Can you double your subscriber base just by following some simple instructions or signing up for a program at some website?
“Of course you can,” Cynthia Holt, an email marketing expert with The Write Exposure says. “The problem is, increasing your subscriber base for the sake of increasing your subscriber base is seldom the appropriate goal.”
Websites like Subscriber Drive (http://www.subscriberdrive.com/ [see the results of our test at right]) or Ezine Announcer (http://www.ezineannouncer.com) make lots of enticing promises about how they’ll increase your subscribers. And, as Holt says, they often deliver.
So, then, what’s to consider? Well, with subscriber generation programs, Holt believes there are three potential problems-you’ll want to keep them in mind as you examine any programs.
Untargeted Subscribers
The most effective newsletters aren’t the ones with the largest mailing lists. They’re the ones with the most targeted subscribers. If your newsletter serves as a promotional tool for your company, “it’s not enough to add subscribers-you want to add subscribers who are ready to buy,” Holt says. She goes on to say that although such programs often deliver lots of email addresses, only a small percentage may actually be appropriate prospects.
Overwhelming Volume
To look at subscription generating programs from your subscribers’ point of view, these programs may encourage them to subscribe to lots of ezines at once. Then, when your ezine arrives in their inbox, it’s competing with all the other subscriptions.
This may not be a problem if your newsletter is really, truly invaluable (which, of course, it should be). However, if your ezine has a lot in common with the competition’s ezines, you may find many of your initial subscribers un-subscribing.
Forgetful Subscribers
Another problem for your subscriber is that they may forget having subscribed. While this is always a potential problem, it can be made worse if your newsletter arrives with five others they don’t remember subscribing to.
Holt says, “I don’t know about you, but there are days when my inbox is so full of Spam that I’m tempted to report every email message I get.” Of course, it’s a good idea to try to avoid putting your readers in a similar situation.
Subscriber generators can be helpful, especially if you’re trying to get your ezine off the ground. At the beginning, or when your list is small, it’s often important to amass names in the hope that the sheer volume will generate business.
But it’s always best to increase your targeted subscribers. That’s why there are better ways to increase the size of your list. Don’t miss 25 Ways to Double Your List where we offer some great ways to boost your subscriber base most effectively.
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