When you build a relationship with your list and you can help them solve their concerns, challenges and/or problems.  When you do this freely of your own will, the people on your list will share what they have done to improve their online business and you’ll be surprised at the new techniques and strategies that the people on your list give to you, that you had no idea about.

Your relationship with your list will lead them to give you constructive criticism, that you can chose to implement to make your business online more efficient, while at the same time grow your audience.  You list will tell you what they want, what they need and any other special challenges related to the industry or niche that their doing business in.  When you help as many people as you can achieve what they’re seeking to accomplish, you will find over the long run, that you’ll be able to get what you want, simply because you’ve helped so many.  It’s the proverbial, “win-win” situation for everyone involved!

Before you begin setting up for your list, you need to ask yourself, “What is your list going to be about?”  You need to be able to answer this question, “what is the topic of your list?”  It’s generally this question that gives many people pause, because they have difficult time deciding what their answer should be.  Here’s how to come up with the best answer to the question for you.  I almost always differ to what I’m passionate about first and foremost.  I believe if you aren’t passionate about what you’re doing, don’t do it!

Being passionate will carry you very far online, and if you combine that passion with the proper mindset, you will develop a fertile mind that is willing to learn new things and committed to seeing your goals are reached.  You need to enthusiastic about what you’re doing, because what you do and how you do it, is revealed in your content that you share with the people on your list.

What you want to do is to put on paper as many topics that you’re interested in and wouldn’t mind doing if you were a Powerball Lottery winner and money was no objective.  Your topics could be about anything that you like to do, it doesn’t have to be about making money online or anything like that, it could be about swimming, skiing, etc.  Now what you want to do is to write down about 10 or more things that you’re passionate about.  Your next list of 10 or more things that you are going to put down on paper relates to problems, concerns or challenges that you feel people need help with.

If, you’re concerned about time or having a tough time coming up with 10 or more things that you’re passionate about or having difficulty coming up with 10 or more problems or challenges, you think people need help with, then just do 5 for each.  Five things you’re passionate about or enjoy doing and 5 problems or challenges you feel people need help with.

Here is my list of things that I’m passionate about as an example.

Teaching my children other languages.

Living in China.

Learning the Chinese language

Living in a foreign country

Funding my overseas stay.

Making Money Online

Working From Anywhere In The world.

Swimming

Fishing

Poetry

What I will do now with the list of things that I’m passionate about is to narrow it down to things in which I believe people have concerns, challenges or problems with as it relates to the things on my list.  You will do the same for your list after write down the things that you’re interested in or know something about.

Here is an example of what I think people are concerned, challenged or having problems with as it relates to the list example above.

Things I’m Passionate About:                Concerns, Challenges or Problems People Have:

Teaching my children other languages.       Getting Authentic Native Speakers of Chinese

Living in China.                                           Overcoming Culture Shock

Learning the Chinese language.                   Finding a residence course or day course.

Living in a foreign country.                         Getting the necessary visas.

Funding my overseas stay.                           Creating residual or passive income.

Making Money Online.                                 Joining a legitimate online business.

Working From Anywhere In The world.      Find a Reputable opportunity that pays.

Swimming                                                     Getting in shape for water sports.

Fishing                                                           Ensuring that the water isn’t polluted.

Poetry                                                             Publishing & monetizing the poems.

On the left-hand side of the page, I have listed the things that I am passionate about and on the right-hand side of the page; I have listed the concerns, challenges or problems that the things I’m passionate about presents.  The key here is in finding the perfect niche in which to get into and develop is finding out if there is demand for what you wish to do.

In order to see if what you want to do has any market demand, just go to Google or your favorite search engine and type into the search box, each word or phrase that represents what you wouldn’t mind doing, one-by-one and look at the search returns.  Also, pay particular attention as to whether or not there is advertising support for your word or phrase by looking at the right-column, these are “sponsored listings,” if you’re using Google search engine.

If, you see eight “sponsored listings” in the right column of the search return page, there is tremendous advertising support for the word or phrase that you are searching for.  What advertiser support means is that companies are willing to spend money advertising their products and if you decide to do that niche, you will be able to become an affiliate to promote and help sell that company’s products.  If, there are no “sponsored listings” in the right-column of the search return page, you may have some difficulty locating companies to join as an affiliate to associate products and services with that particular word or phrase.

Research online shows that the more specific your niche is the higher your conversion rate is likely to be.  The more focus your list is, the more specific the needs of that particular niche.  There are specific needs that each one of the things that you’re passionate about has that you can provide a solution for.  When you list the concerns, challenges or problems of each one of the things that you enjoy so much, come up with a common problem or challenge and use your favorite search engine to see how competitive it is and whether or not there is advertiser support for it.

Do you want to know how profitable your particular niche is going to be?  Go to the Google and put within the search box your keyword for your niche and look at the Google search returns.

For example, the top five things that I’m passionate about are teaching my children one or more of the dominant languages spoken in the world, such as “Chinese.”  It’s something that I like learning about and speaking with my children.  Within my list of things that I’m passionate about is “Chinese language training.”  Using Google search engine, the search returns for “Chinese,” returns over 576 million pages, which is an incredibly competitive keyword to compete with, but could be potentially profitable because of the strong interest indicated by the number of pages online.

Google search returns for “Chinese Language,” returns 103 million pages, which is still way too many pages to compete against.  Next, I try another word phrase from my list of favorite things that I enjoy so much, this time using “Chinese Language Training,” which returns 4.7 million pages.  Competing against 4.7 million pages seems a whole lot better than competing against the 576 million pages the word, “Chinese” returned.

If, I went and put “Chinese Language training online,” Google search results returns about 1.9 million pages and just two “sponsored listings,” proving that this would be a less competitive word phrase and the advertiser support is there, but I may have some problems locating enough advertisers for the site that I set up for it.  The same is true, if, I used the word phrase “Chinese Language training overseas,” Google returns 191,000 pages and a total of two “sponsored listings.”  Once again, if I chose this niche, which is really a sub-niche, because it is specific and then even more focus on one aspect of that specialty phrase.

In this case, it’s not just about “Chinese language,” but it’s about “Chinese language” as it relates to “training” and that “training” is specific, because it has to be “overseas,” presumably, in China or another Chinese speaking country like, Hong Kong, Singapore or Taiwan.  So, you may have less competition with a sub-niche, but there may not be much advertiser support for it and that could have you scrounging for ways to monetize your sub-niche.  Sub-niches are good for conversions, but you will need to be sure that you have a way to monetize it.

You need to set-up a landing page and to set-up an e-mail Autoresponder.  So, that we can test our niche in the real world, so I’m going to use the word phrase from the list of things I’m passionate about, “Chinese language training overseas” for my landing page. You’re going to need to create a name that will generate interest to someone who sees your list online.  You want people to be curious enough after reading your list name to take action, whatever that action is, such as signing up for your offer for a free e-book or something.

You can put the word” Tips,” “Strategies,” “Techniques,” “Advice” or “Secrets” at the end of whatever word or phrase you choose from your list of things that you are passionate about to come up with a name for your list.  Since I am using the word phrase, “Chinese language training overseas,” a sub-niche phrase of “Chinese language training,” my list will be called “Chinese Language Training Overseas Secrets.”  Now the name of my list has a rather alluring and mystical tone to it that I hope will encourage someone online to click on it and subscribe to it.

Now that you have a name for your list, think about what you are offering for free and if not for free to get subscribers, then think of a product that you can offering, preferably free, because you don’t want to try to sell something, when you haven’t built a relationship with the prospect yet.  Remember people tend to buy from people that they trust, are comfortable with and if you have a relationship with someone and have given them valuable and practical information in the past, they’re more apt to purchase from you at some point in the relationship.