What makes you subscribe with email?

38 replies
Hi there warriors,

I'm just doing some research on why people usually sign their email up for newsletters and email lists.

Is it because they offer a free gift?

Is it the quality of the content?

Is it because you like the person/company running the site?

Please share your own thoughts and opinions on this, would be interesting to know. I always find it very rewarding to find out what a bunch of people think about something, not just the experts and "guru's" (hate that word, but you know what I mean).

Thank you and I look forward to your answers!

-Karl
#email #email lists #email subscribers #how to get traffic #how to make money #makes #subscribe #website traffic
  • Profile picture of the author Gijsbertus
    It depends if I like the person and if it is good content.

    The listowner should be available and answer if I should have a question.

    No ''generic'' mass (spam) emails - keep it a little personal, it is already virtual enough as it is.
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  • Profile picture of the author agmccall
    they want the information offered
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    "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." Thomas Edison

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    • Profile picture of the author discrat
      I think people are most geared in getting the free gift


      - Robert Andrew
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  • Profile picture of the author AmericanMuscleTA
    Who doesn't love FREE?!!


    Plus, you can always unsubscribe if it wasn't up to your expectations, or if they said they'll only email you three times a week and they start sending you emails three times a day.
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    David Hunter | Duke of Marketing
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  • Profile picture of the author Shaolinsteve
    Originally Posted by karlstech View Post

    Is it because they offer a free gift?
    I hate that "free gift" lol. So many solo ad providers have this in their funnel, when all it is, is link to another squeeze page and basically a never ending cycle of offers that barely give you that "free gift".

    So... just because something is FREE, that is definitely not a reason for me to subscribe.

    Originally Posted by karlstech View Post

    Is it the quality of the content?
    How would you know if the quality is good before getting it? I think you mean with regards to the copy-writing and if that's the case then yes. I've seen ads and news-feeds that catch my attention, and I'll sign up whether it be a webinar or whatever just to see how valuable this is, and how I can adapt it to my current online marketing efforts.


    Originally Posted by karlstech View Post

    Is it because you like the person/company running the site?
    To some extent. Top guys like Frank Kern, Ryan Deiss and Russell Brunson, giving away free physical products have worked amazingly well and I've picked up their stuff because of this.

    I think if you're in a position to leverage from other experts, this works extremely well and helps you to deliver some credibility. Whether you can get that or not is another matter ;-)

    My recent membership training is about list building, and I've been involved with list building and lead generation for quite a number of years, but things like this... that I'm involved in. If I see ads or content related, then I'm always willing to take a look, to see if I can adapt and learn from anything I haven't tested or been unaware of.

    Hope that helps Karl.
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    • Profile picture of the author Apra Barua
      It is the quest to know what is being offered in the free gift
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      • Profile picture of the author karlstech
        Most online marketers have free gifts for capturing leads, like Blog Tyrant or Social Triggers for example.

        For me, I sign up when the content of the website is good and has helped me in some way or inspired me.

        I guess it's very different and individual for each and every person!

        I also think that when a site reaches a certain number of subscribers, like 10,000, then that's great marketing strategy because if 10,000 people have already sign up, why shouldn't I? That's the kind of thinking I do when I see this for instance.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Mazza
    I subscribe if the site has information I am after. If I use a real email or not really depends on if I plan to stay in a relationship or not with that site. If its just a quick opt-in that I think is a one stop shop I will use a email I never check again. If I see long term value then I will use a real email.
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  • Profile picture of the author masudraj
    I subscribe if get tips and info about my sub
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  • Profile picture of the author mantarochen
    the word FREE always attracts as magnet mate!
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    • Profile picture of the author BigFrank
      Banned
      Originally Posted by mantarochen View Post

      the word FREE always attracts as magnet mate!
      Really? You are very easily attracted. The word has become meaningless to me. At a personal level I have come to equate the word 'free' with 'worthless.'

      But - I'm old and jaded.

      Cheers. - Frank
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      • Profile picture of the author yukon
        Banned
        Originally Posted by BigFrank View Post

        Really? You are very easily attracted. The word has become meaningless to me. At a personal level I have come to equate the word 'free' with 'worthless.'

        But - I'm old and jaded.

        Cheers. - Frank
        Maybe you're browsing meaningless sites is the problem?

        I have a few sites totally dedicated to free downloads to lure in traffic, I do pretty well with optins & all my form says is enter email (nothing else). My traffic already downloads the content on the live websites so they know what to expect (quality niche related downloads). They're looking for future notifications via email, obviously there's also a sales funnel.
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        • Profile picture of the author BigFrank
          Banned
          Originally Posted by yukon View Post

          Maybe you're browsing meaningless sites is the problem?
          Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
          I have a few sites totally dedicated to free downloads to lure in traffic,
          My point exactly. Since I'm not searching for anything, there is nothing that anyone can offer me that would get me to opt-in to their list in the hope of receiving something of value to me. I am not your intended audience.
          I do pretty well with optins & all my form says is enter email (nothing else). My traffic already downloads the content on the live websites so they know what to expect (quality niche related downloads). They're looking for future notifications via email, obviously there's also a sales funnel
          Obviously, or why bother with all of that? Again, since there is absolutely nothing I am going to buy, being directed to a sales-funnel is a waste of everyone's time. Like I said, I'm old, I make enough money with what I do, I'll be formally retiring soon and I thank the powers that be that I don't have to engage in the endless and usually fruitless pursuit of new ways to make money.

          We're all different and spend our lives in different ways. I'm fortunate that I have created my own income stream that I've been employing for decades and started in long before there was something called the Internet. That's the only benefit to old age that I can think of. I don't do Facebook, have never tweeted, have never built a list, scaled up. rinsed and repeated, blogged, done any SEO, believed to achieve or taken part in anything that the world of IM has to offer. Truth be told, I always thought that 'split-testing' referred to a trial separation from my girlfriend.

          Unfortunately, I have been unable to stop working, only because I do not know what I would do all day. I live in a house with a dock and in 18 years I have never dropped a fishing line in the water. I bought a Donzi 'Sweet 16." How many time can you drive around the lake? For me - about a dozen times was enough. Done with that. I enjoy working, but since I no longer have any personal pursuits or ambition I only work for others, to help them achieve their goals. I enjoy that very much. Since I have everything I want and need, there is nothing left to buy, so income is just accumulating money - something that has never fascinated me. I have always thought that money is made for spending, not collecting.

          I'm down to my last formal client and the income from his business is simply too lucrative to walk away from in relation to the amount of work and time involved. It has afforded me an opportunity to help family and friends, the local animal shelter, a private, local, veterans outreach program and buy a few toys like new computers, audio/video equipment and my currently hospitalized Bimmer convertible which I hope to spend the summer driving all over the tri-state area.

          The big dirt nap is right around the corner for me. If I were younger and looking to make my mark, I'd be doing what you're doing and building what you have built. The only thing I have any interest in building at this point in my life is an excellent Philly cheesesteak, which I'll be doing in around 6 hours. Other than that - nothing. I've earned that right. Except for brief periods caused by mental or physical health issues, I have worked my whole life. I used to believe that work was all there was and that it should be how you measure your life. I no longer feel that way. I know better, now.

          I did not mean to cast any aspersions on what you are doing, or to denigrate it in any way. You are doing what you believe is proper for your life and the goals that you have set. That's to be commended. My only point was that I have no interest in subscribing to anything for any reason. I'm not looking for anything. I am blessed. My cup runneth over. :-)

          I certainly wish you all of the success you are seeking. :-)

          Cheers. - Frank
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  • Profile picture of the author zakif
    What makes me subscribe:
    - content that I'm interested in
    - no frills, just honest to goodness content
    - perceived authority
    - website does not look shady or creepy
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  • I subscribe when I will get something I need or I'm looking for in that moment. If it's free is a plus.
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    YOUR FB ADS ACCOUNT WAS CLOSED? >>>>I GOT A SOLUTION<<<< CONTACT ME
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  • Profile picture of the author Rob Whisonant
    I will not enter my email in a squeeze page anymore.

    Now I don't have a problem entering my email to subscribe to a blog I enjoy or other type of site I already get value from.

    Then again I may not be your target market. I'm a buyer, not a freebie seeker.

    That's my 2 cents.

    Re's
    Rob Whisonant
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    • Profile picture of the author discrat
      Originally Posted by Rob Whisonant View Post

      I will not enter my email in a squeeze page anymore.

      Now I don't have a problem entering my email to subscribe to a blog I enjoy or other type of site I already get value from.

      Then again I may not be your target market. I'm a buyer, not a freebie seeker.

      That's my 2 cents.

      Re's
      Rob Whisonant
      For me I need to look at what is being offered on that Sq. Page.

      I think it would be folly to scratch off all Sq. Pages just because they are well... Sq. Pages.

      You could miss out on some quality stuff


      - Robert Andrew
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      • Profile picture of the author Rob Whisonant
        Originally Posted by discrat View Post

        For me I need to look at what is being offered on that Sq. Page.

        I think it would be folly to scratch off all Sq. Pages just because they are well... Sq. Pages.

        You could miss out on some quality stuff


        - Robert Andrew
        I half agree with what you said. The problem I find is I have never seen anything offered to advanced marketers through a squeeze page.

        The vast majority of squeeze pages are to attract the beginner to get them in the system. Once you are no longer a beginner, content of the site begins to matter more than the free bait.

        So I personally just close the page the second I see it is a squeeze page. Oh, let me add an exception to that. If I hear personally through a conversation about a freebie that would be useful for me, I will opt-in. But as soon as the value in their emails goes away and moves towards sell, sell, sell, I opt-out.

        Most things I buy these days are from seeing them in content on a site. Or through personal conversations. And I never buy the next red shiny button.

        That is why I say I am not really the target market for what most squeeze pages aim for.

        Re's
        Rob Whisonant
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        • Profile picture of the author seanstreetau
          This is my first time replying to anything on this forum and so I have a comment and a question.

          I've been learning about IM for a number of years and am now starting to build a business and I am using a free eCourse as a list builder, so I am curious to hear from more experienced people if I am going in the wrong direction.

          Personally, I have subscribed to a lot of email lists over the years in order to get a promised free report or some other type of resource. What happens then is that eventually, I am getting 100 emails every day and I have a big cleanout (which I did again just yesterday) and I unsubscribe from as many of them as I can. I usually maintain the ones that do offer useful content. The ones that are selling something in every email never get to send me more than about 3 emails.

          My mindset has changed in the past few days (not sure why) and now I am a lot more selective and reluctant to hand over my email address on the promise of a freebie. I have a hard drive full of free reports and stuff that have been offered as an incentive to sign up and I have looked at hardly any of them, so I have decided to stop going after the freebie.

          So - to my question. I have created a free eCourse aimed at newbies, teaching how to set up a Wordpress blog on hosting in a bid to enter the affiliate marketing field as a way to earn a bit of extra money or to eventually replace your full time income if you're prepared to put in the effort. I am now in the throes of experimenting with different ways to get eyeballs onto that course and subscribers into my list. Should I be doing things differntly? Or is the newbie market one way that still works with a free course as an incentive to sign up?

          Thoughts?
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  • Profile picture of the author Webn1110
    Banned
    I think the quality of the content and usefulness is the main reason to subscribe. I hate free gifts.

    When i found a blog or a web site with useful quality content, i subscribe it. If i didn't receive something useful from it, i unsubscribe it.

    But it depend on the person.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sean DeSilva
    I'm the avoidant type of personality – difficult for me to sign up for anything. But I have signed up for a few lists in my time, and I'll tell you what the secret sauce was: KNOWING that I couldn't get that value ANYWHERE ELSE.

    If you can make your offer so compelling that you trigger the above reflex, you're optin rate will go way up!
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    • Profile picture of the author iam8iam
      One must have a strong reason to sign up whether it is freebies, promotions, discounts, exclusive content, or something intangible as a sense of belonging to the community.
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    • Profile picture of the author BigFrank
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Sean DeSilva View Post

      I'll tell you what the secret sauce was: KNOWING that I couldn't get that value ANYWHERE ELSE.

      If you can make your offer so compelling that you trigger the above reflex, you're optin rate will go way up!
      I have only one question. How were you able to determine the value of something, before you received it and evaluated it and determined that you would not be able to get it anywhere else? Additionally, unless you opt-in to everything, receive and evaluate everything, how would you know that you could not find equally helpful or better information from another source? That makes no sense, whatsoever.

      Maybe it's me - but I just don't get it. lol

      Cheers. - Frank
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  • Profile picture of the author kulwantnagi
    It all depends on the copywriting on your landing page or your optin form.

    I have seen some smart marketer building email list by giving average products... but the copywriting is so strong that they convince people to subscriber them.

    You can barter free eBook, video course, some premium tips, a series course or anything.
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  • Profile picture of the author WarGun
    My mentor taught me to start looking with seller eyes instead of buyer eyes. So instead of looking for the free offer or the cheap ebook to buy look at there sales copy, look for ideas to use in your own marketing.
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  • Profile picture of the author charlesdavis
    By Subscribing you can get the latest update with particular website and related topics for which you have subscribed...
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  • Profile picture of the author Hemanth Malli
    Most of them subscribe for news letters because to receive valuable content and get updates regarding day-to-day technology..
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  • Profile picture of the author annewilliams123
    For gifts and some important to read.
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  • Profile picture of the author premz
    well the heading topic should be catchy and should make people for eagerness to know some secrets then definetly they r going to subscribe yopur mail.
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  • Profile picture of the author Clensy
    Originally Posted by karlstech View Post

    Hi there warriors,

    I'm just doing some research on why people usually sign their email up for newsletters and email lists.

    Is it because they offer a free gift?

    Is it the quality of the content?

    Is it because you like the person/company running the site?


    -Karl
    I think that each of these three reasons can be good
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  • Profile picture of the author Slade556
    I think it's because of the information offered (or promised). The freebies are also a good incentive, but they have to be something good and informative or helpful.
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  • Profile picture of the author thellen
    People sign up when they hope to get information they have been searching for.
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  • Profile picture of the author JRyckman
    I found you have to give away some valuable information for exchange for there email if the info is not valuable its hard to get emails
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    Moderator's Notes: Please be reminded that you're only allowed to put links of your own products/domain/services in your signature.
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    • Profile picture of the author NyNyDanDan
      Karl, there are an unlimited number of reasons why a person will fork over their email address. It can be solely on the reputation of the person requesting it. It can be an aspiring IMer who set up a "dumpster" email address so she can sign up for every freeby she comes across in order to study the funnel process. One of my businesses is the dating and relationships niche - a guy may enter his email address simply because the girl I have on my squeeze page looks very alluring and seductive.

      In the end I think it comes down to 2 things: the headline of the squeeze page is speaking directly to your site visit and offers a solution to a problem they have and the solution offered is actually useful. Get these 2 things right and you're good...
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  • Profile picture of the author Robert999
    Because we want the information that they will deliver for free.
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  • Profile picture of the author jamescanz
    Originally Posted by karlstech View Post

    I'm just doing some research on why people usually sign their email up for newsletters and email lists.
    Good question now that you ask it...

    As it's so rare that it's tough to come up with an answer.

    It would usually be to see what products they are promoting...

    And how they are going about doing so.
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  • Profile picture of the author kursat
    If I see something original - I will opt-in and test the newsletter for a month. Sometimes, there are really good quality copy writing and offers so I always give the list a chance. I sometimes buy from them too. All depends on what they offer, and if they are solving a problem that I have...
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