Getting people to sign up for emails makes you feel good, so give them a good deal and get them signing up!
Email newsletter subscribers are valuable soft leads who can become customers or clients one day if treated gently. Therefore, today I am bringing you 27 brilliant ways to boost your newsletter subscribers! Can you feel your inbox filling up? Here we go.
1. Boost the incentives to the hilt.
DMA statistics show that 60% of users sign up for email newsletters to receive offers and sales. So put your best foot forward and push hard. Here are a few incentives that might entice people to sign up:
- Subscribe to receive the latest marketing insights straight to your inbox.
- Receive exclusive coupons and deals for local restaurants by subscribing to our dining newsletter.
2. Make yourself likable
According to the same DMCA report, 40% of respondents sign up for your newsletter because they like your brand. Don a smile and charm the pants off your visitors!
3. Replace the link to the signup page with an embedded data capture form.
Clicking the link to your signup page means clicking away from the main website, entering personal information, and confirming.
As you increase the number of steps, you decrease your chances of getting new signups. Instead, consider putting the data collection form directly on your page, whether in a sidebar, header, or footer.
4. Promote your brand with a contest, giveaway, or sweepstakes.
Ask contest participants to sign up for email updates.
5. Make your signup form as short as possible.
Your signup form should be as short as possible
Very short. Asking for an email address might suffice.
6. The comment box should include the option to sign up for newsletters.
Most commenting sections require users to enter their email addresses to leave a comment (mainly to prevent spam).
While they are already entering their email address, why not add a "sign up for our newsletter" checkbox next to it?
It is an excellent idea to add a subscriber checkbox to any place where users are already entering their email addresses.
7. Consider where to place the signup form.
Almost all marketers place their newsletter subscription forms in a few places. These options may work, but the optimal placement of signups varies by industry, audience, and site design.
Here are some recommended places to place your newsletter. You might want to A/B test different placements to see which is most effective.
• Top of the sidebar
• Top header
• After a post
• Footer
• Pop-up box
Trying multiple signup options at once is fine, but remember to avoid coming off as spammy.
8. Affiliate advertising.
Affiliate advertising is another option if you know the value of a subscriber. You'll pay an affiliate a set amount (basically, an advertisement for your newsletter on another website).
Make sure you are not paying more than what the new subscriber is worth to the affiliate. To do this, you must know your usual cost per lead and the value of a new lead to your business.
9. Email a multi-part educational course.
It is a smart idea to offer your visitors an email course to sign up for your newsletter - for instance, "Learn How to Start a Blog in 5 Days" with new lessons sent each day.
10. Offer an insider's look.
Freely offer part of a resource, promising more when a member signs up. For example, write a post on "3 Brilliant Ways to Get More Traffic to Your Blog."
Include a statement such as:
Get 20 additional ways to boost traffic to your website - download our exclusive guide to increasing traffic.
11. Remind visitors about subscriber-only benefits.
Let visitors know that newsletter subscribers receive exclusive benefits, such as free white papers and download kits.
12. Social proof is essential.
Include social proof with the amount of subscribers you've already gained
When you have a decent number of subscribers, it is good to include social proof with how many email subscribers you have already gained. However, this needs to be tested since some have reported decreases in subscriptions.
13. Your social media accounts should include signup options.
A newsletter signup option can be easily added to your social network profile on some sites. For example, you can add custom tab options with Facebook's third-party apps, such as email signup!
However, not all sites make it so easy. Add a link to your newsletter signup page in the about section of your social media, along with your website URL.
14. Send Facebook offers to people who need to sign up for emails.
Install an email signup gate that requires users to join your newsletter before they can access offers. Then, promote it on Facebook. In exchange for a valuable resource, many users are willing to give you their email addresses.
15. Instant offer for first-time subscribers.
Consider offering an instant incentive for becoming a newsletter subscriber. For example, a 20% off promotional voucher might be an excellent offer to include in an e-commerce email campaign.
16. Host webinars.
During the webinar signup process, collect email addresses
Collect email addresses in your webinar signup form before viewers attend the advice. Host a webinar to get your name out there and show that you are a knowledge powerhouse to be reckoned with and admired. Who wouldn't want to subscribe to your newsletter?
17. After each blog post, place your newsletter signup.
Well, maybe not every single one, but the good ones.
18. Add newsletter pop-ups to your website.
That's a good idea, but make it quick to read, with just (ideally) one form field asking for an email address and a big X to close out the box for those who refuse to participate.
19. The email signature can be a helpful tool.
In your email signature, link to your newsletter signup page (and ask your colleagues to do the same).
20. Offer a giveaway exclusively to email subscribers.
Don't forget to share the giveaway on your blog and social networks after hosting it for your email subscribers.
Host giveaways for your email subscribers, but make sure you post about the giveaway on your blog and social media. Subscribing to the site will allow them to join in on the fun!
21. There should be an email subscription option on the checkout page.
Consider adding an "opt-in for our newsletter" checkbox to your checkout page if you're an e-commerce site. Keep in mind that the coupons will be used on their next order, so let them know about those.
22. Visitor intent should always be considered.
Always keep in mind the user's mindset at that moment when placing your newsletter signup forms on your website.
Signup links and forms should have different copy depending on where they are located. For example:
- In e-commerce checkout: Sign up for our newsletter to receive coupons, special discounts, and the latest fashion news.
- In a blog post: Did you enjoy this post? Get two weeks' worth of excellent posts like this by joining our mailing list. The key is to match intent. Consider the larger picture whenever you are working on details.
23. Floating signup forms are a great idea.
Floating newsletter signup forms follow the user down the page as they scroll. You can approach this discretely or in a tacky manner. Just be careful not to interrupt the user's experience too much.
24. Choose an enticing name for your newsletter.
Using the word "newsletter" can grow stale quickly.
Instead, try something a bit more snappy like:
- The Insider Beat
- Mail Style
- The Marketing Maverick
Or check out these 30 creative newsletter names (link to a future blog post)
25. Make use of the word "free."
A free email newsletter is already expected, but the very word can be enticing. Add the word "free" to your signup copy and see how it affects signups.
26. Email frequency should be communicated upfront.
You should communicate your email frequency upfront. Inboxes flooded with spam make users hives. To alleviate those fears, set a precedent about how often you will email them. Use the words weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or even "periodically."
27. If you tell me to test one more time….
Guess what, yo? I'll do it. You can increase email signups by testing your signup forms A/B. Test the color, placement, copy, punctuation, and style of the buttons.
Here is a brief summary of everything that I've told you so far:
1. Give your subscribers more reasons to join. Offer more incentives.
2. Create a brand that people like.
3. You can use email capture forms instead of links to signup pages.
4. You can capture email addresses by running a contest, giveaway, or sweepstakes.
5. Your email newsletter signup form should be short.
6. Your blog's comment box should include an option to sign up for your newsletter.
7. Your signup form placement should be A/B tested.
8. Use affiliate advertising to your advantage.
9. Provide an email-based educational course.
10. Offer a sneak peek or other resources for free.
11. Remind visitors to subscribe to your newsletter to receive subscriber benefits.
12. Provide social proof.
13. Your social media accounts should include signup options for your email newsletters.
14. Offers that require email signup should be posted to Facebook.
15. Introduce a first-time subscriber offer.
16. Host a webinar.
17. After your blog post, include signup for your newsletter.
18. You can add a newsletter pop-up to your website.
19. Adding a subscription form to your email signature will encourage people to subscribe.
20. Provide subscribers with exclusive giveaways.
21. Your checkout page should have an option for signing up for your email newsletter.
22. Consider the visitor's intent at all times.
23. Try floating signup forms.
24. Choose an enticing name for your newsletter.
25. Put the word "free" in the text.
26. Provide a clear indication of how frequently emails will be sent.
27. Test again.
