Most digital marketers enter the world of email marketing a little late, but once they do, they know the importance and benefits of getting emails. This gives us the opportunity to connect directly with interested readers and helps us grow our blog exponentially. Email marketing is one thing that I have been focusing on completely for the past year, and today, I have tested and tried a few tips that will allow you to get more emails.
Before I get started, here are all the tools I currently use for SidelinePlay and my other sites.
- Email Marketing Services: Kit + Aweber
- WordPress Plugin: OptinMonster
One piece of advice: I learned this the hard way. Last month, I hired someone to write emails for my email marketing campaign. This was a big mistake because 50% of the emails sounded too much like sales pitches. My advice: Always write your own emails. Since your audience is already used to your voice, it’s best to just keep it that way.
Going back to the idea of subscription box placement, one thing you need to know is that the purpose of each sign-up box is simply to get as many people to sign up as possible.
If you have a blog, you might be asking:
- What’s the best way to get as many email subscribers as possible?
The answer is to offer as many email sign-up forms as possible on your website.
However, having too many forms for readers to sign up is not what you want.
The most important thing is to make those email signup forms convert. That’s why you need to be careful about where you place your forms.
If you place tables in the wrong place, readers may not see them, which will make your efforts in vain.
So the question is:
- Where do you place your email subscription form?
In this post, I’ve compiled 7 of the highest converting places to get your email subscription forms.
7 Best Places to Place Your Email Subscription Box
1. Opt-in functionality
This has always been one of my favorite email subscription boxes. It turns out that this form works well for a lot of people.
Most of the popular blogs these days use this form on their sites. That should tell you how effective it is. At SidelinePlay, I use Custom Code + Kit to display this email box. You can quickly set one up on your blog using a free plugin called Plugmatter.
2. Lightbox pop-up
Lightbox popup signup forms have been around on the internet for a long time. It is also a great way to collect your readers’ email addresses.
One advantage of lightbox ads is that they convert very well. This is because there is little chance that a reader will not see it.
You can set it to trigger when a new visitor enters your homepage or a specific page on your site. Some marketers also configure it to appear a few minutes after a visitor enters their site or when a reader scrolls past certain paragraphs.
The downside to lightboxes is that they are often annoying and may reduce readership.
But one feature I like about lightbox popups is that they appear when a reader finishes reading your post and hits the exit button. This method is usually less annoying and has a pretty high conversion rate.
Research conducted by Unbounce shows that popups and other subscription forms convert at a higher rate after visitors have been on your website for 60 seconds.
Otherwise, your conversion rate will drop. On the other hand, if you wait too long, you will lose a lot of visitors. Therefore, the ideal time is around 60 seconds.
You should also provide a way for readers to close the dialog box without signing up. Here’s an example from Backlinko:
You also want to make sure you configure it so that only first-time visitors can see it.
3. After posting a message
Think about this:
If a reader has finished reading your post, there is a good chance that they liked what they read. Now, if you can provide them with an attractive signup form right after the post, there is a good chance that they will sign up.
This is the form that usually appears after a single post on your blog. One way to increase your conversion rate is to make the signup form relevant to the post your reader just read.
Check out this video from Side Hustle Nation to see this opt-in form in action:
4. On your blog sidebar
This is one of the oldest and most common places to place an opt-in form.
However, the sidebar opt-in form is no longer as effective as it once was. People have learned to completely ignore it when browsing your blog, which is why smart marketers rarely put forms there these days.
Image source: WPHostingdiscount.com
You can ignore it, or use it, but it shouldn't be your main focus.
5. Welcome Mat
A welcome mat acts as a landing page when a visitor enters the page.
The idea is to welcome your visitors with an irresistible gift when they visit your website in exchange for their email address. The welcome mat is designed to completely cover the screen while attracting the reader with a call to action.
The user can accept the offer or reject it by clicking the "No Thanks" button (or clicking the arrow to exit).
The good news is that you get this feature for free by installing the SumoMe plugin on your blog. The OptinMonster plugin also offers this feature.
6. On your About page
If you log into your Google Analytics account right now, you’ll notice that one of the most visited pages on your website is the “About” page .
With that in mind, if you’re not using an opt-in form on this page, you’re missing out. For better conversions, you should have at least 3 different types of forms set up on your About page.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking this isn’t important, because it is.
7. Slide-in
This is one of the simplest and least fussful subscription forms I’ve ever seen on the internet.
The slide-in feature is triggered when the reader reaches a certain point in the content. It usually "slides in" from the bottom right or bottom left corner of the blog post.
It would be a good idea to configure a slide-in feature on your blog today. Allow it to enter after scrolling 80% of the page.
See the blog post below to learn how to add this type of opt-in form to your blog:
Bonus: Top Sticky Bar
A top sticky bar is an impressive lead capture form that is placed right before your website’s navigation bar. It is usually set to scroll along with the page so that it stays in the reader’s sight as they scroll up.
Hello Bar offers a top bar opt-in form. It is very effective and has acquired many important clients. One of its many clients is “DIYthemes”, which increased its email subscribers by 1,180 within 30 days of inserting Hello Bar on its blog.
Example: ProBlogger added a sticky top subscription bar and saw a 25% increase in subscribers.
I have tested similar placements at SidelinePlay and the results were astounding. You can use it for a variety of purposes, such as directing users to the most important pages in your blog, getting more app downloads, promoting affiliate offers, and even getting social media shares.
If you haven’t tried a sticky bar yet, give it a try.
Get readers' emails
As an online marketer, list building is something you can’t ignore. You have to find ways to get your readers’ emails so they stay your fans forever.
There are several other ways to get emails. I recommend you try some of the methods I mentioned here and find the one that works best for you.
Here are some of our top picks for what you should read next:
- How to create free domain email with Zoho Mail in the next 7 minutes
- Email Marketing for Bloggers (Beginner’s Guide)
What do you think of these strategies? Let me know in the comments below.
Do you know someone who could benefit from this guide? Share it with them on Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this article contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you click through to visit us, at no extra cost to you. See how SidelinePlay is funded, why it’s important, and how you can support us.
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