you to go through the same failures.

To get your first 1000 subscribers, you will need the following:

  • An email service provider such as ConvertKit
  • A website
  • or landing page with an opt-in box
  • A follow-up email sequence or newsletter

If you do not have an email list and want to learn how to set one up, check out this free training here: How to Easily Set Up a Weekly Newsletter That Converts With ConvertKit.

step 02: setting up your email service provider

If you plan on generating email leads, you’re going to need to use an email marketing platform. This is a service that will collect leads for you, help you manage those leads and then enable you to send emails to them via a broadcast or automated email sequence. My email marketing service of choice is ConvertKit.

In fact, it would be a good idea to take advantage of ConvertKit’s FREE trial right so you can follow along with the easy email setup video I share below, right from the beginning.

step 03: attract your audience a juicy lead magnet

When it comes to driving leads to your business one of the fastest and easiest ways to attract your first 1000 subscribers is with a freebie.

So what’s a lead magnet exactly!

A freebie, also known as a “lead magnet”, “free offer” or “opt-in incentive,” is a high-value, irresistible piece of content related to your paid digital product that you give away to your audience for FREE in exchange for their name and email address. Your lead magnet is basically a product without a price tag that is created with the sole purpose of enticing your visitors to become subscribers.

Whether it’s a cheat sheet or a challenge, creating a super valuable lead magnet (aka freebie) is a great way to get visitors from your website or social media profiles onto your email list.

Regardless of what format you want to deliver your freebie in, you want to make sure what you are creating is something your audience wants. It needs to be an irresistible, no-brainer freebie, that your audience will want to download.  Your freebie should offer actionable tips or advice your new subscriber can implement right away!

Just because it doesn’t have a price tag on it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be top-notch. In fact, it should be a “product” that people would be happy to pay for.

If you need more ideas for digital products you can offer as a freebie or lead magnet make sure to download my 50 + DIGITAL PRODUCTS YOU CAN CREATE AND SELL AS AN ONLINE COACH OR COURSE CREATOR! Simply click the link and grab it from the FREE WomanpreneuHER Facebook Group.

step 04: promote your freebie to attract your audience

The next step for getting your first 1000 subscribers is to get your freebie in front of your ideal audience. Whether you have one EPIC lead magnet or multiple freebies, you have to be willing to implement consistent marketing strategies that connect your freebie to the people who would need it most.

This is where picking your primary promotional platforms comes in handy.

In my business, I use Pinterest and Facebook groups as the main mode of promoting my freebies to grow my audience. In your business, your primary platforms may be Instagram and YouTube. Another coach may use Linkedin or Tik Tok as their primary platforms.

So, regardless of what platforms you use, the goal to growing your audience and driving people to your email list is to promote your freebies through a call to action within every piece of content you publish. For instance, if you look at any of my posts on Facebook, I always invite my audience to download a lead magnet that is relevant to the topic I am posting about.

So you can say something like, “If you like this then make sure you download my [name of freebie], which has even more tips and tricks on how you can [insert tangible benefit related to topic video/blog post/tip/tool].”

The key to converting your audience to an email subscriber is making sure your call to action and the freebie you are inviting them to download is relevant to the content they are reading, watching or listening to!

It doesn’t make sense to shoot a video about growing your business on Instagram and then invite your audience to download your free Makeup Guide. #notgoingtowork

The way I’ve been able to grow my email list to over 25,000 people is because I am very intentional about my lead magnets. I know my niche, I know what my audience wants and I consistently create content, from freebies to paid programs, that speak to their challenges and needs.

step 05: create a content plan you can stick to

Consistency is key when looking to grow your audience. I teach an entire Viral Content Plan inside of WomanpreneuHER University but you can begin implementing these steps now:

  • Create a long-form piece of content each week. (Eg: a blog post, video, or podcast episode)
  • Send out a weekly email (1-2 emails a week minimum.) There’s no point getting people onto your list if you’re just going to ignore them once they’re there, right?
  • Focus on mastering ONE social platform (to start with) and post fresh content regularly

Again, this is something that we help people with inside of WomanpreneuHER University. We have hundreds of swipe files and prompts and a content plan that helps you turn one long-form piece of content into 25 pieces, because I know how crucial it is to commit to posting content every single day.

So that’s your foundation. Get consistent with your content, and you’ll be well on your way.

step 06: continue to engage your audience for continued growth

When it comes to growing your email list and hitting your first 1000 subscribers, it’s not just about converting your followers into subscribers. It’s also about keeping the subscribers you have by creating an experience they will not soon forget.

It’s about capturing the attention of your audience in a way that makes them want to stick around.

It’s about connecting with your people, your community, and creating excitement and trust with the people you serve.

It’s also about providing value through unique experiences that people can only get from YOU!

So how do you hold on to the subscribers you worked so hard to get in the first place?

1. Provide a one-of-a-kind brand experience.

Is the content you are sharing in your emails being told in a way that’s compelling, useful, inspiring, and/or entertaining for your readers?

From your subject lines to what people see when they unsubscribe, can mean the difference between people staying on your list or ditching you like a bad date.

Your newsletter should create a unique reader experience.

For example, if you are a fitness coach – you’ll want to share your own personal fitness journey, you will want to show off your fit body, share client transformations, demonstrate your creative workout exercises, floss your gym gear, share your daily meal plans or recipes and all the ways your audience get to know you as a fitness trainer.

You want to design your newsletter in a way that uniquely and creatively inspires your readers to get off the couch and go get fit. That means sharing actionable content such as your daily exercise routines, creating beautifully crafted meal plans, sharing photos and visuals of yourself and your clients living a fit and healthy lifestyle.

If you’re a vegan food blogger – your weekly emails might have announcements of upcoming books as well as any thoughts your readers might like to hear about – how to cook various vegan meals, a cool vegan resource you found, a vegan grocery list, the best vegan restaurants to eat at on the go, etc.

If you make physical products, like planners or jewelry – you might share sales, coupons, and photos of things in your shop. You could also share gift idea lists, talk about your creation process – let people get a sneak peek of new products in the works, etc. A nice grid layout with images that link directly to your shop would be an awesome solution!

There are SO MANY options for you to engage with your subscribers. And, more than just sending updates and announcements, your emails can really help you establish yourself as a go-to expert in your industry. My advice is always going to be – think about YOUR brand, YOUR audience, and YOUR message – what kind of newsletter would best serve and support both your business needs and the people that you’d like to work with?

You’ve GOT to make it valuable for them, or they’ll just ignore, delete, unsubscribe and move on.

Now just as important as what you send is how you send it and how often you send it.

You will want to make sure you customize your newsletter design and that your newsletter design follows your branding guidelines and remains consistent throughout. This is why it’s important to have a brand kit or a brand book that is useful for saving a specific brand color palette, logos, and fonts that you can apply across all your designs.

If there are certain types of imagery, graphics, illustrations, icons, or patterns you use, make sure to infuse them into your emails as well. You can upload your own images or choose stock images from places like Canva, Pixabay, Death To The Stock Photo, or Picjumbo. You can also take it one step further and add animated memes or gifs to your emails to add another layer of personality.

I recommend creating a few different templates that you can use and rotate but that are all aligned with your overall brand elements.

Your email messages are one place where your personality should really shine.

2. Stay top of mind. One of the questions I get all the time, is how often should I be sending emails to my list?

Just like blogging, to stay top of mind, you have to be top of mind. That means sending out emails frequently and consistently.

Now you do not have to send an email every single day (that’s a little much) but once or twice a week will let your subscribers know you are here to stay.

A huge part of your email experience is to make your subscribers feel as if they are truly a part of your tribe. Most of my emails begin by addressing the subscriber by their name (not an email address, or a generic, Hi). I try my best to personalize each message so that my subscribers feel like I am talking directly to them.

I also make it known that I am accessible, that I am here for my community, and that they can reach out and contact me at any time.

It makes a huge difference. Before someone is going to care about your products they want to know you care about them.

3. Create a community outside of the inbox.

Yes, email is great, but give your audience the opportunity to engage with you on social media and inside of your online communities. Have a Facebook group? Invite your email subscribers to participate in your community and join you for your live streams. Have an active Instagram account? Invite your email subscribers to comment on your IG posts and stories.

It’s easy to get email fatigue and when your customers are getting emails from dozens of other brands, they can easily forget you. So to keep them connected to you,  immerse them into your community so it becomes a constant part of their daily social engagement. You want to make sure you do everything you can to ensure they are invested in your brand because it becomes a part of who they are!

07: keep track of your growth and double down on what’s working

As with anything you are trying to grow, you must nurture it to keep it going. Use tools like Google Analytics, your social media insights, and your list-builder conversion tracking tools to see which content is converting the most people to your email list.

If something is working do more of it. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to growing your email list. Find what’s working, what drives the most growth, and simply do more of it.

At the end of the day, you can never have too many followers, subscribers, or community members. Making money in any business is a numbers game and the more people you can get in front of your products and services, the more money you will make. Need help growing your email list and getting your first 1000 subscribers?

*Use the WomanpreneuHER Profit Planner to get my list-building planning sheets. Click HERE to grab yours now.*

next steps

If you are loving this step-by-step action plan and want to get more help with building your passive income business, sign up for my FREE 4 Steps To $500K in Passive Income with Digital Products and Online Courses Masterclass!

There’s nothing else out there like this course and the amount of step-by-step support is something that is unparalleled. I’ll help you personally brainstorm product offer ideas, map out profitable passive income sales funnels, along with step-by-step marketing strategies on how to grow your audience and get your business out into the world which means more sales for YOU!

The 4 Steps To $500K in Passive Income with Digital Products and Online Courses Masterclass is available to you now right now (click here to get started.) I am so excited to support you in this part of your business journey…

P.P.S

If you’re thinking of creating your own passive income-generating online business, be sure to check out the additional resources at the bottom of this page. You can also join us inside of the FREE WomanpreneuHER FB Group for more tutorials, tips, and training on how to create 6-figure success with online courses and digital products.

Here’s to your 6-figure future!


*Use the Viral Content Startup Kit to get 365 Days of social media prompts, content, and live ideas to attract your ideal customers and clients. Click HERE to grab yours now.*


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