Think you need to be a tech genius to build a profitable email list? Think again! Brendan Mace figured out how to make $5,000 every month just by sending emails!
The best part? It only takes him 20 minutes a day.
He's going to teach you his simple system for building a list of email subscribers and turning them into paying customers.
You'll learn how to:
- Get people excited to sign up for your emails
- Send emails that people actually want to read
- Turn those emails into sales
It's like having a money-making machine that runs itself! Ready to learn Brendan's secrets and start earning more?
Brendan's story
Brendan Mace is the founder of BrendanMace.com and the Brendan Mace YouTube Channel.
Brendan Mace
He's living proof that you can work less than four hours a week and still build a successful online business. With over 40,000 email subscribers, Brendan enjoys daily affiliate commissions and free traffic to his website. The best part? It's easy, affordable, and takes only 20 minutes a day to maintain.
The secret to passive income
Brendan's success lies in creating a repeatable business model that generates residual income. He's not alone in this thinking. Ron Popeil, the founder of RONCO, which has generated over $1 billion in revenue, says, "Just set it and forget it!" In affiliate marketing terms, "it" can be a variety of things, such as niche sites, Facebook Pages, or YouTube channels. In this case, "it" refers to a virtual sales funnel that provides value, collects leads, and generates sales.
Brendan's two-step email list building strategy
Brendan's strategy is simple:
- Step 1: Build a List
- Step 2: Promote Stuff
You don't need to create your own product or worry about specific details. As long as you're focused on email list building and notifying your subscribers about "cool stuff," you'll make money.
Email list building 101
Building an email list takes time, but it's worth it.
You can make a lot of money while building your list, and it's not as hard as you think. To start, you need to build a landing page that collects email subscribers. This is done by performing an "ethical bribe," where you promise value in exchange for an email address.
What can you give away of value?
You don't need to give away a secret marketing method. As long as your freebie adds value and helps people reach their goals, it's fine. Your freebie could be a video, an ebook, or a blog post. The key is to provide something that's valuable and relevant to your audience.
Brendan's personal 110+ email autoresponder sequence
Brendan is sharing his personal 110+ email autoresponder sequence with you. This sequence is designed to provide value and promote products to your subscribers. By using this sequence, you'll learn how to make money with email list building and create a successful online business.
Don't feel like creating your own freebie?
No problem! You can still be successful without creating your own freebie. There are many ways to make income with sales funnels, and Brendan is about to share a few options with you.
- Option 1: Use someone else's content
One way to avoid creating your own freebie is to use someone else's content. You can embed an informative YouTube video on your blog and send visitors to your blog to access the freebie. You can even add your own affiliate links to the blog post and earn some extra income.
- Option 2: Buy PLR products
Another option is to buy PLR (private label rights) products. This means that someone else has created a product or freebie, and you can buy the rights to brand it as your own. This is a great way to position yourself as an authority in your field, even if you didn't create the content yourself.
Brendan recommends checking out HQ Biz in a Box, a PLR catalog with a wide range of high-quality products. You can take a look at some examples, such as the Email List Building PLR Package or the SEO Made Easy PLR Package:
These packages come with everything you need, including sales pages, squeeze pages, free reports, and follow-up emails.
You have options
The point is, you have options when it comes to creating a freebie. You can:
- Create your own freebie
- Use someone else's content (like a YouTube video)
- Buy PLR products and rebrand them
Brendan has used all three options in separate funnels, and they all work. Now it's time to choose your own plan of attack and move on to the next step.
Creating a landing page that converts
Now that you have your freebie, it's time to create a landing page that makes it desirable. Brendan's freebie is a video series on his Two-Step Formula, which is the exact strategy he's sharing in this post.
He's created a simple squeeze page with a headline, an image, and an opt-in box:
The key to a successful squeeze page is simplicity. You need to grab visitors' attention and clearly communicate your proposition of value in just a few seconds. Less is more, but the less still needs to be important and curiosity-driven. A good squeeze page creates optimistic curiosity and leaves a little to the imagination.
The power of curiosity
Brendan's squeeze page is designed to pique visitors' curiosity. He doesn't give away too much information, just enough to make them want to know more. The headline asks a question, but the answer is only revealed once visitors opt-in with their email address.
This strategy is based on human nature. People are naturally curious, and they want to know the answer to a question that's been posed to them. By using curiosity, Brendan is able to significantly boost his opt-in rates.
The key to a successful squeeze page
So, what makes a successful squeeze page? Brendan has identified three key elements:
- Simplicity: The page should be clear and easy to understand within seconds.
- Proposition of value: The page should promise that visitors will make money with this offer.
- Curiosity: The page should pique visitors' curiosity and make them want to know more.
By combining these three elements, Brendan has been able to achieve an impressive 58.62% opt-in rate, significantly higher than the industry average of 30-40%.
Creating a winning headline
The headline is the most important element on a squeeze page. It can make or break the conversion rate, and it should be tested and tweaked multiple times. Brendan shares two powerful headline formulas that he learned from Eben Pagan.
Headline formula #1: The "Quick n' Easy" formula.
It combines three elements into a single headline:
- How to [insert benefit here]
- In [a short amount of time]
- With [very little work]
For example, "How to Easily Get 150+ Email Subscribers in the Next 24 Hours." The key is to promise an exceptionally good result in a quick amount of time with very little work. The order of the elements doesn't matter, as long as they're all included.
Headline formula #2: Positioning yourself as the solution
Brendan's second headline formula is all about positioning yourself as the solution to a problem. It's simple: explain what's going wrong and then hint at a solution. The formula looks like this:
Why [this typical method] is [not working]… and what to do about it
For example, "Why email list building no longer works like it used to… and what to do about it." This headline is powerful because it positions Brendan as the person with the solution. Everyone else is doing the same old thing, but it's no longer working. Brendan is offering a new and better way.
Designing your squeeze page
Brendan is transparent about his design skills — he's never designed a squeeze page from scratch. And unless you're exceptionally skilled at graphic design, you're better off doing it the easy way. Brendan's shortcut is WP Profit Builder, a tool that does 95% of the design process for you. All you need to do is adjust the text.
WP Profit Builder is a WordPress plugin that loads dozens of squeeze templates into your blog. These templates are top-notch quality pages, and everything is done for you. Brendan shows some examples of templates, including:
- High converter
- Bloom
- Exotic
He even used one of these templates to create his current squeeze page, which gets over 55% opt-in rates.
The good news is that you can create a good-looking page too. It may take you a bit longer than 5 minutes, but within half an hour, you could have a page that converts. You can also use LeadPages or OptimizePress to create something similar.
Setting up your front-end money-making offer
Now that you have your squeeze page, it's time to set up your front-end offer. This is where you promote products to your subscribers. But you don't want to only send promotions — that will burn your list. You need to build goodwill with your subscribers by providing value.
Brendan's strategy is to include a front-end offer immediately after visitors subscribe. This way, you can pay for traffic and make money at the same time. If you reinvest your front-end sales on more traffic, you can have an unlimited supply of visitors to your page.
The front-end offer is critical because it allows you to make money right away. You can't rely on organic traffic or free traffic methods — they're not reliable. Buying traffic is expensive, but with a front-end offer, you can offset the cost and make a profit. In the next part of this tutorial, Brendan will show you how to set up a front-end offer that converts.
The power of a repeating cycle
Brendan's email list building strategy is based on a simple yet powerful cycle:
Money ==> Traffic ==> Subscribers + Front End Sales (money) ==> Traffic ==> Sales ==> Traffic ==> Sales ==> Repeat.
This cycle repeats itself every time you buy more traffic. You get two things: sales to reinvest on traffic and new subscribers. The sales help you in the short term, while the subscribers have a long-term value. They can open your emails for years to come, making them a valuable asset.
Building up your list is your primary goal, and you do that by investing in traffic. To have an unlimited supply of traffic, you need to make money immediately after opt-in. That's where a good front-end offer comes in.
What makes a good front-end offer?
A good front-end offer is a cheap "make money online" product that visitors will buy on impulse. Most people are unwilling to spend more than $27, and are more likely to purchase in the $7-19 range.
Tip: Brendan doesn't recommend only promoting low-ticket offers, as your return on investment will be higher with mid-high ticket products.
However, a low-ticket offer is perfect for the instant after opt-in, when subscribers are interested but not willing to spend a lot.
Finding the right product
Brendan recommends finding a cheap affiliate product that will get impulse buys.
This product was called $200 in 20 Minutes but is no longer available.
This example is priced at just $9.95, hitting that perfect low-ticket sweet spot. It converts at a solid 5%, meaning a good chunk of visitors are buying. Plus, there are upsells, giving you more chances to make sales after the initial purchase. The product title is also designed to catch the eye of impulse buyers.
You can find products like this at Clickbank, JvZoo, and Warrior Plus. These sites have hundreds of "make money online" products, with many income possibilities. Imagine how much money you'll make after you have a list of people interested in making money online.
Setting up your front-end offer
To set up your front-end offer, you need an autoresponder service like Aweber. Once you have an account, you need to set up your web form. You can install it directly on your website or integrate it into a tool like WP Profit Builder.
To get started, click on the "Sign Up Forms" button on your Aweber navigation bar:
Then click on the "Create a Sign-Up Form" button:
Save your form on the first page:
Then enter your affiliate link on the second page. This link will be attached to your affiliate ID, so you can make money whenever someone makes a purchase.
Getting traffic to your landing page
Now that you have your squeeze page and front-end offer set up, it's time to drive traffic to your landing page. Brendan recommends buying solo ads, which is a simple and effective way to get traffic. Here's how it works:
- Find a solo seller with a solid reputation;
- Buy an agreed-upon number of clicks;
- Pay around $0.40 per click.
That's it! You can find solo ads on Facebook or Skype, but Brendan prefers Facebook because solo sellers have their reputations on the line with every sale. To find solo ads on Facebook, simply search for "solo ads" and join some of the groups that come up.
Tips for buying solo ads
Brendan has some tips for buying solo ads:
- Don't fall for claims that one vendor's traffic is better than another's. Traffic quality is comparable, and the difference is how related your offer is to the traffic's interests.
- Look for tier 1% traffic, which means traffic from wealthy countries like the US, UK, and Canada. This traffic is more likely to buy.
- Prices are negotiable, so don't be afraid to ask for a discount. Most vendors will drop their prices to close a sale.
Building your list rapidly
If you keep reinvesting your front-end sales into more traffic, you'll be building your list rapidly. Getting a big email list is now a reality. But how much money can you earn with your list?
The answer is, it depends. Brendan has heard claims that email lists should make around $1 per month per subscriber, but his own experience is different. He has 40,000+ subscribers and makes around $5,000 per month from his list. The reality is that there are many variables that affect your income per subscriber, and it's going to depend on how you market to them.
However, Brendan believes that this is one of the easiest ways to make money online. With a self-replenishing traffic strategy and a front-end offer that converts, you can build a successful online business. In the next part of this tutorial, Brendan will share more tips on how to make money with your email list.
Want to get a head start?
Aweber offers a feature where marketers can share their email sequences. This underutilized gem lets you jumpstart your efforts. Here’s how to access the entire 110+ email sequence:
- Sign up for a 30-day free trial at Aweber.
- Copy the provided "campaign share code."
- Go to the section where it says "Use a pre-defined campaign by entering the campaign code."
- Paste the code and watch the magic happen.
What you need to customize
While the sequence is ready-to-go, here are a few tweaks to make it your own:
- Change the branding: Replace "Brendan Mace" with your name or brand;
- Update affiliate links: Ensure the links reflect your affiliate IDs. Check if the products are from Clickbank or JvZoo and update accordingly;
- Add your own content: Tailor the sequence to your unique offerings, whether blog posts or additional promotions;
- Rewrite for uniqueness: For a personal touch, tweak the content so it resonates with your voice and style.
How much can you earn?
One common myth is that email list building follows a 9-5 model, with earnings directly tied to time spent. Not quite. Here are the critical metrics:
- Earnings per visitor: How much revenue each visitor generates;
- Cost per visitor: How much you spend to acquire each visitor;
- Total traffic: The number of visitors you attract.
By focusing on these metrics, you can optimize your strategy and maximize your returns.
Here’s a thought-provoking question for you:
If I told you that for every $1 you gave me, I’d give you $2 back, how many dollars would you give me?
If you’re smart, you’d hand over nearly every dollar you have. Why? Because for every $1 you invest, you’d get $2 in return.
The key is to build a funnel that generates more revenue per visitor than what you spend on traffic. If you can achieve this, you’ve hit the jackpot!
A quick time breakdown
- Buying traffic: 10 minutes;
- Writing an email to send: 10 minutes
Boom! That’s it. 20 minutes total.
Once you have your funnel set up, you can spend just 20 minutes a day on this and easily earn a full-time income. No joke!
Living the laptop lifestyle
Your most valuable asset isn’t money — it’s time. Sadly, the typical 9-5 job devours most of your day. After getting ready for work, commuting, and handling household chores, most people are left with just an hour or less of free time.
What’s the point of making money if you have no time to enjoy it?
The beauty of this "20-minute" routine is that it provides you with the financial freedom to:
- Pay your bills;
- Take that long-awaited vacation;
- Provide for your family;
- Have some extra cash for fun.
You can work and travel, embracing the laptop lifestyle. Most importantly, this business model gives you time — time to:
- Travel;
- Learn a new language;
- Fall in love and stay in love;
- Spend quality time with your kids;
- Improve your funnel.
Balance is crucial. Sometimes, you need to take a break from work and enjoy a well-deserved vacation. Here are some photos from my trip to Cuba:
Setting up a passive income business model gives you FREEDOM. Even while you’re lounging on a beach in Cuba, Aweber is still sending emails to your subscribers, making you money 24/7, 365 days a year. And it only takes about 20 minutes of your time each day to keep everything running smoothly.
One last thing
So far, we’ve talked about buying traffic through solo ads. However, there is a free method once you reach 800-1000 subscribers: trading clicks.
How click trading works
- Join a click trading Facebook group: "Click trading" is simply exchanging traffic. Join groups like [this one], [this one], and [this one];
- Find established members: Look for members with several positive testimonials. There are plenty to choose from;
- Propose a trade: Reach out and ask if they’d like to trade clicks. As a newcomer, it’s good etiquette to offer to send first.
Once you have some trading partners, they’ll provide you with a tracking link to monitor the clicks you send. You also need to create a trackable link to ensure you send the agreed-upon number of clicks. A free service for link tracking is Bit.ly, although I recommend upgrading to a better service later. For starters, Bit.ly will do just fine!
That’s it! Easy and effective.
Wrapping up the click trading process
- Write up a broadcast email: In your Aweber account, compose a broadcast email that includes the link to your partner’s offer;
- Send the agreed number of clicks: Once you’ve sent the agreed-upon number of clicks, contact your partner and provide them with a link to your offer.
Example Scenario
Let’s say you arrange to trade 100 clicks with five different partners. Each time you finish sending 100 clicks to one partner, you move on to the next.
- Total clicks sent to partners: 500
- Total clicks you receive back: 500
That’s 500 free visitors you didn’t have to pay for!
The cost savings
If you were to buy a solo ad, 500 clicks would typically cost around $200. Trading clicks with partners is an excellent way to get free traffic.
Conclusion
Brendan’s last piece of advice is: “Don’t let small minds convince you that your dreams are too big. You can do this!”. And we totally agree with that.
We hope you found this guide helpful and inspiring. Good luck on your journey to building a successful email list and generating passive income.
