How to Create a Killer Opt-In Page in 5 Steps

In 2021, I noticed one of my friends sharing screenshots of his PayPal account, showing thousands of dollars coming in every week, while I was stuck in a frustrating, low-paying 9-to-5 job.

I called him and asked, 'Hey man, how do you make that much money every single week?' He replied that he was creating landing pages for coaches. That was it.

'What’s that?'

That simple question sparked my curiosity, and I started researching right away.

I discovered that an opt-in page serves as a bridge between your traffic source and your offer. The main purpose of an opt-in page is to collect the details of your potential customers.

Not everyone who clicks your link will become a customer immediately, so capturing their details allows you to follow up later through email marketing and even promote future offers.

Amazing!

I realized this was one of the biggest pain points for many businesses, especially beginners and small businesses.

That’s when I decided this was a business worth trying. Today, I proudly run my own agency, Sales Funnel Clutch.

✔️ Your opt-in page should be optimized according to your traffic source.

✔️ It’s important to have a relevant lead magnet.

✔️ Create or optimize a high-converting opt-in page in 5 simple steps.

An opt-in page (also known as a lead capture page) is a type of landing page designed to encourage visitors to share their contact information, usually in exchange for something valuable.

The primary purpose of an opt-in page is to collect leads, which can then be nurtured through follow-up emails or other marketing strategies.

This is where I see over 95% of businesses getting it wrong. Many businesses assume that everyone who visits their offer will end up buying it.

They send traffic directly to a sales page and simply wait for the “NEW SALE” notification to pop up on their phone.

However, every business should recognize that visitors to their offer are likely at different stages of the buying funnel:

✔️ Some may click the link accidentally.

✔️ Some may click it out of curiosity to learn about your offer.

✔️ Some may click to compare your offer with a competitor’s.

✔️ Some may click with the intent to purchase right away.

To turn strangers into paying customers, every business must follow a proven process. If you don’t have an opt-in page between your traffic source and your offer, the next step is to create one.

The purpose of an opt-in page is to offer something valuable to your visitors in exchange for their contact information.

If you simply hand them a poorly made promotional report about how great your products or services are, you’ll lose their trust and miss the opportunity to gain a lead before the process even begins.

The information you provide on your opt-in page must be so valuable that it makes your prospects think, 'If they’re offering this much value for free, imagine how great their paid products or services must be!'

If your opt-in page achieves this, you’ll be able to convert those leads into customers faster than you think.

So, what should you include on your opt-in page to make it irresistible and intriguing enough to compel your audience to enter their name and email address in exchange for your offer?

Let’s dive into the 5-step process to create a high-converting opt-in page.

Do This Before You Start:

We’re just one step away from creating a high-converting opt-in page for your offer. But before you begin, complete this important task to ensure you get the best results from your efforts.

Before you begin, it’s crucial to identify your audience and understand their pain points. This knowledge directly influences your copywriting and the type of lead magnet you create.

Let me give you an example:

If your main offer is a course that teaches beginners how to start affiliate marketing, your audience’s key challenges might include:

✔️ Choosing the right niche to get started.

✔️ Finding and selecting the best affiliate programs.

✔️ Driving traffic to their offers.

✔️ Making consistent sales.

Based on these challenges, you could create actionable lead magnets, such as:

✔️ A list of the best niches and top products to promote within each niche.

✔️ A guide to the best traffic sources for specific niches.

✔️ A one-year action plan to make $1,000 per month consistently.

When it comes to defining your audience, consider targeting groups like:

✔️ College students looking to earn extra money.

✔️ People tired of 9-to-5 jobs who want to start making money online.

✔️ Individuals over 50 who want to earn some income to enjoy their retirement.

✔️ Busy housewives who want to make money while their baby naps.

The language and tone of your opt-in page must align with your target audience. You wouldn’t use teen-focused language for a 50+ audience or corporate language for busy moms.

Each audience has different challenges and desires. By identifying them, you can create tailored copy that makes your prospects think, “This is the perfect offer for me!”

If your offer is the same as what your competitors are providing, you won’t stand out.

This is why it’s essential to differentiate yourself. Create an offer that’s unique and compelling. Your value proposition should position you as the best solution to your audience’s problem. This will help you stand out from the competition and attract the right customers.

Your sales funnel starts with a traffic source. When creating your opt-in page, you need to consider where most of your traffic is coming from.

Here’s an example:

If you’re a fitness coach promoting a 15-day weight loss program and your primary traffic source is TikTok, most of your visitors will likely access your page via mobile devices.

Now, imagine if your opt-in page isn’t optimized for mobile. You’d risk losing potential leads.

Optimizing your opt-in page for mobile devices is critical, especially since most traffic today originates from mobile. By understanding your primary traffic source, you can make the necessary optimizations to ensure a seamless user experience.

To collect contact details from your leads, you must offer a lead magnet that is valuable and relevant to your audience.

What happens if your lead magnet isn’t good enough or doesn’t resonate with your audience? They simply won’t give you their email address.

Avoid creating generic lead magnets that people can easily find with a quick Google search or on YouTube. Your lead magnet should offer real value and make your audience think, “This is worth it!”

Invest time in creating a killer lead magnet because it’s the driving force behind a high-converting opt-in page.

When building your opt-in page, ensure it includes these 5 key elements:

✔️ A headline with a bold promise that grabs attention.

✔️ A subheadline that restates your offer and explains what they’ll receive.

✔️ Short, punchy bullet points detailing how your content will benefit the prospect.

✔️ A visual representation of what they’ll get (e.g., eBook cover, checklist preview).

✔️ A basic form where visitors can enter their name and email address, along with a clear call-to-action (CTA).

Now, let’s talk about each point in detail.

When someone visits your opt-in page, the very first thing they’ll read is your headline. It needs to grab their attention and promise something specific.

Keep it simple. Focus on solving one specific pain point for your prospect. Your headline should address your audience’s exact needs and offer the right solution to their problem.

Your prospects likely come across countless websites every day. If your opt-in page doesn’t stand out, it will just seem like another random guru shouting to sell something.

This is why your headline needs to have the superpower to stop visitors from leaving and entice them to read further about what you’re offering.

Here are some proven headline formulas from the book Sell Like Crazy by Sabri Suby:

Finally! How to Get [DESIRED RESULT] Without [THING THEY FEAR MOST] in [SPECIFIC TIME FRAME] Guaranteed.

[PROBLEM]? Get My [SOLUTION] and [RESULT].

If you’re struggling to come up with a good headline, here’s a simple hack: add the word ‘GUARANTEED’ at the end to boost its appeal.

The subheadline’s role is simple: to restate your offer and clearly explain what the prospect will receive with it.

Example:

The exact viral TikTok video templates we used to achieve 10M views in 7 days with a brand-new account.

It should also explain the next steps the prospect needs to take to get the offer.

Example:

Simply enter your email address below, and we’ll send the drive folder directly to your inbox.

Bullet points are an excellent way to summarize teaser information, intrigue readers, and highlight benefits.

The most important factor that influences the effectiveness of your bullet points? CURIOSITY.

Here are some proven bullet point formulas mentioned in the Sell Like Crazy book:

[How to X without Y]

How to get washboard abs without doing a single sit-up.

[You need X, right? Wrong!]

Drinking 3 liters of water a day is healthy, right? WRONG!

Discover the #1 thing you can do to stay hydrated 20 minutes longer than drinking water.

[X ways to Y]

5 ways to meet single women in NY.

[Where to find Y]

Where to find the most ravenous, hyperactive buyers online.

[How to eliminate X]

How to stop joint pain forever.

[What you should never do]

What you should never do when trying to win over a prospect.

[Say goodbye to X (frustration)]

Say goodbye to calorie counting and hour-long cardio sessions.

[The truth about Y]

The dirty truth about fish oil is revealed.

[Have you been doing X wrong? (And does it really matter?)]

Have you been boiling your eggs in the wrong pot? (And does it really matter?)

It’s not enough to just tell your prospects what they’ll receive—you need to show them to make it more appealing and valuable.

Just like online shoppers hesitate to buy something without seeing high-quality product images, your prospects may hesitate to provide their contact details without seeing a visual representation of what they’re getting.

How can you do this?

✔️ If it’s a free report or eBook, create a physical book or brochure mock-up.

✔️ Use free tools like Canva or DIYBookCovers to design a professional-looking mock-up.

Visuals add credibility and help prospects visualize the value of your offer, increasing the chances they’ll opt in.

There’s an important point to emphasize here:

“Don’t ask them, tell them.”

Instead of asking them to do something, tell them exactly where to input their contact details to receive the content you’re offering in exchange.

Another critical tip is to minimize the amount of information you request.

“The less information you ask for, the higher your conversion rate will be.”

My recommendation: Simply ask for their name and email address.

To start the conversation, these details are sufficient. With email automation, you can gradually gather additional information over time.

Opt-in pages are one of the best methods for generating leads. If you see a pop-up or a form requesting your name and email address in exchange for something valuable, that is an opt-in page.

Many people struggle with lead generation because they create their opt-in pages incorrectly. This article presents a proven five-step strategy to design a high-converting opt-in page.

The steps include:

✔️ Creating an attention-grabbing headline

✔️ Writing a supportive subheadline

✔️ Using short and punchy bullet points

✔️ Adding a visual representation of what people will receive

✔️ Designing a simple lead form

Beyond these elements, ensure you use the right colors, a mobile-optimized design, easy-to-read content, a sense of urgency, and an intriguing approach to increase your chances of generating leads.