You can write the most wonderful newsletters in the world, but what's the point if no one reads them?
Gathering a user base is important, but all means are not good in this war. To make sure your newsletters reach real recipients, don't send them to spam, and get results, make sure the recipients really want to receive them:
The easiest and most obvious way to collect contacts is to add a form to subscribe to the site. It's important that it's prominent but not too conspicuous.
Most often the form to subscribe is placed at the bottom of the page or on the side - it should not distract attention from the main content of the site.
Hello bar is a narrow banner that is "glued" to the top or bottom of the screen. Do not forget to give the opportunity to close the banner, otherwise it may irritate the user and interfere with viewing the main content.
Example of a welcome banner at the top or bottom of the screen with the option to leave an email
Show a pop-up inviting all new users who have spent some time on the site to sign up for the newsletter. Tell them why it's worth subscribing to the newsletter: for useful content, the latest news, invitations to sales, and so on.
This pop-up appears when the user is about to close the site. It holds the user's attention, asks him to leave an email and offers him a discount, so he has a reason to come back.
A webinar is a great way to share knowledge, show expertise and collect emails when you sign up. Choose a topic of interest to customers so they feel valued and are more willing to share emails.
Make your customers feel that they belong to a select circle and invite them to a closed community. Even if it's just a newsletter, who wouldn't want access to exclusive offers, secret sales, and other goodies? Especially if it helps them achieve their goals. If you have a marketplace, you can offer to send letters about secret sales, and if you own a betting website, these can be betting odds Kenya or invitations to the latest game translations.
Everyone loves gifts, and it's a lot easier for customers to leave an email if they're rewarded for it. A lead magnet is valuable content you share with a user in exchange for their email.
An unobvious way to collect emails: add a subscription link to your email signature. All recipients of your work-related emails will see it.
Briefly describe the benefits of subscribing, but don't turn the email into a promotional email.
Find blogs with related topics and a suitable target audience for you, contact the editors and arrange to publish a guest post. Don't forget to agree in advance on the topic and content of the post.
This way you will introduce yourself to your potential audience and offer to sign up for the newsletter at the same time. In this case, the quality of the content comes first: it is important that potential subscribers understand how you can benefit them and see your expertise.
What's more, you'll establish yourself well in the eyes of new readers - if you're published by a resource they trust, chances are you can be trusted too.
An email is required for registration and ordering, and you can place a consent confirmation next to this field.
Readers of the blog are likely not to want to miss new articles. Set up a pop-up with an offer to subscribe to the newsletter on the pages of the blog.
Don't forget that pop-ups that appear too frequently and haphazardly are annoying. It's better to set them up for the most interested users: for example, for those who have already visited the blog or have been studying an article for a long time.
Another option is to display a form where users indicate which topics they are most interested in. So you can personalize your newsletters and send each subscriber relevant letters.
If you make and distribute video content, unobtrusively mention the newsletter. Some people find it easier to trust a live person's speech than a text to decide to subscribe. To make it easier for customers to subscribe, use special services and "stitch" a subscription form into a few of them.
Promote your newsletter on social networks as another source of useful content. In addition, some social networks (e.g. Facebook) allow you to add a newsletter subscription form directly to your profile header.
Your target audience is already reading the newsletters of some other resource or service. Find those newsletters and offer them a partnership so that their readers become yours as well. Agree on the format of the newsletter in advance: an ad unit, a link to an article, or an affiliate promo code. Try to choose offers that best suit your partners' audience.
Use online chat to gather new subscribers. If a user asks a question in a chat room, suggest they get an answer in the mail (and mention that they agree to receive emails from you along with it). The user does not have to wait for an answer in the chat box on the site and he can easily switch to other things, operators will not miss his question, and you can send him a newsletter.
Package your experience and expertise that can benefit your client into a free educational newsletter. This can be a chain of themed emails, each one looking like a little lesson.
Implementing a newsletter will require fewer resources than a full offline or online course, but it can be a good reason for your clients to sign up for the newsletter. They'll gain valuable knowledge, and you'll gain new subscribers. Win-win!
Gathering a user base is important, but all means are not good in this war. To make sure your newsletters reach real recipients, don't send them to spam, and get results, make sure the recipients really want to receive them:
- Ask for user consent to receive the mailing and to process personal information.
- Use double-opt-in. The user enters their email and then confirms their consent with the link that comes in the email.
1. Form for Contact Data Gathering
The easiest and most obvious way to collect contacts is to add a form to subscribe to the site. It's important that it's prominent but not too conspicuous.
Most often the form to subscribe is placed at the bottom of the page or on the side - it should not distract attention from the main content of the site.
2. Hello Bar
Hello bar is a narrow banner that is "glued" to the top or bottom of the screen. Do not forget to give the opportunity to close the banner, otherwise it may irritate the user and interfere with viewing the main content.
Example of a welcome banner at the top or bottom of the screen with the option to leave an email
3. Pop Ups for Lead Generation
Show a pop-up inviting all new users who have spent some time on the site to sign up for the newsletter. Tell them why it's worth subscribing to the newsletter: for useful content, the latest news, invitations to sales, and so on.
4. Retention Pop Ups
This pop-up appears when the user is about to close the site. It holds the user's attention, asks him to leave an email and offers him a discount, so he has a reason to come back.
5. Invitation to a Webinar
A webinar is a great way to share knowledge, show expertise and collect emails when you sign up. Choose a topic of interest to customers so they feel valued and are more willing to share emails.
6. Invitation to a "Private Club"
Make your customers feel that they belong to a select circle and invite them to a closed community. Even if it's just a newsletter, who wouldn't want access to exclusive offers, secret sales, and other goodies? Especially if it helps them achieve their goals. If you have a marketplace, you can offer to send letters about secret sales, and if you own a betting website, these can be betting odds Kenya or invitations to the latest game translations.
7. Lead Magnet
Everyone loves gifts, and it's a lot easier for customers to leave an email if they're rewarded for it. A lead magnet is valuable content you share with a user in exchange for their email.
8. Personal Signature
An unobvious way to collect emails: add a subscription link to your email signature. All recipients of your work-related emails will see it.
Briefly describe the benefits of subscribing, but don't turn the email into a promotional email.
9. Guest Blog Post
Find blogs with related topics and a suitable target audience for you, contact the editors and arrange to publish a guest post. Don't forget to agree in advance on the topic and content of the post.
This way you will introduce yourself to your potential audience and offer to sign up for the newsletter at the same time. In this case, the quality of the content comes first: it is important that potential subscribers understand how you can benefit them and see your expertise.
What's more, you'll establish yourself well in the eyes of new readers - if you're published by a resource they trust, chances are you can be trusted too.
10. Subscription at Checkout
An email is required for registration and ordering, and you can place a consent confirmation next to this field.
11. Interesting Articles
Readers of the blog are likely not to want to miss new articles. Set up a pop-up with an offer to subscribe to the newsletter on the pages of the blog.
Don't forget that pop-ups that appear too frequently and haphazardly are annoying. It's better to set them up for the most interested users: for example, for those who have already visited the blog or have been studying an article for a long time.
Another option is to display a form where users indicate which topics they are most interested in. So you can personalize your newsletters and send each subscriber relevant letters.
12. Add a Link in the Video
If you make and distribute video content, unobtrusively mention the newsletter. Some people find it easier to trust a live person's speech than a text to decide to subscribe. To make it easier for customers to subscribe, use special services and "stitch" a subscription form into a few of them.
Promote your newsletter on social networks as another source of useful content. In addition, some social networks (e.g. Facebook) allow you to add a newsletter subscription form directly to your profile header.
14. Affiliate Mailing List
Your target audience is already reading the newsletters of some other resource or service. Find those newsletters and offer them a partnership so that their readers become yours as well. Agree on the format of the newsletter in advance: an ad unit, a link to an article, or an affiliate promo code. Try to choose offers that best suit your partners' audience.
15. Collecting Contacts in Chats
Use online chat to gather new subscribers. If a user asks a question in a chat room, suggest they get an answer in the mail (and mention that they agree to receive emails from you along with it). The user does not have to wait for an answer in the chat box on the site and he can easily switch to other things, operators will not miss his question, and you can send him a newsletter.
16. Education
Package your experience and expertise that can benefit your client into a free educational newsletter. This can be a chain of themed emails, each one looking like a little lesson.
Implementing a newsletter will require fewer resources than a full offline or online course, but it can be a good reason for your clients to sign up for the newsletter. They'll gain valuable knowledge, and you'll gain new subscribers. Win-win!
