Do You Make Money With An Opt-In List?

Thanks, Tim. I've heard similar things about aweber, and it seems that most of the lists that I encounter when I subscribe use that service. You're right about making sure to deliver exactly what is promised. Do you think that it is better to be extremely specific or extremely vague -- "You will receive 5 emails of my top ten tips", or "Sign up for our list"? (I've seen both used by "the pros".) What do you find the best way is to deal with spam complaints? A polite letter of apology and a quick release? Your posts are always outstanding and deliver valuable information; you are an asset to the site. - highlyclever

Thanks so much for the very nice comments. Be specific I would say. Let people know what they are getting and you will attract more people who want that. Its a bit like going to a car show room and saying I would like a car please! What type? What color? What price? Etc. With regards to the spam reports if you use aweber, they automatically delete them from your list to avoid complications. In my experience if someone makes a spam report against you it is because they don't want to hear from you so normally it is best to never contact them again as it only gets them mad. Sometimes people mean to delete from a list and hit the spam button by mistake but it's just part of life. Don't worry too much if you have 1 or 2 spam complaints. More than that you may want to take a look at what you are doing. Tim

I have never really understood all the strange laws we have about spam. I remember the days when we used to get loads of junk mail throught the letter box. No one made a big deal about it, we just put it in the bin. No one was prosecuted or banned from anything. These days with spam filters and opt-out systems, it is easy to stop getting spam. I get almost no spam now without reporting people. People online seem to think in my opinion that for some reason we need privacy against attacks in our home from these spam senders. Do the same that I did when I go junk mail. Put it in the bin! If you get too much, change your email address and start again or stop giving out your email address to places that will keep selling your name. Be responsible on line and you won't get much. If you keep signing up to everything online you will get spam. To those who complain or report you, I say forget them and move on. they didn't buy your cheese and probably never will. They just wanted free cheese and complained when they got it. People who buy from you already have a relationship with you and you probably will hear from them in different ways such as a direct email. The world is just too big to worry about some freerider who wanted a free book, got it and then complained. But that's just my opinion! Tim

Well said! Email programs have recycle bins for a reason...

I am well, thanks! :) An opt-in list is a list of people who have come to your website and asked you to send email to them. They ask you to send email to them, because you have offered to give them something for free. (Some people say: "Sign up for my opt-in list, and I will give you a free ebook" or "Give me your name and email address, and I will send you my monthly newsletter in your email for free".) What sometimes happens is that people sign up for an opt-in list - they give their name and their email address - only so that they can receive the free product, and then they turn around and immediately say, "Take me off your list! I don't want your emails!" And that's ok. People can "opt-out" just as easily as they "opt-in". But sometimes, people don't want to go to the trouble to get themselves out, or they don't know how to get out, or they simply did not pay attention to what they were doing when they signed up to receive the free product - and so then they write a nasty email back, or they may identify your email account as one that sends "spam". My question was more along these lines - in customer service, what you often see with "dissatisfied customers" is some attempt to reconcile the company with the customer. If someone buys cheese at the grocery store, but three days later the cheese becomes moldy (even though the package is unopened, even though the expiration date printed on the package says that it should be good for another 30 days), the customer will call the cheese company and complain, and the cheese company will send a coupon for free cheese, or do something else to make the customer happy again. My question was: If someone writes in and complains about your opt-in list, or if they report you as a spammer, should you write to them and ask what you should do to make them happy? What my friend above says is: No. All that these people want is to stop receiving your communication. They are mad because they don't want you to write to them, so, if you write more to them, they only become more mad. The thing to do is to immediately take them out of your list and not write to them anything more at all. I have not had a situation like this take place for me, so everything is well. For me, it is more of a question of "what should you do if..." And "who has had success getting people to sign up" and "has anyone had any financial success stories that they would like to share from selling their products to such people". Thanks for your reply and your concern! :)