🙋 Converting your customers

Building a publication requires you to wear many hats. You have to know how to run a business, manage a team, and create captivating content, all while wooing your readers into becoming lifelong advocates of your brand. If you haven't quite mastered the "wooing" part yet, we've got you. This week's newsletter is about harnessing the right conversion tactics, how to design an irresistible email newsletter, and why giving away your work can increase your profits. Let's go!

In this week's issue 📨

• Turning free members into paid subscribers
• How to compose an email newsletter that converts
• Create free content that has value

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An offer they can't refuse

The early stages of building your blogging business are all about crafting great offers that present the value your content brings. Doing this has nabbed you plenty of site visitors and free subscribers, but if you're ready to rev up your revenue, it's time to shift your conversion strategy into high gear by presenting your publication in a way that makes readers want to buy.

Let's look at some helpful conversion tactics that will position, polish, and present your paid offers in the best way possible.

Your offer

• Conversions don't usually happen at first contact, so mention your offer often. It takes time for a customer to recognize that your offer even exists, let alone how it might be valuable to them, so make sure your offer is easy to find and bring it up when you send out free content.
• Urgency is one of the most powerful conversation tools, so don't be shy about making your offer time-sensitive. Just be sure to use genuine urgency to drive action and avoid being pushy or manipulative. A little urgency can go a long way, especially if you're honest and have good intent.

Your presentation

• Presenting your site visitors and free members with an immaculate onboarding process will strongly influence their conversion likelihood. If you're using a platform like Ghost, you can create custom welcome pages for your subscribers to give them a warm welcome and provide intro content.
• To go a step further, housing your offer on a dedicated landing page where it can live full-time is an excellent way of giving your readers a simple choice: buy or don't. Use a bold title that communicates the value, explain who the offer is for, show them how it works, and give them a "buy now" button.

Your language

• Strategically incorporating trigger words into your sales page can encourage your customers to purchase. For this to work, you'll need a deep understanding of who your readers are and what they want. If they feel in control, hopeful, and like they belong, you're on the right path.
• Just like the words you use, harnessing a solid visual language is one of the pillars of a great converting offer. Building bold visual elements that make sense, like crafting a landing page or offer banner, can convince a free customer to become a paying one. If you don't have the eye, consider hiring an expert.

Your community

• Build trust by showing your free readers how much your paid subscribers love your content. Using social proof by displaying positive public reviews, mentioning how many paid members you have, or breaking down your publication's accomplishments will tell visitors what they're missing out on.
• Experimenting with what your followers are willing to pay can be daunting, but don't get hung up on the perfect price. The best way to know how to price your product is to know your customer base. Are they young or established? Artists or entrepreneurs? Start higher than you think and adjust accordingly.

Interesting stories & ideas 📚

• Why the work still matters – 404 Media
• Can you pass the permanent ink test? – Jay Acunzo
• How to stop procrastinating – Barking Up The Wrong Tree
• The evolution of the creator – Digital Native
• Common messaging mistakes – Exit Five

Sending smart

Crafting an email newsletter that quickly converts isn't as simple as you think. Your newsletter should not only look and sound good, but it also needs to be inspiring enough to convince your free subscribers to fund your cause. Getting it right can take some trial and error, but once you do, you'll see your paid publication metrics move with momentum.

Farah Mohammed, content marketer for HubSpot, walks us through the fundamentals for creating an email newsletter that converts.

#1 Design a newsletter people want to read. This might be a "well, duh" moment, but think about how many bad newsletters you've read vs worthwhile ones. What do your followers expect from your brand? What problems can you solve? Knowing your people is knowing your content.

#2 Your newsletter's look should match your content's tone. What kind of content are you creating? Is it serious? Playful? Controversial? Make sure your newsletter and website design is cohesive with your whole vibe. Imagine how you want your readers to feel when they're consuming your work.

#3 Write compelling email subject lines. Keep it simple, personal, and exciting so that your followers have a reason to click on your newsletter right away. If they aren't cracking open your emails to find all of the sweet offers inside, your conversion prowess will be for naught.

#4 Build email lists that cater to every part of your audience. If you're a creator that offers different kinds of content, knowing which newsletter(s) to send to which members will boost your open/click rates and lower your unsubscribe rates. Consider multiple newsletters to give your readers what they want.

#5 Promote your newsletter. If you have way more site visitors than email newsletter subscribers, it's time to make promotion a part of your conversion strategy. Consider promoting your newsletter in commonly visited places on your site, advertise your offers on social media, and give out free trials.

#6 Keep things fresh. Staying relevant might be the hardest hill to climb for most publications in a faster-than-ever world. Mix up your content, know what's happening in pop culture, and always get feedback. If your metrics start slipping, don't be afraid to ask your audience for advice.

Fabulously freemium

When gearing up to provide more paid offerings, how do you decide which content to keep free and which is worth someone's wallet? One of the biggest mistakes publishers make when moving to a paid subscription model is completely eliminating free content because they think it will kill their sales. Not so! In fact, the more you give away, the more likely people are to purchase.

SEO & blogging pro Erica Julson provides an essential understanding of how free content can be a gateway to gaining more paying customers.

‣ Free content is the appetizer, and paid content is the main course. If your free content is worthwhile, this shows your readers that your paid offerings will be even more filling, especially if you already have an established community. Who doesn't like dining with friends?

‣ Don't settle your free content short just because it doesn't cost anything. All of your work should have value. If you want to add even more worth to your complimentary content, do some keyword research to ensure that your posts rank high in Google and are seen by the right people.

‣ Free subscribers, and not just site visitors, are the ones who are most likely to convert to paying customers, so how do you convince casual readers to become free members? One way is to provide an exclusive opt-in offer when they join your email list, like a link to a special post or download.

‣ The free work you put out into the world is excellent at attracting new people to your brand. This is why you shouldn't put all your eggs in your paid content basket. What do your potential subscribers want, and how can you provide a complimentary taste in a tactful way so they eventually make a purchase?

‣ What do your casual followers need to know, believe, or understand to become paid subscribers? Focus your free content on where your audience is now so that their customer journey naturally ends with a purchase. Use your free offerings to help them understand why you're the one to solve their problems.

‣ The bottom line is that you should never be scared to keep some free content around when focusing on paid conversions. You need to be out there providing solutions to boost your brand, and handing some of it out for free will help get you there. If you build it, they will come (and eventually pay).

Curator's pick ✍️

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