Building a mailing list these days is not as easy as it once was. There was a time when you could simply dangle a free report or e-book behind an opt in form and get people to subscribe. Nowadays you need to offer real value to your list and continue to give them free stuff. I use a ratio of at least 10 free giveaways for every sales pitch I send out.

Here are some ideas I have come up with that might help you to build your mailing list.

Give Them Something Unique

Recently I did something different. I had a poster made up that was 2′ x 3′ and contained 101 Twitter tips. I offered this poster as a downloadable PDF on a landing page I had made specifically for this product. My conversion rate for subscribers was much higher than traditional e-book offers I have tried. To make it look better I actually printed the poster out and took a photo of me standing next to it.

I am now on a poster kick, about every month or so I put out another tip sheet poster. My list thoroughly enjoys it and it costs me nothing to attach a PDF to my newsletters.

Participate In Giveaways

A giveaway is when a group of marketers in the same genre get-together and create a website where each marketer gives away a single product. Each marketer mails this to their list which helps each marketer build a larger list. I recently participated in an Internet marketing giveaway that has pulled in almost 1000 subscribers in the first week. This was an extremely lucrative deal for me.

The giveaway is structured so that the marketer who sends the most traffic gets their offer at the top of the page, the marketer with the second-most traffic shows up in the number two position and so on. Sometimes even being at the bottom of the list with the right offer will get you a large number of new subscribers.

Be Original

Don’t try and hide behind a pseudonym or a phony profile. Use your real name and a picture of yourself everywhere. This will help to build your credibility and make your list more personal. The best case scenario is when every person on your list feels as if they are getting a personal e-mail from you and you are their friend. This is not easy to achieve but using your genuine image and name will help.

Brad Gosse has been an Internet marketer since 1996. Since then his companies have built a portfolio of hundreds of different websites. Brad likes to write about topics surrounding personal development, Social media and Internet marketing. You can learn more about Brad by visiting his website http://www.BradGosse.com/ or download his free internet marketing course.