Howdy Folks.

You finally see the light and you realize that you need an opt-in list to make money on the Internet. You’ve read hundreds of times ‘the money is in the list’. You’ve heard all the stories of people creating a profitable business with opt-in lists.

With that light bulb still flashing away you decide to do something about it – start a list of your own. But what’s the first step? And better yet, how do you build a list big enough to generate an income?

It’s a bit daunting when you’re first starting out.

a) Do you need a web site?

b) Do you need an Opt-In form?

c) Should you use an autoresponder service or free script?

d) How should you format the messages?

e) How many should you send each week?

And the list goes on and on.

Much depends on how experienced you are on the Internet. If you have no knowledge of CGI or PHP, then hosting your own script may not be an option. If you don’t know HTML or don’t have direct access to your on-line files, then editing your pages to insert the code for an opt-in form will not be possible.

Sadly, these are just some of the obstacles that you will need to overcome if you want to give this ‘Internet Thing’ a fair shake. Having your own web site is a good thing, but not absolutely necessary, but sooner or later will be a smart move. Without one, you would only be able to promote other people’s products (as they would have their own web sites for you to send traffic to through your affiliate links). However, getting a free Blog for starters is always an option. Try Google’s Blogger for example. You can add your opt-in form on your blog!

Here are three easy steps that you can take to start building your opt-in list right now:

1. Offer a free report or video that contains links back to your web site/blog.You can also make it necessary for your visitors to fill out your opt-in form before they can access the report.

2. Join some of the Fire Sales and Giveaways that other marketers are running (sometimes called Joint Ventures). Add your gift to the site and when visitors want to download your gift make them fill out your opt-in form first. Haven’t got a gift? PLR products are your answer.

3. Exchange ads with other opt-in list owners. You run an ad for them and they run an ad for you. Granted you probably won’t be able to join up with someone who has a huge list (as they won’t be getting much exposure in return) but if you can find other lists that are of a similar size to yours, you should be able to dance with them.

Building a responsive, profitable opt-in list won’t happen overnight, but it will happen. Keep at it and be creative. Think outside of the box; put a twist on an old idea. And most of all – be persistent.