If you are here reading this then you probably already know the answer to this question, but let’s go over it one. last. time.
- You want to provide value to your readers. This is first and foremost because it will lead to loyal followers who trust you and will instill confidence in them that you actually know what you are talking about.
- Grow your email list. We all know by now that your email list is the bread and butter of your blog. You need to nurture that list. Having an email list means you have direct access to your groupies at any time. That is priceless!
In order to fulfill those two main reasons, you need an Opt-in Freebie, Content Upgrade or Lead Magnet.
Call it what you will, YOU NEED IT.
Oh… Did I mention it can’t suck? Yes that is also important!
This leads us to our next topic…
What to consider before you create an Opt-in Freebie
Do your readers actually care about this topic? How will it help them?
Does this Opt-in Freebie actually work with the overall niche of my blog? You might have serveral smaller topics you cover but make sure what you are creating can atleast fit into several posts. If it really only relates to one blog post, maybe consider doing an Opt-in that fits in better with a wider topic!
Alternatively, if it fits in with your entire overall blog niche, you can literally advertise it every where on your site for a much more dramatic increase in subscribers.
This kind of fits it with the one above. Do you have enough knowledge or information on the freebie you are trying to create? If you know enough about the topic, you will be able to create something of actual value to your readers.
Is your freebie easily digestible? People typically don’t want 20 pages eBooks that will take them a few hours to make it through. Make it short, sweet and actionable!
How to actually create an
Opt-in Freebie in Canva
Step 1.
Open up Canva. You will need to create a new free account if you do not already have one.
Once you are in, you will need to select “Create a new Design”.
You can then select the size you are looking for. In this case, we are going to create a worksheet that is US letter size, so 8.5 x 11 inches.
If you need a custom size, you can create it by selecting “create custom dimensions” in the top right corner.
Once you have selected the appropriate document size, this is what your new artboard will look like:
Step. 2
Now that we have our blank canvas ready to go. You need to take a minute and think about the look you want for your Opt-in Freebie.
I typically like to start with my graphic elements, in this case, we are going to create a pattern for the top and the bottom of our Opt-in Freebie.
We are also going to create a cover page as well so that we can make sure that people will remember your brand!
Go to “Search” and type in “Arrow Pattern”. You will see a whole bunch of options come up. You can choose which ever one you want, this is the one I chose. Drag Drop it over to your Artboard.
As you can see, the pattern is huge. Select one of the corner dots to make the pattern smaller.
Then we will quickly decide which to colors we are going to use by changing the colors in the top left panel.
Next, we want to select the patten and copy and paste it several times to make the pattern go all the way across the top like a border.
Make sure to Select All of the patterns and “Group” them together so you can easily copy and paste the same border for the bottom as well.
This video walks you through the steps:
To enter some text, click on the “T” icon on the left hand panel to access the text option.
You will have the option of selecting the default “add heading” or you can scroll down to see if there is a pre-made combination you like that is already together!
I’m going with the straight up “add heading” so I can really start from scratch. Just click on add heading. Once it shows up on the page, you can select it to change the font, size and actual text.
*Pro Tip: if you just hit the “T” button on your key board, a text block will appear.
