How to Get Email Subscribers – Strategies for Success

Email Marketing, one of my favorite marketing techniques ever. While most marketers preach the money is in the e-mail list, I agree…but that’s because I think the RELATIONSHIP BUILDING starts with the list. Learn the best strategies for generating email subscribers that you can implement immediately in this How to Get Email Subscribers – Strategies for Success guide.

When people decide to opt-in to your email list, sign up to your newsletter, or check out your freebie, they are making a decision to trust you and give you invite you to their precious inbox.

This is a big step for your relationship as it gives you the option to reach and communicate with these subscribers whenever you want. Once they’re on your email list you can (and should) start delivering them the  best of you. Your content, your value, your personality, and of course…how YOU can help them.

Building an email list is crucial for any business looking to nurture leads, build relationships with customers, and drive sales. However, getting people to subscribe to your email list can be a challenge, especially for new marketers.

In this article we’ll explore How to Get Email Subscribers – Strategies for Success to help you grow your email subscriber base and set you up for success.

1. Offer a Lead Magnet: One of the most effective ways to entice people to sign up for your email list is by offering a valuable lead magnet. A lead magnet is a free resource, such as an ebook, white paper, checklist, or video course, that provides valuable information or solutions to your target audience’s problems. By offering a lead magnet in exchange for an email address, you create a win-win situation where your potential subscribers receive something of value, and you gain a new lead.

If you’d like to see an example of lead magnets, here’s our most popular lead magnets and how we market and promote them:  Our Automated Online Business Guide, Our Social Strategy Secrets Playbook, and our Marketing Solved Newsletter for Monthly Free Content.

2. Utilize Pop-ups and Opt-in Forms: While pop-ups can be annoying if overused, they remain an effective way to capture email subscribers when implemented thoughtfully. Consider using exit-intent pop-ups that appear when a visitor is about to leave your website, or scroll-triggered pop-ups that display after a visitor has engaged with your content. Additionally, strategically place opt-in forms on your website’s high-traffic pages, such as the homepage, blog posts, and product pages.

3. Leverage Content Upgrades

Content upgrades are a simple yet effective way to convert your website visitors into email subscribers by offering them additional value related to the content they’re already consuming. This strategy works particularly well for bloggers, content creators, and anyone consistently producing valuable content for their audience.

Here’s how it works:

1. Create a free, downloadable resource that complements one of your popular blog posts or content pieces. This could be a checklist, cheat sheet, template, or any other resource that provides additional value beyond the original content.
2. Towards the end of the blog post or content piece, include a call-to-action (CTA) inviting readers to download the free resource in exchange for their email address.
3. Set up an opt-in form or landing page specifically for this content upgrade, making it easy for interested readers to enter their email and receive the free resource immediately.
4. Promote the content upgrade across your website, social media channels, and other marketing platforms to drive more traffic to the original content piece and increase the visibility of your offer.
5. Once someone subscribes to your email list to receive the content upgrade, you can then nurture them with additional valuable content, offers, and promotions over time.

Content upgrades are powerful because they leverage the existing interest and engagement of your website visitors, providing them with an irresistible incentive to sign up for your email list. Plus, they’re relatively easy and cost-effective to create, making them an ideal strategy for beginner marketers with limited resources.

For example, Brian Dean of Backlinko consistently uses content upgrades to grow his email list. In his popular blog post on Google’s 200 ranking factors, he offers a free downloadable checklist as a content upgrade, enticing readers to sign up for his email list to receive the valuable resource.

By consistently creating high-quality content and offering relevant content upgrades, beginner marketers can organically attract and convert their target audience into email subscribers without relying on expensive advertising or existing connections.

4. Leverage Organic Social Media Engagement

Leverage Social Media Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn offer tremendous opportunities to promote your email list and attract new subscribers. Create social media posts that highlight the benefits of subscribing to your email list, and include a clear call-to-action (CTA) with a link to your opt-in form.

While paid social media advertising can also be effective for list building, beginner marketers can also leverage organic social media engagement to attract email subscribers without spending money on ads. Here’s how:

1. Identify the social media platforms where your target audience is most active (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.).
2. Create valuable, shareable content that resonates with your audience, such as informative posts, how-to guides, industry news, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of your business.
3. Actively engage with your followers and other relevant accounts by liking, commenting, and sharing their content. This helps increase your visibility and establish you as a thought leader in your niche.
4. In your social media bios and post captions, include a clear call-to-action (CTA) inviting people to sign up for your email list, along with a link to your opt-in form or landing page.
5. Participate in relevant social media discussions, groups, and forums, sharing your expertise and providing value. When appropriate, you can subtly promote your email list as a way for people to stay updated on your content and offers.
6. Run social media contests or giveaways that require participants to sign up for your email list to enter. This can be an effective way to incentivize people to join your list.
7. Collaborate with complementary accounts or influencers in your niche by guest posting, co-creating content, or participating in social media takeovers. This can expose you to new audiences and drive targeted traffic to your opt-in forms.

The key to success with this strategy is consistently providing value, engaging with your audience, and being present on the platforms where your target market spends time online. By leveraging organic social media engagement, beginner marketers can gradually build relationships, establish credibility, and attract interested individuals to sign up for their email lists without a significant upfront investment.

5. Leverage Existing Subscribers: Your existing email subscribers can be a powerful source for attracting new subscribers. Encourage your current subscribers to share your email content with their friends and colleagues by including social sharing buttons in your emails. You can also offer incentives, such as discounts or exclusive content, for subscribers who refer new members to your email list.

6. Guest Post on Relevant Websites: Guest posting on popular blogs or websites within your industry can expose you to a new audience and drive targeted traffic to your website. When crafting your guest post, include a compelling call-to-action that encourages readers to subscribe to your email list in exchange for a valuable resource or offer.

7. Leverage Influencer Marketing and Strategic Partnerships

Collaborating with influencers or forming strategic partnerships can be a powerful way to tap into new audiences and rapidly grow your email subscriber base. By aligning with individuals or brands that share your target audience, you can leverage their existing following and credibility to promote your email list.

A great example of this strategy in action is the approach taken by the digital marketing expert, Neil Patel. They regularly partner with industry influencers and marketers to co-create valuable content and resources, such as webinars, ebooks, or online courses. As part of these collaborations, they offer the co-created resource as a lead magnet, which requires users to sign up with their email addresses to access the content.

Here’s how you can implement a similar strategy:

1. Identify influencers or brands within your industry that have a strong following and align with your target audience.
2. Reach out to these influencers or brands and propose a collaboration opportunity, such as co-creating a valuable resource like an ebook, webinar, or video series.
3. Develop a mutually beneficial agreement where both parties promote the co-created resource to their respective audiences, encouraging sign-ups to access the content.
4. Create a dedicated landing page or opt-in form specifically for this collaboration, making it easy for interested individuals to sign up and become part of your email list.
5. Leverage the influencer’s or brand’s existing marketing channels, such as their email list, social media platforms, and website, to cross-promote the co-created resource and drive sign-ups.
6. Nurture the new subscribers you’ve gained from the collaboration by providing valuable content, offers, and building a relationship with them over time.

By partnering with influential individuals or brands that already have a strong following within your target audience, you can rapidly expand your reach and attract highly relevant email subscribers who are interested in the topics and solutions you offer.

Remember, successful influencer marketing and strategic partnerships rely on providing genuine value to both parties involved, as well as their respective audiences. By focusing on creating high-quality, co-branded content and resources, you can establish yourself as a trusted authority and effectively grow your email list.

Now, I know these are 6 strategies to help you build a robust email subscriber base that can fuel your marketing efforts and drive long-term business growth.

But I wanted to share one more secret strategy the experts use…but don’t often share. Here’s your BONUS strategy on: How to Get Email Subscribers.

BONUS #7 – Leverage Strategic Website Placements:

While your opt-in forms and lead magnets on your website are crucial, don’t overlook other strategic placements that can encourage email signups from your website visitors.

Take a look around any Marketing Solved article. We leverage this strategy with every piece of content. You’ll see opt in’s linked, opt in images, opt ins on the side bar, opt ins on the top bar, and pop ups on certain pages.

It may feel like a lot – but by rotating through three different opt ins – our audience subscribes to what resources they want the most!

Here are some ideas for strategic website opt in placement: 

• Hello Bar/Exit-Intent Pop-Up: Install a tool like HelloBar that displays a non-intrusive top banner on your website with a call-to-action to join your email list. Or use exit-intent technology to trigger a pop-up as visitors are about to leave your site.
• Sidebar Widget: If your website has a sidebar, create an attention-grabbing widget promoting your lead magnet or incentive for joining your email list.
• Inline Blog: Add inline opt-in image or link within your blog post content.
• Feature Box: On key pages like your homepage or pricing page, include a prominent feature box highlighting the benefits of your email list.
• Footer Opt-In: Add a simple email signup form to the footer of your website pages to catch visitors before they leave.

The key is to make signing up for your email list extremely visible and easy for website visitors, meeting them where they are. Promote your best lead magnet or offer and make the opt-in process frictionless. Over time, these strategic placements can significantly boost your opt-in conversion rates.

Building an engaged email list takes consistent effort, but it’s one of the most valuable marketing assets you can create for your business. By implementing strategies like offering irresistible lead magnets, utilizing opt-in forms and pop-ups, leveraging social media, running contests, guest posting, activating your existing subscribers, and strategically placing opt-ins around your website, you’ll be well on your way to email list growth.

Remember, the key is to always provide value to your subscribers through helpful content, exclusive offers, and nurturing relationships. As your list grows, so too will your ability to drive traffic, leads, and sales for your business. Don’t get discouraged – stick with these proven tactics, experiment to see what resonates with your audience, and watch your email list become a powerful marketing engine over time.

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