20 Ways To Improve Newsletter Conversions
20 Ways To Improve Newsletter Conversions
We’ve all seen them.
They come in various sizes and though they look innocentenough they’re really a mysterious black hole leading tosomething even more puzzling.
A newsletter!
Hard to believe but it’s true. A newsletter signup box can bethat easy thing you stick in a corner yet you come to realizeit’s not earning its keep. People aren’t signing up. Not longago I did some troubleshooting for a company who couldn’t figureout why there were so few subscribers to their newsletter. Afterthey received my report they wrote back” To be honest we putthat up because we were told its good to have a newsletter.”Nobody told them it takes a lot more than putting up a littlesignup box on a web page.
Here’s a rundown in no particular order of things to considerif you want to present a newsletter or any type ofsubscriptionbased publication such as news updates salespromotions that requires asking for someone’s email address andtheir name. The idea behind the list is to increase conversionsreduce signup abandonment and inspire interest in yoursubscription offering.
1. Are there too many opportunities for signup? Some web sitesappear desperate. There may be a text link in the globalnavigation and footer plus a box placed on every single webpage. Some web sites have two boxes one above the page foldand a duplicate below the fold.
2. Did you extend a polite invitation during conversationalcontent somewhere? There are many ways to invite signups suchas when introducing yourself or company in a form return pagewhen you direct visitors back to the homepage or somewhere ofinterest or as an item in the About Us content. Link to a pagecontaining information about the newsletter which also has asign up form on it.
3. Does the box contain scan words such as “Free” “Sales”Special”? Ex. “Subscribe to our free newsletter.
4. Did you study your target market to learn if there is a needfor your type of newsletter? Who are your intended readers?
5. Be careful. Some forms are confusing such as when they askfor a mailing address for an EMAIL only newsletter. Why do youwant to know where they live? If you have a good reason it’sbest to clearly state what that is.
6. Is the newsletter intended for an International audience? Ifthere is a reason to ask for personal information make sure theform is designed for International users to fill out.
7. Link to a privacy policy at or near the top of the sign upform. This explains exactly what will happen to the subscriber’semail address and any other information they’re asked to give.If they don’t trust your motives they may refuse to sign up.
8. A simple newsletter sign up box should request a user nameand email address that will accept the email. Instructions nearor inside the box or in the newsletter information pageexplaining they’ll receive a confirmation email verifying theirinformation will increase user confidence.
9. Always link to a sample issue. Otherwise they have no ideawhat they’re signing up for. Always refer to the title of thepublication. I’ve seen signup requests for publications with noname!
10. Provide free archives. A history of a newsletter indicatesif it’s new or an established publication. The latter hints atauthority on the subject matter. If new note somewhere thatarchives will be provided. In this way you offer a secondchance to sign up later once the prospect has an opportunity tosee the product.
11. Have you seen this? I have. Some newsletters ask for contentsuggestions and ideas but they don’t have an issue availableor archives online making it difficult to understand what theycover or what was previously written about.
12. How often does it arrive? Make sure this is indicated on theinformational page.
13. Is it HTML or text based? Do you offer a choice?
14. What are the benefits of subscribing? Does it teach? Offerdiscounts? Accept advertising?
15. How good is it? Provide testimonials and reader feedbackwith their permission. This is especially helpful in competitiveindustries.
16. If your publication is monthly here’s an idea from magazinepublishers. In your information page list the topics to come inthe next year beforehand. This is great for feebasedpublications too. Keep the reader interested by what you plan tocover.
17. Offer referral incentives. This may make more sense forfeebased publications but be creative. If you’re a consultantand want to drive up readership is there something you canoffer such as free 15 minutes of your time or a give awayezine or discount on future services?
18. Announce upcoming issues on your homepage and thepublication itself. Some newsletters come the same day everyweek. If for some reason they will NOT be delivered make sureto warn subscribers in the previous issue. Otherwise you may bebombarded with “Where’s my newsletter!” emails.
19. Avoid relying on a simple box signup alone. Place a “Viewinformation” text link inside it that invites your visitor tolearn more gain trust and get excited about your publication.Place a “Tell a friend” box on the information page too forfast and easy referrals to your newsletter.
20. For more ideas on how to promote and present a newsletteroffering study the techniques used by SuccessfulSites. There’sinformation on the writers pictures archives topicsresources and more!
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