The Art of Acquisition: Insider Tips for Newsletter Subscriber Growth (Part 2)

Last week in part 1 we talked about designing your website to grab subscribers and enticing them with valuable content. For part 2, we’re looking at getting subscribers and expanding your database of contacts through social media channels. 

Specifically, how to leverage the latest trends and hottest platforms to capture leads and boost databases and subscription lists. 

We’re also going to cover the do’s and don’ts of newsletter and subscription-growing practices to help you avoid legal trouble (though, of course, this is not and cannot be taken as official legal advice). Just something to look out for before implementing your strategies. 

But first, let’s get into the quick tips for nabbing subscribers from your social media activities.

4 Social Media Tips for Getting More Subscribers

Social media is a great place to start sniffing for subscribers for a couple obvious reasons. One, you’ve got a following there of people who have already said “hmm, tell me more” when they followed your page. Second, social media algorithms and ads help get your message in front of people who have never followed your page (and it costs you nothing).

1. The most obvious tactic–but one that still needs saying–is that your social media profile should link to your newsletter. Right there in the profile, if it’s possible to put a link, you should. If you can’t link it there, a pinned post (again, this is platform-dependent) should direct people toward a sign-up form of some kind. 

Throwing a link to your Linktree in your profile, and having the subscribe button in the Linktree, is a strong move if you need to link to multiple pages relevant to your brand. 

2. Run social media ad campaigns promoting your newsletter. Social media ads are effective and highly targetable. Twitter ads, for instance, reach over 10% of ALL internet users. If you’re looking for Gen Z or Millennial subscribers, Instagram is your best bet for ads: that same data shows that 61% of the entire Instagram audience is 18-34. 

Your ad for your newsletter should be snappy, visually interesting, and should quickly outline the value you’ll be bringing to their inbox. Using social media demo targeting tools will be extremely helpful with the latter especially, putting your ad in front of the people who’d be most interested in your content (and your brand).

3. Make engaging, visually-interesting posts for your newsletter regularly. Videos, reels, text posts, and images extolling the virtues of your newsletter should be a regular part of your feed. Don’t get annoying with it, but if you’ve done something exciting with your newsletter lately, or you have some killer content on there this week, don’t be afraid to crow about it.

Make a post or video, and include a link (where possible) right to the subscription form or page.

4. Partner with brands and influencers on social media to get the word out. Do you have brands you’ve worked with in the past, trusted partners with a parallel but non-competing audience? Ask them to promote your newsletter in an upcoming post. You can offer the same in return, though maybe stagger the posts by a couple of weeks.

Influencers are also a strong play for newsletter recommendations. In fact, 28% of consumers find new products and brands through influencers. 

Find an influencer in your industry, or ideally one you’ve worked with before, and borrow a bit of their clout and trustworthiness. Even a single reel or post about something interesting they read in your newsletter can spark adoption.

Caveats and Legal Kerfuffles to Avoid 

Okay, that was mean, we admit it. The image was just to get your attention. The likelihood of going to jail for a newsletter whoopsie doodle is, shall we say, low. 

However, as we were legally obligated to say at the beginning of this blog, this is not official legal advice and shouldn’t be taken as legal advice. This is a blog. Consult a lawyer or internet privacy expert if you’re actually in a bind.  

You have to ask before adding people to your newsletter. We all have contact lists we’d love to just push right into our subscriber lists, but that way lies trouble. We’d love for our customers, partners, clients, bloggers, journalists, friends, and family to get our newsletters, but GDPR and other privacy laws make it impossible.

The nice thing is that services like MailChimp and Hubspot won’t let you add people without consent. At the very least they’ll give you a warning before you press the button. So, the quickest and most effective way to avoid running afoul of privacy laws and regulations is just to ask. 

You have to let people unsubscribe, and it has to be easy. We know it’s hard to let go. But if someone truly loved your content, like a butterfly, they’ll come back to you when you release them. Somewhere in your newsletter should be a button that lets readers opt out, and it should come with no strings attached.

Err on the side of caution and follow the region with the strictest laws. In the same way, many builders design their structures to California code, marketers should use the most comprehensive privacy laws as their guides. Sure, it may be overkill in some countries or states, but it’s going to prevent you from accidentally sending an email that gets you in hot water. 

The EU’s GDPR is one of the most highly detailed and sweeping internet privacy laws in the world and is a great place to start. GDPR has an entire page on email marketing you can revisit whenever you need a refresh, though that can be a little dry and legalese-y. 

Check out this article, which covers the basics in plain language.

Work with Partners to Develop a Subscriber Strategy

There are a lot of ifs, ands, and buts when it comes to safely getting more newsletter subscribers, not only from the legal angle but from the strategic side as well.

It may be wise to seek out professionals, old hands if you will, who’ve launched big social media and ad campaigns designed to net more subscribers. For just that kind of experience, and the subtle marketing pitches like the one you’re reading now, reach out to Inspira Marketing today.