15 tested and proven ways to help you build your subscriber list

Offer quality content. Nobody gives up their email address for free. If you want to build a valuable relationship and engage your audience, you need to provide content that is worthwhile and interesting.
Put sign-up forms on every web page. Your sign-up form should be everywhere your potential subscribers are. Make sure it’s visible and easy to fill out.
Use social media to collect email addresses. Integrate your sign-up forms with social media platforms. Driving traffic from multiple sources allows you to build a strong email marketing list much faster.
Design your sign-up form carefully. Ask only for information you plan to use. A good rule of thumb is that less is more — the shorter the sign-up form, the higher the conversion rate.
Show your privacy policy. Inform your readers that you will not share their personal information with third parties. A clear privacy policy helps you build trust and convince visitors that it’s safe to subscribe.
Show samples of your content. Let your subscribers know what they are signing up for. Use your older content samples to “sell” the email sign-up.
Include a call to action. Put a call to action in your submit button, e.g. Sign me up! This makes the sign-up process more engaging and improves the conversion ratio.
Give away freebies. Think of a relevant incentive for your audience (e-book, infographic, white paper) and provide it for free.
Ask subscribers to share. Take the time to prepare valuable, shareable content. Remember that putting the social share buttons is not enough; you still need to ask your subscribers to use them.
Build a content distribution strategy. Producing great content is only half the battle. Make sure it’s visible to the right audience. Define who your ideal audience is and find out where they like to congregate online. Then choose communication channels accordingly.
Publish landing pages. Create a squeeze page where visitors can download premium content in exchange for their email address. A dedicated web page helps users focus on the call to action and increases conversions.
Include testimonials on your landing page. Social proof helps build trust toward a brand and its products. Use testimonials from satisfied customers to help visitors make a decision.
Blog regularly. Great content brings more traffic. Develop a realistic content publishing schedule and stick to it.
Guest post on popular blogs. Publishing your content on other blogs is a great way to build relationships with other bloggers in your industry and introduce yourself to new people. Include a backlink to your blog, and your blog’s search rankings will go up.
Collect email addresses at offline events. Be ready to collect email addresses at trade shows and conferences. Ask for business cards or use the Forms on the Go app to instantly add people to your list.

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John Mulindi

John writes on a variety of topics. He blogs on topics ranging from social media marketing (SMM), search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), email marketing, business, personal finance tech, entrepreneurship to personal development. In free time he likes watching football, reading, listening to music and taking nature walks.

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View Comments

Vladimir Covic says:

October 13, 2017 at 9:04 pm

Good post John. I would also add that the position of the signup form is another important factor to consider.
- John M says:
  
  October 14, 2017 at 2:11 pm
  
  Yes, I have seen people complaining that they cannot locate the sign up on many sites simply because it isn't place in an easily view-able place.
Patrick Lumumba says:

October 13, 2017 at 6:16 pm

Hi John. I love how you have discussed the topic. It's very detailed and helpful. Thanks for sharing.
- John M says:
  
  October 13, 2017 at 6:33 pm
  
  Hi Patrick, thanks for visiting. Welcome.
laurenedwards20 says:

October 13, 2017 at 4:37 pm

These are great tips. I'm wondering about #3. How do you use social media to collect email addresses? Is there a certain plug in or app for that? Or are you simply asking for email addresses on your social media platforms? Any insight would be helpful! Thanks!
- John M says:
  
  October 13, 2017 at 6:37 pm
  
  There are different ways you can use social media to grow your list. You can offer something free to your social media following in exchange of their emails, or you promote directly in groups the sign up URL, whereby if they click it, they get directly to the sign up page or form. In either way, you need to ask kindly or promise something to attract subscribers.
shehroz haider says:

July 20, 2017 at 1:27 pm

nice article i love to read that blog thanku very much looking for more on your blog :)
- John M says:
  
  July 20, 2017 at 5:23 pm
  
  Hi Shehroz, thanks for passing by.
Chaundra says:

July 20, 2017 at 1:30 am

Great post with helpful tips! Thanks for sharing
- John M says:
  
  July 20, 2017 at 10:37 am
  
  Hi, thanks for dropping by. Your comments are appreciated.
annajeanharris2017 says:

July 19, 2017 at 6:31 pm

Hey, John! These kinds of posts are always so helpful to us newer bloggers, and yours did not disappoint! Thank you for sharing what you've learned. One question I have about subscribing people to my blog. Is the expectation always that you would clearly ask someone if you can subscribe them to your blog using their email address (which you already have), or is it acceptable to sign them up without permission and let them choose whether to confirm their subscription or not? Thanks!
- John M says:
  
  July 19, 2017 at 8:44 pm
  
  Hi, thanks for your comments. The subscribers should make their own decision to subscribe to your list. Normally if you have friends you can ask them if you can include them on the list, if they agree then you can add them. It is not advisable to add people to the list without their consent.
darlingceo says:

July 19, 2017 at 5:42 pm

These are great tips, I need to start building my list. I just didn't know where to start!
- John M says:
  
  July 19, 2017 at 6:02 pm
  
  Hi, you can start with a free trial, all you need is a subscriber form that you can put on your blog or in the blog posts.
susheel says:

July 19, 2017 at 1:23 pm

Hi John
Nice article..
- John M says:
  
  July 19, 2017 at 1:30 pm
  
  Hi susheel. Grateful for your comments.
Amit ahuja says:

July 19, 2017 at 12:16 pm

nice article..
- John M says:
  
  July 19, 2017 at 1:15 pm
  
  Hi Amit, thanks for dropping by.