6 Little-Known Factors That Are Reducing Your Email Opt-ins

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increase email optinsThe whole point of big traffic is to grow a massively engaged email list.

It’s those email subscribers that allow you to build a sustainable blogging income that lasts for many years.

You need them badly.

But there are so many subtle forces at play on your blog. Things that affect how many people sign up to your list or subscribe to your updates.

Things you might never have thought about.

In this post I’m going to show you 6 little-known factors that could be reducing your email opt-ins.

Don’t make these mistakes.

6 little-known factors that are reducing your email opt-ins

Okay so let’s dive right in here. These factors could be significantly affecting how well your blog subscription areas are converting.

1. Your color scheme screams “spam”

Did you know that there are people who spend their whole lives thinking about how color affects people?

Needless to say, there are marketers who then figure out how that applies to making money.

The colors you use in your optin area and your blog itself, play a huge role in how people perceive your blog.

Here are some things you should look out for:

  • DO - Study what colors mean to our psyche and apply them to your optin form areas.
  • DON’T - Use red as your link color. It represents spam, stop and danger in our society.
  • DO - Use colors like blue, purple and orange that connote calm, trust, and strength.
  • DON’T - Use a color scheme that has more than three colors. And make sure they interact well.
  • DO - Ensure your color scheme matches your branding, logo and site design.

I once wrote an article about increasing conversions that talked about how my brother wore a blue shirt to his final interview before being accepted into Medicine.

Sure, the medical board doesn’t admit students based on shirt color, but it could have played a role in their original mindset as he walked into the room.

Colors are important.

2. You’re skimping on the details

We all know the saying that “less is more”. Well, not always.

When it comes to opt-in forms on your blog or website, it’s often better to have more details than less.

Sometimes people need a little bit of extra clarification before handing over their name and email address.

You need to remember that giving out your email is a big step for a lot of people. It is important that you use that opt-in area to calm their nerves, show them what the benefits will be and guarantee quality.

A good example of this is the traditional sales landing page.

We all know those long winded, single-column designs that have testimonial after testimonial and lots of talk about benefits and how rich their product is going to make you.

These things are long for a reason.

People often need to be convinced that what they are doing is a good idea.

Try adding a little bit more text to your opt-in area or, as I did, add some dot points.

I increased my conversions about 1% by doing this.

3. You’re not overcoming people’s objections

A classic marketing technique is to make sales by overcoming people’s objections. In actual fact, that is what your opt-in form is trying to do.

Think about the last time you subscribed to something.

It’s very rarely the form itself that initiates the desire to subscribe.

That seed is planted much earlier. What the form does do is convince you that everything will be alright.

Make sure your form either subtly or overtly:

  • assures people their email address is safe;
  • lets people know they can unsubscribe whenever they want;
  • shows people that they aren’t the first ones to do it.

Think about what reasons people might have for not subscribing to your blog and then try to overcome them.

4. You focus on features, not benefits

Another mistake a lot of bloggers make is that they focus on the features of their mailing list and not the benefits.

This makes a huge difference, particularly if you are giving away a free eBook in order to get subscribers.

Here’s an example to give you the idea:

  • Features: Get a six part video course
  • Benefits: Six videos that will change your business forever

See how the one focused on benefits gives you an emotional reaction? That is what you are looking for.

NOTE: Ana does this really well in the top left when she says “Start flooding your website with traffic today” because it instantly gives you a visual and emotional feeling about what is going to happen.

5. Your opt-in form is causing ad blindness

Ad blindness is a terrible, medically diagnosed condition that many web browsers suffer.

The symptoms are never clicking on any ads or signing up for any email lists because you feel like you’ve seen it all before.

Well, it’s not really a medical condition, but it’s really powerful.

People get blind to ads.

And if your opt-in form looks like an ad as opposed to a perfectly integrated part of your website, then people will become blind to it.

Some things you can do to ensure your opt-in form doesn’t look too much like an ad are:

  • Margins - make sure the margins and spacing of your text is the same as your blog;
  • Fonts and colors - try to keep the fonts and colors consistent;
  • Graphics - go easy on the images and graphics unless they really tie-in;
  • BS - avoid movement and flashy techniques;
  • Integration - think “integration” as opposed to “stand out”.

6. You don’t set expectations at the start

The flip side of all this is that you are losing people once they are subscribed. This is called attrition.

If your attrition rate is really high, you are basically wasting your time because all the hard work you have done capturing these email subscribers is amounting to nothing.

What’s the point of doing all these guest posts and social media campaigns and brilliant blog articles if you lose them after they sign up?

To help combat this you need to be really clear with people about what they are getting when they sign up.

Don’t deliver something unless it is expected. It’s a good way to lose subscribers and get your emails marked as spam.

What stops you from subscribing to a list?

I’d really like to know what stops you from subscribing to a blog or email list?

Can you put your finger on the subtle factors that are at play?

Please leave a comment and let me know. I’d be really interested to hear about what is at play in this process.

Ramsey, the Blog Tyrant

photo credit: JD Hancock

The Blog Tyrant is a 26 year old Aussie guy who has sold several blogs for around $20,000 and has worked full time from home since 24. His blog is all about helping you to grow your email list, build a sustainable blog and quit your job.

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76 Comments (click here to leave a comment)

  1. The biggest turnoff for me is receiving more than one or two emails from another address at the same domain, with the blogger trying to sell me on webinars, tools and all kinds of stuff I didn’t sign up for. If I signed up for a blog, I signed up for the blog. I don’t mind the blog reminding me that the author is in business and has products; that’s only fair. It’s the additional unsolicted emails that bug me.

  2. I’ve found your point of more content helping people decide to sign-up. I add explanation about the confirmation email. Recently, i changed a pro-bono project from my paid email service account to a free one that is theirs. That meant everyone had to sign up again. Adding the story about why we changed (that the other account belonged to someone else) and asking them to sign-up again has gotten acceptable response. I like to keep as few colors as possible, ‘colorpicking’ to get shades of the same colors if I want to have any difference. Remember when we all learned backgrounds? I could always tell a newbie because of their red or black background.

  4. Agree to the article above, colors and text on opt-in play important roles to get the user email. After reading this, I think I should fix my opt-in form now.

  5. Dr. Bob Clarke

    it’s true what you say about color. I once had a blog audit done by Chris Brogan. Chris thought out blog was terrific except it somehow felt “spammy”. When we talked about it in more detail, he felt it was the color schemes — too many colors and too flashy graphics.

    Your design and colors need to say, “I’m a professional”, not “BUY FROM ME!”

    Great post, appreciate it!

  6. The background color can be a soft color and not more than two colors in the text. Creating confidence in the product and I think that a good guarantee is important, (open buy in 30 days with cash back guarantee)

  9. Now I sign up to sites that I instantly love, always to do with the look, feel and personality of the blogger. For sites offering advice on “blogging” I don’t sign up to any more as I have 4 favs now (you, darren, yaro and sandi). Unless I think I would really like to read more from this writer I just bookmark. I have slowly gone through recently and unsubscribed from those I don’t immediately want to open as soon as I see them in my inbox.

    If I come across someone that I’d like to form a relationship with I subscribe and comment. I have recently found an incredible blog that I never miss called flappinessis .com unlike anything in this genre that I have read to date.

    Having worked with color most of my life in decorating I know how important it is, and how subtle it can be. It really can make a difference to your blog.
    ciao bello
    lisa

  10. I clearly have some work to do in this area. I knew color was something to pay attention to when creating a website and I did do my homework on that. However, I had not really considered it specifically in terms of opt-in. I also think I make the mistake of thinking I have to keep everything short. My opt-in box currently doesn’t give enough info. I think I will try a sales page approach thanks to your suggestions.
    Keep it coming!

  11. Too much of a particular color isn’t good as well. For instance, I have been asked several times why I like orange SO MUCH! Of course my usage of it comes from my studies in metaphysics, but it can sometimes drown out the overall message you’re trying to convey especially if it is a dark orange background as it was in my case.

    So I revamped things a bit though still keeping my orange :)

    >> How These 3 Bloggers Make Money Online

  13. To me, if I sign up for a list, it’s usually based on two things. It’s either because it looks like the benefits are awesome, or if I already have a relationship with the author (or the author is well-known).

    I have never thought about colors when creating my option-forms, so that’s something I’ve learned today :)

  15. Kevin

    I absolutely agree with the one on focusing on features rather than benefits. It is a classic rule of marketing than will always hold true whether online or offline. Cheers!

  16. I really like to adapt the websites, advertisements and corporative brochures to the colors that match your company’s niches. It really goes and is one of the keys of psicology.

  17. In the past, I was listing feature after feature on my signup page and I was wondering why only a small number of people signed up. Then I completely changed my landing page and focused primarily on benefits and this more than doubled my signup rate.

  19. I am thinking of setting a prize for the one who could tell me what Blog Tyrant’s name is…

    Anyone?

    Great email marketing tips, by the way! lol

  20. Great tips! I’ve been slow to develop my opt-in form, because I feel you have to have a respectable body of content before pushing folks to sign up. My blog is growing, though, and I’m not far from implementing many of the suggestions you’ve made here. Thanks for the insights!

    • Hey Doug.

      I highly recommend that you start building that list right away. Don’t be shy. If your readers like you it won’t matter how much content you have.

  21. Bellaisa

    My husband has an interview this week and you can bet he’ll be wearing a blue shirt for that one! Thanks for that tip :)

    One of the things I’ve learned in copywriting is that you have to appeal to people’s emotions more than their rational side. Emotions are what make the sale for the most part – just like how you said to focus on the benefits, not the features. Makes total sense.

    I’ve never really noticed what affects my list subscribing factor. I know that I have to need to know or want to know more about the subject, and I have to feel like I’m going to be getting something out of it. But as far as what stops me? I’ve never really thought about it. I guess it would be the belief that they are not really going to offer me something – which usually stems from their website appearance or content.

    Thanks for the tips,

    Bellaisa

    Blue shirt

  23. Rob

    These details are so important. I think email marketing is something that’s pretty neglected and could be greatly improved with most businesses for a huge gain in most cases.

  24. Hi,
    You have helped alot with your blogs. I am becomming much better at things, Thank You.

    I have started receiving about 300 comments a day. Many are spam, like grow more hair etc. I am not showing any traffic on my counter and google analytics does not show them. I think they are coming from Bing, google, Yahoo etc direct from those sites.

    Many are wanting to subscribe, I have not been able to make a subscribe button work. What would you reccoment? I have a self hosted wordpress site.

    Thanks again for all your help. I do appreciate it.

    TerryO

  25. If someone can offer me eye opening or helpful content, then I’m more than happy to give them my email. I think keeping me might be harder if subsequent content is not as helpful. Like you said, set the expectation then deliver!

      • Thanks mate,
        Getting there. In my case I’ve discovered that it is just a matter of hanging in there and working away at it. Oh, and implementing as many of the tips you share as I can ;)

  26. I make it clear to my subscribers what to expect by subscribing to my newsletter. The one thing that has caused me to unsubscribe in the past to other people’s newsletters is when every new post that they publish is sent to me.

    That’s just too much email for me. I send my newsletter a maximum of four times a month.

  27. Wow! That was really eye-opening. After reading these great tips I need to go make some changes on my optin-form. So far I was under the impression that red was a good, attention-grabbing color. Had no idea that it would scream “spam.”

    I also agree that the subscriber needs to know what he’s giving up his email address for. I hate “bait and switch” marketing.

    What stops me from subscribing to a list? …Annoying pop-ups. Some pop up every view seconds or on every page. On others you can’t find out how to close them so you can read the article you came to read in the first place.

    Thank you so much for your insights!

    Ilka

    • Interesting findings, Chris - I watched your video, but there was no comment box to let you know what I thought.

      I didn’t realize that preview would actually show a different color; I thought they all show in black…

  29. If the blog updates multiple times in a day, I may not be inclined to subscribe (in-spite of great content). I will also glance through the top 10 post titles to see if such articles would be useful to me. If there are three or more affiliate/ sales pitches among them, I may not want to subscribe to the blog. Trust is sure an important factor when it comes to sharing my email address.

  30. It all comes down to feel for me and options. If you give me 25 options of things to click on there is a good chance I’m not going to click on any.

    If I like your content and I know that what you want me to do next is sign up for your email list because it’s one of only say three options then there is a much much better chance I will sign up.

    I think that simpler websites with direct calls-to-action will be much more successful then “stuffed” websites…

    thoughts on this?

    Thanks and great article.

    Ryan H.

    • Ryan I totally agree.

      I recently took out everything from my sidebar except my email sign up form. I just felt like it was too cluttered and distracting from the main goal of my site.

      People, whether they admit it or not, like to be told what to do. Especially when they aren’t sure. I think by removing options you are subtly helping them make a decision.

  31. Daniel Roach

    I’d add that the biggest reason people don’t subscribe (myself included) is because the marketer in question doesn’t have anything new to say. It’s same old, same old. Same information, given in the same way. I’m already subscribed to multiple email lists, like I’m sure most readers here are, the last thing I need when looking at a new optin form is one more email regurgitating content from a blogger/marketer/A-list personality that I already read.

  32. Thanks for these insightful reminders for us to look at all the factors that might be influencing sign-ups to our email lists, it’s really appreciated.

    I found that adding a simple line that says “Photography Business Ideas” above my opt-in form increased the conversion rate tremendously. I also have a Twitter feedback system in place where recipients of my emails can tweet that they’re reading, and then I personally thank and interact with every one. This too, has dramatically increased sign-ups.

    Great post, thank you!

  33. One of my top reason is that I don’t think that he or she can give me a valuable information that I really need. Maybe it can be called as a “trust” factor.

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