So you’ve created an amazing, value-packed opt-in (aka a lead magnet, freebie, content upgrade) for your online business — congrats! But… what about your opt-in page? 

If you want your freebie’s landing page to convert, it needs to clearly communicate why that freebie is worth their time. Your opt-in page needs to show visitors exactly what they get by trading their contact information for your opt-in — and that comes from using a perfect combo of the right copy and the right visuals. 

I hate seeing online entrepreneurs pour hours into creating the perfect opt-in for their business, only to pop it up on a bare-bones landing page that doesn’t really communicate just how valuable it is. Instead of crossing your fingers and hoping that someone will download your freebie, let’s learn how to strategically optimize your opt-in page to make that happen!

Here are my 7 best tips for creating the best opt-in landing page possible, so your freebie is totally irresistible to your website visitors. 

First, remember who your audience is

Remember that most people landing on your opt-in page have never interacted with your business before, especially if they’re coming here via Facebook ads, Pinterest pins, or a comment you dropped in a Facebook group. So, this page (much like your homepage) needs to clearly communicate the value you bring. 

In this case, though, you’re not selling your services or products — you’re selling your freebie!

It seems weird to have to ‘sell’ your freebie because, you know, it’s free! But as our inboxes become more and more crowded, we’ve got to realize that trading our email address for content is also a pretty valuable exchange these days. 

Why should someone let you take up precious space in their inbox? Because you have an amazing freebie to share with them that’s going to help them solve a big problem in their lives. 

1. Keep your opt-in form above the fold

As we’ll chat about in the tips below, there are plenty of things you can include on your opt-in page to make your freebie more compelling. BUT, if you’ve already done a fantastic job at convincing someone they need your freebie before they land on this page — like in your Facebook ad copy, or your Pin description — then you also have to make sure they can get that info they’re looking for ASAP.

The easiest way to do this is to make sure you have at least one opt-in form above-the-fold (i.e. that first section that page visitors see). You want them to be able to snag your amazing freebie without having to scroll. 

Have a look at this landing page for Boss Project’s ‘Day Job to Dream Job’ free masterclass. As soon as you open the page, there’s a big, bold “Register Now” button at the top. Even though the page is a little bit long by opt-in page standards, you can opt in to their masterclass without having to scroll through it.

2. Only ask for the information you need

Your opt-in page is not the place to ask people for their birthday, where they live, or what they ate for breakfast. Chances are, the only info you really need to send someone their freebie is their name and their email address — and those are the only fillable forms that should exist on your page.

Simplifying your opt-in form as much as possible helps you reduce friction, which is just a fancy way of saying it gives someone fewer excuses to get annoyed and X out of the page. If you want to collect more information, you can do that as you nurture your new subscribers in your welcome sequence.

Even Amy Porterfield, the list-building queen of the online biz space, only collects two things on her opt-in form: your first name and your email address.

3. Explain the benefits of your opt-in

This is without a doubt the biggest mistake I see people make on their opt-in page: they focus on the features instead of the benefits.

Instead of including a bulleted list telling them what they get inside the freebie, tell them why it’s worth knowing and how it’s going to change something for them. 

For example, instead of saying “Inside this free guide, you’ll get my top 5 tips for taking better iPhone photos” you could say something like “Inside this free guide, you’ll learn how to take better iPhone photos of your kids, so you can have treasured family memories without having to pay a professional photographer each time.”

Can you see the difference between the two? The first one focuses on the features of the free guide, while the second shows them how that info is actually going to benefit the reader. This makes the guide way more compelling to your page visitor.

4. Use a simple design for your opt-in page

This goes for all landing pages, but you want to make sure you’re doing everything you can to keep your visitor on your opt-in page. You worked SO hard to get your visitor onto your opt-in page — now that page’s only job is to convert that visitor into a new email subscriber. 

While it can be really tempting to get the visitor to take another action, like looking at your about page, following you on Instagram, or browsing through your shop, it’s only going to detract them from taking the most important action right now. Once you have that person on your email list, you can get them to take some other important action in your welcome sequence.

What does that actually look like? It means removing:

• Any navigation from your page, like in your menu or your footer. (If you use Divi like me, you can find the code to hide menu bars on a Divi page here.)
• Any sidebars
• Any pop-ups 
• Any in-text links (like “Read more” or “Find out more about me here”)
• Literally anything that could make your visitor want to click away from your opt-in page

A simple opt-in page design also means making the act of opting in as simple as possible. You don’t want to make your visitor go on a journey just to hand over their email address, like clicking a button that leads to a pop-up (or a separate page altogether). Instead, embed your opt-in form directly on the page. 

Bottom line? The less someone has to do to actually get their hands on your freebie, the better. Whatever you’ve got to do to remove that friction, friend!

For example, take a look at Jenna Kutcher’s opt-in page for her Small Business Survival Guide. Even though Jenna has so many amazing resources — her courses, her blogs, her podcast — her only goal on this page is to get you to download her guide. So, any navigation totally disappears.

5. Show them what they’re getting with mockups

I don’t know about you, but I’m a super visual person, and I like to see what I’m getting. Now that doesn’t mean you have to show them everything that’s in your freebie (otherwise they don’t really have to opt-in to get the info you’re providing). You just have to show them what your freebie looks like. 

In the odd chance that your opt-in is something physical, like a just-pay-the-shipping-free-book or a coupon you send in the mail, you can just take a picture of it for your opt-in page.

BUT, for most of us online entrepreneurs, your freebie is going to be a digital download. If that’s you, you have two options: you can print it off and take photos of it, or you could use mockups. 

You want to create a mockup that shows visitors exactly how they would use the freebie in real life. For example, if you’re offering a free preset you can show your download on a mock-up of a phone. If it’s a workbook, you can show it on a desk with a pen next to it. If it’s a free training, you can show the cover slide on a computer monitor. 

For example, here’s a mockup that I created for my Homepage Content Checklist, showing you exactly what you get if you download it:

I use Canva to create my mockups, but you could also use Photoshop or some other design software. Here’s a great tutorial on how to create a product mockup in Canva.

6. Use social proof on your opt-in page

YES, even for your freebie! You want to show your page visitor that other people have loved your opt-in and that they will too! 

This kind of social proof is a little bit harder to collect because you’re not asking for formal testimonials or product reviews. So, get creative and start looking for these testimonials everywhere. Look out for Facebook comments, Instagram DMs, and delivery email replies from people thanking you for sharing an amazing resource. 

For example, check out some of the feedback that I’ve collected for my Brand Messaging Workbook. It’s nothing fancy — no formal testimonials here — but it does the job in showing you this is a resource that’s helped other female entrepreneurs just like you.

Bonus tip: Include a request for testimonials somewhere in your welcome sequence. Nothing fancy — just a quick line asking them to reply to your email if they thought the download was valuable.

7. Include your privacy disclaimer

Last but certainly not least, you need to cover your butt by including a privacy disclaimer! This has less to do with conversions and more to do with protecting your business and email list. 

If you removed your website footer in step 4, you probably also removed a link to your Privacy Policy — and that is no bueno, friend. If you don’t have a Privacy Policy yet, I highly recommend checking out The Contract Shop.

Basically, whenever you collect identifying information from someone, it’s your responsibility to tell them exactly what you’re going to do with that information — and that’s where your privacy disclaimer comes in. Remember all that GDPR hype back in 2018? Yep, that was all about this kinda stuff. 

Your privacy disclaimer doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Here’s some copy you can swipe:

“By downloading this [workbook/guide/video/checklist], you agree to receive the occasional email from [your business name]. We promise to keep your information 100% secure, and you can unsubscribe at any time. Click here for our full Privacy Policy.”

Want to pull your perfect opt-in page together in minutes (not hours or days?)

That can be a lot of info to digest, but you can do it! And you’ll be so thankful to have an opt-in page that’s totally optimized for connection and conversions. You’ve put in all that hard work creating your freebie and getting someone on your page, and now you can be confident that they’re going to take action!

If you’d love to revamp your opt-in page with less work, my Opt-In Landing Page Copy Template allows you to just plug in your freebie’s details, pop it up on your landing page, and you’re ready to go! It also comes with a video training showing you exactly how to write high-converting copy to plug into those blank spaces.

Have any questions about your opt-in page? Drop them in the comments below and I’ll get back to them ASAP.