How many emails?
So I’m starting to use Safelists now. I wouldn’t quite say I got them down yet, but I think I got the gist of it. Very much like a traffic exchange.
The biggest concern I had before using them was the amount of emails. I had no idea how many I’d get. And I thought it would be overwhelming.
It is.
So how many emails do you get? Well here are the ones I’ve tracked. All stats are based on the last 4.5 days.
- AdTactics: 1,264 Emails
- EliteSafelist: 634 Emails
- FreeSafeListMailer: 1355 Emails
- ListBuildingMaximizer: 32 Emails
- ReactiveAdz: 18 Emails
I was doing good the first 2 days, clicking *every* claim link. But since I take Sundays off, and didn’t get to be on Saturday much, well I’m a bit overwhelmed with the inbox now =P
Originally I thought that people would click every email link because you get credits with them. You want the most credits right? So rather than spend time writing a decent email and subject line, I focused on where they went when they clicked.
Thinking about it now, subject lines must come into play here. There’s no way you can click them all in every safelist. So either you join one and do them all, or you have to pick & choose. So I’m going to re-think my strategy.
Overall with the safelists I’ve used I received 431 hits, and 5 subscribers to my blog. So not bad. Those are 5 people I wouldn’t have found elsewhere most likely. I just need to up my game a bit!
Hi Tim I have been using safe lists for a while now and I am currently using 30 plus lists. I get thousands and thousands of emails and your are right you must pick the one’s you want to read there is no way possible to read them all. I look for subject lines that intrest me. Since I already have a program that I promote I look for advertising that I can use. The credit mailers are easy to use when you get a multy submitter. I also use the auto send campaigns to get my messages out.
Hi Tim.
I’m glad to see you using some safelists. I’ve been getting sales from safelists for years now. They really work :-) You are so right about the “supject line”. That is so important, because it’s nearly impossible to click every link. I even use safelists (in addition) that aren’t credit based and still get many clicks to my ads.
When you are ready you should do a search on Google for “adopt a safelist” or “safelist adoption”. As the admin you can send contact solo ads through the admin panel. Plus there is no upkeep or script work involved. Just a thought :-)
Take care,
Paula (also in Mount Vernon)
Interesting – I’d never adopt one though =P I have thought about creating one..
i’m completely burned out on clicking for credits on safelist.
even with only clicking on subject lines that might get me some advertising it just not worth all the emails that pour in all day long and my inboxes are full every morning when i LOGIN.
i’m seriously thinking about going back too surfing TE’s especially startexchange and traffic-splash etc..with a whole lot less hassel.
lol …
I joined way too many of these lists. I currently have 45954 emails sitting in the folder I created in Gmail. That is how many unread safelist emails that I have since Oct 6.
I use gmail rules to organize them.
Hi, Tim, you get loads o emails, of course, I do label them (if you have gmail it is an easy one-click task) and label the SOLOS separately…
There’s a danger that there are some people like me who after getting enough credits delete the rest… (am I being too honest here?)
At some safelists it is possible to read only the SOLOs and still get enough credits to post….
If you work out your latest strategy please share…. Laura
Hi Tim :)
Yep, you can’t click every email or you wouldn’t get anything else done.
Simple solution: Use filters in GMail/GApps for list mails, so you only see the mails with interesting subjects ;) For example filter “randomizer” etc. out, all the stuff you defo don’t want anyway.
Have a great week Tim :)
Regards,
~ Robby
Your results are Good Tim. I also use a few quality Safelists.
Not a Submitter.
Change the headline for the post for each Safelist…
Better results.
Adding to lists is always a Good thing.
I have found some of the lists more responsive to my style than others
Nice tip ;-)
I recommend a gmail account for just your safelists email…. Sort them with labels and your good to go… Yes no way to click on them all, so subjects lines are key….
Very interesting research!
I hear people singing the praises of safelists all the time.
Five signups in five days should mean something – no sure how
much time you put into clicking.
Tried some years ago and freaked-out when I saw the bulk of
messages in my email boxes. So I never use them anymore.
I just assumed most people use their off-shore boxes like I
did, and never set eyes on those messages after the first week.
But you did what is required for any campaign – track your results.
Thanks for doing that Voodoo you do so well!
Between 2001 – 2004, I was not only a safelist user, but an owner. I ran 10 safelists. I also invested in two submitters: iPostAd and “The Subber.”
I tracked my results (as a user), and they were pitiful. As an owner, however, I did make some money, though not enough over time to justify continuing to pay to own the lists.
I don’t relish bursting anyone’s bubble, but based on my results, safelists are NOT worth anyone’s time and expense. The time you are spending “working the lists” can be much better spent doing the things that actually improve your net presence to “targeted markets.”
The problem, as I discovered, is that safelists, credit-based advertising and TE’s are filled to the brim with sellers. People don’t join safelists, etc. to find things to buy.
I’ve been doing better the last couple of years by switching to activities like blogging, article marketing and social networking.
Just my opinion. Your results may vary :-)
Great post Stephen, I do traffic exchange, email exchange and social networking. I have done some blogging but for that to be effective you have to be consistent and I have not been. I have not done the article marketing but know of it’s value. I am veryt much part time at this and much of what I do is for the pleasure and gratification that I get by the competition. I have made it to the number one position in the world on one of the traffic exchanges (notStartXchange). I do like what Tim is doing. Ken
Hi Tim,
I usually just click the Contact (solo ads) emails as they earn you more credits than the List emails. Less clicking that way. I do , however, look at the list emails and sometimes click a few if they have an interesting subject line or some text within that I might be able to use for my posts. :)
Randy Ritter
Hi Tim,
Most people who use safelists regularly, set up two gmail addresses for contact and list addressess and only click on the solo emails in the contact list, as they give far more points.
I have found safelists effective for only certain things like traffic programs, downline builders and lead generation programs, rather than biz opps which everybody already has. (Rather like TEs in that respect!)
Mary
Indeed. I’ll first mention this: If someone only needs 9500 credits every 3-4 days because that’s how often he/she will send out a message. then that is all the emails said person will read. People are lazy creatures in general.
Of course, said person will only read the Emails that have subject lines that pull their attention.
Admittedly, there are some Safelists that give out WAY too few credits(I think GOT Safelist is an example, their Solo ads are worth alot though). Likewise, some give too much, and thus no real reason to read lots of Emails.
Even then, people often use lots of tabs for the emails just to get the credits off of them. So in essence, it’s much like a TE in the part that you only have like 2-4 seconds to grab their attention and stop them from moving away from your page.
And just like Traffic Exchanges, Safelists are NOT a place to promote your standard Affiliate Pages.
If you using a program like Clickbank Pirate, you MUST create a short Splash page that basically presells whichever part of CB Pirate you decide to promote. If you don’t, those in TEs and Safelists will likely ignore you and you’ll never get anywhere with CB Pirate.
Kind Regards,
Jeric Lee(NeoJeric)
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I’ve been using safelists for a few years and must say it works. Results are in my opinion even better then most TE’s.
I do use filters to seperate the mails that contain valuable credits for a few safelists that I prefer.
Also advertising my TE links in safelists does work pretty good. Lately I see more TE admins advertising their TE’s in safelists. There must be a reason for that.
I prefer to use credits based safelists that allow their free members to send HTML ads. In fact I do use some of the splash pages I created and simply paste the HTML code. These are pretty effective!
When sending in safelists I always open several tabs and open a safelist in each of them and log in all at once. Then I simply paste my subjects and messages and send them out in one time. This way the work is minimized and it is just about 10 to 20 minutes to have reached ten thousands of mailboxes at once.
I confirm: subject is key for success in safelists.
Hi Tim,
You’ll get a lot of emails and they will back up sooner or later. The best thing to do is just break up the emails in gmail and click on solo ads first and then the credit email links. Solo ads give you more credits so hit them first. I usually just visit enough links to mail out once per day.
Regards,
Chris
I use many safelist and receive many many emails each day. I credited several gmails for the safelist and then created folder within those emails. Some safelist don’t have credits so those go to one folder and get deleted without reading. The others go to a different email or folder which I have gotten into the habit each morning for two hours I click through them for the credits, especially those that I have upgraded. I also use several blast out services where they go out daily without me having to do anything.
All the best – pratbirdman
Randy has it right. contact e-mails are best. They share my account for ad exchanges because I spend 90% of my credit collecting in that account.
I only go into my list account to top them up when it is time to mail.
I go in looking for one safelist or maybe two.
I delete all the others until I have a page full of the ones I want. Then just click on the lot until I have enough credits.
You can start from scratch this way and have enough for a solo in half an hour.
Elite do not send anything but true contact e-mails to your contact address so this method works well for them. It’s amazing how quickly you can get just the right amount.
If more than one mailing is due just repeat. There are so many you are never short.
Reactive ads are in a class all of their own. They go into my contact account along with my ad exchanges.
I don’t know why but Reactive Ads seem to stand out and I can usually find them all. Perhaps it is because I join in the first ten people and I have an affection for it. It is not a safe list or a down line builder nor an ad exchange it is a mixture of the best bits of them all.
My list account has about 3000 e-mails a day and my contact/ad exchange gets 6 to 7000 a day.
I chose my ads by the value of their credits or click on them until I have enough. It seems to work for speed of collecting.
99% have useless titles and are badly written. I rarely read them it just takes more time. Why waste time reading them all. The best places to get new free advertising is traffic links in ad exchanges and TEs.
Hi Tim!
I have certain requirements for the safelists I join.
I like a limit on the number of daily e-mails that are sent out. That way there is more chance of a member opening your e-mail.
I want bonuses, cash, free ads, and whatever other incentives the owners come up with.
If a safelist hasn’t resulted in any signups after 5 mailings, then I get rid of them.
If a safelist is really responsive, then I upgrade, which sometimes happily means you no longer have to click on e-mails for credits. (Unfortunately I’ve missed some fab OTOs because I don’t like to pay before I know it is a good safelist)
My list has been narrowed down now to just 4 responsive lists. But it has taken a long time to test and assess lots of safelists. So far I have been reluctant to add more because of the time it takes to test and assess.
And just to reconfirm, yep, subject lines are key!
Looking forward to hearing your results, Tim.
Lynne
I like in house/on site ad reading for my safelists. 20,000 members or a free worthwile upgrade in the new ones. I love it when I can store my ads on site. Get in,read enough to post,post and leave them.
If I was poor, I would just upgrade in one list.95,000 members http://businessworldlist.com/members/index.cgi?foxybird I do 10 ads 4 times a day and get 3-5 signups per DAY.I do not lie. My blogs,websites and biz are advertised in 5 safelists.
Ohhhhh, your story brought back memories of when I first started and the amount that I received and I also tried to keep up with them.
Like most here, I also just pick the ones with catchy subject lines and do not click on any with the same subject lines that I have already clicked on – so changing is very important.
Also, I am one that know they do work – and it’s just like any form of advertising – it’s work.
Great subject again – keep up the nice job Tim.
I used to own a Safelist, but being non credit based, it was a waste of time and money.
I have used safelists for a number of years and while there is some success in numbers – that is, blasting emails to thousands of people via submitters, the open rate is very low.
Credit based safelists are the best in my view. Join a limited number and test them for results.
Always use two different email addresses. One for contact and one for list emails. Check the safelist that you are interested in signing up to, as many ban certain email addresses.
When sending emails the heading is VERY important. ALSO – keep your content short, attractive and above the fold. My reasons for saying this are below and relate to credit based safelists.
If you receive solo ads/emails, always open them. These will arrive at your contact email address and will give you more credits than those received at your list address.
Skim through the emails sent to your list address and when you find a heading that appeals to you, open the email. NOW this is why I mentioned above about keeping things short and above the fold:-
If your email is short and snappy, it is likely to be read before the reader clicks on the ‘get credits link’ and moves on. If you have written the equivalent of “War and Peace”, with a multitude of paragraphs, then the reader will simply not read it and scroll to the ‘get credits’ link.
So, in sum – use credit based safelists. Always open the emails sent to your contact address and when sending emails us an attention grabbing headline and a short three to five line email.
Regards,
Jeff Henshaw.
You are all talking abut creating and setting up special e-mail accounts to receive safelist (TE, Ad Co-Op, etc.) mails so that you can earn credits for “untargeted traffic.”
There’s a big difference between “hits” and “visitors” to any website. If “hits” is all you want, you got it.
“Hits” are people just visiting for the allotted time to get return hits. That is all safelists (etc.) get you, or promise to get you.
It’s all about advertisers advertising to advertisers, NOT about sellers advertising to targeted buyers.
Re: Setting up Gmail filters – also tick the box beside “Skip the Inbox” (or something like that). If you have only one Gmail account, and you use it for all your safelists and a few other programs that demand a Gmail account, by “skipping the Inbox” for your safelist mail, your Inbox will show you only the “assorted” other mail you might be receiving. Then you can click on the label name of the safelist mail you want to access, after you’ve looked over your other mail.
Hint: ListVolta does two neat things – First, the “click for credit” links are at the top – you don’t even have to scroll through the email message to go to the credit window. Second – look at the gray area to the right of the bold subject line and you’ll see exactly how many credits the message is worth. Messages from free members are worth 20 NOKs; messages from upgraded members are worth much more. If you’re pressed for time, pick only the ones with points showing. This is great for the “clicker” but not so great for the advertiser. With so many, many messages every day to choose from, who’s reading those from free members? So, here’s a list where it’s even more important to upgrade.
Re: Lists with no credit links (such as ListBandit, ViralURL) – why on earth would anybody read the messages? I hang in there because these are included in so many downline builders, but I don’t seem to be building a downline in any of the downline builders, so I’m questioning the value of safelists altogether, and most particularly the “non-credit” ones.
As with any kind of advertising, there’s definitely an art to it. Join and mail just won’t get it. You really have to learn what to advertise in safelists, what kind of messages to use, and what sort of landing page to send visitors to. Being absolutely FIRST to mail to the lists with a new TE or Safelist or program that really has something going for it will bring some signups from those who like to jump on board fast (but those folks usually have an “inside track” and join from links from people that they know rather than a “faceless” safelist message or landing page).
Re: Stephen (above) who notes the difference between hits and visitors – he’s right; your hit count will go up, which may or may not have some impact on an Alexa ranking, but if you’re promoting an affiliate URL, that’s not going to do you much good anyway. Again, it’s important to learn what is best promoted in safelists. Traffic from TEs and safelists is not highly regarded by many, including Google and vendors who are looking at your stats to approve or disapprove you as a publisher.
Re: expiring links. I’ve learned that “solos” in some ad exchanges expire more quickly than “super solos” or “sonic solos” (or other fancy name indicating a higher value).
Question: If we’re all learning the tricks of getting credits without reading or responding to messages, what’s the point? I haven’t done nearly the tracking Tim has done, but I am really beginning to question the ROI on the amount of time and energy (and it some cases, money) I am devoting to safelists. At first the new-format ad exchanges were appealing because of the additional flexibility a member has in advertising (formatted messages, graphics in messages, the 600×300 “standard” graphic ad format, etc.), but I question how many members actually log in regularly to their accounts and do much of anything more than send messages. How many are viewing the messages of others within the members’ area?
And at some safelists (ad exchanges, downline builders, etc.), you have so few choices at the free level re: spending your credits that your ability to advertise is severely limited.
I think the jury is still out on the overall value of safelists, unless you’re already making a ton of money and you can outsource the maintenance and operation of your safelist advertising.
Sorry for the above; it went in the wrong place. Supposed to be a comment to “Deleting Old Safelist Emails”
Hi Tim.
I agree with Karen Taylor and with many of your subscribers, my opinion is why boring with 2 gmail accounts, you can`t open them in the same time, is a better idea to using one and organize with filters and labels. Who have a domain is knowing Safelists are good not only for credits, they are a good traffic source when peoples are clicking on our ads and it is a helping tool to can be a “friend” with Google and other search engines.
Regards
Andy
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Hi, We use safe lists but like everybody else find the daily emails too many to cope with. We only use credit based lists.
Have been a member of List Joe a long time. This is not a safelist and you can regulate how many emails you receive a day. I am only a free member and send out a mailing to other members once a week. This works.
Recently joined Got Safelist and did open all emails at first but now get well over 100 a day. Only open a few now.
Have just gone back to surfing a little each day.
I swear this is not an intentional plug (promise!), but I was having a terrible time juggling safelists for the last couple of years and Jerry Iannucci’s Safelist Marketing Tactics REALLY helped me get it all organized into something I could deal with. There are some awesome tips in SMT. If you already have a copy of it (I feel sure you do), sit down with it for an hour and so. You’ll likely find at least one thing, if not many more, that will help!