This article originally appeared on the Buffer blog.
Where email subscribers fall on your list of priorities?
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We have recently pushed up email our most valuable sources, and it does not seem that we are alone. While social media could be the hottest place to push your marketing efforts, there are many who choose to rely instead on building a valid email list. And they could not be happier.
This is Michael Hyatt, referring to his email list of 115,000
I literally built a multi million on the strength of my email list . Ninety percent of my income comes from it. Even today my email list is always my number one priority and active businessman.
Douglas Karr writes on Tech blog marketing, on its list of over 100,000
Undoubtedly, our list email is the best investment we've ever made .
Michael Stelzner, Social Media Examiner :.
Email is the most important channel for you to cultivate
We recently passed the mark 20,000 for subscribers on the Buffer blog, and it's safe to say that we have much to learn to grow a list of success. We are inspired to learn some stylish, well-regarded sites that have email accent. For example:.
- The blog Help Scout has more than 60,000 subscribers
- James Clair has more than 70,000.
- Michael Hyatt 115,000.
- Social Media Examiner 250,000.
combined, which is nearly 500,000 email subscribers. How do they do? I took a close look at each of these heavyweights email (and many other amazing sites) to see what methods they use to gain new subscribers. Here's what I learned.
The simple formula for growing a massive list of email
By analyzing the websites and techniques of some of these impressive email lists manufacturers some formula began to emerge. If I could boil the process of building a massive email list for only the most basic parts, I think it would look like this:
incredible blog content + crystal clear calls action = massive email list
can it really be that simple? I think so.
Basically, it all starts with the content. People will find your site because of your amazing content. They keep coming back for the amazing content. Your amazing content is the basis of what you send to them, that will be the reason they stay subscribed (or not.) all starts with incredible content.
Once you have the amazing content, the next step is to ask for e-mails. People who love your content will be primed to receive the content as often as you can create, delivered directly to their inbox. It's up to you make sure they find your call to action (or, in this case, a call to subscribe). Make it obvious. Make clear.
In this spirit ...
6 key strategies on how to grow your subscriber list
The examination of these best blogs (plus some bonus searches, too) shows that there are many ways to go about growing your list and creating these crystal clear calls to action that drive subscribers. Here are some of my favorite ideas.
1. Treat your blog home page as an email capture form
Each month when we pull our list of the ten best performing blog posts the buffer blog, we finally grab 11 because always, without fail, one of the top ten results is the root domain for our-blog homepage to blog.bufferapp.com.
Last month, the root domain is our third most popular page on the blog, and it is still among the month, after the first five months. Here is our report from Google Analytics, with the root domain represented by a slash (/). Does this report seems familiar to you?
This is 35,000 visits a month that the land on the same page. It looks like an ideal opportunity for a clear call to action.
For those who focus on building and growing a list of email subscribers, their home pages reflect what point is email content strategy. Big, bold registration forms dominate the home pages of many email-savvy blogs.
2. Include a not to miss the call to action: popups, slideups, menus and popovers
It is rare to read an article on growing an email list without meeting a recommendation to install a popup. The reason:. It is sound advice, supported by good numbers
- How I Send subscribers increased 532% in one month
- Subscribers Popup A Quad Our daily
- How Social Media Examiner Grew its list 234% (Spoiler: It had to do with popups)
These are all cases of sites installing a window (or variation of a popup), followed by reminders the immediate e-registrations. Why the big push? Well, popups are not to be missed call to action. Literally. It does not get more not to miss a window appearing on the content you are trying to play.
Of course, email capture method can be hotly debated for just this reason. I really appreciate how Hunter Boyle of AWeber says:
Whenever I present, I ask who hates popovers, and 2/3 from the crowd nods and groans. Another 03.01? They generally agree with popovers because they get good results from them!
Fortunately, there are options for pop-ups, the strategy covers a wide variety of different implementations. I throw it all under the umbrella of "pop-up." Let me know in the comments if I missed any favorites that you used or seen.
There are the ubiquitous style " popover "which displays a popup on a slightly gray background. an example of Duct Tape Marketing. (a popular plugin for this form of popover is SumoMe.)
There is the top-bar method that draws attention to the electronic registration form pinned to the top of each page. This is an example of the Kaiser Sage, using the contextual menu plugin from many contacts.
And there are scrolling email-on, which appears once a user scrolls through a distance on a page . This is a demonstration of how a "slideUp" pop-up looks
3. multiple CTAs. give readers the infinity + 1 subscription options
looks like those who build better email lists an unmistakeable design of their blog and calls to action. You can not escape the call to your registration.
There could be an entry in a popover, an inscription on the top of a blog post, another down. Basically, the design assumes that people will see the site differently and to maximize the chances that a potential customer sees a registration form, you'd better set up forms to sign anywhere.
We have several places to CTAs here on the Buffer blog. They are currently set to send visitors to register for the buffer, and we can adapt them to focus on e-mail in the near future. If you scroll down just right on the Buffer blog you can see all our CTAs at a time.
You think you're going overboard with requests registration email? Listen to your audience, which will probably let you know when you've crossed the line. You can also join the old colloquialism, "You'll know it when you see it." Go with your gut.
Here are some top spots to try to place a registration form e-mail (or two or three) on your blog:
- Top menu bar
- Header your site
- in your signature
- Sidebar
- inside the blog content
- content footer
- Popup / popover
- your bio
4. You have something valuable? Give it away
Your subscribers or potential if they differ in demographics and industries and the target public are still human. They love free stuff.
Fixing something valuable to your email registration form is a surefire way to generate interest. Basically, give something for free, for the price of an email address (which we all know is a lot more value for free on the site that gets). Here are some suggestions.
- Ebook
- Cheat Sheet
- series Email
- Video
- contents of the private blog
- access early to new features
HubSpot is one of the gifts of the industry leaders (so it's probably not surprising that they are leaders in the industry, period). In an article on the growth of the e-mail list, Ginny Soskey agrees two-part HubSpot to give something of value to potential subscribers:
We suggest starting with two types of free offers . A top of the funnel, educational piece of content as an ebook, and a middle-of-the-funnel offers to let someone talk to your sales team for a demonstration or a quote or a free consultation or anything that works for your specific business. By having these two types of offers on your website, you can capture potential prospects and convert customers who are at different stages of the buying process.
5. Keep the handy subscription link
I often forget that people can sign up for an email list in places other than a form of email capture on my website. Depending on your mail program, it is likely a landing page dedicated to the acquisition of e-mail registrations. You can get the link and share it in many different places such as electronic signatures, messages, social media and blogs guests bios.
Here's how to enter to MailChimp :.
Go to the lists and choose the list you want, click on Registration Forms, click the general forms and the registration link has to be there for you
once you have the link, keep it handy. You never know when you might have a chance to use it.
Ryan Hoover has a trick to earn more entries by email with this link. It meets every mention on Twitter, often starting a conversation with people who shared its contents. As part of this conversation, it will fall in a bid to sign up for his email list, sending on the forward link to.
Results: from 60 to 80 percent of people convert
.6. Test your messages: Start with social proof
Would you be more inclined to join an email list if you knew other 8000 people have already signed
the concept of social proof says yes, which is why you see many sites advertise the size of their email list on their application form.
Convince and Convert
Farnam Street
Dork OK
We do the same on the pad blog with a pop email drawing attention to the number of subscribers we won.
Like anything, however, this tactic door test. In addition to our registration form popover, we also experimented with a registration form in our HelloBar (the orange bar at the top of the site). The two different versions, as well as statistics to date:
The free social proof version was outperforming the version of social proof. The takeaway here: test everything. Your headings, buttons and CTAs could all be opportunities to improve.
following: Let's take a look at how the best sites are gaining new subscribers
Case Studies: How the best sites earn entries
Now that you have seen the many ways to build an email list, I'd love to show you how some of the best sites to implement these ideas. Here's what I found when browsing around some of my favorite sources of inspiration email.
clear James - 70,000 subscribers
The screengrab above is an article on the James Clear site. Before reaching the words in the article itself, you've been hit with three CTAs for his newsletter. Clearly, email is a priority for him!
- Its home page is a subject of the article with a call to action to subscribe.
- The main index of the blog includes a call to action at the top.
- There is a call to action at the end of the article and a comment at the end (and one in the footer, to boot!).
One thing you will notice when you browse his site: social sharing buttons. It removes the choice of the equation. To interact with his messages, the easiest decision will be email.
Help Scout - 60,000 subscribers
Help Scout is one of the best to put the focus on e-mail your registration to the home page of their website. The image above is of the blog page landing. As you navigate deeper into the blog, the form moves to the sidebar subscribe.
also on the main page (and the following pages) is an ebook gift. The ebook is so you can see the full thing in a single click on the Web. At the end of the ebook is a call to action to register for updates.
Andrew Chen
Andrew Chen was one of the leaders in setting work of the Home page-as-registration-form. Its main page has a little extra something. At the first ground there, the electronic form is automatically highlighted, and you can start typing your email address without even clicking.
You may also notice that Chen takes a different approach to social proof. It does not publish the number of subscribers to its list, but mentions the recommendations of Wired magazine and 500 Startups.
Michael Hyatt - 115,000 subscribers
One of Michael Hyatt secrets to building a list is incredible with gifts and probably a good amount of testing a / B. His calls to action to download a free ebook are really excellent. Here is one that appears at the bottom of your posts.
The text here is entirely focused on the benefits to the reader. Who would not want to get behind a guy who is looking for your interests like that? He is a great AOC; a little testing and optimization can get you the same thing.
Social Media Examiner - 250,000 subscribers
Just like HubSpot, Social Media Examiner's really good at giving things. Their home page has a call to action-massive to register for a free ebook. When you scroll through a personal blog, you see another CTA a popup offering instant access to a free video.
With events and webinars and many forms of media, social media examiner has a lot of possibility to appeal to customers in many different ways.
Which method Growth email you find yourself using?
What methods do you use you to subscribe to blogs? What did you use for your own website to attract email subscribers? I'd love to hear from you.