Now that we’re clear that you need to be building your email list, and we’ve also given you some concrete steps on how to do it, it’s time to hone in on a key piece of the puzzle that gives you the best chance of attracting loyal subscribers – the opt-in.

Having a sweet email opt-in offer for your prospective subscriber lets them know that there’s value to be had by being a part of your community. Good opt-in offers tend to ease a subscriber’s pain point, or solve a worry or problem that they’re facing. Yes, you can also use them to show off your mad skills, but remember, this is secondary to delivering some great value that makes signing up with their precious email address worth it.

Check out these enticing opt-in ideas that will help your subscribers, well, subscribe!:

1 / Checklist

Checklists are a quick and simple piece of content that you can create for your subscribers to help them get something done or make sure they’ve covered all their bases. Here at The Story Keeper, we’ll hook you up with a free Client Experience Guide for photographers when you sign up for the email list. It includes checklists for each stage of the client journey so that people like you can give your clients a smooth experience the whole way through. Some other examples are:

7 things you need for an Insta bio that converts.
10 ways to get kids engaged in your photo sessions.
3 emails you need to send out to your potential clients this month.

Keep it simple and make sure that what you’re offering sits in your strength zone, aligns with your brand and industry, and, you guessed it… adds value to your subscriber 👊

2 / Challenge/Series

A challenge or a series is an immersive way for you to guide your subscriber through a repeated process that will help them solve a problem or implement a new idea. Here’s a few to get you brainstorming:

30 day creative shooting challenge.
5 day Insta Reels challenge.
Email send challenge – send your audience two value-packed emails in a month (once you’ve built that list 😉).

The other cool thing about this idea is that it keeps your subscribers engaged. Think of ways that you can be keeping in touch and encouraging your audience throughout the challenge, and what other opportunities might emerge to serve them well.

3 / E-Book

eBooks are another great way to deliver value in exchange for opening a direct line to your subscriber’s inbox. Put together something short and sharp (up to 10 pages is all you need). Focus on solving a single problem you know your audience needs help solving. Think along the lines of:

Convert your blog readers into customers.
Beginners guide to ranking on Google.
Posing families to create precious frames.
Social media captions and posts playbook.

4 / Audio File

If you’re creating stuff to fill the audio waves, then you might offer subscribers a free sample or episode. You might try things like:

A mindfulness or meditation track.
Exclusive podcast content.

5 / Video Training

Share your screen and hit record! 📽️ If you’ve got a tutorial or a step-by-step guide that your subscribers will dig, offering some free video training will definitely get them hitting that subscribe button! You might have things like:

How to create templates and graphics on Canva.
Operating the manual focus on your Canon camera.

6 / Live Webinar/Masterclass

Kinda like the video training, but you’ll capture your content live! You can grab some streaming/screen recording software, or go live on Facebook Groups or Insta. Host a one-off event, or string together a series (maybe even chuck in a challenge to keep everyone engaged). You might try:

How to nail your Pinterest presence.
3 simple conversion tweaks to boost sales.

7 / Sneak Peak of Your Online Course

Let’s say you’ve got a sweet online course packed with awesome content for your audience to lean in to. Why not offer a taster as your opt-in? It’s a great way to encourage your audience to take the next step and dive into the full experience! You could spin up something like:

Check out the first module for free.
Preview modules one, two and three.
Take a look at this short-course (which will lead into your larger, paid offering. Of course!).

8 / Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away, Now… 🎶

Have you ever entered an online giveaway or competition? Of course you have! So, why not run one?? Remember, we’ve already discussed the importance of email lists, so make sure you grab people’s emails as a part of the entry process (social media likes ain’t gonna help you here). Here’s a couple of thoughts to set you off in the right direction:

Giveaway free product or a shoot.
Hit up a trusted supplier for some loot your audience will do
Collaborate with other photographers and suppliers to come up with prize packs.

9 / Discount

You know something nearly everybody loves? That’s right… A cheeky discount! Swing your subscribers a sweet little discount on a key product or service you offer that’ll help them on their journey to success 👌 Pretty straight forward, but here’s some ideas if you’re not sure where to start:

10% off your first order.
Book your session and get X% off.
Order prints and receive $50 off an album.

Need some help kicking off your email list ?

There you have it! There’s a bit to getting your email list building foundations in place 😅 But, it’s 💯 worth the investment of your time and effort. Drop us a line and let us know if this post was helpful for you. We’d love to hear your feedback!