How I Tripled My Monthly Email List Sign-Ups (+ 4 ways you can too)

First, you know you need an email list, right? And you know what to write about? Now it's time to work on increasing the size of that list. I was listening to a podcast about how a popular food blog grew their traffic, and they just happened to mention HelloBar.  I had noticed it on other blogs I follow, too, like Quick Sprout. I was working on some changes like improving my images, so I figured I'd give it a try. I spent about 15 minutes setting it up, and didn't think too much of it.

I thought of it as just an experiment and figured I'd take it down after a month. However, after only a week, I noticed a huge difference. This one small change tripled my monthly email sign-ups. (Oh, and did I mention it was free?!)

Hellobar features I love:

  • There's a free option. Enough said.
  • Very customizable. Everything from colors and styling to targeting and goals.
  • A/B split testing! This means you can test out multiple versions and see which one works best. This is a great way to choose the call-to-action wording for any other email opt-ins on your site.
  • Analytics that tell you where your top converting traffic is coming from and how to improve your sign-ups.
  • User-friendly interface that makes creating the opt-in super easy (+ fun!)
hellobar dashboard
hellobar dashboard

4 Other Ways to Increase Your Email Sign-ups

  1. Opt-in Pop Up Box - I don't love the idea of these, but when done well, they can be effective without hurting your traffic.
  2. Add a sign-up box in your header or sidebar, preferably above the fold (what people see before scrolling down)
  3. Add a sign-up at the bottom of your About page
  4. Promote your newsletter on social media

Do you already use an opt-in bar? If not, I'd love to know how this works out for you!

3 Comments

Danielle Zeigler

I’m an SEO specialist + digital marketing strategist with over 14 years experience in the industry. I’m here to tell you it IS possible to tackle your marketing with authenticity, grace and ease, and still get results.⁠

I work with passionate business owners and marketing directors who are 𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 and spreading their efforts too thin. They want to know what's working, what's not working, and where they should really be spending their time and money.⁠

But I'll be honest- I'm not here for the people chasing vanity metrics. My philosophy is grounded in 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲-𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 and what I've dubbed #SEOwithSoul. I don't believe in hacks and "beating algorithms" as a long term strategy.⁠