{"id":17843,"date":"2023-02-28T06:46:13","date_gmt":"2023-02-28T06:46:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/?p=17843"},"modified":"2023-03-03T06:49:25","modified_gmt":"2023-03-03T06:49:25","slug":"building-your-newsletter-subscription-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/building-your-newsletter-subscription-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Your Newsletter Subscription List: 8 Best Practices"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>TLDR: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At Media Shower, we\u2019ve worked with clients on thousands of email newsletters. Here are our best practices for <\/span><b>building your newsletter subscriber list<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use existing customer data to get your list started<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make subscribing simple<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Engage your audience with contests and offers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use QR codes on packaging\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Give non-subscribers a taste of what they can expect<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>So What? <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By making signups simple, customizing what subscribers see, and regularly rewarding subscribers with quality offers, you\u2019ll be on your way to a list that helps your brand grow.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It seems like email has been around forever, but it still needs to be a staple in your marketing strategy. A study by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/optinmonster.com\/email-marketing-vs-social-media-performance-2016-2019-statistics\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">OptInMonster<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> showed that 60% of consumers subscribed to email newsletters of brands they like, while only 20% visited the social media pages of those brands.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finding subscribers and building your email subscription list of readers will ensure your newsletter is doing everything it can to boost sales and impact your brand\u2019s bottom line. You can start with your existing customer data and build from there.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Newsletter Subscription List Building: How to Grow Your Numbers<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><b> Use Existing Customer Data. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The foundation of your newsletter list will come from your existing customer data, which in most cases, includes email addresses and names. Depending on the size of your company, this list may be a few dozen or a few thousand recipients, but it\u2019s a place to start when building a list.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b> Give Whitelist Instructions.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> To those who sign up, send instructions for whitelisting the newsletter, so it doesn\u2019t end up in their spam folders. This will not only increase your open and clickthrough rates, but it will make them more likely to forward the newsletter to a friend.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s an example of simple whitelist instructions from Scott\u2019s Cheap Flights newsletter:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17850 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/3.jpeg-66.jpg\" alt=\"Scott's cheap flights newsletter\" width=\"566\" height=\"627\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/3.jpeg-66.jpg 566w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/3.jpeg-66-271x300.jpg 271w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 566px) 100vw, 566px\" \/><\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><b> Put Subscribe Buttons Everywhere.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Include a subscribe button on your website and social media pages. Our experience is that <\/span><b>popup ads get about a 10% subscribe rate<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">; despite your feelings about popups, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">they work<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. You can also try subscribe buttons at the bottom of a post, in a sidebar, or in the header, but these typically deliver less than a 1% conversion rate.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div id=\"attachment_17849\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17849\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-17849\" src=\"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4.jpeg-32.jpg\" alt=\"Newsletter cta example\" width=\"600\" height=\"343\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4.jpeg-32.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4.jpeg-32-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4.jpeg-32-1024x585.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4.jpeg-32-768x438.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-17849\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Despite your feelings about popups, they work.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li><b> Try a Feature Box. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A classier kind of popup is the \u201cFeature Box,\u201d that rolls up from the bottom to briefly describe your site and invite users to subscribe to your newsletter. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/plugmatter.com\/feature-box\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PlugMatter<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> says feature boxes can boost subscriber numbers by up to 200% over other signup techniques.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here is an example of a feature box used by Jeff Walker:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-17848\" src=\"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5.png\" alt=\"Product launch\" width=\"600\" height=\"419\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5.png 620w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5-300x210.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n<li><b> Encourage Engagement and Forwarding.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Getting visitors engaged in your content will make newsletter signups more likely. It can be an effective strategy to run a <\/span><b>contest<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><b>referral program<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to encourage people\u2019s engagement and sharing of your content to get new subscribers.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Types of contests may include the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sending photos that fit given prompts<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Event-based contests that coincide with special days or holidays<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Answering poll questions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trivia questions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Behind-the-scenes item giveaways<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Encouraging subscribers to forward your newsletter is another good way to spread the word about your content so long as you include a signup option within the newsletter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"6\">\n<li><b> Experiment with Offers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Many newsletter signups <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/best-practices-for-newsletters\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">offer something<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to the people subscribing like exclusive content, discounts, or chances to win giveaway items. You\u2019ll almost always get more signups if you offer something in return. While it may take some time and testing to determine which type of offer works best for your newsletter, content-based offers and discounts are two of the most popular.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Popular signup offers include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Free ebook\/download\/guide<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coupon<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Members-only benefit<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Limited-time offer<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Webinar replay or transcript<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here is an example from Build-A-Bear:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17847 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/6.png\" alt=\"Spin to win a deal\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/6.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/6-225x300.png 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(For more sample offers, see our piece on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/email-marketing-tips\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5 Tips to Increase Email Open Rates<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.)<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"7\">\n<li><b> Include QR Codes for Offline Subscribers. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For companies with physical products, consider putting QR (quick read) codes directly on product packaging rather than a website address so people can quickly access your site where they\u2019ll be prompted to sign up for your newsletter.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can also use QR codes to subscribe to your newsletter anywhere you\u2019re marketing: trade shows, in-store displays, sales collateral, company vehicles, or brochures.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-17846\" src=\"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/7.jpeg-3.jpg\" alt=\"Hands photographing a QR code\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/7.jpeg-3.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/7.jpeg-3-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<ol start=\"8\">\n<li><b> Offer a Taste of What Subscribers Can Expect:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Teasing a sample of your newsletter content on your website can be another way to get new subscribers. If you go this route, be sure to use one of your most popular newsletters with the highest open rate as an example.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using these practices and principles, you can double, triple, even quadruple your newsletter list into a valuable marketing channel for your business. All it takes is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/how-to-be-a-thought-leader\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">consistency<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you need help growing your newsletter list, Media Shower can help. <\/span><\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/content-marketing-calculator\/?__mscta=2851_95083_162\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Download our marketing ROI spreadsheet to forecast your real business results.<\/span><\/i> <\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/content-marketing-calculator\/?__mscta=2851_95083_162\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17845 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/8.png\" alt=\"CTA Marketers Meet Mathematics\" width=\"680\" height=\"240\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/8.png 680w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/8-300x106.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At Media Shower, we\u2019ve worked with clients on thousands of email newsletters. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":17851,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[459],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17843"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17843"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17843\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17854,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17843\/revisions\/17854"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}