How to Build an Opt-In List - the Tools You'll Need - Part 2

In the last part of the series How To Build An Opt-In List, we looked at a few frequently asked questions about building an opt-in list. In this part we will discuss the different tools that you will need and the expenses you can expect to incur in the process of building an opt-in list.


One of the first things that you will need is an opt-in list form where people can enter their information (such as name and e-mail address). You can make one yourself, but you will easily be able to get a pre-generated form with a good autoresponder which you will also need in the process of building a list.

This is form which can have a number of different fields. The most common opt-in list forms include email address, first and last names and less commonly address and phone number. Cost for this shold be included with the autoresponder, and as such comes to nothing. This is the page that you want to develop traffic to. When someone finds what you have to offer or say interesting, they will fill in their information and become a part of your opt-in list.

The second thing that you will need is webhosting. You can get hosting for different prices. A good review of different hosting options is available here. I prefer dot5hosting out of all of them. You need webhosting to put up your website, your opt-in list form, and anything else that you desire. Webhosting ranges from $5 per month (dot5hosting) to $15 or more with some other services. Another option is using free hosting available at many places. The downside of this is that your site will not look very professional, will have many other ads on there, and is very limited in nature. If this is just a casual list, then you can use a free service, though I definitely don't recommend it.