5 bulletproof ways to attract new readers for your newsletters
Our 5 effective and legally safe ways to attract new readers may come in handy
In our customer survey, 61% of the participants said that attracting new readers for their newsletter is one of their biggest challenges. No wonder, considering that most people become more cautious about their personal data – or are simply not motivated enough to enter their mail-adress and hit “sign up”.
So you already implemented all the basics of gaining new newsletter contacts (visible placement of contact form or installment of separate landingpage for registrations), but still your contact list won’t grow anymore? Then our 5 effective and legally safe ways to attract new readers may come in handy:
1. Attract new readers with rewards like freebies
Who doesn’t love to get presents? With free services, it is easier to gain new contacts. A potential new reader can download his freebie as soon as he confirmed his consent to receive your newsletters via douple-opt-in.
Services providers may offer freebies like:
- checklists, instructions, templates for planning/calculating (e.g. in Excel, PowerPoint)
- whitepapers
- specific surveys and case studies
- free initial consultations, e.g. via Skype
- video tutorials and webinars
- email learning course (automatic, episodic mailings)
Make sure that your freebies offer a benefit for your readers – inspirational content or solutions to common problems are helpful and highly appreciated. To ensure that your content is of good quality you may want to consider hiring professional agencies that can create freebies for you.
Are you a shop owner? Then you can use discounts and vouchers to invite your readers to make a purchase. Make sure that your voucher / discount code works beforehand by sending a test email to yourself. Furthermore, we would recommend you track the conversions of your voucher. This data tells you a lot about your customers.
2. Use Facebook to extend your contact list
Create an account on Facebook for your company (if you haven’t already) and integrate a registration form for your newsletter here. There are several useful plugins out there that help you create a Facebook tab for newsletter registrations; Woobox, Static HTML: Iframe tabs, or integrations by CleverReach are great tools for that. This way of generating more contacts has its advantages; all data is collected automatically and new readers don’t need to leave Facebook to register.
Another way to attract new readers are Facebook Lead Ads, where you can run paid campaigns to gain new contacts. Here, users can also stay on Facebook while signing up for your newsletter. The contact information of all leads will be collected and transferred to your CleverReach recipient list through our Facebook-Lead-Ad-integration.
Do you also own an corporate Instagram account? Connect it with your Facebook page to place ads on Instagram as well.
3. Attract new readers offline
Of course, new email addresses can be collected offline, too. Sometimes this is easier, because prospective new readers meet your team face-to-face and already have a connection to your company. Use this advantage, for example with:
• newsletter boxes at networking events and exhibitions,
• a guestbook for praise and criticism,
• give aways and sweepstakes,
• feedback forms that offer the possibility to sign up for your newsletter.
Note: The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies for both online and offline measures to collect reader’s data. That means, that the recipient of your newsletter needs to confirm his registration for your newsletter by double-opt-in, whether he signs up online or offline.
Here’s how you do it “live”: Have two copies of your registration form ready. The first one is for you, the second copy goes to your new reader. The form must contain your privacy policy and tell your prospective new reader about his right to revoke his agreement. You have to transfer the collected data manually to your system, while the physical signed form must be filed where you can easily find it. This way of duplicate documentation is mandatory to comply with the GDPR.
4. For VIPs only – special offers after registration
Retailers and onlineshops alike can use special discounts to attract new readers: offer your customers exclusive vouchers and sales in return for their newsletter registration. This “VIP-effect” has proven to be very effective with consumers – people who sign up for your newsletter can enjoy an exclusive membership or VIP status that comes with attractive discounts.
As a service provider you may also want to try this strategy of connecting newsletter registrations with special offers. Here are some examples to do so:
• A dermatologist may offer discounts or special events for injections and dermal treatments
• A dog school can distribute early bird discounts for new “students” who need to sign up for courses
• A hair dresser who communicates the newest color- and hairstyle trends combines this info with vouchers for product samples or a gratis eyebrow plucking
It always pays to make your customers feel unique and special!
5. Use corporate emails for registrations
Your employees send many emails, every day. Use this circumstance to your advantage and integrate a newsletter registration button in the bottom of every corporate mail. This is a practical, inexpensive and smart idea to attract new readers for your newsletter.
Similar to our 3. tip, the personal connection between potential subscribers and your employees can lead to new registrations.
Conclusion
There are more possibilities to attract new readers than many companies actually apply. Stay ahead of the competition and place the subscription options for the newsletter anywhere it makes sense. It usually takes neither much time or money – and yet you can look forward to a lasting effect on your email marketing!
