Services like Cakemail automatically send two emails out to your new contacts when they use a signup form on your website to become a part of your mailing list. The first asks people to click on a button in order to confirm they want to get your email. The second serves as an email that welcomes them aboard.
This process is known as “double opt-in” – more on that later.
Putting your Best Foot Forward
The default emails are set up to be “one-size-fits-all”. They won’t say anything wrong, but you won’t find rock star material either:
The good news is that it’s really, really easy to improve the impression you make.
The First Email: Confirm their Interest
You’re looking to accomplish 3 things with the email that asks them to confirm their interest:
- You’re reminding them what they’re signing up for
- You’re confirming that the person who signed up for the emails specifically requested them
- You’re reassuring the person in regards to their privacy
The Second Email: Welcome Aboard
Once they click on the button, they’ll receive a follow up email that welcomes them. It’s a good idea to make sure both emails look somewhat similar.
The second email that gets sent is meant to welcome them to your mailing list:
- Say thanks again
- Remind them once again why the emails will matter for them and how often they can expect to hear from you
- Be clear about the fact that you won’t sell or rent out their information
Make it a Double
By default, contact lists are set up to have both the confirmation email and the welcome email sent to people when they sign up using a signup form on your website, or using the direct link.
Historically, it’s the method that has been proven to yield the highest open rates and click rates. Further, if challenged legally in regards to how permission was obtained, the sender needs to be able to provide time stamped proof that the contact wanted to be signed up, which is provided by the confirmation email, since only the true owner would be able to click on an email received in his personal inbox.
Gifts, Incentives and Other Bribes
A good way to convince people to sign up for your newsletter is to provide them examples of what you send. You can do this by showing them the newsletters you’ve sent in previous months or by providing an incentive when they sign up.
The most important thing to remember about incentives is that it should relate to what your newsletters will be about:
Example 1:
You typically send cupcake recipes in your newsletters. In this case, providing a sample recipe makes sense.
Example 2:
Your newsletters focus on sales and promotions at your boutique. Providing a promotion code that can be redeemed on their next purchase is logical.
Example 3:
Your newsletters focus on sales and promotions at your boutique. Sending a white paper about the state of retail makes is not appropriate.
If you choose to provide an incentive, it should be delivered with the welcome email (so after they’ve confirmed they are the owners of the email, but before the first “official” newsletter) so that they don’t wait over long.
Want More Tips Like These?
Don’t hesitate if you would like us to help you with your subscription process! We’re happy to help!
