The One Thing Missing from Most Email Newsletter Signup Forms Feb 25, 2010
I’ve looked at a lot of email newsletter signup forms in my lifetime – and oh my, I’ve seen way too many this month with our recent Stop Annoying Your Customers newsletter check-in promotion. (By the way, you do know that ends this week, right? Click here if you missed it and want to give your newsletter a bit of a tune up.)
So, I’ve noticed a common thread with most email newsletter signup forms. There’s one piece of information that 90% (or more) of them lack. Are you making this common mistake that’s putting a barrier between you and your potential readers?

Why? What’s In It For Me?
Why should I signup for your newsletter?
What’s In It for Me? (literally!)
In this case, this is quite a literal question: what actually is in your newsletter? How often do you send it? And why the heck do I need another newsletter bombarding me with stuff?
Hardly anyone bothers to take 2 minutes to explain to the customers what they’re signing up for. Hence why nobody signs up – people hate surprises, especially in their Inbox. What are you hiding? Besides, if you’re newsletter is any good, you want to show it off – make it so people are tripping over themselves to get on the list. That’s remarkable.
To Learn More
Our Stop Annoying Your Customers newsletter check-in promotion ends this week, for those of you with failing newsletters and poor subscriber rates. If you haven’t started using email promotions yet but want to, our Email Marketing Jumpstart might just be the thing you’ve been looking for.
Photo by USB




Great advice – I’m just getting ready to launch one…I’ve put some of the ‘why’ in there, but need to go back and give it a once over now!
Thanks Sherry – good luck with your launch
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Good advice: I guess we’re so focused on writing the message that we forget about our audience! “What’s in it for me?” is the most motivator! Thanks Andy.
Yes, Kris, I agree: there are so many things to focus on, it’s easy to miss one (or more). Glad this was helpful.