Do you wish you could learn how to create an email newsletter that attracts subscribers and adds more followers to your social media and website? I think everyone out there just raised their hands and a few shouted, “me, me.” (Did you see my hand waving, too?)
This is my list of things that have dramatically increased my website visits, social media followers, and doubled the amount of email newsletter subscribers in one month at my website. You can choose to use a few or implement all of them.
1. Create a free incentive for subscribers that has loads of value. To some of you, this may not sound like anything new. However I want you to really look at your free incentive. If it were for sale, would someone pay money for it? No, then it’s not a good free incentive.
It needs to have enough value that people would pay money for it, otherwise, there’s no reason for them to sign up to get it. It doesn’t have to be a full length book, however it must be packed with value and awesome content, to create an email newsletter that attracts subscribers.
2. Use a Pop-up Email box. I know, I know, you hate these on sites. First off, only have it pop up when someone has scrolled down your page at least half way. This means they’re engaged and the pop up isn’t the first thing that “pops” in their face. Second, make it not show up again for at least 30 days if someone closes it.
3. Use a Hover Pin it Button for all of your photos. I’ve had a social sharing button installed for over a year, however when I purchased the pro version of this plug in so that the Pinterest button showed up on every photo when someone scrolls over it, my Pinterest pins greatly increased.
4. Create a Pinterest Profile Widget. While the hover pin it button is awesome for getting your content pinned, the Pinterest Profile Widget is amazing for snagging more followers on Pinterest. I already had a follow me on Pinterest button on my website, however by adding the profile widget, I noticed a large jump in my new followers. You create your Pinterest Profile Widget from Pinterest. It shows the most recent “pins” you’ve pinned on Pinterest with the option to follow you straight from your website.
5. Become Rich Pin verified on Pinterest. What does this mean? A rich pin is a feature available for Businesses on Pinterest. If your account is not set up as a business on Pinterest, here’s how to convert it or register. A rich pin is the pins you see on Pinterest that show in bold the name of the website below the picture and above the description. They really catch the eye on the feed page and help reinforce your brand. Here’s a great tutorial on how to apply for the Rich Pin Feature.
Many people back off from the task of creating an email newsletter that attracts subscribers, because of the time involved in setting up and maintaining one. However managing a email newsletter can be as simple as updating a blog weekly, monthly, or quarterly as you prefer. Really. You can also set up blog posts to feed automatically to subscribers on days you choose.
How does a email newsletter differ from a blog?
You won’t always display a email newsletter on your website, however a blog is always found there. Also, a blog usually goes out one post at a time, whereas you can set your email newsletter to go out weekly, add two (or more) posts, and both will display in the newsletter.
How do you keep your email newsletter private?
At your website, don’t add your blog to your menu. You can still access it to update your website’s dashboard however no one however your email newsletter readers and people who find your posts through internet searches will find it. This gives your subscribers a feeling of exclusivity while allowing you to draw potential new subscribers. However, it’s possible to make your email newsletter entirely private.
Why create an email newsletter that attracts subscribers
Building your email list is one of the most important things you can do for your business. You might not be ready to start sending out your newsletter, however it is never too early to start building your list. Use a form on your website to gather emails as people visit. For best visibility and highest sign-up rates, place it in the right sidebar near the top of your page, making it one of the first things visitors see when they come to your website.
Publishers like a writer to have an email list. Mention yours in the proposal, which comes before the contract, so start now. Even if you plan on self-publishing, you’ll need a list of interested buyers to send your new book announcement. We recommend learning how to create an email newsletter that attracts subscribers.
To protect yourself from anti-spam laws, never sign up anyone for your email list without that person’s permission and always use a double opt-in form. A double opt-in form is where someone enters an email address in your subscribe box, and then receives an email they click to confirm the subscription. This complies with anti-spam laws and protects people from subscribing to them without their knowledge.
We’ve read some articles that advise you to break this rule. While they give some compelling thoughts, we don’t agree with this advice. Here’s why. If by some chance you are taken to court, a double opt-in protects you much more than single opt-in. However the biggest reason is this, a double opt-in list will have higher engagement.
What do we mean by higher engagement? A double opt-in email newsletter list is filled with people who really want to read what you’re writing. They will click on your links, comment on your articles, and purchase your books. A list isn’t all about the number of followers, however about the quality of those followers.
Many folks and businesses look to the first of the year to start determining their plan for growth in the coming calendar year. However you can get a head start on your growth and your planning if you do a few simple tasks this coming month.
You may have heard the adage you can’t grow or mark your growth unless you have a goal. I firmly stand by this. If you don’t have goals, you have no way of marking if you’ve met them or not. I’m going to give you an example from my own business this year. As of last December, I had 253 people on my email newsletter email list.
I set a goal that by next December I would have 1,000 subscribers. I broke that number down by twelve months. To reach my goal, I would need to average 67 new subscribers each month. Great. I now had the number figures I’d need to achieve my goal. However, how was I going to achieve these numbers?
In December, I’d released a short ebook as a free gift to my email newsletter subscribers. With its release I tripled my subscribers in one month. But, that gift was definitely seasonal and I needed a way to attract subscribers all year-long. I looked back over some of my most popular blog posts and asked via my Facebook page what my audience would like to learn more about.
After taking into consideration their responses, the blog post topics, my target audience, and my areas of expertise and brand, I crafted a 40+ page ebook. Leading up to its launch, I had readers vote on the cover. Let your readers be a part of the process with you. This is how to create an email newsletter that attracts subscribers. People become invested in things they help with.
I created a special graphic for the homepage of my website with the cover and wording it as my free gift. Since its launch, I’ve met my monthly goal and then some, averaging between 100 and 200 new subscribers each month. As it’s now been a full year, I can say this business goal was met successfully, as in 600% list growth in one year.
How can you apply this to your business? Your goal might not be specific to your subscriber email list, however you can use these tips to any goal you set for your business.
1. Define your goals. You can’t meet something if you don’t know what it is. If you had goals for last year, look over your progress and if you met them.
2. Evaluate your performance. Did you meet your goal? Were there areas you could have done better? In the areas you did do well, can you identify why?
3. Record your findings. Keep a business journal where you record your goals, findings, and plans. Write down things you’d like to replicate and things you’d like to change. You’ll then be able to track what you’ve done.
4. Apply your findings. Tweak your plans for next year according to your findings. If you did really well in certain areas, see how you can apply them to your future goals. If you didn’t do well in an area, look for ways to improve or change them for next year’s goals.
As an author, building an email list is one of the most important things you can do for the longevity of your career. An email list is something you own. It won’t go away as different social media sites rise and fall-think MySpace. It doesn’t require a big budget, in fact, as you’re starting out it doesn’t require a budget at all.
While there are many tips you’ll hear regarding your email list and author newsletters, from how often to send them out, email subject lines, content, incentives, and list growth, there is something that relates to all of these topics however is the most important thing of all.
What is it? Value.
Everything you offer to your readers must have real value.
If you only send a email newsletter out twice a year, however it’s packed with value, that is better than something sent out once a week that has crappy content and nothing in it for the reader.
Many authors and businesses use a free gift or incentive to entice readers to sign up for their email newsletter or email list. We believe this is a good and sound practice, we use it for our own email newsletter at TriLink and our personal author newsletters. But, we want to caution you on what you offer for the incentive.
Some people believe they can take their three best blog posts and compile them into one document and call it a free ebook. However for the readers who have been with you from the beginning, this won’t’ have any new value. They’ll feel you’re taking the easy route.
Never abandon your faithful email newsletter readers in pursuit of new fans.
In offering your free incentive, you should look at your most popular posts. See what they have in common. Is it the style, the subject, the takeaway message?
Once you’ve established how to create an email newsletter that attracts subscribers, then write a new e-book, report, or set of articles as your free incentive. You may use some of the old content, however be sure you offer new insight, tips, or help. When people give you their email address, they’re putting a level of trust in you. Make sure you never break that trust.
Your goal is to make the reader say this is so amazing and it’s free, that not only will I check out all the other things this author has written, however I’ve got to tell my friends about it too. Just good isn’t enough, make it great. Always over deliver on your end of the promise to your readers and you’ll create lifelong readers and customers.
