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Stop saying "subscribe to my newsletter"

Cold site visitors view you as a stranger since they don’t know who you are (yet).

❌ Asking them to subscribe to your newsletter is bad.

Why?

Because they don’t want to join a stranger's newsletter.

They’re already subscribed to many newsletters. And they don’t know if you’re legit (i.e. provide helpful and useful content or not).

Saying “Join our newsletter where we’ll provide you with the latest tips on X” will not motivate them to sign up.

Latest tip is vague. What latest tip are you talking about?

What EXACTLY will I get if I enter my email? Will it solve my problem now?

✅ Provide immediate benefits people can visualize right now. A lead magnet - old-fashioned pdf or video or email series is more enticing.

"5 simple exercises you can do at home today to start getting 6-pack abs"

vs

"Sign up for my fitness newsletter"

.
Another lead magnet example from one of our users:

vs

Are you still using the vague "sign up for my newsletter" when you can get better opt-in conversions via a specific lead magnet?

  1. 2

    Ooo! Love this provocation. Do you think this is still lame/not specific enough?

    "Move through life smarter so you can do more with less. Sign up for a weekly newsletter packed with practical science-based insights, tools and frameworks to help you work more mindfully."

    https://www.theschoolofmomentum.com/

    1. 1

      It seems the site is about getting more productive using science-based insights? What is the main product you're selling? I'd offer a lead magnet that's very related to what you're selling.

      If you're lazy to create one, you could always take the first 2 chapters / videos from your product and make it into a lead magnet.

      You could say something like this: "3 simple steps to write 5 days of content in 1 day. Enter your email and I'll send over the video. You'll also be subscribed to my weekly newsletter".

      1. 1

        This is so useful! Thanks so much. At the moment, I'm building an audience and searching for like-minded individuals. It's a living experiment! I foresee future products to be courses, guides, templates, plug-ins etc that educate on wellness + productivity. But I'm open to seeing where fate (and data) drives Momentum!

        1. 1

          I think what I'll do is turn the 'Breaking down bias' guide and 'Eisenhower template' into a lead magnet. Thanks for the inspo!

          1. 1

            Welcome. That's a great idea. Don't forget you can always add a "you'll also be subscribed to our newsletter". It's not a "one or the other" kind of thing. You can have a lead magnet + newsletter.

  2. 1

    True fact.
    As you said: that's when you are still a stranger, but I bet we do want to sign in to some newsletters without doubting.
    So just focus on writing great content for your specific audience and sometimes they will proactively look to subscribe no matter which CTA you have. They will just click in order to have access to more content.

    But yes, I totally get your point, CTAs are powerful!

    1. 1

      Many years ago I did a split test on this newsletter vs lead magnet thing. And I get better results (think it was around 50%, forgot exact number) when using a lead magnet.

      Folks I've talked to experienced the same.

      Why not do a split test to see how it goes for you?

  3. 1

    Great point! Readers and consumers need more than just to be told to "do something". A CTA (call to action) shouldn't be as boring and predictable as they always are.

    1. 1

      Thanks for the support!

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