*read time 7 minutes*
Greetings from the litter box,
I’m your herder of cats, Raymond Burton. But before we get started…
Why did the cat bring a laptop to the cat show?
Because she wanted to check her “purr-s”onal email!
Ok enough…
Today, we’ll talk about The 6 Crucial Lessons I Learned To Gain My First 1k Subscribers!
Let’s zoomie in!
Today’s Sponsor: Aweber Email Marketing Platform
Did you know that 36% of small business owners AWeber surveyed rated email marketing as the most effective digital channel to generate sales for their business, and only 19% said social media?
Aweber is who I used to send this email
You can check them out here
INTRODUCTION
Everyone and their dog (gross) is telling you to start an email list. So you listen to them. But 4 months later… no one has signed up.
I was the same way when I started my fitness coaching website.
I had 30-40 initial emails from people I already trained. But I wasn’t getting any new email subscribes!
Here’s what I did differently to get my first 1000 subscribers and later to over 9000 so you can do the same for your business.
FIRST – 4 REASONS YOU WANT MORE SUBSCRIBERS:
Direct Communication:
Newsletters provide a direct channel to communicate with your audience. You’re not reliant on Twitter’s algorithm or changes in their policies. This allows you to maintain a consistent connection with your followers.
Ownership of Audience:
With a newsletter, you own your subscriber list. Social media platforms have terms of service and algorithm changes. Twitter cancels accounts all the time. Newsletters give you more stability and control.
Monetization:
More subscribers means more people buying helpful products, services, and affiliate offers.
Not to mention new clients for your main service.
Analytics and Insights:
Email marketing platforms offer detailed analytics.
I can see open rates, click-through rates, and other engagement metrics. This allows me to know which subject lines work best. And what topics you want to read the most.
Analytics help me know, and serve you better. And it will do the same for your relationship with your list.
NOW HERE’S 6 TWEAKS TO GET YOUR FIRST 1000 SUBSCRIBERS
1. Choose your niche wisely.
It helps you write more consistent content on only what your readers want.
So they love you.
Do this to find your niche:
• Identify your expertise
• Research demand
• Align with your passion
Example: I wrote one newsletter for both fat loss and muscle building people. Result? A watered down message that didn’t push buttons. I was writing to two completely different types of people.
A specific niche = a clear voice.
2. A great headline is your first win.
Opt in, landing page and content. They are all the same.
• Think WIIFM – self interest
• Somethings new – Finally discovered!
• Evoke curiosity – You’ll never believe…
Example: No one read my instructional fitness articles on Medium when I started. Crickets. When I first started creating lead magnets, no one subscribed. The secret? I started studying good headlines and I tested them to see what performed best.
You’re wasting your time without a great headline.
3. Write posts like you’re helping a friend.
Friends engage = more impressions = more potential subscribers
So:
• Solve real problems
• Be yourself
• Make your friend laugh or help them out
Example: When I first started writing on my blog I gave only the facts. That’s what I thought people wanted.
This works sometimes, but facts are generic. It’s your personality and friendship that sets you apart.
So I started talking more about gym situations, lessons and how I learned them. Readers of the blog responded and more people signed up. Same goes for your social media content.
Valuable content turns readers into fans.
4. Tell people why they should subscribe (CTA)
• Get this without that by clicking here
• Get this in this timeframe by joining now
• Or use your headline in another variation as the CTA
Example: My first opt-in page for my newsletter was “Join Rays Fitness News.” I mean, it’s not wrong but it doesn’t push any hot buttons.
Once you know what your audience wants, you should make your CTA (call to action) related to their goal.
My readers that want to get in shape fast, now get, “Click Here To Download My Favourite 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout.”
A strong Call To Action gets the subscribe.
5. A/B test everything you can.
Data-driven decisions win.
• Test headlines/subject lines
• Test offer
• Test lead magnet
Example: I spent months writing articles and filming Youtube videos and thats great. But without split testing the things I mentioned above I had no idea how to get better.
Growth wasn’t incremental. I had no idea where new subscribers were coming from.
When you start looking at analytics, stats, and tests, you start to see what’s working and you do more.
Learn what works and double down.
6. Create consistent long form evergreen content.
Post sticky content once a week on:
• Traffic sources that don’t disappear
• Blogs – Youtube – Medium
Example: Social media wasn’t a thing when I started selling fitness coaching online. So every piece of content I made was either a blog post or a youtube video.
This content stays in the search results for a long time generating traffic to my opt in pages.
Most social media content disappears in the blink of an eye.
Create content with compound interest
More sticky content out on the web over time = more subscribers on autopilot.
WHAT YOU LEARNED TODAY
- Why you want more newsletter subscribers
- To choose your niche wisely
- Why a great headline is your first win.
- To write posts like you’re helping a friend.
- Tell people why they should subscribe (CTA)
- A/B test everything you can.
- Create consistent long form evergreen content.
Keep Hissing,
Ray
P.S. Not subscribed yet?