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I had a few subscribers asking how I’m getting others to build my mailing list, so I put together a White Paper on using Ad-swaps to leverage the mojo of your competitors and allies. This is a sample chapter from that report.

You can download the entire report with unlimited giveaway rights for free at the end of this post.

What is an Ad-swap?

An Ad-swap is a mini JV where you find somebody with a similar (or complimentary) business within your niche and agree to share your subscribers. But you don’t just give away your database of subscribers because besides being illegal, it just isn’t cool. And email marketing is all about being cool and respecting your community. Instead, you both agree to send an email to your community promoting each others site.

Because the traffic comes from a personal recommendation, I’ve seen optin rates as high as 83.4% on some of my pages. It’s the perfect way to leverage somebody else’s Mojo and step into the place where your target audience is already hanging out.

The beauty of ad-swaps is that you don’t need your own product and you can use a simple 3 page website to get started. In fact if you just use single optin, you can get away with just 2 pages.

How Can I Find Ad-Swap Partners?

If you’re in a specific niche like golf or weight-loss, the best way to find partners is by contacting product owners directly. (email, facebook, twitter, forums, telephone, skype).

But if you are in the IM space, there are several awesome resources to get started:

My favourite is Safe-swaps because it’s totally automated and it’s super simple to learn how the process works and to find partners to swap with. The only drawback is the slight lag time between accepting the swap and getting it set up, but if you batch process your swaps a week in advance, you should be able to get it all done in a couple of 15 minute sessions each week.

Dimitry has recently been adding some awesome new features to the site to keep improving it. I love to see a developer listen to his customers and continue to tweak the site as it grows – it shows a real commitment to providing an awesome solution. And caring.

2. I also use a private skype group which is invite only. It’s perfect for chatting too so you get to work the mojo a bit more. And it’s very good for quick last-minute swaps if you have some empty slots. To get involved in the group, you need to be invited but if you drop me a line, I should be able to get you in. My skype name is published in my member profile at Safe-swaps.

3. Talk to people. If you find somebody who you like to swap with, ask them to recommend other people who they’ve swapped with before. Ask at offline events.

15 Ways to  Swap like a Pro

The get the most out of this stuff and make the best use of your time, follow these simple steps.

1. Have a slick, smooth and well-oiled optin process (optin-confirm-thankyou) and make sure you include a paid offer in the funnel.

2. Make an awesome & original offer. Too many people use the same PLR or affiliate offer so you have to stand out. I find that software has a really high value and helps you stand out. If you do decide to use PLR products, customise them to make them original – change the graphics, add some bonuses etc.

3. Only promote a site that you love. Never recommend a poor resource just to increase the size of your list. But sending your subscribers to an Awesome resource will actually build YOUR credibility and trust.

4. Track your clicks. It’s important that you monitor how many clicks you give AND receive. An easy way to do it is with the tracker links available inside TE toolbox (although TE toolbox is designed for traffic exchange users – the “tracker” function is perfect for monitoring email ads and you can even use it to track conversions through the sales process right to the thankyou page).

5. If you use Safe-swaps tracking clicks is part of the automation so you can check the clicks right inside your dashboard.

6. Keep it simple – use a plain looking site that simply states the offer and includes an optin form. Avoid tacky graphics with dollar bills flying out of computer screens. Those sites have never been cool and it’s such a hype-driven metaphor. Stay classy. Here’s an example of one of my funnels.

7. Be organised. Write 2 or 3 sample emails that your partner can choose from and be sure to include the unique tracking link for each new adswap.

8. Be courteous – never even expect a response from somebody, let alone a positive one. We are all busy and there is a chance that if they don’t respond, they didn’t even see your message. (That’s why I like Safe-swaps and Skype).

9. Keep a diary. Take notes of who you swapped with, how successful it was and any other notes that will help you improve. Record which ads were most effective, who you’d like to swap with again and why, in addition to those that didn’t work out so well. Use the Pareto principle to repeat the stuff that works and gives the greatest results. Ditch the stuff that’s not worth the effort.

10. Make it easy for your swap partner and give them a reason to mail for you. Make the process simple and fast by providing as much as you can upfront to avoid emails back and forth.

11. When organizing an ad-swap, include a link to your offer.

12. Include a direct link to your download page so they can check your product

13. Include your sample emails so they can go ahead and get set up without having to contact you again (make sure you include the right tracking link).

14. If you have an affiliate program, offer commissions – that’s an added incentive and if the offer converts, they will mail again and again as an affiliate, without expecting another email in return.

15. Be cool. Sometimes you’ll have problems. Somebody might forget to mail out or could have a problem with their autoreponder. Sometimes you’ll make mistakes and forget to mail, things break and people can get things wrong. Just don’t get freaked out by it. People can easily get annoyed instead of trying to fix the problem. Remember to always be courteous and fair. And always do the right thing.

Be First to Download & Rebrand the White Paper

You now have full distribution rights to this white-paper. You can sell it for any amount or give it away to build your mailing list. You could even use it for ad-swaps. The only condition is that you do not alter the report in any way.

To really take advantage of this white paper, you need to replace the links with your own so you can get the kudos and earn affiliate commissions when you give it away.

I’m giving away just 10 copies of the rebrand rights and there’s only 1 way to get ‘em -

Leave a comment below telling me why you deserve to be the first to get access to the full report and rebrand rights. The best 10 comments will win and I’ll announce the winners by email

[UPDATE] Thanks for all your awesome feedback. I’ve decided to open this up so everybody gets a copy plus rebrand rights for a limited time only.

Click here to access the rebranding software →

* Don’t forget to leave a comment below telling me what you like most about the Ad-Swap White Paper.

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