So how are you building your email list?
Does list building even fall on your list of priorities?
I ask because email marketing is becoming more important than ever.
Every dollar you spend generates $44. That’s a 4400% ROI.
Email works well with other marketing channels too. For instance, you can combine email and Facebook ads to increase your conversions.
Let’s not forget to mention:
Email offers a great opportunity to connect with your audience. On a consistent basis. In a non-intrusive way.
If you want to know how to get more email subscribers, you’ve come to the right place.
This isn’t your regular post though. Because I’m going to show you key strategies that the experts actually use and recommend.
Ready?
👉Free Workshop: Build Your List From Scratch Using “Viral Hacking”>>
How to Get More Email Subscribers: 8 Expert Tips
Check out these email signup ideas that you should start implementing today.
1. Use exit-intent pop-ups.
“Exit-intent pop-ups” live up to their name.
They suddenly show up on screen when a visitor is about to leave your website.
One might think that these pop-ups are annoying. But no. In fact, they work - which is why Ian Brodie uses them.
Here’s what his pop-up looks like:
Brodie states two reasons why they work:
First, website visitors get what they come for. If they want to read a piece of content, they can do that without being interrupted by an exit-intent pop-up.
Second, exit-intent pop-ups won’t stop them from leaving in the first place. They simply provide an offer that people can pass up.
Pro tip: Incorporate a progress bar to motivate people to complete the signup process!
2. Leverage contests.
Wilco de Kreij (yup, that’s me!) knows how effective contests can be in generating tens of thousands of leads in less time.
You read that correctly. But don’t take my word for it.
One of my users at UpViral, Gabe Schillinger, got over 41,000 leads and $200K in sales.
David Fraser got 34,297 leads and $300K in sales by running a 26-day UpViral contest.
Contests work because people love free stuff.
The key is to offer something that your audience really likes.
For them to win that prize, they need to share your contest with their friends or family.
Want to give it a try? Build your first contest in just a few minutes.
3. Offer magnetic email incentives.
People read your content and hope to learn something valuable. And on that piece of content, you’ve added a call-to-action - “Subscribe to our mailing list.”
That’s a good idea.
But Michael Hyatt has a brilliant tactic that increased his email subscribers from 2,771 to nearly 120,000 in just 3 years.
What he did: Create a magnetic email incentive.
A magnetic email incentive is something that you give away for free in exchange for your audience’s email address.
This incentive needs to be valuable only to your ideal customer and useful (something that they can implement right away).
Ebooks are the most common email incentives. But Hyatt also suggests other formats such as:
- Resource list
- Workbook
- Mini course
- Audio series
- Cheat sheet
Digital items are the easiest assets to turn into email incentives. In fact, you can repurpose an existing piece of content (like a portion of a blog post, for example) and turn it into a PDF format.
This way, you save time and effort.
4. Use social proof for newsletter growth.
Brian Dean clearly knows how to get more email subscribers.
If you need a super smart hack to boost your numbers, follow Dean’s tactic.
Look at what he’s doing.
He adds a testimonial from the HubSpot’s VP Marketing on top of his email sign-up form.
Social proof, such as testimonials, can convince your audience to join your email list.
This small but power hack helps people to feel confident about your business.
Don’t have testimonials yet?
You can use these other types of social proof as well - press mentions, product reviews, awards, certifications, where you’ve been featured,
5. Add a sign-up option to your Facebook page.
I’m guessing you already have a Facebook presence.
So why not take advantage of it to help gain new email subscribers?
Pat Flynn uses this strategy. And it’s a no-brainer.
Add a sign-up button on your Facebook page.
Here’s how Flynn does it:
When I click this Sign Up button, Flynn takes me to his website home page where I can then subscribe to the SPI email list:
In your case, you can also take your audience to a dedicated landing page.
Again, remember that people are more likely to give their email address in exchange for something valuable!
6. Consider leaving out the name field.
Should you ask for someone's name and email or just their email?
GetResponse makes a case for leaving out the name field.
Because while having people’s names allows you to personalize your messages later on, it can also reduce your opt-ins.
If your top priority at the moment is to grow a huge list fast, use this newsletter subscription strategy.
But if you’re in doubt, the best way to know is to test for yourself. See whether adding the name field affects your opt-ins.
(Some marketers experience 10% drops in their opt-in rates, while others 20% or more.)
Results may also differ depending on your business niche.
7. Leverage different placements.
Another no-brainer strategy to drive email list growth fast is to maximize multiple newsletter sign up placements.
Jeff Goins uses the following placements on his website:
- Home page
- About page
- Pop-ups
- At the end of each blog post
- Site footer (see the screenshot below)
If you aren’t taking advantage of these placements yet, you could be leaving hundreds to thousands of subscribers on the table.
8. Incorporate a graphic or image.
Sure, you can use pure text on your sign-up forms.
But Canva also encourages you to think outside the box.
Remember: You’ve got competitors out there that are also trying to convince your audience to join their list!
Whether you’re running a free giveaway or inviting people to your newsletter, make sure that your form stands out.
One effective way to do that is to add the image of your offer. For example, if you’re offering an ebook, feature the cover of that ebook.
You could also stick with plain text and use an image in the background that’s in line with your branding.
Or why not add your logo on top of your form? That works too.
👉Free Workshop: Build Your List From Scratch Using “Viral Hacking”>>
Final Thoughts
We hope this blog post gave you some great ideas on how to get more email subscribers.
If you ask me, contests and giveaways are my favorite. They’re the fastest way to grow a big list.
But that’s not all there is.
Such campaigns also help you grow an email list of potential customers (and not just random people)... with the right strategies in place.
Curious? We invite you to check out UpViral today.
And if you’ve got other email list building methods in mind, let me know in the comments below.
