This week I’ve been building the landing page for my new 12-week challenge, which goes live on October 9th.

Since I’ve been busy building my own sign-up page, I thought I’d share my tips for making them effective.

Start with a strong headline

You’ll want to grab your readers’ attention straight away, so pay attention to the headline. There are a few ways to do this. For example, you can ask a question, highlight a problem, or promise an outcome.

For my challenge, I used a headline that promises an outcome: Build a Business That Makes You Happy.

I followed this up with: Make good money doing work you love for people you like.

Use images

Images of people evoke emotion and build human connection. I used an image of myself in the header (plus a couple later on to break up the text). Since I’m the person running the challenge, it makes sense for people to see me.

You can also use images of the lead magnet (this works well for books) or images of people using the product.

Focus on a single goal (remove links and menus)

I’ve built my landing page on my website, but I’ve removed the navigation menu, and there are no links to other pages.

The page has a single purpose: get people to sign up to my 12-week challenge. I don’t want people to get distracted by my other products and services or to accidentally click away from the page.

Focusing on one single goal (and only giving people one action to take) improves conversions.

Identify a problem or need

I’ve identified a handful of problems that my ideal audience might be experiencing or outcomes they might want to achieve. This lets them know my challenge is right for them.

Think about who would benefit from your lead magnet. What problems would it help them solve? What outcomes would it help them achieve?

You want your readers to feel as though you understand them and can relate to them. This helps build trust.

Keep copy concise and make your page skimmable

People are busy, and they want information quickly, so keep your copy concise and to the point.

Break text up with subheadings and use bullet points.

Make sign-up forms simple

The easier it is to take action, the more likely it is that people will do it. Don’t make your sign-up forms too complicated. If all you need is an email address, then only ask for an email address. I’ve decided to ask for first names too, so I can personalise emails. But I don’t need surnames, business details or anything else, so I’m not asking for it.

Establish credibility

The best way to demonstrate credibility is to add social proof (customer reviews and feedback). As this is my first time running the challenge, I don’t have any feedback yet, so I’ve added a short about section. It mentions my book and the fact that I’ve been in business since 2014, which (hopefully) tells people I have experience.

It also lets people know that I had similar challenges to those they might be experiencing now, and I was able to overcome them. This shows I am bringing first-hand experience to the table, not just guesswork. I know how to help because I went through it myself.

Test different CTAs

Your call to action (CTA) is important. And even a single word change can make a huge difference. You don’t want to have too many different CTAs on one page as it can get confusing, but you can test different CTAs on your social posts and ads. You can even change the CTAs on your landing page if you aren’t seeing good conversion rates.

I’ve used two CTAs on my page. One is a simple “sign me up” and the other is “start building a business that makes you happy.” I built the subscribe forms in Beehiiv, so I can see exactly which one gets used more.

Make it mobile-friendly

When you’re building a landing page (or any webpage), don’t forget to optimise it for desktop and mobile. I added a countdown timer to my page to show how long is left until the challenge goes live. Unfortunately, it didn’t format correctly for mobile viewing, so I had to remove it from the mobile version of the page.

I’m also having a few issues with my subscribe forms. They work fine on desktop, but aren’t working on some mobile browsers (Safari and Edge seem to work fine, but Chrome and Samsung Internet do not). I’m trying to resolve this issue, but if you do sign up for the challenge and don’t get redirected to a “Challenge Accepted” page, then it hasn’t worked. Try a different browser (or email me [email protected] and I’ll register you manually).

Redirect to a thank you page after sign up

Not everyone does this, but you’re missing a trick if you don’t. Once someone has subscribed to your newsletter or lead magnet, redirect them to a thank-you page. They are clearly interested in what you have to say because they’ve just signed up to hear more from you, so it’s the perfect time to give them a little more information about you, your products or your services.

On my thank you page, I’ve mentioned (and linked to) my blogs and newsletters. There are also short blurbs about my book and 90-minute consultations. Nothing too pushy - just letting subscribers know what else I offer.

Since I’ve been using my 12-week challenge page as an example, it would be silly of me not to offer you the chance to sign up. You can check out my full landing page here or simply subscribe using the link below.

Every week, you'll get an email with a short video and a task. The tasks are designed so you can add to them throughout the week (and even longer if needed). You don't have to send the completed tasks to me, but if you want some accountability, you can.

Every four weeks, I'll also be hosting a live call where I'll be answering questions and helping you get the most out of the 12 weeks. You can also email me at any time during the twelve weeks if you get stuck with any of the tasks and need a bit of a nudge in the right direction.

By the end of the 12 weeks, you will:

And if you complete the entire challenge, there will be a bonus for you at the end.

If you’d like to receive my weekly email updates and monthly results, hit subscribe, and I’ll be in your inbox every Friday.

P.S. I also have a free 14-day email course to help you improve your sales copy and marketing content. You can find out more and sign up here.