[Before we start, have you followed 10 new people yet?]

Make it and they will come

Remember in Day 10 of our author platform challenge we talked about dangling a freebie to get people to sign up for your mailing list, and in Day 11 we brainstormed ten potential freebies?

Today, Day 12, we are going to pick one of those freebie ideas, and create it.

Loving the idea of the coloring pages, but pre-published? It won’t work as effectively right now. However, feel free to keep that idea on your list. For today, choose a different freebie to work on.

Think about not only which might be most effective, but which you want to work on first. Consider your areas of expertise, what you are known for, and what topics you are comfortable discussing. Don’t pick one you’re going to dread putting together.

What is *my* freebie, you ask?

My current largest group of followers is still writers. My goal for the first two Challenges I did was to give writers something of value. I brainstormed freebies that I as a writer find would find useful and unique, and I offered them a free “Secrets to Writing the Perfect Query Letter.” But now that I’m specifically trying to attract moms, and my latest book focuses on finding “micro-moments” of time with your young one(s), I give away “28 magical “micro-moment” activities for you & your child” and because my marketing brain never shuts up, I subtitled it “A companion piece to the book Mommy & Me Micro-Moments: Fun 5-Minute Devotions for Moms and Kids.” Do you see how that serves double duty? It’s of value to them, and a marketing piece for me.

Does it have to be fancy?

I created it as a table in Word, with a colored border and my logo at the top. No, it’s not fancy; the emphasis I chose is content, not outward creativity. I am a writer, not a graphic designer. Additionally, I don’t have time to make it look like a business form, nor is that my goal. Sure, I could try running it through PowerPoint or whatever, but done is better than pending. I encourage you to not obsess over making it perfect.

Get to work on creating that freebie document or packet so when you install that pop-up and start collecting emails, you are instantly ready to roll. You’ll be able to set the sequence so all new subscribers are emailed the freebie the second they hit the enter button! (I personally set it to arrive two minutes after, so I don’t look too needy, lol.)

This freebie will ideally attract new people to your site, which increases web hits, and since you are requiring them to give you their email in exchange, you are creating a new mailing list of people you KNOW are interested in your content. You can add them to your current list, or keep them separate. Your call.

TL;DR: create that lead magnet freebie. Right now.

Feel free to share your pop-up link below so we can sign up to your mailing list and, and see your finished product! Include your link in the comments, or tag #31DayAuthorPlatformChallege and we’ll do our best to find it!

Don’t forget to subscribe (enter yer email in top right column) to be sent these daily tasks directly; you won’t have to remember to keep checking back every day. I don’t want anyone falling behind!