7 Tips to Increase Your Newsletter Opt-Ins

The number of newsletter opt-ins you get depends on how you market it. If you market it ineffectively, you may be missing out on opt-ins.

Here are 7 tips to increase your newsletter opt-ins:

1. Put the sign-up box in a visible location. There are areas of your Web site that are more visible than others. If you've ever signed up for a Google Adsense account, you may know that Google has a heat map that shows which areas of the web page have the most visibility. (You can find the heat map by searching “adsense heat map” on Google.)

Typically, the upper area of the page has more visibility than the bottom of the page. The left sidebar has more visibility than the right sidebar. This is most likely because we read from left to right.

If you choose to have your newsletter sign-up box in a sidebar, try to have it in the left sidebar. Or if you only have a right sidebar, try redesigning your Web site to have a left sidebar instead.

2. Use article marketing. Article marketing is where you write articles and distribute them for free. You get to promote your business at the end of your article. This section is called the resource box.

In your resource box, you can promote your newsletter and the URL to sign up for it.

3. Put the sign-up box on every page. If you put the sign-up box on every page, you'll increase the chance that the visitor will find it. Sometimes, your visitors may not land on your home page. So by putting the sign-up box on every page, they'll still be able to find it.

4. Give a free report. A free report gives an incentive for the visitor to subscribe to your newsletter. You can also create a small image of your report and put it on your web page. Doing this helps to catch your visitor's attention.

5. List the benefits of subscribing. Just like when selling products and services, you'll want to list the benefits of subscribing to your newsletter. Write down what the visitor will get out of subscribing. Show how it will make your visitor smarter, richer, happier, or more attractive.

6. Request as little information as possible. The more information you request from your visitor, the lower the chance you'll get his subscription. He may be uncomfortable sharing some of his contact information.

Usually, you'll only need her email address. You could request her first name too if you want to personalize your emails. But any more information than that is usually unnecessary.

7. Include a privacy statement. Be sure to tell your visitors that their email address will never be shared with anyone. Tell them that their email address will only be used for the purpose of sending them the newsletter.

You could also add that you take their privacy very seriously and that they can unsubscribe at any time. This eases their fear of having their personal information shared with others.