Secret Tips to Creating a Winning Squeeze Page
By Neil Roach
If you're serious about building your email list and making money, either as an affiliate or promoting your own products, then you're going to need a great Squeeze page that converts like crazy!
You'll need a Squeeze page that takes all that targeted traffic and converts as many visitors as possible into subscribers.
Without conversions you won't build your email list, you won't make sales and you won't make any money!
bad Squeeze page = low conversions
low conversions = small email list
small email list = few sales
few sales = $0
In this article you'll discover what core elements should be included on a Squeeze page that will ensure you get more visitors opting-in to your email list. You'll also learn some techniques that can help increase conversions even further as well as some common mistakes to avoid.
It's quite a long article, but I'm sure you'll see at the end that it was worth the extra few minutes it took to read.
Are you ready to get going?
What elements should a Squeeze page contain?
A Squeeze page is designed to achieve one objective, which is to convert visitors who land there into subscribers.
The page shouldn't link to any articles, it shouldn't include navigation, it shouldn't include fancy graphics, but instead it should focus on that one goal of getting visitors to opt-in in a simple and direct way.
There are six essential components for a Squeeze page:
- Strong headline that grabs visitors attention
- A sub-headline that outlines a problem and gives benefits
- Enticing free offer
- Copy or video that describes the offer
- Simple opt-in form
- Compelling call to action
Let's look at each of these in turn...
Headline
The headline is the most important element on your Squeeze page - on any Sales page in fact.
The purpose of the headline is to grab the reader's attention and get them to read the sub-headline. It's the first thing visitors see and read and it could be the only thing they read if you don't get it right!
In any sales copy, it's believed that the headline accounts for 90% of the impact while the body copy just 10%.
Read that again and ensure you absorb that point as it's hugely important.
If your headline isn't appealing, doesn't resonate with your visitors, doesn't intrigue them or excite them, then they aren't going to bother reading any further.
It won't matter how great your free offer is or how good the product is you're promoting, if your headline isn't great nobody will ever know. They'll simply click away.
Sub-headline
The sub-headline helps answer the visitor's question - 'what's in it for me?'
It should be crafted to ensure visitors want to continue reading the body copy.
There're no hard and fast rules when it comes to including a sub-headline on a Squeeze page. Some 'gurus' will tell you that you must always include one, others will tell you not to. Both answers are correct! It just depends on the circumstances.
The product you're selling and the target audience will determine if a sub-headline is needed or not. You'll have to use your own judgement and experience to make the decision whether to include one as there's no magic formula that says when to use one.
As always, you'll need to test things out to see what works.
Free offer
Providing a free offer is the key to getting visitors to subscribe to your email list.
It's what's called an 'ethical bribe'.
Your free offer should be content that's highly sought after by your visitors. It should be valuable enough to them that they're willing to give their email address in exchange for it. Make sure it's good quality too, don't just throw it together and expect a good response. If the free content isn't good then the visitor won't be too interested in whatever product you're promoting.
There are a number of free offers you could include on your Squeeze page:
- Report or eBook
- Email course
- Video
Let's look at each in a bit more detail...
Report or eBook
Offering a written eBook or report is the most common type of free offer that you can create and it's also the easiest in my opinion.
The purpose of offering a free eBook or report is to allow your visitors to either sample some of the information from the product you're selling, or provide something that compliments the main product offer.
If you're going to provide information that compliments the main products content, ensure that it addresses a common challenge or problem that isn't well covered. Provide real, helpful information and try to avoid off-the-shelf PLR content.
If you do choose to go down the PLR route, make sure you have right to edit and change the content. This way you can at least change things, combine multiple PLR products and create something that's much better than the original.
Email course
Instead of offering a complete eBook you could break it down and provide it as an email course instead.
No matter how great the free eBook is, your subscribers (prospects) will only get value if they can absorb, retain and put into practice what you've given them. However, in this modern world we live in, everybody is very busy and people simply might not have the time to read a 50, 30 or even a 10 page eBook.
It all depends on the niche you're operating in though and it may be that a 30-page eBook in some niches is ideal, whereas in others 10 pages is just too long.
Either way, what you need to do is provide a free offer that the prospect will use, and this is where an email course can be perfect.
Here're just a few reasons why an e-course can be a great offer:
- You're breaking a large body of information into smaller chunks and by doing so you're making the information easier to digest. The prospect will be more likely to gain value from this delivery method without being overwhelmed
- You're delivering valuable content via the medium you'll use to promote other products down the line. Your prospects will become accustomed to receiving information from you and even look forward to it. This all goes to building a relationship which is essential to being successful with email marketing
- You've captured the subscribers email address, so it makes sense to deliver your free offer using the same method. Subconsciously they'll understand why they had to exchange their email address for the free offer if you're using actively using the information they gave
- Initially providing valuable information via email rather than a sales pitch makes you look less spammy. By the time it comes to promoting you main offer your subscribers will more readily accept the emails and not consider them spam
Free video
Many people are visual by nature and might prefer to watch a short video than read through any length eBook, even a 10-page one!
There is a problem with offering a video though...
Many users know that they can get videos from sites like YouTube for free, so why should they give you an email in exchange to watch one?
They might simply head over to YouTube and do a search for the information instead, which would render your Squeeze page useless. However, if you were to offer several short videos in an exclusive free membership section of your site then it might be a different story!
By providing unique and valuable video content in a membership area you get the added benefit of being able to analyze usage, promote your offers and communicate with your subscribers directly on the page. You could include the first video in the series on YouTube, but link back to your Squeeze page if visitors want to get their hands on the rest of the content.
Describe the offer
When you describe the free offer you need to focus on benefits, NOT features.
Explain how the offer addresses the visitor's pain or problem, or fulfills their needs and desires. Always remember that you need to be answering the visitor's question 'what's in it for me?'
How should you describe the offer?
On your Squeeze page ensure you use clear, short and punchy bullet points. The ideal number of bullets should be around six to eight, but again it depends on what you're offering and in what niche as to whether you need more. Sales pages have more than eight bullet points, but we're not discussing a Sales page here!
There's no formula to determine the 'magic' number of bullets, I recommend you start with a few and increase the number if necessary.
Also, you should highlight the main benefit of the product within the headline or sub-headline if you can. Include it beneath these two core components as part of the call to action. The main benefit is what the reader really wants and desires from the product above everything else. To determine what it is you need to put yourself in the readers shoes, think what they are really after when the see your free offer.
Opt-in form
It's been proven time and time again that the more fields you include on the opt-in form, the more likely is it that visitors will NOT subscribe.
Why does the number of fields affect conversion rate?
Every piece of information you ask for creates resistance in the visitor, and for each field you include they'll be asking themselves why you need that specific piece of information.
How do you reduce the resistance?
Keep the information you ask for to the minimum - only capture their email address.
Why?
Because asking for the name as well as the email address is adding twice the resistance for the subscriber and you want to ensure there's the least amount of resistance possible. Asking for the first name and last name, as well as the email address, adds three times as much resistance. Add a telephone number to the ask and you're adding four times the resistance.
You get the idea!
You should now be able to see why asking for only the email address is the best approach if you're promoting a product as an Internet marketer. Once visitors have entered their email address the only thing left to do is hit the 'subscribe' button. That's a minimal ask and doesn't require much thinking about!
When might it be good to ask for the name as well?
If you're running a blog or a small business selling consulting services, for example, you might want to capture more information, such as the subscriber's full name. As long as you'll be using it as part of sales process and not just capturing the details for the sake of it, it's perfectly fine to ask.
I believe if you're running a blog thenj asking for and using a person's first name in the emails makes the interaction more personal, which in turn helps to build rapport.
Remember though, the more information you request the more potential there is for resistance from the subscriber and you run the risk of them not opting-in at all.
Never ask for more information than you require!
Call to action
You know the purpose of the Squeeze page, but your visitors don't. 
They need directing by you to take action and you need to ask them to do something.
There's a problem with this though...
By asking them to take action you're focusing on you and not them.
I've said all along how you should keep in mind that the visitor will be asking themselves 'what's in it for me?' and yet the call to action says otherwise. You need to change things so that the call to action focusses on what the visitor will get, especially on the button the visitor clicks to submit their contact details.
Take a look at the default button text on any theme or template and I'll bet it says something like 'Submit', 'Subscribe', 'Join', 'Sign-up', which are all action words focused on the visitor doing something. The words answer the question 'what should I do?'
Instead you need to put yourself in your visitor's shoes and answer one of two questions for them:
- What am I going to get?
- What are you going to do for me?
These questions answer 'what's in it for me?' that's always in the visitor's mind.
Let's answer them now...
Q: What am I going to get when I click the button?
A: I'm going to: 'Get Instant Access', 'Get My Free eBook', 'Get Daily Tips', 'Learn the Secrets'
Q: What are you going to do for me when I click the button?
A: You're going to: 'Sign Me Up', 'Grant Me Access', 'Send Me Your Free eBook'
Do you see the difference?
The alternatives listed are a big improvement over the default button text. I recommend you to use these, or think or alternatives that answer the two questions.
A button alone isn't sufficient as a call to action though.
You'll need to provide some supporting text above the button, or the opt-in form, that tells the visitor what they'll get and also what to do. This text sets the expectation for the visitor and explains what they'll get when they subscribe, it should also lead them to the action of clicking the button.
Summary of the core elements
Those are the six core elements, collectively they add up to a great Squeeze page:
great Squeeze page = high conversions
high conversions = large email list
large email list = more sales
more sales = $1,000s
But there are some other tips and tricks that can be used to increase conversions and get even more subscribers on your list!
Read on to learn more...
How to increase Squeeze page conversions?
Here are some tips to help increase conversions.
Ensure core elements are above the fold
The core elements should all be 'above the fold', that's to say they should not require the visitor scroll down the page to view them.
However, depending on your page layout some elements may move 'below the fold'.
If this is the case, ensure it's those elements that are not core to the page, such as the disclaimer, privacy policy and contact information.
The bullets listing the benefits of the product could drop 'below the fold', but as long as they start 'above the fold' the page will still be effective. The visitor will at least see that there're bullets to read and curiosity will drive them to scroll down to finish reading what they've started.
Product images
I'm sure you've heard the phrase 'a picture speaks a thousand words'?
Well you better add one to your Squeeze page then!
Whilst you'll be offing the eBook or report as an immediate download, you should still provide an attractive cover design.
I'm sure you're thinking why bother if it's an immediate download?
When people browse shelves in book stores they scan many covers quickly and can physically pick up those books whose covers pique their interest. OK, so the visitor can't pick up a downloaded computer file, but you can at least provide something visual before they commit to opting-in.
You want simulate this store browsing experience for your visitors and a 3D book cover image works towards this.
Include a photo of yourself and your name
Visitors will land on your Squeeze page having never heard of you, so how likely do you think they're in trusting what you have to say?
Not as much as if they've seen you and know your name I feel.
That's why including an image of yourself and your name is a good idea.
It's not essential, you can leave it out, but including it can go a long way to building trust with the visitor and removing any resistance they may have in taking you up on your offer.
Better still, you should include an introduction video that explains who you are and the offer you have for them. This would then replace any text you might use to describe the offer - the video would do the job instead.
Simple and clean design
A Squeeze page should be simple and clean in design - don't add unnecessary clutter.
You need to include the core elements, but ensure that they're laid out with good spacing, simple fonts, pleasing colors and minimal styling.
You're not aiming for fancy here, nor are you trying to show off your graphics design skills.
Simple Squeeze pages convert better!
Scarcity
You could use scarcity marketing to push the visitor to take advantage of your offer immediately, rather than let them wait and think things over.
You need to create a sense of urgency that compels the visitor to take immediate action. This involves placing limits on either the availability of the product itself, or by imposing time limits on availability at a certain price point.
The choice is yours which option you choose, but if you adopt this strategy ensure its real scarcity, or at least 'manufactured scarcity' and not 'false scarcity'.
False scarcity is when you lie about availability.
For example, let's say you put on your Squeeze page that the first 1,000 people will get your product at the advertised price and then the price will go up.
I'm sure you'll have seen this on Squeeze pages on the Internet?
Well, if you state that on your Squeeze page I recommend you actually raise your price after the first 1,000 people buy the product, if only by a small amount. When you've done this email those people that bought your product at the lower price that you've just increased the price. Leave the product at a higher price for several months, you can always lower it again and indicate on your page that the price has been reduced.
What will this do?
It's going to build trust with those who already purchased the product at the low price. They're going to see that you're a person of your word and somebody who doesn't lie to them, which might come as a refreshing change!
All too often you'll see Squeeze pages stating that prices will 'go up soon', 'could change tomorrow' or 'will increase at a moment's notice', however they never do! Re-visit the same page six months later and the same false scarcity message will be there!
If you use this strategy make sure you follow through with it, and above all don't lie.
Squeeze page mistakes to avoid
There're a few of things you should avoid when putting your Squeeze page together:
Putting external links on the page
If you understand that a Squeeze page's sole purpose is to lead the visitor to subscribe, then you'll understand why you mustn't include any links on the page that take the visitor away.
It's like drilling a hole in a bucket and causing a deliberate leak.
Why would you do that?
The same is true with a Squeeze page - you don't want to create a leak.
You've driven targeted traffic to the Squeeze page, then the only thing the visitors must do is subscribe or leave. By putting an external link on the page you're inviting the visitors to be curious and go check out where you're linking them to.
If you do this they may never return, but this will your fault for inviting them to leave!
Not including a way of contacting you
What if there's some problem with the sign-up form, or maybe a visitor needs some guidance or information?
Providing a way of contacting you ensures that you don't lose that potential customer. OK, so it's only one customer, but providing a way of contacting you shows any visitor you're a real people and available to answer questions.
This goes to building trust, which can only be a good thing.
Include this in the Squeeze page footer.
Not including a privacy policy
This is a common one that many marketers fail to include on their Squeeze pages.
I recommend you always include a disclaimer and privacy policy somewhere in the footer as it will protect you in case of a lawsuit. Not only that, it's just another strategy you can employ to help build trust from your visitors. People want to know what happens to the data you collect about them, tackle this head-on.
Tell your visitors you won't spam them and that you won't share or pass on their contact details
A word on testing
One final thing to mention is testing - the one area that's frequently overlooked by Internet marketers.
I'm not going to go into too much detail here I'm afraid, I'll save testing for another article!
I'll just give you a few things to consider though:
Review your Squeeze page on mobile devices: people are moving more and more towards mobile devices when it comes to consuming content. Therefore, ensure your Squeeze page looks and works as expected on tablets and other mobile devices.
Test different Squeeze page designs: this really should be obvious. Don't just put up a page and leave it at that. You need to split test your Squeeze page with different colors, layouts, fonts, pictures, headlines, copy, etc., to ensure you're getting the best possible conversions.
Test one component at a time: if you test only one element at a time you'll know what caused the conversion rate change. However, if, for example, you change the headline and sub-headline together, how will you know which change affected the conversion rate? Yep, you won't!
When it comes to testing the most important things to remember is keep doing it, analyse things and test some more.
Comments and final thoughts
Now that you've read this article, I'm sure you realize just how important and powerful the Squeeze page is when marketing your's or somebody else's product. It's absolutely essential for affiliate marketers, but equally if you're running a blog it can also help you build your email list.
Remember that the most critical component on the page is the headline, so spend some time creating this and don't forget to test different ones to see which gets the best conversions.
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