Design Tips to Increase Email Newsletter Subscribers

Building an e-mail list is essential for the success of any business. It's a form of soft lead that requires no pressure or commitment to buy, and can eventually convert customers who were previously digital window shoppers! When a user signs up for your email newsletter, it is one of the most valuable metrics you can track. Think about it for a second—these are people who are voluntarily agreeing to see your messaging! This is because they:
A. Like your brand
B. Want to stay updated with products and services you're offering, as well as any deals
Consider this statistic: according to direct marketing website DMA, email marketing has consistently been one of the most important metrics a business can focus on for the best ROI.

Unlike social media, an email newsletter is something your customers have a much higher likelihood of seeing. There is no filtering system or pay-to-promote system in place, so if your customer is subscribed, you know they will at least see the headline of your content!
With that being said, there are a few tips you can utilize to increase the amount of subscribers you're getting. Much of it lies in the design of your site, along with the way your copy can effectively persuade the benefits you offer!

How to get more subscribers for your email newsletter

Minimize the steps required to sign up. Rather than linking visitors to a separate sign up page, it is much more effective to embed a data capture form in the sidebar, header, or footer of your site. This allows a user to quickly and easily receive email updates. Think of it this way: faster is better. A first and last name, along with email address, keeps typing and clicking to a minimum. The more effort it takes, the less likely a user is to sign up for your newsletter!
Make your benefits apparent. No one is going to sign up for your email newsletter if they don't have a reason for doing so. Rather than simply saying "Sign up for our newsletter", make sure to include some creative angle or hook that will draw your reader in. Offering incentives (coupons) and special information (subscriber only advice) is a great way to persuade potential customers. It's all in how you write out what these benefits are!
An example of a great newsletter signup form is business plan website the OnRamp. Their newsletter call to action is simple, states benefits, and even injects a little personality and humor at the same time.
 
Cross promote on social media. If you're familiar with setting up custom tabs on Facebook, you can create a page offering an incentive to subscribers (if not, get in touch with us). You'll want to design it in a way that is fan-gated, requiring a user to first input their information. Once they've done so, they'll gain access to the actual content of your page, which can be a coupon, or perhaps a special deal that has become "unlocked" now that they are a subscriber. The example below shows how a social media incentive might look:

 
Be up front about when you send emails. One pet peeve that we can all agree on is signing up for an email newsletter, only to be bombarded daily by messages. This is one of the biggest turn offs for a customer, and a reason they may be hesitant to sign up for your email newsletter. If you're not the spammy type, try honesty with visitors to your site—let them know just how often they'll get emails if they subscribe to you! Many shoppers (especially millennials) appreciate transparency with a business, and are more likely to sign up if they know in advance what they can expect.
 
A/B test and find what's best. Sometimes, small design aspects can be the breaking point that determines whether or not users sign up for your emails. Experiment with the placement of your newsletter sign up form on your site, the colors of it, the copy used, and the overall style/feel of it. Monitor how different designs perform over time, and then choose the one that is most effective for your site.