How to Quickly Increase Your Customer Database for Email Newsletter: 20 Practical Tips

Have you ever faced the disappointment of readers unsubscribing from an email newsletter you spent almost the entire workday preparing? This kind of frustration is like a teacher losing your perfectly written exam paper.

Losing valuable contacts can be disheartening, but don't let it shake your confidence. Instead, think about what you can do to improve the situation.

Some events are beyond your control. People may unsubscribe when their interests change, such as when they change jobs. However, it is entirely within your power to continuously grow your contact list with interested individuals. Here you will find proven strategies for rapidly increasing your subscriber base.

Why you need the email list of leads

A list of email addresses consists of people who have filled out a registration form and given the company permission to send them newsletters. Through these newsletters, the company informs subscribers about promotional offers, updates and schedules, guides, and new products.

In addition to email addresses, the database also accumulates other demographic, social, and behavioral information about subscribers. This allows marketers to develop personalized offers.

The path to profitable email marketing starts with growing the contact list. We want to caution you against common mistakes made by impatient marketers. In the pursuit of quantity, many forget to maintain the database's cleanliness and order.

Why to constantly expand your email list

The normal unsubscribe rate from email newsletters is typically around 0.2-0.4%, though it may vary slightly across different industries.

The number of active email addresses in your list naturally decreases over time. Therefore, marketers should continuously attract new customers.

Your email list serves as the engine of your marketing campaign. Like a real locomotive, it requires constant maintenance, which demands time and effort. This may be tiring, but if you create a healthy and high-quality email list, the results will not disappoint:

• Build trust with your target audience.

• Foster strong relationships with subscribers.

• Increase website traffic.

• Boost sales.

• Enhance brand awareness.

• Obtain fresh information about real customers.

• Elevate subscriber engagement levels.

20 helpful ideas for boosting your email list

Idea #1. Place registration forms on key pages of the official website

The homepage is the face of your brand and receives a significant portion of the traffic. It makes sense to position the subscription form right at the beginning of the user's journey.

Apart from the homepage, there are other frequently visited sections of the website. For instance, pages with podcasts or the online store can attract a lot of traffic. Consider collecting contact information on these pages as well. Experiment until you find the best way to attract subscribers.

Idea #2: Use pop-ups to grab attention

Pop-ups are an effective tool for collecting email addresses. A pop-up is a user interface element that appears periodically at the top of a web page.

Test different positions, designs, and text for the pop-ups to determine what works best. It's essential to find positions that yield higher conversions without turning users away.

Idea #3: Invite subscribers from your blog

Some brands maintain a blog with unique content and share snippets from it in their newsletters. If this applies to you, it would be beneficial to inform your blog readers about the advantages of subscribing to the newsletter. Set up a banner or place a link for newsletter subscription. Cross-promotion can be effective but be mindful of maintaining a balanced approach, as overly aggressive advertising can be off-putting to users.

The blog "The Blonde Abroad" has placed its newsletter subscription form in the footer. This decision may be controversial, but it has a significant advantage. The subscription offer presented in this way is not aggressive, yet it appeals to interested readers who happily take the opportunity to become subscribers.

Idea #4: Learn to use landing pages effectively

A landing page is a page optimized for attracting traffic and increasing conversion rates. Visitors can arrive at landing pages from different parts of the website or external sources. You can also place a link to a landing page at the end of one of your social media posts.

Don't forget to include a link to the registration form in transactional emails and in the email signatures of your employees. This way, all non-marketing emails will have an additional opportunity to expand your contact list.

Idea #5. Use social media advertising to find your target audience

Advanced segmentation tools in social media platforms such as Meta*, LinkedIn, and Google Adwords allow you to tailor ads to different users based on specific metrics.

This increases the likelihood of reaching users with relevant interests and pain points. Engaged readers will be more interested in receiving up-to-date news from your company.

Idea #6. Add the option to subscribe to the newsletter from social media

Be sure to provide the option to subscribe from your social media pages. Place CTA buttons, create pinned posts, and edit the "About us" section to facilitate subscriptions.

Additionally, plan and schedule posts, some of which should include a call to action to subscribe to the newsletter. Repost the content that resonates the most with your audience after some time.

Idea #7. Organize a contest among subscribers

Nothing motivates users to engage more than the chance to win valuable prizes. You can hold a special prize draw for subscribers on a monthly basis, and additionally, offer a pleasant bonus for those who have recently joined.

Idea #8. Offer promotions and exclusive discounts

Some users click on links just to find out the size of the discount and make a more advantageous purchase. If they become your subscribers, thank them for it.

It's possible that some new subscribers may unsubscribe as soon as the promotion ends. You need to carefully analyze such cases and try to understand how they initially landed on the subscription form page. This information will be useful when creating personalized content that can help prevent unsubscribes.

Usually, brands run promotions and sales during holidays, such as New Year's holidays. Some distribute promotional offers throughout the year, and this approach generally works better as customers won't leave you at the end of the discount season.

However, be careful not to overuse discounts as it may lead to losing your customers' trust, criticism, or even becoming a subject of memes.

Idea #9. Create premium content

Reports, documents, webinars, topical research – this type of content is called "premium content" because it requires significantly more resources to create than a regular blog post or social media content. Readers highly value premium content.

How can you use premium content to increase the number of subscribers? Place a banner on the landing page offering to subscribe to the newsletter to receive premium content. Before starting the newsletter, ensure that you have obtained the consent of all recipients on the list. Be sure to specify separately that the client agrees to receive your newsletter by filling out the registration form.

Idea #10. Send unique content via email

Providing unique content specifically via email is an opportunity to increase the value of your newsletter and establish trusting relationships with your audience. This approach is also known as email blogging: exchanging materials and personal thoughts through a channel dedicated solely to email.

For example, the "3-2-1" newsletter by James Clear is a brilliant marketing idea because it offers concise, valuable, and diverse content in a single email. By providing three ideas, two quotes, and one question, it keeps subscribers engaged and interested, while also encouraging them to look forward to the next edition. This format allows James Clear to showcase his expertise, foster a sense of community with his readers, and maintain consistent communication, ultimately strengthening his brand and expanding his reach.

Idea #11. Create a viral newsletter

Finding a way to create viral content is not easy. There is no secret recipe for viral content, but let's consider some top examples from the past:

• In 1996, Hotmail introduced its email service to the world. At the end of each sent email, the system automatically added the phrase: "PS: I love you. Get your free email at Hotmail." Thanks to this viral phrase, the company quickly gained millions of subscribers.

• The 2008 US presidential election was marked by Obama's vibrant campaign. The marketing emails sent out featured attention-grabbing headlines and powerful CTAs. Combined with personalized content, the campaign attracted many supporters.

• In 2008, Charmin released an app called "Sit or Squat," a service for finding nearby public toilets. Users could rate visited facilities in the app. The email that Charmin sent to its subscribers went viral with the subject line: "Charmin asks: Do you sit here or just squat?"

• In 2016, Candace Payne posted a video of herself hysterically laughing while wearing a Chewbacca mask she bought from Kohl's. The video went viral on the internet. Kohl's later thanked her for the purchase and offered her to buy other Star Wars merchandise. Kohl's thank-you email also went viral, positively impacting the brand's reputation as fun and cheerful.

Generating ideas for viral content can be done with your colleagues in an informal setting using brainstorming methods. Sometimes, advertising agencies come up with interesting ideas: their strength lies in helping you devise ideas for long-lasting email campaigns that will capture the attention of your target audience and the media.

Idea #12. Offer newsletter subscription in offline stores

In the online world, many processes happen randomly. However, in a physical store, you and your customer are face to face.

Take advantage of this opportunity and offer your customers to leave feedback about your store while informing them about subscribing to your newsletter and providing a link. Any customer can become a loyal subscriber in this way.

Idea #13. Collect contacts at events

Setting up a stand at an event costs money, so make sure to make the most of it by collecting contact information from potential customers. Chances are you didn't end up at this venue by chance, and it's likely where your target audience gathers.

If a visitor shows interest in your products or services and makes a purchase, it's even better – take the opportunity to ask for their email address to stay in touch.

Idea #14. Expand your email list through customer support interactions

Another often overlooked method for growing your email list is through customer support channels like phone and chat.

Don't try to invite everyone to subscribe to your newsletter, especially not dissatisfied customers. However, you can offer a subscription to those who call or chat in to inquire about a service or the latest updates.

For instance, customer support often receives questions about when a specific product will be available for purchase again. Not only should you provide a detailed answer to such questions, but also offer the person to subscribe to your newsletter to receive up-to-date information first.

Idea #15. Use the "proof of recognition" effect

When you first land on a brand's or individual's page on social media, one of the first things you notice is the number of followers, likes, and comments. It's the initial step in recognizing and evaluating the impression the person or company makes. There's an unconscious social recognition game going on.

You can incorporate social proof into your subscription form in several ways: showcase customer feedback and testimonials, display the number of shares and followers, feature recommendations from influential individuals, or mention the frequency of your brand being mentioned in the media.

Social proof shows potential customers that you're not solely driven by profit. Some brands even display the current number of subscribers on their registration page to demonstrate that they're building a cohesive and valuable community.

Idea #16. Engage in gamification

Most of us have, at one point, been drawn to mobile games not just for entertainment but also to earn points as rewards. Marketers have long utilized this psychological aspect of human behavior for their purposes.

Gamification through short games can capture the attention of visitors. By spinning a wheel or opening gift boxes, players can earn rewards such as discounts, promo codes, or access to premium content.

For email subscriptions, consider awarding points for competition among subscribers or for receiving gifts, thus creating an additional incentive for making a purchase.

Idea #17. Publish high-quality content

A well-designed content plan is the backbone of an effective email campaign. Your marketing strategy will fail without high-quality content. Even if you've found an effective way to generate new leads, sending them poorly crafted emails will result in readers unsubscribing.

Can you prevent this? Certainly. Apply the best email marketing strategies to provide readers with valuable and high-quality content.

Idea #18. Ask subscribers to tell their friends about you

In reality, readers will naturally want to share their opinion about you with their friends if you create genuinely interesting content. However, if you don't include a share button, readers won't be able to do that. Remember this simple detail, and you'll naturally attract new subscribers.

Idea #19. Exchange guest posts in blogs

Collaborating with other companies can be a highly effective strategy. By connecting your audience with non-competitive brands, you can immediately attract new customers.

It's not possible to share databases directly. However, exchanging guest posts in blogs with other companies can be practical and effective. These posts can be direct advertisements or related to adjacent topics. Don't forget to include CTAs, links, and widgets in the content.

Use UTM tags to track the effectiveness of blog posts. This information will help you decide which brands are worth collaborating with in the future.

Idea #20. Provide the option to subscribe to the newsletter in surveys

Every marketer craves feedback from their audience to adjust their marketing strategy. Surveys are one of the best ways to find out how users evaluate your company.

In survey forms, email addresses are often requested to confirm the results. Add an opt-in feature to your surveys, obtain prior permission from users, and immediately add them to your mailing list.

Conclusion

A/B testing is the key to understanding the effectiveness of your email list growth strategy. If a tactic consumes resources but fails to convert readers into subscribers, stop using it and switch to an alternative. There are at least 20 backup options available.