Since we’re in the middle of the second Start Your Side Hustle Giveaway, I thought it would be a great time to go over some basic list-building tips.

The first question you should be asking is “How can I best serve my market?”

It doesn’t matter what niche you’re in, or whether you’re coaching people or providing content and other products, your new subscribers have a need that only you can fulfill. And when you discover what that need is, you’ll have two valuable pieces of information:

1.            What incentive will be a true no-brainer for your ideal client to opt-in to your list?

2.            How can you use your mailing list to provide the best value for those who join your list? 

Don’t over-think these questions, though. (Believe me, that’s really easy to do!) Your opt-in incentive can be as simple as a resource guide or a short how-to video that answers a common question. If you’re doing products, it can be a sampler of the type of product you create or a “mini” version of a full product.

You don’t have to go overboard with dozens of downloads and a 100-page eBook. Rather than providing value, these massive downloads are more likely to overwhelm your reader than encourage her to learn more.