Why Building a List With AI is Easier in 2024 than it was Back in the day .

byTheCatherine

14K followers

1 week ago

When I first embarked on the journey of list building, AI was not part of the equation, leaving no room for leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance my strategies. The feeling of inadequacy that washed over me as I navigated through building my list is something many of you can relate to. It's understandable if there's a tinge of envy toward established marketers boasting substantial email lists. However, it’s crucial to acknowledge that the landscape of list building is undergoing significant transformation as we move into 2024. This evolution leans more towards intelligently curated lists rather than sheer volume, with numbers stretching into the 100,000+ subscribers range being less focal. By absorbing the insights shared in this article and applying them diligently, you will be equipped with knowledge on how to harness AI for effective list building — giving you a competitive edge in today’s dynamic digital marketing arena.

It's Simpler Building a List in 2024

Let me brighten your day by illustrating how much simpler list building has become compared to just two decades ago, which feels like a completely different era or even dimension. Back then, options for autoresponders were severely limited and the training and tutorials available might as well have been written in an alien language. For those who've been with me for some time, you're aware that tech jargon isn't my forte. We relied on soloads extensively; these were primarily operated by dubious list builders who would lease out segments of their lists to circulate new promotions - including yours. Needless to say, these lists rapidly deteriorated both in terms of longevity and subscriber quality. I certainly got subscribers' but they rarely converted to buyers, that's for sure.

Let AI do the Legwork

The era requiring a vast network of affiliates to amass an impressive lead list is behind us. Presently, artificial intelligence (AI) presents an array of tools capable of undertaking the bulk of this time consuming task. However, it's critical not to perceive AI as a panacea. The efficacy of the finest AI algorithms hinges on the strategy they supplement. View AI as your wingman, adept at navigating and making instantaneous decisions, yet reliant on you to chart the course and destination. Equipped with AI, your journey toward establishing yourself as an industry authority is so much easier. Your email list will evolve from being merely a compilation of arbitrary contacts to a carefully curated audience that resonates deeply with what you offer.

When embarking on the journey to build a list, the cornerstone is offering something of undeniable value - an incentive so compelling that it evokes an "I absolutely need this!" reaction. These incentives are known as lead magnets and stand as your pivotal asset in fostering relationships with prospective clients.

The creation of these lead magnets once demanded considerable effort. However, leveraging AI has simplified this process significantly. It also offers insights into the pain points of your nice.

Creating the Ideal Lead Magnet for You

This aspect cannot be overstated; knowing your target demographic enhances your ability to craft a lead magnet that resonates deeply with them. For instance, within the make money online niche, rather than producing a generic guide titled "How to Make Money Online," AI can aid in identifying more nuanced interests among your readers. Should there be a prevalent concern about balancing solo entrepreneurship and family life amongst your audience, AI can detect this trend allowing you to address this specific issue directly through a tailored lead magnet like a video series on "Finding Work-Life Balance." Ai will also help you deliver it in the right format.

What's the Best way to Deliver it?

Discovering the optimal format for a lead magnet hinges on understanding your audience's preferences. If they gravitate towards visual content rather than sifting through lengthy documents, then crafting a video series instead of an eBook could be more appealing to them.

Leveraging AI in this process can significantly reduce the time and effort required. By taking over tasks such as drafting eBooks or scripting videos, AI allows you to focus on infusing your unique flair into the content. Utilizing AI to create compelling lead magnets is surprisingly straightforward.

For example, within the weight loss domain, employing a platform equipped with natural language processing capabilities enables seamless content creation. Simply prompting the AI with instructions like "Create an ebook outline titled '5 Easy Steps to Lose Your First 10 Pounds' tailored for busy moms who cant get to the gym. This sets the stage for customized content generation. The technology is capable of producing engaging headlines, concise bullet points, and even suggestions for design elements based solely on your directives. Providing clear guidance from the outset ensures that it operates efficiently.

However, bear in mind that while powerful, these tools are not flawless; there may be instances where adjustments are necessary if the initial output veers off course or misses key details.my personal favorite prompt is "have you anything to add"?. Then when it has added something (it always does) then say "What can you do to improve this".

AI Analyzes Your Lead Magnet's Success (and Makes it Better!)

AI isn't just a launchpad for your lead magnet – it's your feedback machine too. Once your magnet is out there, AI tracks how people interact with it, giving you valuable insights you can use to improve.

Here's how AI goes beyond basic clicks:

Engagement Levels

AI can revolutionize how you build landing pages! Firstly, it can analyze your existing website or similar landing pages using tools like Google Optimize (https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/optimize/), VWO (https://vwo.com/), Hotjar (https://www.hotjar.com/), and Crazy Egg (https://www.crazyegg.com/). It pinpoints what works well – successful headlines, button colors, etc. – to suggest improvements for greater conversions.

AI can even write killer copy! Give tools like Jasper (https://www.jasper.ai/), Copy.ai (https://www.copy.ai/), and Rytr (https://rytr.me/) a basic idea for your landing page, and they generate attention-grabbing text that focuses on what your audience gains.

To ensure your landing page is the best it can be, AI facilitates A/B testing (try Google Optimize or VWO) to reveal the most successful design and copy choices. Finally, AI continuously tracks how people interact with your page – think Google Analytics plus heatmap tools like Hotjar and Crazy Egg – to pinpoint areas for improvement over time. Many landing page builders now include these powerful AI features – check out Unbounce (https://unbounce.com/) and Instapage (https://instapage.com/).

Once your lead magnets and landing pages are ready, looking professional and polished with AI's help, the next step is drawing attention to them. The powerhouse for this task? Social media, enhanced further by AI.

YouTube.

If you're uploading videos already, excellent. But did you know AI can amplify their reach and engagement for list building? It suggests optimal keywords for your niche, crafts compelling titles, and recommends the best video length. Beyond that, AI can transcribe your videos into blog posts or infographics.

This isn't just working smarter; it's content multiplication – driving more visitors to your landing page. Thumbnails matter significantly in influencing click-through rates on videos. With millions of thumbnails analyzed, AI determines which colors, text styles, and images likely drive clicks most effectively.

It even conducts A/B tests on thumbnails to optimize effectiveness based on real data insights. Diving deep into video analytics offers understanding about audience retention crucial for long-term engagement. From pinpointing engaging segments to identifying viewer drop-off points — all these insights aid in refining future content towards converting views into subscribers efficiently.

Facebook

The capabilities of Facebook Ads are supercharged by AI’s ability to analyze data granularly — from user behaviors down to intricate details like past brand interactions enabling highly targeted marketing strategies beyond basic demographics such as age or location. Incorporating a chatbot powered by AI handles initial queries seamlessly directing potential leads towards your magnet while you focus elsewhere — optimizing lead capture around the clock effortlessly.

Pinterest

To create a successful Pinterest strategy, leverage the power of AI tools! Start with eye-catching pins using Canva's AI image generation (https://www.canva.com/) or Tailwind Create (https://www.tailwindapp.com/), which specializes in Pinterest-optimized visuals. Uncover trending and relevant keywords with tools like Semrush (https://www.semrush.com/), Ahrefs (https://ahrefs.com/), or even Google Trends (https://trends.google.com/). These insights ensure your pins are timely and match what your audience is searching for. Finally, for the perfect timing to maximize visibility, tools like Tailwind (https://www.tailwindapp.com/) and Coschedule (https://coschedule.com/) analyze your audience data and suggest optimal posting times. While AI is a fantastic assistant, always remember to add your human touch to ensure the final pins are on-brand and engaging.

Leverage AI to Target Networking Opportunities for List Growth

Exploring lesser-known avenues for list-building reveals a powerful strategy: collaborating with key players in your niche, including competitors, influencers, and media outlets. This approach, especially when enhanced by AI technologies, can significantly amplify the growth of your vital email list.

Beginning with competitors might seem counterintuitive at first glance. However, this collaboration isn't about revealing trade secrets, or stealing readers, but rather fostering mutual growth.

Think about different lens.

Let's say you focus on weightlifting while they concentrate on cardio workouts—you open up opportunities for cross-promotion that benefits both parties. AI tools are instrumental in identifying these potential collaborators and understanding what content resonates with their audience.

For instance, if you're both operating within the fitness realm but specialize in distinct areas like muscle building versus cardiovascular health. An AI-driven alert system can notify you when relevant content is published by them such as articles focusing on "Building Muscle Fast." Go to Google alerts and create your keyword and be notified whenever anything is published with that keyword.

This enables you to propose mutually beneficial initiatives like guest blogging or co-hosting webinars effectively broadening each other's audience reach—a definitive win-win scenario! Moving onto influencers—the digital era's trendsetters whose opinions carry substantial weight among followers—it becomes crucial to leverage AI for pinpointing who these individuals are within your niche and the type of content they favor. Imagine discovering an influencer passionate about organic living recently discussing vegan diets; presenting them with a related lead magnet such as a "Vegan Recipe eBook" could entice shares amongst their follower base. I just give Poe a prompt like "who are the top ten influencers, for Vegan recipes.

Media outlets are like busy highways – potential traffic waiting to be directed to your website! Here's where AI comes in. Tools can help you stay on top of trending topics covered by these platforms. Imagine seeing an article titled "10 Ways to Lose Weight This Summer" on a popular health website. AI can help you craft a strategic pitch, offering a complementary lead magnet like a "Summer Body Workout Plan." This could be positioned as valuable backlink material for the website, or exclusive subscriber content to convert readers into your audience.

But how do you avoid your pitch getting ignored? AI can analyze successful pitch templates used by others, allowing you to craft messages designed not just to be read, but to spark engagement. This translates to bolstered list-building efforts through thoughtful networking. Using AI, you can analyze competitors, influencers, and media channels to develop targeted outreach strategies, making your pitches more relevant and likely to generate results.

Here are some AI tools that can help you with this:

• Buzzsumo:** Analyzes trending topics and content performance across various media outlets. https://buzzsumo.com/
• Prowly:** Offers AI-powered pitch writing assistance and suggests relevant journalists based on your content's keywords. https://prowly.com
• JustReachOut:** Specifically targets journalist outreach, with features like AI-powered pitch generation and journalist recommendations. (https://justreachout.io/

Growing your email list organically can be slow. This is where paid advertising shines, but the idea of investing money can feel risky. However, with AI guiding the process, it becomes a calculated move, not a gamble. AI streamlines targeting, budget allocation, and even ad creation - let's see how it boosts list building across platforms.

Choosing the right platform is key (Facebook Ads, Google Ads, etc.) – most have built-in machine learning to identify your ideal audience. But third-party AI tools like Buzzsumo https://buzzsumo.com/]offer an extra edge. They analyze massive datasets to pinpoint an audience that aligns perfectly with your content and their interests, maximizing signups.

Crafting compelling ads? AI makes it easier. Tools like AdEspresso analyze thousands of successful ads in your niche to find patterns that resonate with your target audience. Whether it's Keto enthusiasts or fitness fanatics, AI efficiently determines their preferences for visuals or text, generating multiple ad designs for you to choose from.

Managing budgets becomes less stressful with AI. Tools like WordStream ([https://www.wordstream.com/]) use AI to forecast campaign outcomes based on different budget allocations. They also dynamically adjust bids for cost-effective results – especially helpful when targeting specific demographics at peak times.

A/B testing also gets a boost from AI. Tools like Unbounce ([https://unbounce.com/]) can test multiple ad variations simultaneously, automatically adjusting in real-time to favor the higher-performing option. You just set it up, review results, and watch the magic happen. Unbounce is the testing tool of choice for me.

Product Launches with AI: A Streamlined Approach

Identifying and Engaging Affiliates

Gone are the days of manually searching for affiliates. AI tools like Ahrefs https://ahrefs.com and Semrush https://www.semrush.com. can analyze the content landscape, pinpointing affiliates whose audience aligns perfectly with your product. Imagine finding weight loss bloggers with highly engaged communities – AI makes it that easy!

Personalized Outreach for Higher Engagement

Crafting a generic outreach message is a recipe for low response rates. AI-powered platforms like Pitchbox https://pitchbox.com enable you to send personalized emails tailored to each affiliate's niche, past work, and audience demographics. This targeted approach significantly boosts engagement and gets you productive partnerships.

AI-Powered Product Creation

Think AI can only help with outreach? Think again! Tools like Writesonic https:/writesonic.com/ can assist in creating comprehensive products – brainstorming ideas, outlining content, and even generating sales letters and JV pages. It can even help build full-scale marketing funnels with upsells and downsells, saving you valuable time and resources.

Smart Giveaways with AI: Grow Your List on Autopilot

Identifying High-Converting Giveaways:

Traditional giveaways can be hit-or-miss. AI tools like GiveawayLab https://givelab.com/ analyse massive datasets to identify the most appealing giveaways for your target audience. Whether it's weight loss meal plans, workout videos, or fitness trackers, AI helps you create giveaways your audience craves, maximizing list growth.

Optimizing Every Step for Conversions

A successful giveaway goes beyond the prize itself. AI tools like Unbounce help optimize every aspect of the user experience, from crafting high-converting landing pages to streamlining email subscription confirmations. This data-driven approach ensures you maximize conversions from every giveaway participant.

Post-Giveaway Insights for Future Success

Giveaways don't end with the prize distribution. AI-powered analytics tools like Google Analytics provide valuable insights into participant behavior. You'll learn their patterns and preferences, informing future giveaway strategies for even greater list-building success.