Most businesses wish to increase the size and quality of their email list.
You surely are part of this group and so are we.
We have therefore decided to carry out research on the best ways to increase the size of an email list.
Here is our compilation of the 30 best tricks.
PS You probably already know, but do not forget to always ask for permission when you collect email addresses.
Tricks to increase the size of your email list:
- Via your website
- Via your present email contacts
- On social media
- With the help of partners and advertisement
- Offline and physical stores
- On your e-commerce website
Your website: The pillar of your email acquisition strategy
1. Use a static subscription form
This tip is often used on blogs and at the footer of several websites. It is a classic way to collect email addresses.
A way to improve it is to present the form as the visitor scrolls down your page. In this way, the visitor always sees the subscription section. Two choices: read the content or subscribe! If he likes the content, he can easily subscribe.
Kissmetrics seems to have understood the value of highlighting the subscription forms on their article pages and at the footer of all pages.
2. Offer free downloadable content in exchange for an email address
Nothing better than a win-win proposition to acquire new emails.
For many companies, quality content is a very valuable currency. In offering premium content in exchange for an email address, a quality list will be generated.
For example, Kissmetrics acquires multiple email addresses thanks to their eBook named How to Create an A/B Testing Program That Gets Results which is offered for free.
3. Capture email addresses on your home page
Your home page receives the majority of your visitors. This is the face of your business.
Do not hesitate to use it by putting in place a subscription offer to a newsletter or a content download on the page. More traffic usually increases the chances of subscriptions.
Here is how Cyberimpact does it.
4. Organize a webinar
Webinars are an excellent way to grow your email list and may even help to convert people who don’t know you.
The reason for which they increase your list quickly is that the participants must register for the webinars with their email addresses.
The webinars are perceived as having an excellent value because they are quickly consumed and are usually very educational.
If you decide to make webinars, do not forget to promote them. A webinar that is unknown to people, even if it is a good one, does not help much in acquiring emails.
Pro tip: Save your webinar and use it later as a subscription offer to your contact list on social media or in your Digital ads.
BDC offers several webinars in the section entrepreneur’s toolbox which allows them to get the entrepreneur’s email address.
Try it, you’ll see!
5. Create a useful tool
Be useful. Create a tool or an application for your industry.
In exchange for its free use, require the email address of the user.
Hubspot has had phenomenal success with its tool Website Grader and it enabled the company to acquire thousands of email addresses.
Same scenario for Vircom, a company in Montreal, which has decided to create a tool, Email Security Grader, which checks if your mail server is secure.
All is left for you is to find a good tool idea and to create it!
6. Use exit pop-ups
If someone has decided to leave your page, there is nothing you can do to bring him back…
Not true!
By using an exit pop-up it will permit you to get a last chance to convert your visitor into a subscriber.
You can offer free contents or other things that might encourage a visitor to give you his email address.
If you succeed, it means that you have won a new subscriber who would probably have left your site without ever returning.
Social Media Examiner decided to offer their 2016 Social Media Marketing Industry Report
7. Set up a gateway or a “welcome mat”
A gateway commonly called a “welcome mat” is a trick that allows you to display a call to action in full-size as soon as the visitor gets on your site.
You can, therefore, put forward your content offers or your subscription offers on the newsletter in a way that is clear and obvious.
Here is an example of how Wishpond uses it on their website.
The “welcome mat” is a free tool from SumoMe
8. Use pop-ups
Be it pop-ups activated by scrolling a page, by the time spent on a page or other criteria, pop-ups are true values when it comes to acquiring new email addresses.
iProspect used this strategy on their blog with great success.
9. Include a subscription form at the footer of all your blog articles
This trick is essential if you have a blog.
Adding a subscription form or a download form at the footer of your articles will enable readers to easily subscribe especially if they enjoyed your article.
A simple trick to put in place, but which works very well
Here is an example from Cyberimpact that demonstrates this technique.
10. Hello Bar or smart bar
A “Hello Bar ” or “Smart Bar “, depending on the tool used, allows you to display a subscription form at the top of your web site.
This allows you to remind your visitors to subscribe to your list, to offer them free content or a newsletter in exchange for their email.
It works very well since the form is always visible at the top of your web site and is not too intrusive.
Use your existing emails to acquire new emails
11. Use your email signature
With how many people do you communicate by email each week?
100? 200?
All these people who receive your emails are people likely to be interested in being part of your email list. Facilitate the task by adding a link to a subscription page on your email signature.
12. Encourage your current subscribers to recommend a friend.
Give your subscribers the opportunity to send your newsletters or your content to their friends by submitting the email address of the latter in a form.
When submitted, the content will be sent to their friends and at the same time, subscribe them to your list.
Offer a reward for their referral and the effect will be more pronounced.
The more your list will grow the more you will be referenced. A systematic growth without any efforts.
Social Media
13. Pin a tweet containing a call to action
On Twitter, you have the possibility to pin a Tweet so that it remains static at the top of your page. This tweet will be the first to be seen once visitors go to your profile page.
Pin a tweet to invite your supporters to join your email list.
14. Facebook cover photo
The perfect location to promote the subscription to your email list!
Replace the cover image you are using by a cover image containing a call to action and a link to your subscription page.
The URL must be easy to write and retain because your visitors will have to manually enter it on their browser since the link will not be clickable.
15. “Subscribe” button
Facebook allows you to add an action button on your company’s profile page.
Use this opportunity to send your Facebook fans to the subscription page of your email list.
It works for Neil Patel, therefore, could be an interesting option for your business.
16. Publications encouraging registration
It would be easy not to encourage our Facebook/Twitter fans to register to your list, thinking that those are already fans of our company.
Instead of leaving them to admire your Facebook/Twitter page, you should encourage them to register in order to continue to promote your content and your brand on other platforms.
You can promote downloadable contents using an email, a subscription… It is your choice.
Pro tip: regularly publish your subscription offer on your Facebook /Twitter page. After all, not all your fans see all your publications. In publishing them often, you reach more of them.
17. Add a link to your subscription page on LinkedIn
Use the feature “Add Media” on the experience section of LinkedIn in order to add a link that leads to your subscription page or on your home page.
Easy, fast and efficient.
18. Use your content
Do you remember the tip #3, #4 and #5? Use this same content but this time, promote it on your social platforms.
Have you registered your webinar? Make it downloadable on your social platforms by publishing a link to a page that allows users to download your content in exchange for an email.
You could do the same thing for an eBook or a free web tool.
A content recycled = several new chances to get email addresses.
19. Organize a contest on Facebook
Organizing a contest with a tool such as Woobox will allow you to quickly expand your scope.
Offer a price which is relevant to your market and not a price which attracts everyone such as gift cards or an iPad. With the latter, you may attract people who are not qualified and this is not your goal.
Contests are very popular on Facebook and are naturally very viral. By adding a field to capture emails in the contest participation form, you could acquire several new subscribers for your email list.
Pro tip: Do not forget to ask for the consent when collecting email addresses via contests.
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20. Twitter lead generation cards
Promote subscription to your list by using Twitter Lead Generation Cards.
These campaigns are designed to help you collect the email addresses of users who have expressed an interest for your offer, giving Twitter users the possibility to communicate you their email addresses in a way that is fast and secure.
By configuring a lead generation card to be included in your tweet, you can easily get a greater number of subscribers on your list.
Two clicks will suffice for a potential subscriber to share his coordinates with you.
Plus, it is very simple to put in place.
21. Facebook Lead Ads
Promote the subscription to your email list by using Facebook Lead Ads.
When someone clicks on your ad, a form opens and the information about his profile is automatically added to the fields of the form. Another click and the person is subscribed to your list.
Quick and effective subscription in two clicks and without entry of data.
Partnerships, exchanges , and advertisements
22. Publish your content
Produce quality content that you will be published in a newsletter or on other websites that have a complementary market or customers similar to yours.
Add in your signature and in the content of your article, a link which allows users to subscribe to your email list.
Seems simple but it works!
23. Exchange of lists
Find a partner and share your lists. You promote the subscription offer or content of your partner to your list, your partner will do the same for you to his list.
In this way, you have instant access to a hearing relevant to your offerings.
For this trick to work, you have to find a partner with customers similar to yours and who is not a competitor.
The partner must do the sending to his list and not you doing the sending to his list. Respect the consent.
24. Advertisement and banners
Buy or exchange advertisements on the web site or in the newsletter of a partner which has a complementary market or customers similar to yours.
Offer your content and your subscriptions offers in the form of banners or in the form of content marketing in order to lead your partner’s visitors to your subscription page.
25. Google AdWords and Bing
Create an AdWords or Bing announcement which publicizes your content and which when clicked Redirects to a subscription page which contains a form to capture emails.
If you choose your keywords well, this trick can be profitable in the medium term. However, it can become quite expensive if you don’t manage your costs of acquisition.
A very fast way to acquire email addresses.
Off-line and physical stores
26. Ask for the email addresses of your customers
You have physical locations?
Establish a process by which you systematically ask for the email addresses of your customers. The simplest way is to do so is at the time of payment.
BestBuy does this each time you make a transaction in their stores.
Pro tip: To ensure that all email addresses that you will personally collect have indeed been made with the consent of the client, you could put in place a “double -opt-in” system. Following the collection of the email address, a subscription confirmation-mail is sent to the customer. The latter must click a link in the email in order to confirm his subscription to your list.
27. Maximize your paper mills and your business cards
Use your paper mills and your business cards in order to generate new subscribers to your list. Add to them, a link that directs people to your Web site or a subscription page.
Similar to the tip of the email signature, but it uses the good old paper!
28. Give a conference at an event concerning your industry.
In addition to the fact that you will be able to promote your business and your expertise, you could also encourage the people in the room to subscribe to your email list.
In your presentation, add a link that leads to a subscription form which will be easy to remember. Also, mention it during your presentation.
This way people sitting in the audience will be able to subscribe easily.
Email acqusition on ecommerce site
29. Offer a discount in exchange for an email address
Here is how Electronic for less offers a discount on their web site in exchange for a subscription to their newsletter
Who refuses 5% if you were going to buy anyways?
Yes, they cut 5% of their margins on the first sale, but in exchange, they get an email address with which they can continue the relationship.
The key to success in e-commerce: communicate when it matters the most.
On the long term, they will easily recover their 5% in additional sales.
30. Add a field to capture email in your purchase process
Simple, but very effective. You would be surprised at the number of business that dont have this in place.
The more upstream you capture the email , the more you will have the chance to communicate with your customer if there is a glitch or a transaction abortion.
In my opinion, if you operate a transactional site it is a mandatory tactic.
Discount car and truck rentals understood it well.
Have we forgotten a few tricks? Send them to us!
Email acquisition is definitely the key to a successful digital strategy.
