Ever wonder how successful blogs got that way? As experienced digital marketers know, it’s all in the list. By converting visitors to subscribers, you can communicate with them in any way you choose. You can notify them of new posts, send them exclusive content, or sell them targeted products.
However, it can be hard to attract members, as well as engage and retain them. How can you cultivate loyal newsletter subscribers? We’ll reveal our best strategies for creating fans that are wildly passionate about your cause.
Create captivating content on your site
If your posts are as exciting as a bowl of flavourless oatmeal, you will struggle to attract subscribers. To draw new readers, you need to do one of two things – entertain or inform them. Get them laughing or thinking, and you’ll have completed objective A: stop them from hitting the back button.
Insert highly-visible calls to action
By creating interesting or entertaining content, you will have jammed your foot in the door. Now, you’ve got to convert them into a newsletter subscriber. Do this by placing attention-grabbing calls to action in the post.
As your visitor scrolls down the page, they should stumble upon a newsletter sign-up form. These should contain persuasive language to induce them to give up their e-mail address. By emphasizing free content, insider tips, exclusive content, and so forth, you’ll bring far more subscribers on board.
On-board subscribers with an automated introductory series
A new subscriber may love your content, but they don’t know the real you. Rather than fling them into the rotation without context, introduce them to your brand with an auto-responder series. They can learn your backstory, the history of your product, or anecdotes that will make you more relatable.
After an introductory series of emails fleshing out your background, they will already a sense of loyalty towards you.
Write killer e-mail subject lines
Unanswered inquiries jam the inboxes of most people. If you want yours opened, you’ll need to rise above the noise. Imbue it with urgent language (e.g. act now). Reference current affairs in your niche. Tease an offer.
These are just a few ways to make your e-mail irresistible to recipients. However, keep things short and to the point. Long subject lines dilute impact, so cut out as many filler words as you can.
Know what your audience wants
Subscribers aren’t there because because of you. They sign up because of your message. While sharing details of your personal life can humanize you, do try to stay on topic.
Let’s say you own a dog grooming supplies website. In each newsletter, you should be delivering value to your fellow dog lovers. You can meet this objective by disclosing exclusive insider grooming tips, or by offering subscriber-only sales on the latest brushes.
The latter method is especially effective for those looking to increase revenues using newsletters.
Make it easily readable
According to stats clearinghouse Statista, approximately 61.2% of people used a smartphone to access the internet in 2018. If you want to retain subscribers, ensure your newsletter is easily readable on mobile devices. By adopting best practices, your text will be big enough to be read, and page elements won’t drain your recipient’s battery/data.
Finally, learn to love paragraphs and short sentences. Those who write academic content may see nothing wrong with writing long, wordy sentences and huge blocks of text. Do this to your subscribers, and you’ll lose readers 100 words into your newsletter.
Keep most sentences to less than 20 words, and limit most paragraphs to three sentences. This practice will make your content skimmable, enhancing its uptake.