5 Ideas to Get Way More People Signing Up for Your Emails

Let’s be honest: nobody wants your newsletter.

But they do want your emails, provided you can show on the front end that there’s a lot of value waiting for your email subscribers.

To do that, you need a lead generating PDF or other piece of content. This is a free piece of content that you give away in exchange for someone’s email address.

If you don’t know exactly what that might look like, pause right now and watch the second video in my series, Avoid the Marketing Money Pit. (It’s free.)

Once you’ve got a handle on that strategy, you’re ready to maximize its impact. And that means promoting your email signup and new lead generator in a few key places. Let me walk you through each of them.

Prominently on Your Website

This is a no-brainer, right? But how we position an email signup can mean the difference between a few signups a month and thousands of them.

Using a pop-up or lightbox window to promote your lead generator is a great way to ensure visitors have the opportunity to sign up for your emails, simply because they have to acknowledge the invitation. The downside is that pop-ups can be perceived as annoying because they interrupt people browsing your site.

This copy from Kris Carr frames the pop-up not as an interruption but as a chance not to miss out on the value: “Did you get your free gift yet?”

In mobile-friendly scrolling sites, try devoting an entire section to your lead generator. If site visitors are interested but not ready to buy, this allows them to still take an action other than closing the window and forgetting about your company.

For StoryBrand alum Kyle Schultz, he’s found it works well as the primary call to action on his website:

Amy Porterfield has several lead generators you can choose from. This section gets prime real estate on her site, right below her main image, copy, and call to action.

it in your footer as a simple link that says “Get our emails” or, worse, “Newsletter.”

In Your Personal Email Signature

How many emails do you send each day from your work account?

This report says most of us send 43 business-related emails a day — one every 10 minutes.

And if you’re emailing people outside of your company, it’s a great chance to grow your email list. Just add a short line of copy and link to your email signature. In your copy, make sure your recipients know there’s value in it for them.

It might look something like this:

Donald Miller
CEO, Storybrand
615-915-1541
Does your marketing need an overhaul? I can help! Start by watching these three 5-minute videos.

On Social Media

For most of us, social media is a big part of our marketing efforts. And we spend a lot of time and hustle on our email marketing, too.

But a lot of times, we fail to “cross the streams” by using our social media to promote our emails.

Followers on social media may only engage your brand casually. By giving them a chance to join your email list, you’re inviting them into a more meaningful relationship — with more value for them.

Author and artist Austin Kleon has a tweet about his weekly email pinned to the top of his Twitter page.

In this week’s newsletter: advice for graduates, Mister Rogers, food and LA, classical music, and more: https://t.co/xwBFRK8r8K pic.twitter.com/iHSi29CZ19

— Austin Kleon (@austinkleon) May 26, 2017

For an artist, showing the value of the content is a bit different from a business, but the idea is the same. Make sure people understand what’s in it for them if they sign up.

It’s easy to forget, so set a reminder for yourself to tweet or post a link about your lead generator every couple of weeks. Or use your social media scheduling software to automate it entirely.

In Facebook Ads

If you’ve dabbled in the world of Facebook ads, you know that the extremely dialed-in segmenting and budget control make it a powerful tool for small business owners.

But depending on the price point of your product or service, it can be hard to convert people to a sale straight from an ad.

If that’s you, try running Facebook ads that promote your lead generator. This is your chance to nurture those relationships with people who are interested enough to get your free download — but who may need a little more time, trust, and information in order to buy.

At the end of your blog posts

The very best candidates to sign up to receive content from you are … no surprise here … people who are already reading your content.

Make sure anyone who’s reading your blog knows about your lead generator. You might put it at the top of the page or in the right sidebar. Or, if you have multiple lead generators, create a few blog footer designs, and rotate them at the bottom of each blog post. That way, people who finish reading your content and want more see a convenient way to get it.

We do this at the end of every post here, as you may have noticed.

Those are a few examples of digital places you can grow your list. But don’t forget all the offline places you interact with customers.

Point of sale: Have cashiers and employees ask customers at checkout if they’d like to get emails and receive a free downloadable gift.

Over the phone: If you have a sales team making calls all day, build an invitation to join the email list into their call outlines and talking points.

On your packaging: Add a small bit of copy or QR code to your packaging to promote your lead generator. If someone has already bought, they’re more likely to buy again — especially if they regularly get reminders in their inbox.

At events: If you host any kind of workshop or conference, promote your lead generator there, too. Inevitably, events have lines. And in lines, people are already on their phones. Promote your lead generator in those places by giving people a handy way to sign up (via text, QR code, or even a good old-fashioned clipboard).

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With a little intentional work on your end, you’ll maximize the reach of your awesome new lead generator and have a super-healthy, qualified email list of people who are eager to hear more from you. With a strong email list, you can exponentially grow your sales.

How do you promote your lead generator and grow your email list? Write a quick comment and share what you’ve learned with everybody else.