In this short tutorial I’m going to walk you step-by-step through my #1 list building tactic.
Popup content upgrades
It takes about 5 minutes to setup…
And delivers BIG results.
Every time.
In any niche.
This tactic single-handedly took robbierichards.com from 194 new email subscribers a month in April:
To 684 subscribers a month in June:
At the current rate...
I’m projecting to hit 1,000 new subscribers a month at the beginning of 2016.
Awesome, right? Here’s how you can get the same results.
Open your Google Analytics account and navigate to the Behavior >> Site Content >> All Pages report:
Here you’ll be able to see the pages on your site that get the most pageviews.
These are the pages you’ll be targeting with content upgrades.
To start, pick your #1 most view blog post.
Example:
This expert roundup I published a few months ago ranks #1 in Google for the search term “best keyword research tool”:
It generates 60-100 organic visits a day and has been the most visited page on the blog for the last 3 months:
Adding a popup content upgrade on this page would be the fastest (and easiest) way to scale the growth of my email list.
2x your conversion rate with an irresistible content upgrade
Once you know which page on your site gets the most traffic…
Create a content upgrade.
A content upgrade is a content-specific offering that provides instant value to the reader.
This means that when you create an awesome, detail-rich blog post, you take extra materials like :
- a video walk through
- useful checklist
- ebook (downloadable PDF)
or anything else that will help the reader and offer it to them in return for their email address.
Example:
In the expert roundup mentioned above, SEMrush was voted the #1 keyword research tool by 58 online marketing experts:
If you’re anything like me you’d want get your hands on the tool and decide for yourself if SEMrush is really the “best” tool for your needs.
I knew I could add value for readers by empowering them to learn more about the tool’s capabilities and test it out.
Keeping Things Simple
Creating a content upgrade does NOT have to be complicated or time consuming.
Last year, I wrote this 7,000 word SEMrush tutorial showing readers 22 ways they could use the tool for competitor analysis and keyword research.
It was relevant to the topic of the expert roundup. Keyword research.
And, it empowered the reader to learn more about (and use) all the SEMrush features.
So, I turned the post into a PDF and offered it as a content upgrade for all the people reading the expert roundup.
How to create a high-converting content upgrade in less than a minute
Step #1: Install the free Print Friendly & PDF Chrome extension:
Step #2: Open the post you want to convert into a PDF.
Step #3: Click the green chrome extension icon:
Step #4: Click the PDF button to convert the post:
All the links will pass from the post into the PDF (perfect for affiliate promotions).
Step #5: Download the PDF file and add it the /thank-you page in your autoresponder.
But, what if you don’t have any old content to turn into a good content upgrade?
No problem.
Here’s what you need to do:
1. Identify the keywords being searched for most frequently by people visiting your most viewed page.
Head over to Google Search Console and click on Search Traffic >> Search Analytics:
Once you’re in this section, click on the "pages" radio button (instead of queries):
Find the URL of the most viewed page you identified in the Google Analytics report (it’s likely to be near the top) and click on it:
Select the "Query radio" button; it will show you all the keywords people entered before clicking through to the page from the search engines.
2. Create an offer related to the keyword.
For example, you might find that people landing on your page are searching for “best strength training exercises”.
Armed with this knowledge you could create a free downloadable “strength training workout plan” and use it as a content upgrade.
Not a lot of work. But an extremely targeted offer.
3. Add a call to action (with the keyword) to your popup.
Launch an attention-grabbing popup in less than 5 minutes
You’ve identified your most viewed content.
And created a relevant content upgrade.
Now it’s time to promote it.
The best way to do this?
Popups.
Love em’ or hate em’...
They flat out WORK.
In fact, they CRUSH every other form type - widgets, header bars, in-content, slide-in, you name it. I talk about it more in this post.
My tool of choice...
Thrive Leads is the quickest and easiest way to build, deploy and test any type of email opt-in form.
Simply select a pre-built template from the library:
Customize it using the drag-and-drop or WSYWIG editors:
This is the 2-step popup design I’m currently testing for the SEMrush playbook:
When a reader clicks the button a form displays where they can enter their email address:
Get your content upgrade in front of the right audience
Finally, you need to target the popup content upgrade to relevant posts on your site.
Example:
I targeted the SEMrush content upgrade to the expert roundup and SEMrush tutorial:
It adds value in two ways:
- It shows the reader 22 ways to use the #1 rated keyword research tool.
- It provides another medium for readers to consume the content.
Tip: PDFs are easy to create and have a high perceived value.
The Results:
The SEMrush PDF content upgrade and popup took me less than 5 minutes to set up using the process outlined above.
And, it’s converting at 5.76%:
Adding 694 new subscribers to my SEMrush email list in the last 90 days.
Scale your growth
The best part about this strategy is you can easily scale it across your entire blog…
And quickly double or even triple the growth of your email list.
To start, take an audit of your top 10 most viewed blog posts.
Don't worry if you're just getting started. You’re already ahead of the game :)
Next, categorize the post topic and make a note of the different content upgrade ideas.
Click here to download this spreadsheet (no email required*)
The spreadsheet in action...
1. Here is the popup showing on my list building strategies post:
The content upgrade: A short video showing three simple tactics readers can use to instantly get more subscribers from their blog posts.
Conversion rate: 6.08%
2. Here is the popup showing on my content promotion strategies post:
The content upgrade: A PDF of the post, plus a bonus traffic generation tactic.
Conversion rate: 5.44%
Bonus Tip: Simply including a picture of the ebook in your popup can increase the conversion rate 110.72%.
Your homework
Take this strategy and apply it to your top 5 most viewed pages.
Leave a comment below or send an email and let me know what results you get.
Image Credit: Rocket by Martin Vanco from the Noun Project
This post is just what I need. Thank you for such a detailed tutorial!
Awesome, thanks Jocelyn! Let me know how you go.
Awesome tutorial (as always), Robbie! Content upgrades, if done right, can be a total game changer. They take a good amount and effort to set up, but the ROI is worth it.
Hey Kosio! You’re 100% right there. Huge return on what can often be a small time investment…as highlighted in the post. Cheers!
Dude Robbie,
Just came across your blog and I’ve got to say, this is some awesome stuff. Honestly some of the best content I’ve seen. Shared it on Twitter.
I’m of the mindset today that if you’re serious about growing your online audience and business then you’d be insane to NOT be doing content upgrades. They just work so much better.
I’m pushing to get some of the content on my blog to this level, but it takes a massive amount of time.
Just wanted to drop a comment and say keep up the great work man.
Cheers Travis! Really appreciate you taking the time to drop a comment. You’re right, these case studies and tutorials consume my evenings and weekends for the most part, so it’s always nice to hear that they are helping folks out. Makes it worthwhile 😉
hai sir
if u buy this tool any problem with google adsnse
Govardhan, not sure exactly what you’re referring to. I don’t use Google AdSense on the site. But, I wouldn’t imagine there being any issues with it, if you’re referring to Thrive Leads. Should be good to go
Wow, an amazing case study Robbie. I am delighted with the content you publish. This is the first time I am leaving a comment on your blog, but I was reading it for a while. All of the articles you publish are outstanding!
I wanted to ask you whether you are accepting guest posting on your blog.
Thanks
Cheers Vukasin! Appreciate the kind words, and glad to hear you’re enjoying content. As of right now, I’m not accepting any more guest posts.
Thanks Robbie! That was plenty useful. You’re absolutely right, how ever much popups are seen as a bane, they really do work.
I didn’t know about that Chrome extension for creating PDFs. Certainly gonna be using it for my content upgrade needs.
– Syed
Cheers, Syed! Yeah that chrome extension is very handy
This is going to be very helpful for me, as my new client is expecting me to help him build his email list. Thanks for all the suggestions and tips.
Glad it’s helpful Riddha! Check out this list building case study as well: https://www.robbierichards.com/email/list-building/. It should provide a few more ideas for you!
Awesome post there Robbie.
Cheers Robert!
Amazing work and case study .. Surely will try this
Let me know how you go, Hammad!
Nice post Robbie. Keep em up buddy.
Cheers Neville!
Good initiative dude. I got lots of information from this article.
This is absolutely great! Thank you so much for this information. I just started my Blog so when I start getting a lot of views I will use this system.
Incredible. This is like a goldmine for me. I cannot thank you enough for making this post Robbie.
You’ve helped me big time.
God bless you.
Glad to hear it Bernard! Let me know how you go with the tactics.
Nice post Robbie. Thank you for such a detailed tutorial!
Cheers James, my pleasure. Glad you enjoyed it.
This post is just what I need. Thank you for such a detailed tutorial!
its a Good Idea and will apply on my Video Blog but I Have a small Question. How can we send Emails to So Many People in our list at Once ?
I heard that email senders for big lists of emails are paid .. tell me free one thanks !
Mailchimp is free for up to 2k subs. Once your list gets bigger than that you’re going to have to start paying. Hence having a monetization strategy in place.
Nice post Robbie. Keep it up buddy.
Cheers mate!
This post is just what I need. Thank you for such an awesome post
Thanks Jacquilene, let me know how you go with the implementation!
Hi sir!
if i buy this tool any problem with google adsense
Hey Jamie, if you’re referring to Thrive Leads, I don’t know of any issues you need to worry about. Should be good to go.
hi if i buy this tool any problem with google adsense
King, there are no conflicts that I am aware of.
Awesome Post Robbie!!!
Keep it up buddy reading you from very long.
Thanks mate! Appreciate the support. Means a lot!
Amazing work and case study .Surely will try and get awesome results. Keep it up buddy reading you from very long.
Thanks Yawar! Appreciate the positive feedback, and honored to have you as a long time reader
Nice Post Robbie.
You are making me your fan 😛
Haha glad to hear it Ali! Thanks.