Building an Email list is one of the single most effective ways to connect and build a relationship with your blog audience, promote blog posts, and increase sales.

Quite simply an email subscriber list increases the chances of your blog being a success.

In fact Direct Marketing Association reports it has a ROI of 4300%.

Compared to a ROI of just 74% from social media and 275% from SEO.

So whether you want to notify your audience when you've created a new blog post.

Or send out an email newsletter.

Or get your sales message in front of your customers.

Then building a mailing list is essential.

Blogs receive much lower opt in rates at around 1% as standard and 5-10% for more skilled bloggers compared to dedicated landing or 'squeeze' pages (40%+ opt in rate).

However the quality of subscriber is much higher in terms of open rates, clicks and engagement and can literally be the difference between a failed blog and a successful one.

Because of this one of the main focuses for every blogger has to be increasing their blogs email Subscribers.

There may seem like a lot of points covered in this post and it's true there are.

However the good news is...

Almost all of them can be done using just 2 tools which I'll reveal at the end of this post.

Here's 37 ways to get more subscribers for your blogs email list...

(P.S. If you'd like to download a free list of 34 ways to grow your email list click here or the image below)

What You'll Learn In This Post:

• 34 ways to  double, triple or even quadruple your email optin rate.

• The most effective ways to grow your list so you don't waste time on methods that don't work.

• Why point #32 is super important but most people overlook it.

• The tools you need to skyrocket your subscriber less without any tech headaches.

• Why having an email list is the most important thing you can ever do for your blog.

1. Add This Simple Box To Your Home Page For A 51.7% Increase In Subscribers

A headline or feature box is one at the top of usually just the home page. It's the first thing visitors see when they land on your site.

Giving your audience a benefit driven reason to enter their email can instantly add a new subscriber to your list.

DIY themes saw email opt ins increase by 51.7% when they added a headline box.

The Genesis Generate theme is designed with the headline box as standard to increase your email subscribers.

Or you can use the feature box by Derek Halpern,

Alternatively OptinMonster has this feature plus most of the others talked about in this post.

IN SHORT: The headline or feature box can boost sign ups by over 50% as witnessed by DIY Themes.

“Use the feature box by Derek Halpern...it converts at 7% on my blog" - Tung Tran (CloudLiving.com)"
- Click here to Tweet this.

2. Make Use Of This Side Bar 'Hack' To Stop Opt In Blindness

Most blogs just have 1 email opt in box at the top right of the sidebar.

Adding a second box further down the page can increase sign ups.

People scroll down to look at content further down the page and most sites don't have an opt in form on display.

Also some visitors are so used to seeing opt in forms at the top right that they've become blind to them.

Having one always visible, using the Fixed Widget Plugin, to make your optin boxes scroll with the visitor is a sensible option.

IN SHORT: Add more than 1 opt in box to your sidebar for increased visibility so people have more opportunities to sign up.

“Give them 2-3 opportunities to subscribe on every page” - Brian Dean (Backlinko.com)
Click Here To Tweet This

  

3. Look What Saying Hello To Their Visitors Did For DIYThemes

The first thing any of your visitors will see is the top of your page.

So where better to put your first opt in opportunity?

Introducing the Hello Bar. from Neil Patel (Quicksprout / Kissmetrics / Crazy Egg).

And a great alternative to the headline bar mentioned above for themes that don't have that feature.

You can run A/B testing of multiple variations to see which converts best.

And as your audience will see it before they see anything else it's a fantastic way to boost email opt ins or get them to take action.

You can tell them to subscribe for blog updates, to get an incentive (free ebook / course / infoproduct or tools).

Or even direct them to a landing or high converting page on your site.

DIY Themes signed up 1,180 new subscribers in just 30 days by utilizing the hello bar. (Click here to Tweet this)

Or just use OptinMonster as it has this feature plus most of the others talked about in this post.

IN SHORT: The free Hello Bar signed up 1,180 new subscribers in only 30 days on DIY Themes.

4. 12.20% Of All My Subscribers Come From This Simple One Click Method

When someone takes the time to comment on your blog usually it's because you just gave them something really valuable and they want to thank you.

At this point they are already quite engaged so it doesn't take much to encourage them to join your list.

Add a one click sign up optin in your comments section.

If you're using Aweber you can install the Aweber Comment Form plugin and add a customize-able tick box that will sign them up for your list.

I only recently added this feature to Niche Hacks and already it's responsible for 12.20% of my total email sign ups .

If all people have to is tick one extra box after making a comment they do it without hesitation.

IN SHORT: Asking people who comment on your posts to sign up with 1 click makes it easy for them  - this accounts for 12.20% of all NicheHacks sign ups.

5. Engage Readers Mid Blog Post Using This Complaint Free Opt In Method

People who take the time to read your content rather than just scan through it tend to be pretty engaged with your site.

But that's not to say they can't get distracted and click off to somewhere else .

Add in content opt ins throughout your blog posts encouraging people to sign up if they'd like notifications when new posts are added.

In content opt ins currently convert at around 1.9% on NicheHacks.

But I'm still split testing and figuring out which in content opt in works best so this number will increase over time.

I've not had a single complaint about them disrupting people reading.

OptinMonster has this feature among many others.

IN SHORT: In content opt in's engage readers without scaring them off - currently converting at just under 2% on NicheHacks.

6. How This Simple Page Converts At 15.2%

Commenting for the first time is a big step towards becoming a loyal reader.

Especially if you make the commentator feel their comment was read and appreciated.

Using the Yoast Comment Redirect plugin (free!) you can redirect people who comment for the first time to a 'thank you' page where you further engage with them.

My comment thank you page converts at 15.2% currently.

Make sure your page tells your visitors why commenting is a big deal for you.

Then thank them and remind them of the benefits of joining your blogs email list or e-newsletter.

If they taken the time to comment they probably like your content and plan to revisit anyway.

But this just gives them a nudge in the right direction.

IN SHORT: First time commentators are just 1 step away from signing up to your list - make it easy for them by redirecting to a 'thank you'' sign up page using the Yoast plugin and you could see a 15.2% conversion rate (Click to Tweet this).

7. Is Your Website Leaky?

If your visitors are reading all the way to the end of the content they're VERY engaged and the sort of person you want on your list.

Derek Halpern, calls the absence of a post-article sign-up form one of the most common “website leaks”

Add these to the end of your content to get some of your most engaged subscribers.

IN SHORT: Use after content opt in's to sign up your most engaged readers - 20.8% of Niche Hack sign ups come from this. Click here to Tweet this)

8. Use These Smart Pop Ups To Gain Entry To Your Audiences Inbox

There's no doubt that pop ups can be annoying when used incorrectly but they do convert visitors into subscribers.

One of my favourite blogs Quicksprout.com has multiple pop ups at the time of writing and I still visit.

In less technical niches they can scare people off as they assume it's spam or a virus.

The good thing is most can be set to only display the first time someone visits your site.

Or not to pop up until someone has spent at least 'X' seconds on your page.

Or only show once every 30 days.

So you can use it intelligently and not annoy your subscribers too much.

Visual Website Optimizer saw a 50% increase in sign ups from using pop ups.

Shoemoney a 36% increase and Darren Rowse increased sign ups from 40 a day to 350.

And all without any negative affect on page views.

However you need to examine more than just opt in rate.

And look at whether pop ups are increasing bounce rate whilst decreasing page views and time spent on site – important factors for any website.

Matthew Woodward found that his pop up was his best converting opt in method at 1.23%.

But saw a -9.29% drop in visits per page and a bounce rate increase of 9.02%.

Gael Breton shares how to make pop ups 300% more effective in this post. 

Another important aspect that needs to be consider not just with pop up opt ins but with any is the quality of subscriber you receive.

If they are opting in on their first visit to your site before having engaged with the content and built a relationship with you they are less likely to open your emails and take action.

The 'take away' here is to test for yourself.

And work out whether the increase in opt ins is worth the decrease in page views and time spent on site and the increase in bounce rate.

Also consider adding pop up subscribers into a new list and track the open and click rates separately.

That way you can see how they compare to that of other opt in methods.

You can use OptinMonster to create subscriber boosting entry pop ups.

IN SHORT: Entry pop ups DO boost subscribers often without much negative affect on bounce rate or time spent on site BUT some bloggers notice significant changes and lower quality subscribers - so test yourself!

9. Turn "I Quit" Into "I Will See You Soon" With This Optin Type

Even people who have enjoyed your content can exit without signing up to your email list simply because they are busy, have to leave the computer or plan to do it later.

People are so busy and distracted 'later' might not come as they forget all about your blog or it gets lost in their bookmark tab.

Using exit pop ups to remind people to sign up to your list before they go can boost opt in rates.

Mauro D Andrea of Blog-Growth.com posted a study on Unbounce.com that showed 14.47% of his subscribers came from exit pops.

However they were a lower quality subscriber and opened and clicked emails less.

The reason is it's likely a lot of people who weren't really into the site would decide to take the freebie just because it was free.

And not because they wanted future updates or to connect with me.

However as always the key is to test it for yourself and see what works.

And not just looking at conversion rates and numbers of subscribers but the open and click rate of these list members.

Optin Monster makes creating custom exit pop ups that turn leaving visitors into loyal followers easy.

IN SHORT: Exit pop ups can engage exiting visitors and turn them into repeat visitors but subscriber quality can be an issue so test by sending to a separate list to measure open and click rates.

“My number one tip, although you may not like it is exit popup. On exit ask for their email… it is really effective and that is how most of the popular bloggers are building their list these days” - Neil Patel (Quicksprout.com)

Click here to Tweet this quote.

10. Using These Simple Boxes In Blog Posts Can Increase Sign Ups By 30-40%

John Chow reports how bloggers utilizing 'leadboxe's are seeing opt in increases of 30-40% on their blogs.

A 'leadbox' is a pop up that only activates when a link is clicked within your content.

Instead of the link leading your audience off to another page the opt in box pops up on the screen instantly.

And lets people sign up for your subscribers list without any further steps.

This is good for your conversion rates because if a new page is taking a while to load they are likely just to close it and not bother.

This eliminates that and makes it easier to opt in.

Leadboxes are part of the Lead Pages package but the same feature is also available with OptinMonster.

IN SHORT: Leadboxes can increase sign ups by up to 40% as reported by John Chow. (Click here to Tweet this)

11. The Sticky Experiment That Sucks Into Subscribers

Standard footer opt ins aren't likely to capture many email addresses due to their location.

Most people are never going to see them.

A good example of a standard footer op in in action is at http://www.briangardner.com/

Sure it might capture a few emails a month and it's unobtrusive but it's not going to be that effective.

However if you add a 'sticky' footer that is seen regardless of where the user is on the page you can increase sign ups by a significant number.

You can add a sticky footer with some simple CSS (don't try if you don't understand how CSS works) by following this tutorial  or you can use the simple yet powerful OptinMonster plugin.

12. Make Your Opt In Boxes Stick Out Like A Sore Thumb

If you want people to sign up using your opt in boxes they need to be able to see them.

Sure ugly looking opt in forms don't make your site look pretty but is your goal to make your site look pretty or to get email sign ups?

If you didn't answer 'get email sign ups' then you're doing it wrong!

There are many ways to make your opt in boxes stand out including simply using different colours from your main theme.

Dmix increased conversions by 72% by changing the colour of their buttons for example.

A more advanced way to make opt ins stand out is by making them move, shake or pop out to get peoples attention.

OptinMonster has this feature built in to it's pop ups and optin boxes that you can use if you choose to.

IN SHORT: Making opt in boxes stand out by using different colours or shake can boost conversion rates - forget design it's all about email sign ups.

(P.S. If you'd like to download a free list of 34 ways to grow your email list click here or the image below)

13. Incentivize Your Opt In & You Could See 10x More Opt In's Overnight

Line25.com saw a 10x subscriber increase overnight by giving away design resources instead of just asking visitors to sign up for blog updates. (Click here to Tweet this)

Adding a $300 value to their 'free' course Quicksprout.com saw an increase in 22% to their subscriber rates.

However, offering an incentive can cause people to sign up for just the freebie rather than because they want to receive further emails from you.

And this can cause low open and click rates.

Testing is key as always.

If you plan to give an incentive be very careful with your wording.

Either offer the freebie as a secondary reason to join.

E.g subscribe for email updates AND you'll get a free course valued at $300

Or make sure they know after they receive the free giveaway you'll be following up with more emails / blog updates.

This stops people who only want something free signing up and reduces the chances of spam complaints and unsubscribes from people who didn't realize there would be follow ups.

The image below is my current incentive and  it converts extremely well at 49.96%.

However because I haven't been super clear that people will be added to a daily mailing list I get unubscribes and lower open and click rates than I would like.

IN SHORT: Line25.com saw a 10x and Quicksprout.com a 22% increase when they gave something away for free in return for an email - though you also need to consider open and click rates to determine if worth while.

“Give away something for free” - Spencer Haws (NichePursuits.com)

Click here to Tweet this quote.

14. Use Content Funnels Like An Email Marketing Rockstar

Content funnels aren't something you see many people talking about.

Email marketing rockstar Andre Chaperone of Autoresponder Madness fame is where I learned about them and they work well!

To see an example of what a content funnel is check out his site http://affiliatebully.com/.

You'll see there's no traditional side bar opt in forms and definitely no spammy looking 'squeeze pages'.

Instead he leads your through multiple pages of top quality content that entices you, amuses you, gets you engaged with him and most of all proves he knows what he is talking about.

At the end of the funnel he tells you if you want more to opt in.

Anyone who gets that far most likely will.

If they didn't get that far they probably weren't dedicated or engaged enough anyway

So why would you want them on your list?

Content funnels result in smaller opt in rates.

But the people who do join are top quality subscribers who have a high attention span, like what you do and REALLY want to hear from you.

This results in higher open and click rates.

Less is often more when it comes to building email lists.

What use is a list of 10,000 subscribers if only 1% open your emails?

It's better to have a smaller list of highly engaged subscribers than a big list who don't read.

You don't need something as elaborate as what Andre uses.

Even having a button or text offering a 'free report' that when clicked on gives them the first 2-3 pages of the report before asking for their email to be sent the rest can work.

IN SHORT: Send visitors through content funnels and engage with them BEFORE asking for their email address. This also cuts out time wasters and only adds the most engaged to your list.

“Provide something of value in exchange for their email subscription” - Zac Johnson (ZacJohnson.com)

Click here to Tweet Zac's quote.

15. Quiz, Learn, And Earn A Subscriber

EscapeMaker.com used a quiz as part of their “I Love NY” campaign asking users to take a trivia quiz about NY and then asked them to enter their email to find out how they scored.

People love quizzes and if you use them as a means to generate email sign ups you can increase conversion rate massively.

Be sure that you tell them along side the quiz results to expect follow up emails.

So that their expectations are set and there's no problems further down the line.

Setting expectations clearly with email subscribers is key.

Only telling them if they enter their email they will receive the quiz results but then sending blog updates and marketing emails can lead to angry visitors, unsubscribes and spam complaints.

Always be clear what they will receive and stick to it.

ThriveLeads has a quiz option available. 

IN SHORT: Quizes are a fun way to engage and qualify your audience and once completed they'll happily enter their email to get the results.

(P.S. If you'd like to download a free list of 34 ways to grow your email list click here or the image below)

16. Qualaroo Your Subscribers For A 500% Increase

People love being asked for their opinion on things.

And surveys are a great way to connect with your audience and find out what they want to see from your site as well as find out what they like and dislike.

Why not turn your surveys into a means to gain subscribers?

The University of Alberta increased email subscribers by 500% using a pop up survey by Qualaroo that asked anyone who spent more than 10 seconds on the site if they'd like to sign up for their newsletter.

Alberta University keep it quite simple by directly asking if people would like to sign up.

But you can engage them further by asking a few simple questions.

Once a few questions have been answered they've shown a willingness to engage with you so signing up for your list seems like a small step.

IN SHORT: A 500% increase in email sign ups was noted by University of Alberta when using Qualaroo to ask visitors of more than 10 seconds a simple question.

“Give users access to extra content (ebook, PDFs, images etc) in return for their email” - Matthew Barby (FindMyBlogWay.com)

17. Run Competitions To Gain Wide Exposure & Boost Email Sign Ups

Running online competitions with prizes or to raise money for charity is a fantastic way to get a lot of attention from your fellow bloggers and exposure to a wider audience.

People love the chance to win things and everyone is willing to get involved with raising money for charity.

Bloggers who can get some good will and a positive mention will jump at the chance to give free prizes for you to give away.

You can ask for names and email addresses for anyone who wants a chance to win.

However again make sure you set expectations so they know there will be follow up emails.

For more information on how to run online competitions check this incredible resource by Matthew Barby at FindMyblogway.com

IN SHORT: Competitions are a great way to not only get new sign ups but lots of links, social shares and attention.

18. Give Your Optin Form "Mona Lisa Eyes" For Increased Chance Of Sign Ups

Standard side bar opt ins are static and usually at the top right of most sites.

However if you have a moving side bar that follows your visitor to whatever part of the page they go, just like Mona Lisa's eyes supposedly do,  you're increasing the chances they will sign up purely by giving them more opportunities.

You can add a moving sidebar opt in to your site with Fixed Widget Plugin (free!)

IN SHORT: Making your sidebar move to where your visitor scrolls means it's always visible increasing changes of a sin up.

19. How One Simple Writing Change Can Give You A 127% Increase

One simple headline change saw Visualwebsiteoptimizer.com get a 127% increase in email subscribers.

Good headlines and strong copy can make all the difference.

So be sure to split test your headlines and copy to see what converts best.

Simple changes of just one word can make a huge difference.

As Michael Aagaard found out when he boosted his clients conversion rate  by 38.26% from changing button text from "Order information" to "Get information".

Use benefit driven headlines and give people solid reasons as to why they should opt in.

Don't forget about testing the text on your opt in form buttons.

Standard buttons like 'send', 'submit' and 'subscriber' often don't inspire people to join your list as they are boring and not benefit driven.

Unbounce.com talks about how to write call to action buttons that convert.

Here's an example of a strong headline that works really well for me...

IN SHORT: High quality headlines and copy can see huge conversion boosts of up to 127% as VizualWebsiteOptimizer found out.

“Have a compelling, SPECIFIC lead magnet that promises immediate gratification. 'Subscribe to my Newsletter' doesn't cut it” - Ryan Deiss (DigitalMarketer.com)

Click here to Tweet this quote by Ryan Deiss

20. Ask For Less & Get 26% More Subscribers

Removing the amount of fields you ask for when signing up can increase sign ups as QuickSprout.com found out with a 26% increase just by removing one field.

People are busy, skeptical and don't like giving out too much information online so why make it difficult for them?

Ask for only what you need and in the case of a blog then email really is all you require.

The argument is that collecting name allows you to be more personal.

But the problem is a lot of people put in fake names and they know your emails are not personal one to one emails anyway.

There are other ways to be personal without using a name.

When you email a friend do you start out with “Hey Friends Name” every email?

Probably not.

IN SHORT: Less is more. Asking for 1 less field Quicksprout saw a 26% increase in sign ups - only ask for what you need!

“Reduce the number of fields that are required to opt in. Even just having only the one field for the email address rather than requiring the name as well, can have a dramatic increase in your subscribers number” - Aaron Aguis (LouderOnline.com.au)

21. There Are 71 Things You Can Test To Give Higher Conversions

You need to be split testing everything one by one until you find the absolute best results.

Start with your headlines first as these are the most important things and something almost everyone will see,

Then when you have a best performer move on to your call to action or button text.

Once you have both those nailed you can move on to less important details like...

• opt in box position
• colour of forms
• incentive vs no incentive
• picture versus no picture
• And much more as Optimizely talk about in 71 Things You Can Split Test.

OptinMonster and ThriveLeads both have a split test function built in.

IN SHORT: Split test everything from text, position, size, colour, buttons to see what converts best.

"Have you tested the call to action on your blog?" - Optimizely.com

22. People Are More Likely To Join Your List If You Do This

People are more likely to take action if they see a testimonial from someone in a similar position to themselves.

Or a trusted authority.

Using testimonials in your opt in boxes can skyrocket conversions.

A 34% increase was reported by Visualwebsiteoptimize when they started using testimonials

And Path.co.uk reported similar results

I use testimonials from successful bloggers and NicheHack readers on my about me page.

And I'm seeing a conversion rate of 5.0% currently.

IN SHORT: Testimonials can boost sign up rates as people respond well to feedback from respected authorities or others in the same position as they are.

23. Social Proof Increases Opt Ins – Or Does It?

We all know social proof affects us all.

We're more likely to take action or believe in something if we see others back it up.

So displaying your subscriber numbers, Twitter followers or FB likes can work in your favor assuming you have a large following.

If you have less than a few thousand then it'll likely have the opposite effect.

However as always be sure to test social proof vs no social proof.

As Derek Halpern found that social proof hurt DIYThemes opt ins and removing it resulted in an increase in conversion by 102.2%.

IN SHORT: Derek Halpern found they increased by 102.2% when he REMOVED them. (Click here to tweet this)

 

“The best way to grow an email list is to do so slowly and organically, so that the people on your list are really engaged” - MailChimp.com

24. Why Your About Me Page Is Never Actually About You If You Want Email Subscribers

A lot of people make the mistake of not even having an about me page and most of those who do make it all about themselves.

Despite being called an 'about me' page it should actually be more about what you can do for your readers.

This is a high trafficked page on most blogs and can be an opt in magnet if done properly.

Telling people about your experience and what benefit they'll get from listening to you can cause them to opt in if you give them a chance.

Having an opt in form (or multiple – I have 5 on mine!) on your about me page is a great way to turn browsers into loyal email subscribers.

As mentioned previously my about me page converts at 5%.

Pat Flynn saw an opt in increase in 446% when he added an opt in box to his and QualityStocks a 158% growth through adding a light box

So if you've no about me page or aren't collecting emails on it get it doing it now!

Examples of great about me pages include:

Matthew Woodward - see how it starts with "How This Blog Will Help You Succeed Online" showing how YOU can benefit from his blog then going on to tell you what you'll learn from hanging around.

Pat Flynn - It starts with a big photo of Pat and his family, this makes him seem human and real, not some sleazy salesperson or 'guru' and he goes on to share his life then what he can do to help you.

Derek Halpern - He starts out addressing potential issues you might have then  convinces you he has the answers, he then goes on to share his experience and why he's worth listening to.

IN SHORT: About me pages can be lead magnets when done properly - make yours about your readers and how you can help them not solely about YOU!

(P.S. If you'd like to download a free list of 34 ways to grow your email list click here or the image below)