Rule Six: The Money’s in the List

“The money’s in the list” is an old saying from the direct mail industry. If the mailing list is dead on target, even uninspired copy sells. If you send a brilliant promotion to a bad list, it still bombs.

Online, buying a “list” of subscribers and followers is stupid… it simply has no value. But putting out great content for “hits” and page views alone may be even sillier.

The point is to get relevant visitors to your site to request updates every time you publish… whether by email, RSS, or carrier pigeon (okay, maybe not the pigeon). Getting people to opt-in and pay attention to you over time is the key to building authority… and to selling them something in the future.