If you want something, you have to give something in return. That’s the way the world works. But so often, I see websites with newsletter or blog subscription sign up boxes, but with nothing to offer in return!
I know, I know, you are writing great content. (You are writing content right? Great, relevant content?) But people can just click on over to your blog to read that. They don’t need to share their email address with you to read it. That email address is sacred. In the world of spam and constant emails, why would someone give you that information?
They might not. But if you offer them something, they might. Some kind of free gift for signing up goes a long way to converting readers to subscribers. Now this offer doesn’t have to be the world. It can be a simple freebie, a download, some tips. But give them some kind of incentive to make signing up worth their while.
What kind of things could you offer?
- Tips
- Free download
- Ebook
- a free gift
- a coupon
- a discount
How do I give away my freebie?
There are a number of options for this. If you use Gravity Forms for your optin, then you can easily set up an autoresponder within the notifications. If you use Mailchimp, you can also set up an auto-responder that triggers when your user subscribers. Most newsletter services will give you a place to set up your auto-responder.
It’s pretty simple, and worthwhile.
Go forth, offer something for free, and watch your subscribers increase.
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Amy Masson
Amy is the co-owner, developer, and website strategist for Sumy Designs. She's been making websites with WordPress since 2006 and is passionate about making sure websites are as functional as they are beautiful.