a single source, nothing corroborates it

Point the guest post at a matched free resource

A guest post that ends in a generic newsletter link wastes the placement. Sending readers to a free thing on the same subject as the article converts far harder: one piece on launching, paired with a launch email course, brought in over a thousand subscribers on its own. Where the host forbids any call to action, the hundred or so people who share it are the list you then work by hand.

The method

1. 01

   Tie the conclusion of a guest post to your own product's landing page: one post on a large blog can pay for itself in subscribers.

2. 02

   Write guest posts whose call to action points at a free resource matched to that post's subject rather than at a generic newsletter signup

3. 03

   Place a guest post on a high-traffic site even when they forbid a real call to action: the hundred-plus people who share it are the list you then work through by hand

What it returned

• 200

  A single Think Traffic guest post produced about 200 new email subscribers

• 1,000

  A guest post for Smashing Magazine on launching, paired with an opt-in for his product launch email course, produced over 1,000 subscribers on its own; he targets a few hundred per post

Sources

• The Audience Building Challenge: 10,000 subscribers in 30 daysNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · How will you do it? · 2013-11-01
• 9 email marketing wins that take less than an hourNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · 3. Start conversations with readers, ask them to join your list · 2015-04-08
• An update on The Audience Building ChallengeNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · Not so great for subscribers · 2013-12-12