I’ve been sharing why ad swapping is a good way to grow your list, but no matter who you approach, you must remember smart business people will always ask, “What’s in it for me?”

After all, they’re in business to make money so that will be the underlying question.  When you approach your potential ad swap partner, make sure you talk about the benefits THEY will receive from this agreement.

Deciding when to do your ad swap for list building really depends on a few variables, namely your schedule and your partner’s schedule. For instance, if either you or your partner is launching a new product, all your energy and focus will be on the launch, not on an ad swap which could easily get lost in the shuffle. Choose a slower time period when you both can put some thought into your ad copy and craft a solid promotional email to send to your list.

Research your market to determine a season or month when they are most receptive to new offers. Most people are extremely busy during the Thanksgiving to Christmas holiday season so new offers might get ignored. But have you thought about what your target market is doing in January to fight the holiday blues? Maybe that would be a good time to do an ad swap to grow your list, when your market wants something new and exciting to read.

If you’re timing your list building ad swap with a season or event, make sure your freebie that you’re giving away as a “thank you for signing up for my newsletter” gift is relevant to the season. If you’re trying to reach moms of school-aged children and your ad swap is near the end of the school year, a special report about doing things with your kids during the summer would be extremely relevant and would entice those moms to sign up for your newsletter.

Successful ad swaps are those where the ad swapping partners have done their research. Find out about your ad swap partner, how big is their list, who is their target market, how long have they been in business. Just because an ad swap is free doesn’t mean it’s OK to waste your time and if you send out an ad to someone’s list without doing your homework, then you might be reaching hundreds of thousands of names but your opt-in conversion rate for the ad will be very low.

Want more ideas to grow your list, check out my free ecourse on list building at http://DiscoverEasyListBuilding.com