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Not getting enough email signups on your ecommerce website? This is an all too common challenge that many online store owners face.
Using email marketing as part of your marketing strategies is a powerful way to skyrocket your ecommerce website. But to add email marketing to your arsenal, you’ve got to have a strong email list and a steady rate of sign-ups.
If you’re looking for proven and tested tips to boost your email sign-ups, then this article will help you with just that.
Let’s jump in!
14 proven newsletter signup strategies for 2024
Let’s explore the 14 proven email sign-up strategies designed to navigate the evolving digital realm and capture audience engagement effectively in 2024.
1. Segment your newsletters based on interest
One size does not fit all in the realm of email marketing. That’s exactly why providing sub-newsletters tailored to specific interests has emerged as a powerful strategy for engaging diverse audiences.
Individuals often harbor distinct preferences, needs, and concerns related to a product or service.
It’s usually impossible to address everyone’s interests if the topic is broad. The solution is to collect this information about your email subscribers and segment them based on the collected data. Then send relevant content to each subgroup, so email subscribers receive information that resonates more deeply with their concerns and preferences.
Kiss My Keto’s multi-step popup is a great example of collecting email addresses while also learning about your visitors’ interests.
This segmentation ensures that recipients receive content and product recommendations that are not only relevant but also valuable, fostering a stronger connection and loyalty to the brand.
If you’d like to get started with a similar email subscription strategy, try these templates for free:
2. Offer daily exclusive deals
The prospect of “daily deals” or a “deal of the day” makes customers want to return to your website over and over again.
A newsletter that pushes these “daily deals” out to your email list is very useful and gives your website visitors a reason to sign up and read the newsletters you send every day.
Solid Signal, a supplier of audio-visual equipment, offers to mail daily deals to subscribers of its newsletters:
3. Use an eBook as a hook
Another powerful opt-in tactic involves using eBooks as a compelling hook to entice individuals to sign up for newsletters.
By offering an immediate gift in exchange for an email address, businesses can effectively overcome the hesitancy that often accompanies sharing personal information in today’s online landscape.
The promise of receiving valuable content serves as a powerful motivator for individuals to subscribe to a newsletter.
Check out how The Turmeric Co. uses a recipe book to collect email addresses from website visitors:
Try these popup templates to promote your ebook:
4. Offer prizes to win
The possibility of winning can be a very powerful motivator also. Prizes can vary, you can have an indirect prize in the form of a gift certificate, or a direct prize in the form of a product or service you offer for sale.
You don’t need to give a prize to everyone – it’s enough to give everyone the chance to win a prize.
Team Express, a sports retailer, offers the chance to win a $250 gift certificate for their newsletter subscribers:
5. Offer a special discount to subscribers
Discounts can be a very effective motivator for people to provide their email addresses, especially when the discount is applied immediately.
You can even pair the discount offer and the prompt to subscribe with an interactive trigger. For example, when the customer adds an item to the shopping cart the discount is applied and they are subscribed to your list.
Coffee for Less, the online arm of Philadelphia’s Coffee Serv Inc., provides an immediate $5 off for first-time newsletter subscribers.
Vegetology offers a mystery discount in exchange for email subscriptions.
6. Offer free shipping to subscribers
Shipping costs can sometimes be quite substantial. Subsidizing this is one way you can cut prices without actually cutting prices. Offering this in exchange for a newsletter subscription will boost the conversion rate of your newsletter signup forms.
Oka.com uses a popup to promote its free shipping offer for the subscriber’s next order.
7. Give multiple reasons to encourage people to sign up
What content do you use for your newsletter signup prompt? Hopefully, it’s not just a text box for your customer’s email address with a “Submit” button.
Use powerful words such as “save”, “free”, “best”, “special”, and “exclusive” to drive home your message of cost savings for would-be subscribers.
To test for strength, read it aloud in an enthusiastic tone – strong copy will not sound out of place coming from the mouth of a breathless announcer.
Camping World, a one-stop-shop for recreational vehicle enthusiasts, uses several words – best, red-hot, deals, specials, exclusive – to encourage subscribers.
8. Make your offer relevant and urgent
The more relevant your offer looks, the more signups you will get. You can use any special event or holiday to increase urgency. This also helps the message feel less generic and more worthwhile to your customer at the time.
Use it as an opportunity to boost your newsletter signups by offering special season-limited promotions and discounts for your subscribers!
In addition to a snarkily-worded “no thanks, my glass is already full”, Wine Enthusiast, a seller of wine accessories, gives new subscribers early access to special holiday promotions:
9. Show a sample newsletter
Many food manufacturers use free samples to get customers to try, and hopefully like their product.
You can apply a similar strategy for newsletter marketing – showing a sample of the newsletter will reduce confusion and increase the chances that someone who subscribes will stay for the long run.
10. Make your signup form sticky
To ensure that your newsletter subscription form is always available no matter how far down someone scrolls into a page, implement it as a floating sticky bar.
Groupon, a daily deals shopping site, has a sticky subscription form overlay that follows the user as the landing page is scrolled. They have also thoughtfully included a way to hide the overlay for uninterested visitors.
11. Use exit-intent popups to boost signups
Exit-intent popups are designed to keep visitors on your website and boost your email list.
The technology works like this: whenever a visitor tries to leave your site, a popup appears with a message. This message gives you a final chance to get your visitors to sign up for your list before they leave your site.
12. Host webinars and events
Webinars, virtual events, or even offline events are fantastic tools for engagement. They provide value upfront, making users more likely to sign up.
For instance, you could host a webinar on the latest trends in your industry or a virtual event showcasing new products.
Promote these events on your website and require users to sign up for access. This not only increases your sign-up rates but also positions you as an authority in your field.
Sephora often hosts in-person events like the ones you can see below. These give customers a chance to discover and try the latest products.
13. Use gamification
Gamification can make the newsletter signup process fun and engaging. One effective method is using lucky wheel popups.
These popups invite visitors to spin a wheel for a chance to win discounts, freebies, or other prizes. The element of chance makes it exciting, and to spin the wheel, users need to provide their email addresses.
It’s a win-win: they get a shot at winning something, and you grow your email list.
Here are some lucky wheel popup templates you can try on your website:
14. Engage with quizzes
Interactive content like quizzes can significantly boost engagement and increase sign-ups.
Consider creating a fun quiz related to your products or industry. For example, a fashion retailer could have a quiz like “What’s Your Style?” that ends with a call-to-action to sign up for personalized fashion tips.
Try these popup templates that work as a short quiz and as a newsletter signup form at the same time:
FAQ
Why is it important to focus on getting more email subscribers?
Newsletter signups are crucial for building a loyal audience and maintaining a direct line of communication with your subscribers. They allow you to share valuable content, updates, promotions, and build relationships with your audience over time.
How can I encourage people to sign up for my newsletter?
There are numerous strategies you can employ, including offering incentives, optimizing signup forms, leveraging social proof, creating compelling content, and utilizing various marketing channels.
What types of incentives can I offer to encourage newsletter signups?
Incentives can include discounts, exclusive content, freebies, access to webinars or events, entry into giveaways or contests, or a valuable lead magnet such as an ebook or checklist.
What role does content play in attracting newsletter subscribers?
High-quality content is essential for attracting and retaining newsletter subscribers. Make sure you send great content that’s relevant to your target audience’s interests and provides them with actionable insights, tips, or entertainment.
What is a sign-up form?
A sign-up form is an online form used to collect information from visitors, usually to create an account, subscribe to a service, or join an email list. Sign-up forms typically ask for basic details such as name, email address, and sometimes additional information like phone number or preferences. Sign-up forms are crucial for any business looking to grow its online presence and build a relationship with its audience.
Wrapping up
Building a huge email list can be your ultimate advantage over competitors.
The best ecommerce site owners are proactive and constantly optimize their list-building efforts. By implementing sophisticated sign-up strategies—such as hosting webinars, leveraging gamification, and engaging users with interactive content like contests and quizzes—you can significantly boost your sign-up rates.
Boosting your newsletter signups is a great way to boost your business in the long term. Keep experimenting, optimizing, and engaging, and watch your ecommerce business thrive.
What should you do next?
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Written by
Nikolett Lorincz
Nikolett is the Head of Content at OptiMonk. She is obsessed with content marketing and loves creating educational content for ecommerce store owners. She truly believes in the importance of quality over quantity.
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