13 easy ways to get more email subscribers today

While social media marketing is important to your business too, it’s still not as effective as a strong email list. With 44 percent of people checking their email inbox 1-3 times per day, email marketing isn’t going anywhere.

Anytime you have something to say – whether it’s to announce a new product, advertise a sale or share your newest content – you have an invitation to promote your business via users’ inboxes. Email marketing can also be personalized to each of your subscribers, making it a much more effective strategy than a broad social media post.

From subscribers to customers

The people on your email list are your biggest fans, meaning they’re more likely to become customers. If you can grow your email list and fill it with active, engaged users, it can become a big-time money-maker for your business. But how do you convince people to share their email addresses?

By incorporating some of the strategies we’ll recommend in this article, you can build a strong email list – and lightning fast. For instance, Crossrope, a fitness company, exploded their email list by 900 percent each month using exit-intent optins. Crossrope added an exit-intent pop-up to almost every page of their website that offered visitors 10 percent off their order if they signed up for their email list.

With an enticing offer like that, visitors stuck around and were happy to provide their email addresses. Compelling data, right? If you ready to expand your email list to new dimensions, then let’s get started!

Here are 13 easy ways to get more email subscribers

1. Create lead magnets

People love getting free gifts, which is why creating a lead magnet can dramatically grow your email list. A lead magnet is basically a freebie that you offer visitors in exchange for their email address. Users won’t have a problem giving up their email address when they get something valuable in return.

There’s a number of lead magnets you could create including PDF guides, checklists, mini ebooks, worksheets, templates, calendars, and more. And you don’t have to spend a ton of time creating them either.

You can use a free tool like Canva to easily create any of the lead magnet examples mentioned above and they even have a ton of templates to get you started. Just make sure your lead magnet is relevant to your business or content so that your website visitors will jump at the chance to become a part of your email list and get more of your amazing insights.

2. Use exit-intent pop-ups

When users visit your website, you want to make sure you capture their email address before they leave. Because if a user leaves your website, you may have lost them forever. What if you could stop those users in their tracks and get them to subscribe to your email list before they abandon you? Now you can with an exit-intent pop-up.

Exit-intent pop-ups are a highly effective strategy to boost your email subscribers because they are able to track when a user is about to leave your site and send them a targeted message at exactly the right time.

And don’t worry, you don’t have to know a thing about code to create one. With OptinMonster you can easily create stunning exit-intent pop-ups with their drag and drop builder to convert visitors into loyal subscribers.

3. Build a landing page

A dedicated landing page for converting website visitors into email subscribers will be a great addition to your website and will grow your email list like wildfire. Landing pages that only focus on one call-to-action, like an email list opt-in, work so well because there’s nothing else on the page to distract the user, which makes it more likely they’ll take your desired action.

Donut Bouquets created this beautiful landing page that combines an email list signup with an online giveaway.

If you want to create a similarly stunning landing page like the one above you can do so in just a few simple steps using a tool like MailerLite. No need to a hire a graphic designer, MailerLite offers a user-friendly drag and drop editor with content blocks and customization options so that you can focus on generating more leads instead of stressing over design.

4. Display testimonials and social proof

It’s human nature to want to be a part of something exciting, and a bonus if other people can vouch for it. For instance, if there’s a new restaurant in town that has a line down the street, you’re going to want to get reservations there as soon as possible. It’s the same idea when it comes to your email list.

By displaying testimonials and social proof of people who have found your email newsletters, webinars or guides helpful and interesting, you’ll encourage a ton of your visitors to sign up and provide their email address too.

5. Add opt-ins within engaging blog posts

When visitors to your website are in the middle of reading one of your engaging, useful blog posts, it’s the perfect time to convince them to join your email list. You know that if a user is reading your content, they’re already interested in you and your business, so take advantage of that moment by adding a email opt-in within your blog posts.

Elna Cain does this well in the example below by promoting a free email course that users can sign up for near the end of her blog post.

Users will be thankful that you offered them another way to get more of the information from you that they enjoy and won’t hesitate to sign up.

6. Promote your list on social media

Don’t just promote your email list on your own website; if you really want to get more email subscribers then you need to widen your reach. On social media you can reach a ton of new users who have never even visited your website before and convince them to subscribe.

Utilize the call-to-action buttons on Facebook like the example above, create posts on Twitter and Instagram that promote your email list and use popular hashtags to attract your ideal audience and pin your lead magnet to the top of your profile. Promote your email list on social media often and you’re bound to attract a number of new subscribers and followers.

7. Redirect commenters

Users who comment on your blog posts are clearly interested in what you have to say and being a part of the community you created, so take advantage of that by turning commenters into subscribers.

When a user comments on your blog post, you have their full attention in that moment, so use a tool like Yoast Comment Hacks to grow your email list by redirecting first-time commenters to a thank you page that encourages them to sign up for your email list. And don’t forget to interact with visitors in the comment section too. People love to be noticed so if you reply to commenters and ask them to sign up for your email list, they’ll be more likely to.

8. Create a free email course

Users will happily give up their email addresses to you in exchange for your priceless advice and insights, so if you have something to teach your audience, create a free email course for them. An email course has a perceived value that’s even greater than a checklist or quick guide so they can dramatically boost email subscribers. It might seeming daunting to create an email course, but it doesn’t have to be.

A week-long email course is really just 7 emails that you have to create. Pick a topic that you know your audience is interested in (and that you’re an expert in) and create 7 short, engaging lessons. Nobody wants to read a wall of text so, make sure your email course looks great. You can use MailerLite’s automation and drag and drop builder to easily create a beautiful email course campaign that subscribers will devour.

9. Add a contact form to your site

If you don’t have a contact form on your website then you’re missing out on the opportunity to connect with your website visitors and turn them into subscribers. With a contact form, users can get in touch with you anytime they have a question to ask or a comment they want to share. And if you create a contact form with an email field users must fill out to contact you, you’ll be able to easily grow your email list.

Adding a contact form to your website is super easy. You can use a tool like WPForms to create a great contact form in just a few clicks with their user-friendly drag and drop builder. WPForms even has some extra cool features like the Form Abandonment tool that allows you to capture users’ information even if they don’t end up submitting the form.

10. Start guest blogging

Guest blogging is a great strategy to get yourself in front of new audiences, which can lead to a ton of new subscribers for you. Look for well-established blogs to contribute to that have a large number of readers and subscribers that will help grow your own email list. Remember that the blogs you guest post on should be related to your business; that way you’ll reach more of your target audience.

Come up with killer content ideas that will win you guest blogging spots and create an awesome author bio that will tell your new audience what you’re all about. Don’t include a generic backlink in your author bio to your blog page, instead add a link that leads directly to an email list landing page. You’ll see way more signups with this strategy.

11. Create pins on Pinterest

Pinterest is an awesome platform to drive traffic to your site and get more subscribers. In fact, on average, 39 percent of female Pinners choose Pinterest over other traditional search engines like Google. So, by creating pins on Pinterest that promote your opt-ins and encourage readers to sign up for your email list, you can reach a ton of new people that can become loyal followers.

As Pinterest is all about photos, it’s important to create eye-catching images that will get users to click on your content. Use Canva to easily create branded pin images that feature bold text, leading pinners directly to your email list signup.

12. Host a webinar

Hosting a webinar is another great way to grow your email list as well as present yourself as an expert in your industry. If you have valuable lessons or tutorials to share with your audience, they’ll line up to give you their email addresses in exchange for your knowledge.

You can hold a webinar and encourage participants to sign up for your email list during it, or even better, you can have people sign up for your webinar with their email address beforehand. It might seem complicated to hold a webinar, but it’s really not. If you’re just starting out and the basics will do, you can use Facebook Live to host your webinar for free. If you want more advanced features, you can check out a tool like Zoom that includes polling, registration and reporting.

13. Add a quiz to your site

People love to fill out entertaining quizzes or take polls to have their voice heard. Adding a quiz to your site is an engaging, fun way to encourage your website visitors to sign up for your email list. As an added bonus, you can learn more about your target audience and keep users on your website longer.

If you’re a WordPress user, Riddle is a great plugin to create and add quizzes, polls, and lists to your website in a matter of minutes. With their integrated lead generation form, you can capture a ton of new subscribers.

Get ready for more email subscribers

Now it’s your turn! By implementing these simple strategies you can take your email list from zero to ‘hero’ in no time. Creating a strong email list that’s bustling with your number one fans will provide endless advantages for your business, including the best reward of all – a steady stream of income.