List Building Blocks #2 -- How to Use Joint Ventures to Boost Your Subscriber Numbers

When you think of JV (joint venture) partners, you usually think of partners endorsing each other’s products for a commission. However, you can also use joint ventures to get new subscribers. Here are five list-building JV ideas…

Endorse each other

Here’s the most straightforward way to use JVs to build your list. Simply endorse your partner’s newsletter in your newsletter or on your blog, and your partner does the same for you.

You may post each other’s squeeze page links:

In your newsletters
On your blogs
On your product thank you pages
On your subscription confirmation pages
In your autoresponder series
On postcards that you send out with physical shipments

Trade bonus products or subscriber freebies

Another way to use JVs to build your list is to create a unique and exclusive product for your partner that he or she can use as a bonus product or as a free gift for subscribers. Naturally, your free product should include links to your newsletter squeeze page.

Tip: To encourage your partner to distribute the report or other product, change the links in the report to your partner’s affiliate links. That way he or she gets a chance to earn a backend income while you get to build your list!

Swap blog posts or newsletter articles

You can build your list simply by trading content. Just agree to be a guest author on each other’s respective blogs or in your newsletters. At the end of your article, create a call to action to drive readers to your newsletter sign-up page.

Example: “To discover ten more ways to get ready for bikini season, visit [your link] – be sure to pick up your free weight loss guide!”

Do a newsletter co-op

You can do this one with one or more JV partners. On your newsletter sign up page, give your new subscribers a chance to join your partner’s newsletter as well. Likewise, your partners give their subscribers the option to co-register for your newsletter with just one click.

Tip: You’ll get more subscriptions if people can subscribe simply by checking a checkbox at the same time that they’re subscribing for the main newsletter. Alternatively, you can swap newsletter endorsements on your confirmation pages or even in your welcoming emails.

Create a product together

Finally, you can create a product with one or more of your JV partners. This can be a free or paid product, it doesn’t matter – your goal is to include your links in the product as a means of driving traffic to your squeeze page.

Examples:

You can write an ebook or report together
You can do a teleseminar together – not only will you be able to sell or give away access to the live call, you’ll also have the recordings to sell or give away
You can create a video together (works best if you live near each other or if you can meet in a hotel room at a niche event)
You can put on a niche event together, such as a weekend workshop. Here again you’ll have the recordings to sell or give away

In summary: Joint ventures are some of the best ways to build your list. And that’s because having an influential third party endorse you and your newsletter is a powerful form of social proof.

You can get started using JVs to build your list using the five strategies you just discovered!

Next up: Viral reports!

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