21 Valuable Content Upgrades To Explode Your Email List

Apolline Nielsen
6 min readFeb 8, 2017

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Content Upgrades?

You have a thriving blog or website and produce valuable content.

Your readers love your content, but your email list is stalling…

I have been there! Trust me on this. That is why I searched for ideas on how to give more value to my reader and grow my email list at the same time!

What I discovered…. Content Upgrades!

Content upgrades are becoming a very popular means to provide your audience with value while building your Email List at the same time.

Content upgrades are bonus content that you offer to your readers in exchange for their email… Click To Tweet

These content upgrades must be unique to the specific content that your audience are already reading on your site.

It may sound easy but sometimes coming up with valuable content upgrades that your reader will want can be a daunting process.

That is the reason why I have this list if 25 content upgrades ideas. Do a research and find out the pages where you receive the most traffic, and insert one of these there to explode your email list.

21 Valuable Content Upgrades To Explode Your Email List

1. Ebook

Creating a short ebook to give more explanations on the topic in question is an excellent way to provide more value to your readers.

2. Expert Interview or Report

This could be an interview with someone who is a specialist in the field. It helps to amplify and make your content sink in the minds of your readers.

3. Free Trial

I see this very often with the social media and SEO tools I use. It is a good strategy as it encourages their readers to not only subscribe to their email list but also to try out their products for free (limited time)

4. PDF Version

This is a snackable way to offer your current blog post or an extra information to your readers. For example, if you cannot read this post till the end, I have a PDF version of it for you to download. You can read when you have time, and it will always be handy to you.

5. Free Images & Photos

Many website designers and photographers use this as a means to lure their readers into their email list. It is an excellent content upgrade because most people are in need of copyright-free images for their business.

6. Infographics

Infographics are one of the best content upgrades you can have for your readers. They are easily digested and get the most shares on social media. You will not only provide value to your readers, grow your email list but also get more exposure from the shares.

7. Video Tutorials

Sometimes you may have a topic that may not be digestible to all your readers. As a content upgrade, you can make a short video with step by step illustrations on how to go about it (like installing or using a plugin). Your readers will thank you for this and readily give you their email addresses to watch it.

8. An Excerpt Of Your Product

I see this very often on Amazon. Since I read a lot, I sometimes get authors who want me to try their books. They will readily send you an excerpt of it as a means to tease you to buy. Of course, I need to give my email address to get access to it.

9. Check List

We cannot talk of content upgrades without mentioning checklist. If you have a blog post that is long about how to prepare a particular meal, you can make a list of the most important points. This can be downloaded by your audience and will ease the process of preparing this meal.

10. Resources List

I recently wrote an article about 40 websites where you can get free high resolution images. It is an immensely long list, and I created a resources list for that. This will make it easier for anyone to store and check whenever the need be.

11. Free Course

Anything free is always appreciated! People want to get information or how to resources, but most are not ready to pay for it. Content upgrades like a free course will explode your email list. You can also intergrade this as a sequel to a much bigger course. If they find value in the free version, the chances are high that the will vouch for it.

12. Power Point & Slideshare

Content upgrades in the form of SlideShares and Powerpoint are becoming more popular. With the increase of visual content, many marketers have turned to this type of content upgrades to give their readers a more visual and easier version of their blog post or resources.

13. Swipe Files

These are a collection of you best tools or resources that you can recommend. For me, It will be a list of my best social media and project management tools with the reason why I love them. You can offer this as a package to your readers in exchange for their email address.

14. Mp3 Audio Download

I recently watched a presentation but could not till the end due to time constraint. I was happy when the author offered a mp3 download of it that I could listen on the go. I did not hesitate to give my email address in exchange for it.

15. Podcast Notes

Content upgrades like this are standard with most podcast hosts. After each podcast, they recycle the content and create a blog post that requires your email address to access it. This is good for those who love reading and do not have the time to listen to the podcast till the end.

16. Templates

Templates are also another excellent way to offer content upgrades to grow and explode your email list. It is advisable that you design them well so that they are easy to use. For example, as a social media manager, I could create a template of how to organize and set up your social media profiles.

17. Webinars

Do you have past webinars? We cannot talk about content upgrades without mentioning this one. You can use all of your webinars as free content upgrades to your audience. Of course, they will need to submit their email addresses to get access to it.

18. Email Series

After a blog post or a course, you can offer an opt-in to your readers. It will be in exchange for daily or weekly notes that you will send to them to amplify the blog post or course.

19. Printable

This could be step by step explanations on a particular topic that they have to print out and stick on the wall for a constant reminder.

20. ToolKits

Toolkits are very popular, and most people will readily give you their emails addresses in exchange for a toolbox for free. It could be a combination of resources, templates, printables, free stock photos and many other valuables that your target market needs. Bundle them into one kit and offer as a content upgrade.

21. Report

It refers to those who have carried out extensive research on a particular topic. You can provide this in the form of Whitepaper or a Report to your readers. It also helps to establish you as a leader or top notch in a field.

Did I forget any valuable content upgrades? I am always happy to get your suggestions and opinions about what I share here. Let me know in the comments.

Originally published at blog.apollineadiju.com on February 8, 2017.

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Apolline Nielsen

Need Custom Marketing Strategy at a Fraction of a Full-Time Marketing Manager's cost? I Can Help> http://bit.ly/2K5X9RR https://apollineadiju.com