Your headline is the first thing people see, so you have to answer their age-old question, "What's in it for me?" The WIIFM question is all-important. If they see no personal benefit from joining your list, they just won't. It's that simple. Consider the title of this article. You want more opt-ins, right? So, you kept on reading. Your list building page is no different. Show them what information you have that they need.
Even then, they may not join if they aren't curious. I mean, their mailboxes are already so crammed with messages, why would they want one more from you? They won't unless you make them crazy to know something that you're going to tell them. So, tease them a little. They want to know the "how." You're reading because you want to know how to get better results with your list building pages and ultimately, more opt-ins. You're wondering how to do it.
Titles should always lead readers to what they'll discover if they sign up for your list, and they should be pretty tight and punchy. They need to hit readers in the face and make them think, "Oh, I want that." A good example might be, "Kicking the Junk Habit and Making Money." Is it about quitting drugs? No, it's about selling on eBay. But the title may lead people to want to know what the title means. It's a curiosity issue, and it works every time, especially if you use these punchy, weird titles on your list building pages.
You're going to use the same techniques when writing your bullet points, too. As Jimmy D. Brown often says, "Give them incomplete information." Bullet points shouldn't be sentences or absolutely not paragraphs. They should be quick, easy-to-read blurbs, like "Get traffic to your site TODAY even if you're a traffic newbie" or "A few simple skills that can multiply your profits up to 1,000 Times" There is curiosity and implied benefit in both of those lines. Would you want to know more? Don't they make you want to know the "how" even more? Do the same thing on your list building pages.
Try to promote a sense of urgency, too. That's why I wrote "Get More Opt-Ins TODAY," not tomorrow, not next week, today. You can do this throughout your list building page, in your title, in your bullet points, and you can do it in your opt-in box. That's why all my submit buttons say something other than submit. You need to change that text to read "Instant Access," or "Claim Your Free Subscription," or anything that calls people to action, that gets them to do something. Just don't use over-hype. Not all of your bullet points should create a sense of urgency, for instance. Use this tactic with moderation, but make sure that people feel the need to join your list immediately, not put your page in their bookmarks. They may intend to come back later, but probably never will. Create a list building page that makes them sign up the minute they've finished reading.
Having a great list building page is important to building a great list. Without compelling copy, people probably won't join, so remember to let readers know about the benefits of being on your list, but not in detail. Make them curious. Give them a sense of urgency, too. Why would they want to sign up immediately? That's what they need to know. If you try these tactics in your copy today, you'll probably see your list building efforts improve immediately. Isn't it worth a shot?