Design & Development

6 Tips for Newsletter Subscription Forms

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by Web Marketing Today. Practical Ecommerce acquired Web Marketing Today in 2012. In 2016, we merged the two sites, leaving Practical Ecommerce as the successor.

An email list is one of the best ways to connect with shoppers, announce new products, and promote sales. A key part of building a mailing list is having a compelling newsletter signup form. While different sites display newsletter signup forms in different ways, examining newsletter signup forms from around the web reveals several common practices.

1. Use a Small Number of Fields

Site visitors don’t want to be hassled with filling out multiple fields when signing up for a newsletter. Your visitor’s time is important, don’t waste it trying collecting unimportant information — especially when they are opting to sign up for your newsletter. Not only can additional fields irritate users, the more fields you use the more space your newsletter signup form will take up. Try to keep your newsletter signup form to as few fields as possible. Most sites simply require an email address.

2. Make Subscription Forms Easy to Find

Site visitors won’t be able to sign up for your newsletter if they can’t find your subscription form. Place your subscription form in a prominent place or have it stand out from the rest of the site to make it easy for visitors to find.

3. Tell Subscribers What You Will Email Them About

Most subscribers want to know what kind of emails they will be receiving when signing up for a newsletter. Telling your users what kind of emails you intend to send out builds trust and lets visitors know exactly what they are signing up for.

4. Offer Incentives for Subscribers

In addition to explaining what subscribers can expect from regular newsletters, many sites also offer visitors incentives to sign up for their newsletters. Offering incentives like 10 percent off, promotional codes, or free ebooks can be both eye-catching and persuasive to visitors thinking about signing up for your newsletter.

5. Tell Visitors How Often They Can Expect Emails

Few things are as irritating as being spammed with email messages. Past email abuse has made many visitors wary of signing up for newsletters. If you have a regular email schedule, tell potential subscribers how often you intend to email them. Once you have earned a subscriber’s trust, don’t send more emails than promised.

6. Personalize Your Subscribe Form

Personalizing your subscription form message is a good way to both intrigue subscribers and provide a taste of the type of emails they can expect.

Drew Coffin
Drew Coffin
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