Subscription form: how to efficiently build an address database

  • Tutorial
The subscription form is a good tool for attracting to newsletters, but they use it in different ways. A frontal message, such as “give me your email”, hardly motivates people to leave their data. In return, you need to offer users value.

Next, we will talk about where to place the subscription form and give examples of the most effective lead magnets for engaging in the newsletter.


Photo Phillippe Put (Flickr)

Types of Subscription


• Single opt-in

In the case of single opt-in, the user only needs to enter his email address in the form. The main advantage of this type of subscription is its simplicity and time saving. But there is a small drawback in simplicity: if you entered the email with an error, it will go to the address database anyway and you will work with it. At least until the first "rehabilitation" of the base.



• Double opt-in (confirmation subscription)

Double opt-in is also called a confirmation subscription when an email arrives with a button or link that you need to click to complete the subscription process. In this way, the correctness and activity of the mailing address is checked.

The Mabel's Labels online store offers a 10% discount to newsletter subscribers.



And in the confirmation letter, Mabel's Labels also expresses gratitude for the subscription: “Thank you for joining us!”



Thus, only real and active addresses will arrive in your database, which means that the response level will be positive.

Read more about how to create a subscription form in SendPulse here .

Where to place the subscription form?


• Home page of the site

Users are unlikely to search the entire site, as if to leave you their email. It’s in your best interest to ensure that the subscription form is easy to find and that it does not interfere with the main content.

On the website of the famous clothing brand Michael Kors, the subscription form is just above the footer. This is a favorable location, because in the search for sections of the site the visitor will definitely notice it.



Some companies place a subscription form at the top of the home page so that they do not have to scroll at all.

• Pop-up window

Pop-ups twiceincrease the number of signers through the site. This fact is difficult to ignore, as well as the fact that they annoy many users. Therefore, installing a pop-up window on your site, carefully test so that it is easy to close from all devices. This is an unwritten etiquette rule.

In most cases, a pop-up window with a subscription form is launched in the first few seconds after entering the site. But sometimes it’s advisable for the user to give the opportunity to evaluate the content before asking to subscribe to it.

If the reader came to the blog article, you can show the window after he scrolled through the article and realized if he was interested or not.

Below is an example of a popup window from True Lemon with a 20% discount on the next order.



If you installed a pop-up window on your site, you should not add a pop-up chat. Such an “overload” is likely to cause annoyance for users.

• Facebook Page

Let Facebook followers subscribe to your newsletter.

Do not isolate email marketing and social networks from each other. You will only gain if you allow these two ecosystems to work together.

Take the example from the Facebook page of the Mud Pie online store.



• Landing page

Landing page for subscription should serve only this purpose and be as simple and understandable to users as possible.

Forkly on the landing page offers to leave your email address to like your favorite food in restaurants and receive information about delicious dishes in your city.



The Nike website has a separate landing page for subscription, with preliminary segmentation by gender and indicating the date of birth.



Work with the address database from the landing page using the integration of SendPulse and LPGenerator .

• Inside the video content

Put useful video on your Youtube channel and insert the subscription form in the middle.

Thus, in order to watch the video to the end, the user will need to leave his email.

What lead magnets to use?


1. Gift

Offer to leave an email in exchange for a gift for the first order.

A pop-up window for Outward Hound offers a free toy for your dog when you first order it.

Pay attention to how the call to action is framed: “Get a free toy and log in”, and not just “register” or “log in”. Under the button it says: “No, thank you, I’m not interested in everything for free,” which further encourages the target action. And doggies cause positive emotions.



After the subscription, a pop-up window appears with a bonus code for the toy.



2. Discount.

Discount in exchange for registration will serve as a good incentive.



3. Free training material

If you earn tuition, registering for a free lesson or course will help expand your address base.

Below is an example of a landing page from Timur Tazhetdinov.



4. Free trial period.

The creators of AutoCrit, a program for editing and improving the text on the landing page offer to register for a trial period for free.



5. Humor

Notes of humor in the forms of subscription can not only cheer up, but also encourage to subscribe.

Tim Urban's Blog Wait but Why stands out with its original and ironic approach.

A pop-up on Wait but Why says: “No one likes pop-ups. Damn, but since you're here, here's what I’ll say. If you like Wait but Why, give me a chance for our newsletter. We’ll just send 2-4 letters a month and only after the release of new posts. "



6. Social evidence.

The Wait but Why site subscription form contains not only elements of humor, but also a psychological method of social evidence: “Join 424, 925 other mortals and receive our new publications.”
The figure is dynamic and grows as new subscribers are added.



Strategy Yoga Journal


The Yoga Journal homepage contains a subscription section with a drop-down list where you can subscribe to the newsletter.



Choosing a newsletter, you find yourself in the personalization of newsletters, where you select the material you are interested in.

Such personalization rooms are the trend of 2017 and allow you to segment your address base. We wrote about segmentation in detail in our previous publications .



The site also has a pop-up window that offers a magazine subscription and 4 PDF booklets as a gift.



The Yoga Journal Facebook page has a “subscribe to newsletter” tab.



The Facebook subscription tab goes to a similar newsletter personalization room.



Conclusion


Combine and test the work of various techniques for you. There is no single effective solution - there can be many combinations.

And remember that behind the email addresses are real people who require respect. In pursuit of expanding the base, observe the measure and do not clog up your site or people's heads with unnecessary elements.

Loyal to you subscribers and more!

Also popular now: