You’re wasting your time.
If all you care about is driving traffic to your website, you’ve got it wrong.
It’s all pointless if you’re not growing an email list.
Because this is how you communicate with people over time, build trust and turn them into customers.
But despite what people tell you. Size isn’t everything.
You can have the biggest list in the world, but if they aren’t ready, willing and able to buy from you – who cares?
If you’re selling something to the wrong group of people, they won’t buy it – simple.
So a lot of time and effort goes into finding the right people for your business and attracting them to your website.
But whether you’re paying for it, or organically attracting traffic with guest blogging, SEO and social media – what actually happens when they land on your site?
How can you increase the chance that once you find the right people, you are able to communicate with them again, and again, and again over email?
While it’s important to drive targeted traffic to your blog, what’s more important is to ensure this traffic lands on a page that is designed to convert.
The best (and most effective) way to turn your visitors into email subscribers is to create a “squeeze page”.
What is a Squeeze Page?
A squeeze page is a landing page that has one, single purpose – to get people to sign up for your email list. That’s it.
The squeeze page is designed to build trust fast enough so that people will part ways with their email address.
It “squeezes” their email out of them by offering something of value in return (This something is what I call “conversion content”).
What’s unique about a squeeze page is it doesn’t have any hyperlinks, distracting ads or a navigation menu. Not even a sidebar.
It is hyper-focused.
This type of landing page doesn’t give the visitor any choice but to opt in. They either take action or they hit the back button and leave.
Here’s an example of a typical squeeze page:
Now the question is…
Why Should You Care?
By growing your email list you’re building an asset. An asset that will help you bring in more business and take your growth to the next level.
Your email list is an asset that accrues value over time, and amplifies your marketing efforts.
The best way to ensure that your traffic generation tactics aren’t going unnoticed is to increase conversions on your landing pages.
Your visitors have a short attention span (about 8 seconds). Which means you have very little time to woo them into taking the bait.
When compared to regular ways of capturing an email address (such as a sidebar opt-in), a well constructed squeeze page has the potential to add super-targeted subscribers to your list at a much higher rate.
You have to sell the benefit of joining your list so that your prospect pays you for that benefit with their email address.
Your potential subscribers don’t care about the technical stuff. What they really care about is how you can make their life better, or help them achieve their dream.
So your squeeze page should offer a bold, powerful and a believable promise that compels visitors to let go of their email address.
Creating a successful squeeze page isn’t rocket science – in fact it’s pretty easy.
These 11 elements will help you make smarter choices when creating a squeeze page – increasing conversions, growing your email list and effectively strengthening the long term viability of your business.
1. Progression from the last step
The last thing you want your squeeze page to do is break your visitors’ flow. There has to be a natural progression from the last step they took to reach it.
Regardless of where your visitor is coming from, maintaining continuity is crucial to achieve a high conversion rate. It can make or break your chance of attracting a new lead.
Let’s say you’re driving traffic from a Facebook ad. In this scenario, your ad needs to match the copy on your squeeze page. There should be a seamless progression. Right from when someone clicks on the ad (the last action) to reaching the page.
Look at how HubSpot matches their ad copy to their landing page:
Also, your squeeze page should go with the overall look and feel of your website. Having a different theme or color scheme may distract your visitors from the call to action and reduce conversion rates.
2. Benefit-driven headline
When someone lands on your squeeze page, the first thing that they’re going to notice is the headline. It’s one of the most important elements because it’s “above the fold”.
Your headline’s purpose is to grab a visitor’s attention and give them a strong, practical reason to continue reading your copy and take action.
It doesn’t have to be fancy or witty. It’s not even about making you look smart or clever.
The key is that it is benefit-driven. As long as it delivers a firm message that you intend to deliver on, it’s good to go.
Here’s an example from Brian Dean at Backlinko:
What you’re selling with your headline is the idea that your offer can take your visitors to a new destination. A better destination, where life is easier and their dreams seem closer. It has to have the proper emotional triggers in place to make them want to sign up.
3. Supporting headline
The supporting headline is an extension of the main headline, but gives just that little bit more information so the reader is enticed to keep scrolling.
At this stage, highly engaged visitors will have enough information to opt-in, and those that aren’t quite sure will be compelled to keep reading.
The supporting headline builds curiosity and increases your chance of a conversion by making the offer more interesting.
Here’s an example from Monetate;
To write a great supporting headline you are trying to paint a positive picture in the mind of your potential subscriber that pushes them to take action. But this has to be done without revealing too much. You should leave an “information gap” in both your headline and the supporting headline, so visitors are intrigued to find out more.
4. Compelling narrative
The narrative of your squeeze page goes deeper into what your prospects can get from your offer.
It is focused on the real and perceived value they will get out of signing up for your list. The more value they see, the more chance they are of signing up.
But your copy needs to go beyond the value… It needs to help prospects understand WHY they should take the bait.
What will they HAVE after opting in?
How will they FEEL?
How will it make their life EASIER?
How will it get them CLOSER to their dreams?
How will it improve their social STATUS?
Unless it is crystal clear WHY someone should opt in, they won’t be motivated to move forward and sign up.
Here is a good example from Duct Tape Marketing;
When it comes to describing your conversion content, focus on quality. Be concerned about how this particular incentive can deliver real value to your prospects. This will reflect in your narrative.
Sometimes a one-page cheat sheet gives away more value and packs a bigger punch than a pack of ten lengthy videos with fairly average information.
Your copy should give prospects a valid reason to believe your claim and your promise. Show them where they stand now and where they could be tomorrow if they choose to join your list.
5. Short video
There’s no doubt that people find videos engaging.
And while they aren’t an essential component to a winning squeeze page, they sure will rocket your conversions.
A study conducted by eyeviewdigital suggests that using video on landing pages can increase conversions by up to 80%.
By adding a short video that summarizes your primary message (minus the fluff), you boost your chances of converting visitors into subscribers.
This is how Market Samurai uses a short video to educate and convince people to give up their email address…
Well executed videos also increase the amount of time visitors stay on your site – this is helpful when it comes to impressing Google.
The aim of your squeeze page is to convince your prospect that they should sign up to your list. Period. The core message of the page revolves around this one single goal.
Your video should focus on re-emphasizing this message so that your prospect sees the benefit of doing so. It should remove any roadblocks and last minute doubts from the prospect’s mind, and close the deal.
6. Single conversion goal
A killer squeeze page has a single conversion goal. It reduces the decisions your prospect has to make, and simplifies everything for them.
Everything on the page leads to one call-to-action and that’s it.
Having more than one conversion goal will only reduce your chance of a sign up because it serves as a distraction from the main goal.
When creating a squeeze page, determine what you want your visitors to do and focus on that. Don’t just assume that they will “figure it out”.
You have to take them by the hand and guide them towards the very specific action you want them to take.
See how this plays out below for Trent Dyrsmid at BrightIdeas – it is crystal clear what action you need to take from this opt-in form;
Effective calls-to-action are extremely clear and don’t beat around the bush – there is no confusion as to what you want the prospect to do.
Remember, the reason you’re driving traffic to your squeeze page is to convert. So anything that gets in the way or makes things harder for the prospect has to be eliminated.
7. Backstage access
Anybody who values their email address will want to know more about what they’re getting into when they land on your squeeze page. They’ll be curious to know how your offer works or get a sneak-peak into it.
By going behind-the-scenes and showing a preview of what they’ll get – you increase trust.
It reduces uncertainty and tackles the doubts in your prospects mind.
For example, if you’re giving away access to a software tool to get people to sign up to your email list, you could create a short video screencast that lets them preview it in advance.
This will not only increase their curiosity but they’ll be more comfortable giving you their contact info.
Here’s how Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich gives his potential subscribers a sneak peak into his free guide:
Regardless of the offer you’re giving away as an opt-in bribe, your prospects will want to know it’s real. They have a right to know what they’re getting themselves into. The internet lacks the “touch and feel” aspect when it comes to selling anything, so the next best thing you can do is give a visceral preview of what they can expect.
8. Features
Features are the facts about your conversion content that your potential subscribers need to know about. They offer more clarity on what they are getting in exchange for their email address.
However, features by themselves can sound boring or dull. They may not excite your prospects the way you want them to. Which is why you should follow each feature with the problem that is being solved. In other words, show them the importance of a feature by explaining how it can prove to be a solution to an existing problem they might be facing.
Marketing platform Wishpond does this well below:
9. Benefits
Benefits are what people ultimately buy into. They are emotional triggers that push someone to take action.
With every feature, you need to back it up with a benefit.
If features are the facts, then benefits are the new destination your incentive will take your potential subscribers to.
They are unspoken outcomes, or feelings that most people are cautious to articulate but desperate to have.
Here is an example from the health and fitness industry.
Mike Roussell uses quick fire dot points next to an opt-in form to highlight the benefits of his webinar;
Sometimes even the smallest perceived benefit can be amplified to increase your chance of a conversion.
10. Social proof
Social proof shows off your authority.
Effective social proof reinforces your prospects decision by highlighting how your offer has helped others in the past.
It’s the kind of persuasion that your visitors will find believable because it’s coming from others, not you.
People landing on your squeeze page may be apprehensive of your offer. They may have doubts and questions about whether you can deliver on your promises.
Social proof relieves these apprehensions and magnifies your chance of a conversion.
Basecamp offers a great example of using customer-driven social proof below;
Social proof comes in many forms, here are some examples:
- Testimonials from other subscribers who speak positively about your conversion content (or you personally)
- Case studies from people who have put your content into action and seen real results
- Social sharing numbers – buttons from social networks that display the number of shares your page has received
- Embedded tweets that positively reflect your offer or your content. The fact that these cannot be fabricated adds more weight
- Seals of approval so that your prospects know that they’re dealing with someone professional
- Reviews and ratings from respected sites such as Google or Yelp
The social proof that you add to your squeeze page doesn’t have to be elaborate. It can be something as simple as a set of quotes from respected authority figures. The point is to leverage any valid social proof that you can to convert more visitors into subscribers.
11. Scarcity
By creating scarcity, you create urgency. By creating urgency, you create demand.
Your squeeze page will be much more effective when people realize that they can miss out on your offer if they don’t subscribe right away. After all, nobody wants to leave a good offer and come back later to find out it’s not there.
This is how Neil Patel does it…
Getting people to take action on your squeeze page should always be your top priority. When you apply the scarcity tactic, you get people to take action sooner.
Note: Be careful not to use fake scarcity. If visitors figure out that your “1 spot left” is actually 10, 20 or even worse – unlimited. You lose credibility, trust and potential customers.
What else have you got up your sleeve when it comes to rocking conversions on a squeeze page?
About the author
Will Blunt is the Founder here at Blogger Sidekick and Managing Editor at both JeffBullas.com and Bluewire Media. Get in touch to schedule a one-on-one chat and discuss how we can help you build an authority blog, without burning out or spending your whole budget.
