A solo ad is an email-based advertisement you buy from another email list owner. They’re typically sent as dedicated emails – so the whole message focuses on your promotion. The majority of solo ads are used by affiliates and information marketers, but they can also be used by even brick and mortar type companies. HercuList is the list owner we’ll be referring to today. HercuList PLUS has solo ad packages starting at just $5.95.
To learn more about solo ads, read on:
- Find a solo ad list or search for a solo ad seller you’re interested in. Of course, we recommend HercuList PLUS.
- Access to the list is available either by contacting the owner or by purchasing it from their website.
- Your purchase depends on how many subscribers your email message will reach, as well as how many clicks it will get.
- In the end, solo ads will convert at a much lower cost than most other forms of advertising.
In all honesty, solo ads have a some what hazy reputation, and most companies avoid them. I’ll explain the reason shortly… Nevertheless, many marketers also credit solo ads with helping them get their start and they credit solo ads as a big factor in their success. So it makes sense to at least familiarize yourself with how they work.
Solo ads would be most effective for:
- Budget-conscious marketers. Can you spare a few hundred dollars? That will get you started with solo ads. Herculist PLUS has solo ad packages starting at just $5.95.
- It might be worth looking into if you’re in a niche where PPC prices are sky high.
- If you’re in a niche that’s completely oversaturated with content (like affiliate marketing or weight loss).
- If you’re in a niche that has intense competition for search engine traffic.
- It’s a great choice if you’re ready to launch a product or need traffic sent quickly to a web page. You don’t have time to write guest posts, build an audience, or do anything that takes more than a few days to see results.
BIG Time Warning!
Although solo ads aren’t illegal, there are some disadvantages that make them potentially risky investments.
First of all, solo ads are usually placed by a single seller. In other words, you’re dealing directly with the list owner. As a result, there is some risk involved.
- In addition, some solo ad lists were built with less-than-ideal methods, so there are even more risks involved. Ideally, the list was built by converting traffic from a site within your niche. Perhaps the owner of the list bought advertising and converted it with a squeeze page.
- It is also possible that the email addresses on the list you’re about to use were acquired by “scraping” software. This is a program that goes from one website to another, gathering any email addresses it finds. Those email addresses tend to convert poorly, as you might imagine.
- Aside from that, some solo ad lists may be filled with bots that behave like regular email subscribers (they open and click your emails), but never convert. If you send a solo ad campaign to such a list, you may think that the problem lies with your squeeze page or your offer, not the list itself.
The list to which you mail is probably in the middle of the two extremes. You should be warned, though: The world of solo ads has its share of shady characters. However, there are ways to tell if you are dealing with a good list owner and a good list:
- Stay away from people who make big promises.
- Verify the list owner and their list by checking forums, friends, and any online resources you can find. Search for the list owner’s name and website carefully. Visit their social media accounts. See if anyone has complained about them on forums.
- Make small steps. First time out, don’t spend $1,000 on a list. Start small – as small as the list owner will allow. You should test three to five lists in a limited way before moving on to a bigger investment.
- You cannot believe every testimonial you read online. Unfortunately, some websites still post fake testimonials. You shouldn’t assume everything is fine because you’ve read glowing reviews on someone’s website.
- Find out how the owner built their list. Even if they don’t tell you the truth, at least you asked. You should get a realistic answer back, such as “I built this list by buying Facebook ads and sending them to a squeeze page”. If that’s the answer, ask to see the squeeze page. Ask enough questions to feel confident, but not so many that it becomes obvious you are suspicious.
- Find out how often they send emails to that list. They may respond that they do so daily. That’s not a total red flag, as some lists as used to being mailed to that often. But if I was buying a solo ad, I would be interested in hearing that the mailings to that list were limited to a couple of times a week.
- Find out what types of offers do well with their list. Is this a list that’s perfect for capturing email addresses, but not so great for high-ticket items? Is this a list of people interested in free ebooks or free trials? Do they prefer video tutorials or text autoresponders? Consider crafting your email message so that it appeals to the things that this list responds to if you have time and the will to do so.
- Find out how they handle hard bounces. Good email lists remove subscribers after one hard bounce. Others will continue to remove subscribers after two hard bounces. The answer “we don’t track bounces” is a good indication you need to move on.
- Find out what their spam complaint rate is. Anything over 0.2% raises a red flag. In general, spam complaints are around 0.1%.
- Finally, ask about the average response rate of their list. What is the average open rate, and what is the average click-through rate? Find out what the typical conversion rate is for, for example, an email opt-in squeeze page. It is possible that every landing page will convert differently. Every email is different. I can’t control if yours is bad.” And that is indeed the case.
List owners who are friendlier might show you landing pages that recent buyers used and say “this converted at 8%”. Perhaps they will even send you the email creative they used. It is better to get as much information as possible… just don’t try to copy the email or landing page.