7 Examples of Highly Converting Email Newsletter Sign Up Forms
We live in the digital era and we're pretty sure you have an email, and already you receive daily, weekly, or monthly newsletters in your inbox. Email marketing is of course a proven way to communicate with your current or potential customers. That's why it's important to put together a solid mailing list that will generate traffic and sales even when you don’t invest in other acquisition channels. But building this solid email list might not be that simple, because the classic “Subscribe to our newsletter” form at the bottom of your landing page might not give enough reason for your visitors to opt-in. You have to be inventive and look for ways of telling visitors that your offer is worthy of their inboxes. That’s why we decided it was time to share 7 newsletter signup examples that are going to help you engage visitors more effectively and make them convert into contacts and customers at a higher rate. Creating a great newsletter signup that catches attention and delivers the right message is the most effective way to grow your email list.
So let's get started!
1. Offer something valuable to your email newsletter subscribers
Yes, we live in a world where nothing is free — not even an email address. The good news is that your offer doesn’t have to be much — just something that your visitors value enough (e.g. a discount, an ebook) to give away their email address or other contact information.
2. A great email newsletter sign-up creates the feeling of exclusivity
A signup form like “Join the club” or “Special offers for VIPs” will sound great on your homepage. We all like to be a part of something exclusive (which is not available to everybody). It's a good way to build intrigue, interest and make people feel like they're part of a select group experiencing something special. Which will lead people to subscribe pretty fast.
3. Run contests for new email subscribers
If you are an online store owner or marketer using this tip, you win twice. Firstly, you obtain a lot of newsletter signups because organizing contests or giveaways is a good way of motivating visitors to join your mailing list. Secondly, you create a word of mouth, because people like to tell their family, friends, and colleagues about what and where they win something. If you have a different type of business, you also can use this tip and offer an Amazon, Starbucks, or any relevant gift card with your weekly email newsletter.
4. Don’t be intrusive when asking them to subscribe to your email list
I think everyone at some point experienced an interaction with an intrusive retail consultant who follows you everywhere and recommends different products and offers. Usually, at this moment we think "Where's the exit door here?". I remember this situation every time I visit a website and see the "Subscribe to our newsletter" pop-up which overlays the entire page and shows up every time I navigate to a new page. Below I am going to show - 5 great examples of how to position your perfect newsletter signup so it doesn't seem intrusive.
Email newsletter signup examples and best practices:
Example #1: Growbots - Minimalist but effective
If you want to see a perfectly placed newsletter widget, visit Growbots blog. This signup form uses the best placement in terms of access. Even the most simple email capture form is highly effective when your visitors are reading your blog, having it permanently at the top of the page will make sure that they always have to option to join your email list. So when they're done browsing the articles and want to get updates, they know exactly how.
Example #2: Oberlo - Your perfect template
If you visit the Oberlo blog you can see that the subscription widget is embedded in the header, which is an amazing example of a seamless widget positioning for new subscribers. Making sure that your visitors know about the large number of those who are already receiving the newsletters in the signup copy is also highly effective. It creates a feeling of community and also pushes people to join in.
Example #3: Bestazy - Place it in the middle
Few of your visitors are going to read your long articles until the end. Yes, that's true. But do not miss the opportunity to offer your readers the option to subscribe to your newsletter before they leave the page. To do so you can place the subscription widget just in the middle of an article like for example Bestazy is doing. It has an eye-catching headline that is difficult to miss, and visually fits the brand tone.
Example #4: Producthunt - Best practices of relevance
If you ever visited Product Hunt you likely noticed the great subscription widget on the right sidebar (Note: Only visible when not authenticated). Notice the simple, yet effective copywriting, that simply mentions the main reason to hit the subscribe button. Getting them the information they expect will also make it less likely that they unsubscribe.
Example #5: AWeber - When they will surely want to join the mailing list
Another great example can be found on the AWeber blog. These guys position the newsletter subscription widget in the footer. This is great because, if the visitor liked the article and read it entirely, there is a high probability that they would eventually subscribe to the newsletter to receive more articles of this kind.
5. Design, design, design your newsletter signup form
I wrote "design" three times because people often ignore this aspect when creating a newsletter popup, and this is the biggest mistake. I know, sometimes it is complicated to create interesting popups which integrate well with your website's designand don't scare your visitors away. But, if you want to grab the visitor’s attention and encourage them to sign up for the newsletter you need to create a beautiful and high engaging pop-up, and visitors should feel that they are “speaking to them”. And that includes every detail, to the size of the cta button.
Just compare these two pop-ups and you will understand what I mean.
6. Use email signup forms with fewer fields
Save time for your potential subscribers. Think well about what fields should be included in the widget, and which ones aren’t that important. When compiling your online form, it is worth keeping in mind that forms containing more than 3 fields lower the conversion by 14-15%. So making the sign-up process shorter will make sure that you get as many subscribers as you can.
7. Be original and fun with your signups
If you think not enough of your visitors sign up for your newsletter, don't be afraid to experiment. Use funny messaging and attractive illustrations (for example GIFs). These techniques will help you get closer to your audience, and build your email list much faster.
Answering these questions will help you simplify this task:
- Who is your target audience?
- Why are visitors accessing your website every day?
- What do they love the most?
- What would they like to receive every day/week/month in their inbox from you?
- Who is their favorite movie character, singer, actor, politician, or businessman?
Final thoughts
Of course, there are many other tips that can encourage visitors to subscribe to your newsletter. But if you are thinking about creating a newsletter subscription widget widget or you already have an existing one but you want to improve the conversion, these 7 tips will help you.
Which was your favorite tip? Tell us in the comments!
