30 + 1 Creative Ideas to Gain More Newsletter Subscribers

1. What do you need to keep in mind to win new newsletter subscribers in compliance with the GDPR?
2. What should you do to generate email addresses in a legally compliant manner?
3. 30+1 ideas on how you can win more newsletter subscribers
4. Conclusion: Many methods lead to success

In this article, our guest author Valerie Khalifeh explains how you can quickly and easily generate more newsletter registrations.

Newsletter marketing is one of the most cost-effective and effective channels in online marketing. In addition, compared to other marketing channels, newsletters have one of the largest ranges. According to Statista already 87% of the population in Germany use an email address to send and receive content on the internet, a trend that is increasing. No other channel comes close to the reach of email.

However, this reach must first be painstakingly built up. Especially for the start into Email marketing it is essential that you build up appropriate touch points for address generation. If you have been sending newsletters for some time, you are sure to invest a lot of time and creativity in creating and Newsletter design. Therefore, it makes sense to reach as many contacts as possible who are interested in your offer.

To help you easily and GDPR-compliant newsletter subscribers win, we have prepared a small how-to for you. In this article you will find the best tips that have proven themselves in practice. In addition, you will learn what you should definitely avoid.

What do you need to keep in mind to win new newsletter subscribers in compliance with the GDPR?

Anyone who wants to be successful in email marketing needs a constantly growing email distribution list. However, it takes time and effort to build up a large and, above all, high-quality recipient list. Therefore, buying email addresses seems tempting.

However, this has several disadvantages. On the one hand, it carries legal consequences, such as warnings or high fines, as there is no consent from the contacts. On the other hand, there is no guarantee of a good quality of the addresses. This means that the addresses can be outdated, faulty or inactive. Moreover, these contacts may not be interested in your topic or product. The result is a low opening and click rate. In the worst case, your newsletters are marked as spam. This can affect your Deliverability, which in turn means that you can reach your legally collected contacts less well. So buying email addresses is not worthwhile in any respect.

What should you do to generate email addresses in a legally compliant manner?

To gain new newsletter subscribers, it is best to generate email addresses yourself. This is not only legally compliant, but also more effective, because prospects who sign up to your contact list of their own accord will interact more with your content. For a GDPR-compliant newsletter registration, you need the double-opt-in process. This is a two-step process. In the first step, the potential subscribers enter their email address in a registration form. They then receive a confirmation mail at the given email address. In this double-opt-in mail, the new contacts have to verify their identity via a confirmation link and thus confirm their registration. Only then may these recipients be contacted.

A legally compliant registration form contains the following information:

• Information about the sender
• Short description of the newsletter content
• Purpose of data collection and processing
• Information on the frequency of dispatch
• Link and consent to the data protection declaration
• Information on the possibility to unsubscribe
• Note and consent to personal tracking

In addition, it is necessary that the registration form complies with the GDPR principle of data economy. This means that only the email address can be required as mandatory field. All other fields must be optional, as anonymous use must be guaranteed.

The same requirements must be met for the double-opt-in email. Like the registration form, the email must again explain the purpose of data collection and processing, inform about the possibility to unsubscribe and contain the link to the privacy policy. In addition, the email must be free of advertising.

30+1 ideas on how you can win more newsletter subscribers

The most important step for more newsletter registrations seems simple. But this is crucial for your success! Draw your prospective customers' attention to your offer! The registration to your Newsletter must be clearly visible. This does not only mean a Newsletter registration form with conspicuous design on your website, but rather all possible touch points along the customer journey. Enhancing the visibility of your newsletter automatically means that more people will register for it. Below you will learn which touch points are available to you online and offline.

1. Winning newsletter subscribers via your own website

Your website is the most important touch point you have with potential future newsletter subscribers. Visitors to your website have already shown that they are interested in your topic.

Navigation

Including the newsletter registration in the navigation menu is one of the simplest ways to draw attention to your newsletter. For most website visitors, this placement is customary and the menu item is quickly understood.

At morefire, the newsletter is advertised in the navigation under the menu item 'Know-how'.

Header or topbar

In online shops, a topbar is often used above the normal menu to highlight special actions or advantages. This is particularly worthwhile if a welcome discount is offered as an incentive for registration. But not only in e-commerce is this method useful. If you run a blog and inform about the latest blog articles in your newsletter, you should consciously place your newsletter in the header to inform new readers about the offer.

Footer

Another classic on the website is the promotion of the newsletter in the footer. This placement is not conspicuous, but has proven to be effective in practice. If visitors are specifically looking for the registration form, they will first refer to learned knowledge and check the footer. Here, the form itself, a link to the registration page or a banner can be used. The advantage of this placement: the newsletter can be reached quickly from any page.

This is what a classic integration of the newsletter registration page in the footer looks like.

Sticky bar or widget

Unlike the classic menu, a sticky bar or widget is not statically integrated on the website. This means that these elements do not disappear when scrolling. They remain permanently visible and can be reached at any time. This increases the chances that website visitors will subscribe to your newsletter.

Pop-up

Pop-ups seem annoying at first glance, but they are very effective when used correctly. If you want to use pop-ups for more newsletter registrations, they should be unobtrusive and contain a clear message. In addition, they should be easy to close. Nothing can annoy users as much as pop-ups they cannot leave. Here, there is a very high risk that your visitors will leave your website completely and get a negative impression of your company. The best conversion rate is achieved by context-based pop-ups like in the following example.

Visitors to the blog article 'Creating newsletters like a pro' are suggested to download the matching guide on the topic of email marketing strategy.

Blog

The blog is also a wonderful place to win more newsletter subscribers. Visitors who land on your blog are already interested in your topics. An obvious possibility is to offer the newsletter as a service. Interested parties receive the latest blog articles delivered directly to their mailbox. The registration form can be integrated as a banner on the overview page, as a link in the text, in the sidebar or at the end of each blog article.

The newsletter banner is particularly noticeable due to the red signal color.

Landingpage

To make linking to the newsletter registration form easy, you should also place it on your own landing page. The page title should be kept as short as possible, e.g. www.companyexample.com/newsletter. This URL can be used in future, for example in social networks, on business cards or for the creation of QR codes.

The newsletter registration form should be placed as high up as possible on the landing page.

Chatbot

If you use a chatbot on your website, like BOTfriends to answer visitors' questions, this is another touch point. At the end of the conversation, offer your chat partners the opportunity to sign up for the newsletter. The email address can be easily requested in the chat window.

2. Winning newsletter subscribers via co-registrations

Lead magnet

You have exclusive content like e-books, webinars, studies, excel templates or recordings? That's great, because these lead magnets can be used for co-registration. Use forms that interested parties have to fill out to receive the content. It is important that the registration for the newsletter is communicated transparently. This way, you can simultaneously generate leads and win more contacts for your email list. This option is available not only on your website, but everywhere you promote your lead magnet.

At morefire, webinar recordings are used for co-registration.

Raffle

Raffles also belong to the classic method of co-registration. The advantage: they generate high attention and do not reduce your margin like discounts. Use this to promote your newsletter. To use this method in compliance with the GDPR, it is necessary to set up an additional optional checkbox for newsletter registration in the participation form.

Survey

Surveys are a great way to generate interest in your newsletter. If you regularly conduct surveys and their results are interesting for your target group, you can very well use them as an incentive for newsletter registration. For example, you can alert participants before they submit their answers that the results will only be published exclusively in the newsletter. This way, you quickly win interested readers.

3. Winning newsletter subscribers via social media

Post

When you share a post on LinkedIn or Facebook, you can also draw your followers' attention to your newsletter. Because anyone who already follows you on social networks is probably very interested in your content. A simple reference is enough. Example: 'Do you want more of these tips? Then feel free to sign up for our newsletter: Link!'.

Video

You produce videos and share them on social media, like YouTube? Wonderful! Because here too you can collect email addresses. Show a suitable lead magnet or a newsletter during your video and refer to the registration link in the infobox under the video.

At morefire, suitable lead magnets are visually displayed in the video. A text in the video refers to the download link in the video description.

Social ad

Social ads can be used as an additional touch point. Experience has shown that they are only suitable for promoting lead magnets. The sole promotion of the newsletter via social ads is not recommended. To draw attention to your newsletter, it is enough to point it out in every post.

4. Winning newsletter subscribers via media

Banner ad

Have you ever thought about booking standalone mailings to expand your email distribution list? With media companies (e.g. t3n), specialist media (e.g. OMT) or conferences (e.g. dmexco) you have the option to buy banner ads or standalone mailings. This way, you can present yourself to a new target group. This format works best with a link to your lead magnet. Contacts are forwarded to your landing page when they click on the newsletter, where they only receive the download after registration and confirmation of the double opt-in.

At OMT, you can set up newsletter banner ads, as in this example from Brevo (ehemals Sendinblue).

Podcast

Podcast advertising works very well. Therefore, it is worth looking for interesting podcasts that fit your topic and specifically addressing new contacts there. Similar to social ads, it is also advisable in podcast advertising not to solely promote your newsletter, but a lead magnet. These often have a higher value from the perspective of the listeners.

At Digital Kompakt, morefire promoted an e-book bundle matching the podcast topic.

5. Winning newsletter subscribers at events

Sponsoring

Some events offer their sponsors the opportunity to share the participant data with them. The consent can look different. Some events only grant sponsors the right to contact participants once. Other events, however, obtain consent for the newsletter from sponsors. It is therefore a good idea to ask the organisers in advance what consent has been given. If the latter variant is the case, it may be worthwhile to act as a sponsor.

Trade fair stand

A visit to a trade fair is the perfect opportunity to collect email addresses for the newsletter distribution list. When you are talking to your stand visitors, subtly place the benefits of your newsletter or generate interest with a raffle. You can obtain consent either on a piece of paper or digitally. Some Newsletter tools, like GetResponse offer an extra app for this. This can be installed on a smartphone or a tablet, so that the contact receives the double-opt-in email immediately after filling out the form. It is important that you clearly inform that this is a registration form for your newsletter.

Give-aways

Promotional items are also perfect for newsletter registrations. For this, it is necessary to put the promotional items with advertising for the newsletter. The advantage of give-aways is that they often remain in the possession of the recipients for a very long time. This way, the target group is confronted with the advertising over and over again.

Lecture

You are giving a lecture at the fair? Very good, because presentations are perfect for winning new contacts for your email distribution list. All you have to do is include a lead magnet and link or QR code related to your lecture in your slides and refer to it during your presentation. With this variant, you can be sure that the new subscribers are very interested in your newsletter content.

This is what the last slide of a lecture might look like.

6. Winning newsletter subscribers via partners

Use your network to support each other in growth. The easiest way is enter into a cooperation. For example, you can set up a joint action. This can be a lead magnet such as a webinar or guide that you develop in partnership. The aim of such a cooperation is to promote the lead magnet in your own networking in order to give your partner access to your own contacts. This can take place via a newsletter or a post on social media. As an alternative to the joint action, you have the option of asking your partners to include one of your offers (newsletter, e-book, competition etc.) in their newsletter. In return, you include an offer from your partners in your newsletter. This way, you help each other to collect new email addresses.

7. Winning newsletter subscribers via print advertising

Not only online channels are available to you to advertise your newsletter. Print materials such as flyers, brochures, posters or business cards can be used very well to win new recipients for your newsletter. All you need to do is print a simple URL and/or a QR code on the print material. These lead directly to the registration form.

Package insert

Especially online shops should rely on print materials. You can win new subscribers by using promotional flyers as package inserts. This could lead to more people subscribing to your newsletter, especially when ordering from other shops, whereby you tap into a new target group. This works best if you offer a discount for newsletter registration on the flyer.

Print mailings to existing customers

For existing customers without a newsletter subscription, it is worthwhile sending direct mailings. Like package inserts, you should place an incentive for registration in the print mailing. One option would be to thank the customers for their last order and mention the discount code for newsletter registration.

Display in store

Your customers have the opportunity to visit your local store? Perfect! You can also ask for newsletter subscriptions there. Whether in retail or in a restaurant: a display with the benefits of your newsletter is enough to make your contacts aware of your newsletter.

In the Cologne restaurant Bunte Burger there is a display on the toilet and on the doors of the cabins.

8. Winning newsletter subscribers via referrals

Newsletter footer

Getting referrals is easier than you think! At the end of your newsletter, provide a link for referrals so that your readers can easily recommend the newsletter to friends. Some newsletter tools like rapidmail offer this feature as standard in the editor. With other providers, you have to use a Sharelink Generator. It is advisable to track the clicks on the referral link in order to find your fans among your readers.

This is what the hint to the referral could look like in the newsletter footer.

Referral campaign

If you want to place the referral a bit more visibly, a dedicated referral campaign is suitable. For this campaign, you create a segment of your most active newsletter recipients and send them an email asking for a referral. You can incentivise this request with a discount code or a lead magnet.

Marketing automation

The last option available to you to receive referrals is Marketing automation. With this variant, you do not write to your most active contacts in a dedicated campaign, but automated. The automation can be set, for example, to send the request for a referral as soon as a contact has opened 10 newsletters.

9. Winning newsletter subscribers as an online shop

Cart / Checkout

In the online shop, there are several touch points that can be used to advertise your newsletter. The classics are the shopping cart and the checkout page. On these pages you can draw attention of your shop visitors to the welcome discount of your newsletter. As the contact can save money by registering during the order process, the advantages are directly obvious.

Back in Stock

Another touch point is the product page for sold out products. Offer your contacts to inform them as soon as the article is available again. In addition to pure notification, you can offer an additional checkbox in this situation, which asks for the subscription to the newsletter.

When a product is sold out at Xucker, a discreet registration form for the back-in-stock notification appears.

Registration

In many online shops, it is necessary to register as a customer to enjoy certain benefits. These include, for example, marking favorite products, reordering old orders or receiving special discounts. Since website visitors enter their email address during registration, a checkbox for newsletter registration is sufficient. This way, the new contact is alerted to the offer.

Bonus tip: Reducing newsletter unsubscriptions

When building a large email distribution list, it is not only helpful to collect newsletter registrations, but also to prevent unsubscriptions. You can achieve this best by placing a link to the preference center next to the unsubscribe link in every newsletter footer. There, you can offer your contacts the opportunity to update their theme selection, change their shipping frequency, or take a break from your newsletter. This way, your contacts have the choice whether they want to unsubscribe completely or simply prefer a different shipping frequency.

At XOUXOU, contacts can individually select the shipping frequency and topics in the preference center.

Conclusion: Many methods lead to success

There are several tried-and-tested methods to win newsletter subscribers easily and in compliance with the GDPR. Since building the email distribution list takes time, it is advisable to equip as many touch points as possible with registration forms. However, it is not only important to arouse the interest of your recipients when they register. Your contacts will only remain loyal to you if they feel confirmed in their decision each time they receive a new email.

In order for your readers to continue reading your emails with pleasure, you should only promise in the registration form what your newsletter can also keep! Nothing is worse than a newsletter that cannot meet the high expectations of your readers. Now you know how to win newsletter subscribers easily – so what are you waiting for? Start now!