When it comes to building a subscriber base, a little bit of money goes a long way. Most paid list-building methods are relatively inexpensive, and if used properly will more than pay for themselves in a short period of time.

For every paid method of obtaining subscribers, you will need your complete site URL and a brief (one- to three-sentence) description of your site. Word your description the same way you would in your autoresponder messages: make it short, to the point, and compelling. You will also need a list of keywords you want people to be able to find your site with through search engines.

Some popular paid list-building techniques are:

PPC (Pay-Per-Click) Campaigns

Pay-per-click ad campaigns bring visitors to your landing page by advertising your site on strategic points on the front search results page of keywords related to your topic. The term "pay-per-click" refers to the way you pay for the ads: a certain amount is deducted from your account the money you put in to fund the campaign each time someone clicks on your link. The most popular PPC program is Google AdWords; basically, though, all PPC campaigns work the same way.

Here is how it works: when you sign up with AdWords, you submit a list of keywords and product descriptions. For example, if you were offering an e-book about how to increase web site profits, a list of your keywords might be: website, web site, web site profits, increase profits, internet, internet profit, online profit, online business, internet business, web site business, make money online, and so forth. Come up with as many keywords and search terms as possible so you can increase your chances of getting visitors. You may also consider including common misspellings of your most important keywords. In the previous example, possibilities would be: bizness, busness, inernet.
NOTE: You can use Google's free keyword tool to generate even more related search terms for your topic.

AdWords ads appear on the right-hand side of Google's search result pages in shaded boxes. The ads consist of four lines: the first line is the title of your ad, the last is the URL of your site, and the two middle lines are descriptive text. Length is limited 25 characters for the title, and 35 characters each for descriptive text so you should choose your wording carefully. Also, you can not use excessive punctuation (Make Lots of Cash!!!), gimmicky repetition (Money, Money, Money!), or inappropriate symbols/abbreviations (Big Bux @ my site 4 U).

AdWords operates on a pay-per-click basis. This means you pay nothing for your ads unless someone clicks on them. When you set up an AdWords account, you assign a monetary value to your keywords according to how much you are willing to pay for each click on your search terms. The minimum value you can assign to a keyword is 1 cent. You can start an account with $5, and you will never be required to put more in. However, if you find your web site traffic increasing, you may want to consider adding to your advertising budget. In addition to the minimum, you will set a maximum cost-per-click (CPC) value for your keywords. But even if you reach the maximum, the AdWords program automatically determines the lowest price you need to keep your ranking.

Yahoo! also offers a popular PPC program called Yahoo! Search Marketing (formerly Overture). The major difference between the Yahoo and the Google programs is that Yahoo requires a minimum monthly spend of $50. You may find one more effective than the other. It is always helpful to try multiple methods. More visitors means more sales!