10 Ways Publishers Can Drive User Subscriptions

Website traffic is a crucial metric that helps increase overall ranking and help drive revenue. The more traffic you have, the more potential customers you can convert into loyal followers and hence subscribers, which in turn results in better revenue.

However, getting your visitors to become subscribers can be a learning curve. Here are some of the most effective ways to amp up subscriptions to your content and increase your subscriber base.

1. Paid Advertising & PPC

   A quick way to scale subscriptions is to use paid advertising and pay-per-click (PPC) services. The approach here is to spend on platforms such as Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. to market your content to relevant audience groups. In PPC campaigns, you only pay for the number of times people have clicked on your advertisement, which makes it a convenient option.
   
   Paid advertising can be effective, especially if it aligns with an overall growth strategy that considers content creation and promotion via social media channels. If your publication has budgets to spend, you can consider Google Ads and programmatic advertising to grow your user base.

2. Invest time and resources in blogging 

   Storytelling can make a huge impact and appeal to your user base. Once you have crafted a content strategy considering your priorities, you will need to create content to put your brand's point of view out there. Make sure your content is available on as many channels as possible. The official blog would be the obvious first step.
   
   Although that should get things going for you, over the long term you will find that it's not enough. Find affiliate bloggers who have similar specialization as you, and invite them to write guest posts. Offer them credit and link to their content. This is called affiliate marketing and gets users on your website.
   
   Try reaching out to bloggers and influencers with a significant following and see if they would be willing to share and promote your content on their social media platforms. Finally, reach out to industry experts in your niche to share their perspectives that will benefit your user base.

3. Social Sign-ups via Facebook

   The world's largest social network is a good place to start if you want to get sign-ups for your website or newsletter. When users connect their Facebook accounts with your website, they get prompted to choose between receiving updates from friends, business pages, or both. You can offer an additional incentive for them to select your page, such as a free sample of your products or discounts on future purchases.
   
   

   Also Read: Build And Engage Your Audience On Facebook Messenger

   Individuals accepting to see your future posts make it to your email list. The best part about generating subscribers through Facebook is that it is cost-free but still drives traffic to your site and helps build your audience base.

4. Use pop-ups at the right time

   If you get the timing right, notifications and pop-ups can lead to success. Use notifications only if you deliver content that provides value to a user who finds the information you share relevant and engaging.
   
   Also Read: Best practices to create a delightful subscription experience
   
   Also, make sure your pop-up is not too big. Anything more than an inch tall is likely to drive users away. Finally, readers are more likely to subscribe to your content if they feel they do not have to give up something valuable. To avoid being intrusive, do not go beyond seeking their email addresses.

5. Drive CTAs via email signatures

   Linking to a sign-up form directly in your email signature can get you more subscribers. It generates a flow of clicks to a specific sign-up page without leaving the website.
   
   Linking up personalizes your emails, which also increases user engagement. For instance, an entrepreneur who writes about business strategies can link an email signature with the phrase sign up here.
   
   Effective use of CTAs drives user subscriptions and creates opportunities for them to interact with your brand regularly. Use an enticing call-to-action that will turn readers into subscribers leading to increased conversions.

6. Use Paywalls

   Many websites that offer premium content use paywalls to give users free access to articles. They, however, prevent users from accessing a specific number of articles per month unless they subscribe.
   
   Paywalls allow readers to set a threshold before they have to start paying for content. For example, you can enable readers to reach five free articles per month before charging them. As long as they stay under their limit, everything else is free.
   
   Curating engaging content in the free period attracts new subscribers. You can also track how many subscribers you have and, even more importantly, how much revenue each subscriber generates. This information will help you determine whether your business model is viable in the long run.

7. Promote newsletters on multiple pages

   Ensure your newsletter sign-up form is visible in multiple places on your website. Ensure a link to your newsletter sign-up is recognizable on every site, including product, home, and landing pages. Add an option for users to subscribe to your newsletter via email within your content without leaving your site.
   
   You can also use social media to promote your newsletter. For example, if you have an active Twitter account, share a tweet with links to subscribe via email.

8. Referral Programs

   You can increase user subscriptions by incentivizing existing users to refer your content to others. Using a referral program, you will offer your current users a reward for referring friends. Maybe they get a free month of service or something less tangible like exclusive access to certain content or updates.
   
   The referral program you decide to implement depends on how you want to approach your marketing strategy. Make sure that whatever you choose is enticing enough for users to stick around and refer friends.
   
   Without solid incentives, most people will not do anything outside their routine.

9. Bloggers and Influencers

   Utilize bloggers and other influential people to share your content. Start by building a list of relevant influencers in your industry, then reach out to them with free access to something you know they will like, maybe a demo or an early release of a product. Once they use it, ask them if they would not mind giving it a mention on their blogs.
   
   You can also look for opportunities to guest post on popular blogs. When you do so, be sure to include links back to your site within your content. The more sites that link back to yours, the higher Google will rank it for search terms related to your business. A higher rank improves your site’s authority and relevance, making it easier for people to find.

10. Offer a Trial Period and Make Canceling Flexible

    If potential subscribers are unsure whether they will stick around, you can help them decide by offering an easy trial period. Typically, these trials last between three and seven days, but you can adjust your length to whatever feels suitable for your product or service.
    
    Trial periods give your clients hindsight of your service experience before deciding whether to make long-term commitments. You should also let subscribers set their end date if they want to cancel before your designated trial period ends. Flexibility will make it easier for people who know they will not engage with your content regularly to unsubscribe without feeling guilty.

Key Takeaways

As you can see, there are many things you can do to drive user subscriptions to your content for audience development. Remember that excellent content is vital in your efforts to gain an audience, and any tactic will always be irrelevant if you do not have something worthwhile to offer.

If you take the time and effort to create good content and have a funnel for converting user interest into subscribers, you will likely see more visitors signing up.