Newsletters are a great way for you to engage with customers, market new products, and establish your platform or expertise within a niche. Whether you are an author, a small business or you run a blog, newsletters are often a key means of engagement. When you can deliver regular newsletters that your audience enjoys and values, you’ll get high email open rates, more conversions, and more sales.

But how do you get people to sign-up for your newsletter?

The most tried and tested way to get newsletter subscribers is to drive people to your website or a landing page on your site, where you then give them a compelling reason to sign up. You can bring people to your site with great content that ranks well on search engines, or you can use ads on Facebook or other platforms to bring people in. But getting people to your site is only the beginning. You then need to optimize your pages for conversion. In this case conversion means turning a site visitor into a newsletter subscriber. Getting more newsletter subscribers requires getting your site and pages dialed in just right. So take a deep breath. Clear your mind and read on.

12 Tips to get more newsletter subscribers

If your current sign-up rates are lower than you’d like, here are 12 of the best tips to help you boost your following:

1. Boost page loading speed

Internet users expect high-quality websites to load quickly. If a page doesn’t load within 5 seconds, the chances of a user exiting the site increases exponentially. To make sure your visitors won’t be deterred by slow loading times, check your website speed by using the Google Page Speed tool. If needed fix your site speed issues.

2. Put CTA buttons front and center

Your CTA (Call To Action) buttons should be impossible to miss, whether they’re located on your website or a social media page. These buttons should be brightly colored and placed on every page of your website in the form of a widget or a sign-up bar to keep encouraging users to subscribe.

3. Create strong CTAs

When it comes to the actual words or phrases used in your CTAs, make sure that they aren’t weak or confusing. For instance, a button that simply says, “Go,” or “Submit” don’t give the user any information about what will happen next. Strong CTAs will tell the person what clicking the button will do, such as, “Join the newsletter,” or “Subscribe to our free newsletter.” When in doubt, create a CTA that begins with a verb and is action-oriented.

4. Research keywords for SEO-friendly headlines

No matter what kind of business you manage, you should regularly update your keywords to attract relevant visitors. Do some light keyword research within your specific industry niche to determine what kind of content your target audience is looking for, and then incorporate these keywords into your web page headlines, blog titles, and product descriptions. By using popular search terms and clearly defining what your website can offer to visitors, you can increase your site visibility and gain more page views.

5. Add a personal touch

To improve your brand’s trustworthiness and boost conversion rates, you can personalize the “About” page on your website. Share a photo of yourself, a team picture, or a video of your business to allow visitors to see the human faces behind the website. To foster an emotional connection between you and your audience, you may also want some copy that answers these questions: Who are you? Why did you create the site/What’s the story behind your business? What are your core values/goals/visions for your brand? Why should people sign up for the newsletter? What kind of content does it offer? What are your likes/dislikes? (Examples: Do you prefer cats or dogs? Coffee or tea?) People want to know that there are real people behind a website, and they are more likely to engage with you when they know your story.

6. Show off your social proof

Customer testimonials are one of the most powerful ways to convince other visitors to purchase your product, sign up for your newsletter, or take another action. Users are more likely to believe and trust a real customer who tried out the product themselves rather than a company’s own description of the product. Add some real testimonials to your homepage, along with the reviewer’s photo, name, and a link to their website (if applicable) to further improve social proof.

7. Share customer reviews

Other forms of social proof can be found on any site where you sell your product. For example, if your website has positive reviews on Google, Amazon, Yelp, or TrustPilot, you can add these widgets to your website along with your rating from each source.

8. Use a timed or triggered pop-up modal

If you have a page that gets a lot of traffic you might consider using pop-up modal that’s triggered by exit intent, amount of time spent on page, or how far they scroll on a page. These modals can be highly effective, but make sure it’s easy for visitors to exit the modal if they aren’t interested in signing up. And after you put up the modal, keep an eye on your page rank as Google can sometimes penalize pages with pop-up modals.

9. Offer a special perk for subscribers

You can entice people to sign up for your newsletter by offering a free gift or benefit that only subscribers can access. For example, a free download of a relevant eBook, a sneak peek at upcoming deals, or additional content can encourage curious users to subscribe.

10. Test out your pages

Double-check to make sure that your main newsletter sign-up page works, as well as other pages on your website that have sign-up widgets. It’s important to test your signup experience on desktop and mobile devices to ensure that everything works smoothly for both device types. You also want to make sure that your pages work well with Chrome, Bing, and Safari broswers.

11. Write a unique confirmation message

After someone signs up for your newsletter, welcome them with a confirmation message. You should strive to match the language of your confirmation message with your typical brand voice. For example, if your site is straightforward and no-nonsense, a simple message may read: “Thank you! You are now subscribed to (newsletter name), which you will receive every Monday.”

12. Run a giveaway

You can run a giveaway where the price of entry is newsletter subscription. You will want to giveaway a prize that is very specific to your niche, such as an assortment of single origin chocolate bars, if that’s what your company sells, and that’s what your newsletter focuses on. Try to avoid giving away something generic such as an Amazon gift card. On word or caution, when you get subscribers from a giveaway, they tend to unsubscribe quickly or never open your emails. Use this method sparingly.

We hope you’ve found this information useful. And if you happen to be an avid reader, consider signing up for the JustKindleBooks newsletter to receive free book recommendations in your inbox every day.