How to Gain 2,281 Subscribers—and Increase Traffic by 69%—in 27 Days

by Derek Halpern | Follow Him on Twitter Here

Today I’m going to show you how I slapped a jetpack on my blog’s growth.

And more importantly, I’m going to tell you exactly what I did so you can model it.

What’s better is this:

Even though I used this simple strategy to increase my blog traffic, you can use this framework to grow anything, from raw traffic numbers to loyal customers.

You ready?

Let’s do this.

First, A Little Backstory

Back in early November 2011, I was hanging with Pat Flynn in Los Angeles, and between beers, I heard Pat say “~20% of my readers said they first found me on iTunes.”

I didn’t spit on myself, thank god, but I did have the foresight to DRILL him on that number.

You see, I never ran a podcast before, but with results like that, I knew I had to create one.

But I wasn’t going to rush it…

Instead, I was going to follow what I call the “launch anything” formula.

And here’s what happened:

My Podcast Came Out In Early January…

…and here’s what happened:

It’s January 27th, and Social Triggers has already grown over December’s full month of traffic by 43%—and there’s still 5 days left before month-end!

If this rate continues, Social Triggers will experience 69% growth over December 2011, my previous “best month” for blog traffic.

But let’s not just talk about traffic…

…let’s talk about RSS subscribers.

On January 1st, 2011, Social Triggers had 14,309 subscribers, and on January 27th, 2011, Social Triggers has 16,590 subscribers, meaning my RSS list grew by 16% too!

(I don’t publicly reveal my email list size or my revenue on purpose, so don’t ask ).

Why was the podcast a huge success?

It’s because I used the “launch anything” formula I told you about.

But now you’re likely wondering “how can I pull off the same thing?”

And more importantly, “how can this same strategy work for anything… not just a podcast?”

Keep reading.

The 3-Step Formula to Launching Anything (I Just Happened to Launch a Podcast)

Let’s get one thing straight:

Yes, I used this 3-step formula to launch a podcast, but it can be used to launch anything.

Releasing a new ebook? A product? A training program? A new service? New real estate listings?

It doesn’t matter. This formula works.

Why am I giving it away for free?

That’s simple.

You see, when I give away sure-fire formulas that get you results, that means you know my material works.

That way, when I release my premium training product, you won’t wonder “does it work?” Instead, you’ll think “is this right for me?”

That’s the psychology behind why it’s smart to give away some of your best material.

Makes sense?

Good.

Now let me walk you through this 3-step formula.

Step 1: Discover Your Unique Selling Proposition

Here’s the most important step, and if you plan on skipping it, you might as well stop reading right now.

Whenever you launch something new (a blog, a podcast, anything), you’ve got to fill a need in the market with a solution that doesn’t exist.

I know that sounds complicated, but it’s not.

All you’ve got to do is this:

First, Take a look at your main competitors (look at the biggest and best only) and figure out their core topics and target market.

Second, Write those topics on a piece of paper, and then begin to write other topics that might be related.

Finally, Begin combining 2, 3, or 4 topics together with your personality, and you’re set. You may not have unique ingredients, but you’ve got a unique recipe.

And that unique recipe is all that matters.

I’ll say that one more time…

For a successful launch, you don’t need unique ingredients. You need a unique recipe. – Tweet This

Nothing works better than a real-life example, so here’s mine:

When I decided I want to release a podcast, I knew I had to do something different from Pat Flynn, and the other podcasters out there.

You see, I write about internet marketing, which is one of the most crowded niches. So what did I plan on doing to stand out?

Instead of bringing on the usual suspects, the top social media influencers, I decided to go outside social media to introduce new people into our community.

I began featuring world-class researchers, professors from top universities, New York Times best-selling authors, and anyone else who could talk about the psychology of monetization.

And BAM. I was done.

But having a unique selling proposition wasn’t enough…

Yes, when you’re using the “launch anything” formula, the unique selling proposition is vital, but you also need something more.

And that’s where this next section comes into play.

Step 2: How to Build Anticipation The Right Way

Here’s the deal:

When most people release something new, they often announce it AND release it on the same day…

…And that’s a huge mistake.

No matter what you release… whether it’s a podcast… a new product… a new type of content on your site… you MUST build anticipation.

Why?

1. That anticipation gets people talking about you and your upcoming release.

2. That anticipation gets people to comment on your blog and say “I can’t wait for it.”

(Note: When people commit to something, they like to remain consistent with their publicly declared actions, as originally pointed out by Robert Cialdini’s consistency principle).

3.That anticipation opens what’s known as an information gap, and people can’t wait to fill it.

(When there is a gap between what people know and don’t know, they seek to fill it. This was first discovered by George Loewenstein, and it’s called “information gap theory.“)

How Do You Build That Anticipation?

That’s easy.

You tell people what’s coming, but you’re not too specific about it. You give details, but hold back the real meat.

For example, when I launched Social Triggers Insider, I filmed a short video that said “Introducing Social Triggers Insider.”

In that video, I told people what my podcast was about, but I never told them who I planned to feature. That was going to be a surprise.

And what happened?

That video announcement post attracted well over 300 blog comments… 300 tweets… and thousands of hits.

Just announcing the release of my upcoming podcast generated a huge amount of buzz, but there was an added benefit…

People KNEW I was releasing something new!

The reality is this: Most of your readers don’t read every email or blog post you write.

So, when you break it down into two separate articles (or emails), you get two chances to grab attention instead of one.

To really illustrate this, when I finally released my first Social Triggers Insider master class, that email update had a 75.3% open rate.

Yes, 75.3% open rate… The industry average is often less than 20%, especially when dealing with email lists as large as mine.

Anticipation works .

Step 3: How to Deliver On Your Promises

Here’s where things get sticky…

When you build anticipation, you’ve got to deliver.

I know that sounds simple, but I’ve found that when people just do what they say they’re going to do, they’re light years ahead of everyone else.

Cynical, yes, but still true.

Now if you really want to woo your readers… and ensure that people KNOW you brought the goods… you should over deliver.

Here’s how:

1. Add an unannounced bonus – For example, when I released my podcast, I said it was an audio master class. However, I delivered a transcript, an audio file, and a video.

2. Deliver beautiful packaging – Your design is essential for building trust. So, if you deliver a nicely designed finished product, people will thank you for it. (I’m lucky that I like minimalism )

3.DELIVER RESULTS – You can’t get around this. No matter what you release, you’ve got to make sure you’re delivering results to your readers and customers.

And that’s it.

You’re set.

Now Here’s What I Want You To Do

If you found this article helpful, share it with your friends.

I hope to help as many people as possible with my free content, and I need you to help spread the word. So, thank you.

But now let’s get down to the nitty-gritty:

First, you’ll need to come up with what you’d like to launch. Remember, it can be anything.

But here are some things to consider:

1. You can introduce a brand-new type of content. If you often write articles, maybe now you can create a video series.
2. You can release a brand-new, or updated service package. And I suspect that’s self explanatory.
3. You can release a brand-new series of content. Instead of simply writing a one and done blog post, announce the launch of a blog post series.

And you’re done.

Once you know what you plan to release, just go back through this article and follow the 3-step formula.

Then, when it’s time to get traffic, use what I call “The Drafting Technique.”

Now let me know what you think by leaving a comment.

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