Now that you have most of your posts monetized and ready to start building passive income, let’s talk about getting more subscribers on your list so your autoresponder can do its job.

You probably have an opt-in offer in your header, in a sidebar, and maybe in your footer. That’s a great start, but it’s nowhere near enough to capture the attention of easily distracted, seen-it-all readers.

Think about it. When is the last time you even noticed a sidebar or header opt-in form, let alone subscribed to a blog because of it?

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Here’s a better way: Content upgrades.

Content upgrades are offers that appear in blog posts, and they are specifically designed to provide more information or resources that readers of that particular blog want and need.

For example, one of my posts is on how to set up a Facebook Group, and I offered a banner template. Readers can download the template in exchange for an email address, and not only does it build my mailing list, but also neatly segments readers by their interests.

Content upgrades work best when they are simple, one- or two-page downloads, such as:

  • Resource guides
  • Checklists
  • Worksheets
  • Printable PDF of the post itself
  • Podcast transcript
  • Slide deck
  • Audio recording of the post
  • Templates

You don’t have to create a content upgrade for every post, though. Instead, consider creating 5 or 7 content upgrades to match your blog categories. That way, you’ll always have an appropriate offer for your post.

[su_button url=”https://tpoddesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Content-Upgrade-Planner.pdf” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#86699F” size=”12″ center=”yes” icon=”icon: download” text_shadow=”1px 1px 2px #5C486E”]Download Your Content Upgrade Planner[/su_button]

I would recommend putting your opt-in in 2 to 3 places. Somewhere in the middle of your post should be an obvious lead-in for the download. At that point, add a button with popup form, or just drop the form itself right there. Then, have another button/form at the bottom of the post and/or have an automatic pop-up that activates when readers reach the bottom of your post. For really customizable popups, I like Boxzilla by ibericode, which is free.

Need some freebies for your content upgrades?

[su_button url=”https://tpoddesign.com/product/freebie-design/” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#FF8737″ size=”12″ center=”yes” icon=”icon: magic” text_shadow=”1px 1px 2px #c95100″]Get Your Freebie Designed[/su_button]

See the rest of the series:

[sc name=”passive-income”]