4 Newsletter Opt-In Ideas for Your Ecommerce Site

Reaching your ideal customers on social media can be a little… difficult nowadays.

What used to be a fun and easy way of connecting with your customers and building your audience, has now become surprisingly complex. Between the constant algorithm changes and ever-evolving content trends, it’s hard to know if your social media posts will ever actually show up on your ideal customer’s feed.

The marketing instability that social media offers can only mean one thing: it’s time to grow your ecommerce brand’s audience through a platform that allows you total content autonomy.

Our favorite way to do so? Through email marketing!

By shifting your focus towards email marketing and building out your audience via a regular newsletter, you’ll have the peace of mind of knowing that every single email you send will be seen by your intended audience.

The best part? Those who choose to opt into your email list are doing so because they have a genuine interest in your brand. We at Wayfarer love to call those our warm leads - and if you ask us, those are the best kinds of leads to have!

Now, if you’re feeling ready to jump into the world of email marketing, you’re going to need to understand how to get your ideal audience to sign up for your emails, first. As we all know, handing over an email address is a big commitment! Unlike becoming a follower or simply “liking” a post on social media, sharing an email address shows that a person is interested in hearing from you directly and personally. They’re willing to give you a spot in their sacred inbox!

So, as an ecommerce brand owner, you need to make opting into your email list seem unequivocally (and hopefully irrevocably) worth it. Simply posting an email opt-in form at the bottom of your website and saying something like, “sign up to get updates about our products” is fine and safe, but it isn’t necessarily exciting.

Here are four email marketing opt-in ideas that will help excite and engage your customers, and grow your list!

Build a loyal (and engaged) email list with these 4 opt-in ideas

01 / Offer a discount

Everyone loves a discount. In fact, we as consumers are so accustomed to giving out our email addresses for points, rewards or discounted items, that it’s no wonder that this type of opt-in is so common among ecommerce brands.

Try offering free shipping, or 10% off of a customer’s first purchase. It’s simple, straightforward, and will also help to encourage those first-time purchases!

02 / A free download or guide

Once again, people love saving money. So opting into an email list for a free piece of helpful content? That’s a no-brainer.

Your ecommerce audience will love a piece of content that can teach them something new, meaningful or useful. Think about the type of content that’s become increasingly popular on social media - “get ready with me” videos, skincare routines, tutorials and favorite product lists. Consumers appreciate it when brands share content of that nature, so why not offer it as an opt-in?

You may already have a blog post that’s similar to this type of content. It might be a recipe using your product, or a gift guide or tutorial. Don’t be afraid to expand on that idea, and create something that’s easily downloadable that can serve as your email list’s opt-int!

Examples:

Wilde House Paper sends free desktop or phone wallpaper art to their newsletter list every month. It’s a simple gift that gives their community a way to refresh their digital screens each month and stay inspired!
Flourish offers a downloadable meal prepping guide on their website to introduce people to their approach to health and wellness.

Not only will offering a piece of free content help to grow your email list, but it can be surprisingly simple to create, too!

P.S. If your target customer is active on Pinterest, make sure to share your free download there as much as possible! Pinterest content has a long lifespan, and infinite shareability. It’s the perfect place for a free opt-in to draw in traffic to your site, and add new people to your newsletter.

03 / Grant exclusive access

Exclusive access to an upcoming launch or collection can go a looong way in the world of email marketing. Not only does this kind of opt-in serve to pique your customer’s attention, but it helps to create a sense and feeling of community.

If you typically build a lot of hype around your new product launches, this opt-in style might work well for you. Granting exclusive access to your email list will build a sense of urgency for first dibs on your upcoming drop, and will help set the tone for when new things become available.

Example: Lauren Williams is an artist that we LOVE, who uses her newsletter to give subscribers first access when a new collection launches. Because Lauren’s pieces often sell quickly, Abbey (our Creative Director) personally joined her newsletter, just so that she would be notified when the piece she had her eye on became available. As a consumer, there’s a lot of excitement and build up in the wait for a first-access email.

04 / A Quiz

We might have hated them in school, but quizzes are one of the top converting opt-in tools for ecommerce brands!

Because your brand has so much to offer, your customers might have a hard time choosing which product is right for them. A quiz can be a fun way for you to recommend products, and make their shopping experience feel customized to their needs!

Apps like Interact, AskWhai, or Typeform will allow you to embed a quiz on your website and link it with your email platform so that people will be automatically added to your list and receive their results via email. Recently, Typeform also released a video quiz feature called VideoAsk that offers a fun and ultra-interactive approach.

Example: The Detox Market has a quiz to help their customers get matched to products that align with their skin type, age and needs. Anytime you are offering a wide range of products, a quiz can be a great opportunity to provide some guidance on which products are right for different types of people, while simplifying the decision-making process!

Excitement and value should be at the center of any opt-in you create.

The key to a high-converting, loyal and engaged email list lies in an opt-in that meets the needs of your customer. Never be afraid to test out a few options, and see what works best!