Once you start building your email list you’ll want to sustain your subscriber’s engagement. Luckily there are some proven ways to do this. I’ll cover some of the ways you can keep email subscribers engaged below.
To Keep Email Subscribers Engaged, Content and Consistency is Key
First and foremost, you’ll need to be consistent with your blog feed or newsletter scheduling. Whether you send these out to subscribers every week or just once a month, you need to stick to that schedule. One exception is those extra, purely promotional types of emails.
Of course, you also can’t forget that you need to share engaging and relevant content if you want to keep email subscribers engaged. If your subscribers look forward to opening your email when it arrives in their inbox, they will keep opening those emails and engage with your content.
You can read more about content ideas here.
Keep in mind that having a content strategy can be very helpful in creating consistent and relevant content. When you plan ahead, you’re less likely to fall out of the routine. It’s also helpful to create a template for your newsletters. This is part of the consistency aspect. Just make sure it is on brand and clean and uncluttered.
Your Subject Line Can Help with Subscriber Retention
As you can probably guess, it’s hard to keep email subscribers engaged if they don’t even open your emails. This is where the subject line comes in. You probably subscribe to a few email lists yourself, and recognize how a subject line can catch your eye. Sometimes you just want to open that email instantly, right? This is why a subject line needs to be on topic, succinct and alluring.
It should be noted that if you’re sending out a blog feed automatically, you won’t get the benefit of having that catchy subject line. Of course, having your blog feed set up to send out automatically saves you time and effort when it’s not always feasible to do otherwise.
A Newsletter Allows for Catchy Subject Lines!
But! If you have a newsletter/blog combo or if you send out your big promotions for your upcoming events, classes or book releases, etc., you absolutely can create your subject line and it’s wise to do so in these instances, even if you don’t do it with your regularly scheduled blogs.
Some tips for writing catchy subject lines to keep email subscribers engaged:
- Make the subject concise
- Tell them what they’re getting
- Use your brand voice and tone
- Try humor and creativity
- Emojis can work if they fit your brand
- Ask a question that you will answer in the newsletter
Don’t Forget the Power of Content Structure
Did you know that the way content is structured can make a difference in whether it’s read or not? We humans are simple creatures, really. We’re also busy and distracted. To keep email subscribers engaged, your content needs to be structured in a way that makes it easy to read and understand.
What does this mean? It means simple and concise language is needed. It also means spacing and font matter. Breaking up long paragraphs and employing interactivity by using hyperlinks and asking questions helps too. This creates a scannable text with key points that grab their attention or prompt them to engage by taking notice. They want to get right to the point, basically.
Keep Email Subscribers Engaged with Compelling Copy
Outside of your subject line, the intro, or first paragraph of that email needs to be compelling. Did you know content structure plays a big role in keeping readers engaged? There is psychology involved, but it’s not complex.
This simply means that you should start strong with your opening paragraph. From there you pique interest by adding CTAs(calls to action) and using language that guides your reader to KEEP reading.
Use a logical flow of ideas. Move from one point to the next. Prompt them directly to keep reading. Keep their eyes engaged.
You can do this by:
- Asking questions
- Adding hyperlinks
- Using short paragraphs
- Placement of power words
- Using bold type
- Creating bullet points and lists
- Adding images
Links and CTAs Keep Readers Engaged
To keep your readers engaged with your email content you can prompt them to do so with CTAs and hyperlinks. A hyperlink is that highlighted text that brings you to extra related information on the subject. Readers see these and know that they can click to find out more. So don’t mislead them. Make these links are relevant and valuable if you want to keep your email subscribers engaged.
These hyperlinks also allow you to make a lot of information accessible without having a giant wall of text, or overly long emails that can bore or overwhelm readers.
You can use hyperlinks to add your latest blog posts to your email, or to link to recent interviews, or just to subjects they may find interesting. When you’re promoting your book or an upcoming event, use hyperlinks to direct them to those outside sources.
Also, you can employ CTAs in creative ways. For example, you can ask a question like:
- Are you curious about____?
- Ever wonder____?
- Did you know____?
Then can follow that with your hyperlink!
Review Analytics to Keep Email Subscribers Engaged
Last but not least, to keep email subscribers engaged you’ll need to test what is working and what isn’t. You can make this less of a chore by having fun with it.
Test out those subject lines we talked about. Consider the content type and how it affects open rates and conversions.
Remember, you’re a brand, not an ecommerce company, so the product is YOU. You don’t need to be focused on monetary ROI as much. Your return on investment will be building a loyal fan base so they in turn will buy your new book, or sign up for your class, or come to your next speaking event. So you can breathe easy. It’s not so high stakes when there’s not a lot of money on the line, is it?
In other words, don’t stress about it, but don’t ignore your analytics and throw it all to the wind. It’s good to check in once a month and see how your email subscriber list is responding to your emails. Then, simply test out something new if your emails aren’t being opened or you’re losing subscribers. Rinse and repeat.
Ultimately, keeping email subscribers engaged just requires consistency, compelling content and providing value. You can use all these tricks to your advantage, and don’t be afraid to try new methods when one isn’t working.
If you need help with creating your newsletter content, writing catchy subject lines, or putting together a captivating promotion email, reach out and see how I can help.
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