Most blog email notification systems are a bit sloppy when used 'straight out of the box'. If you want to keep your readers engaged in your blog topics, and get the most click-through's per message sent, put these 3 tips into action for instant improvement...
Side Note: If you are not already offering an email notification option for your blog readers, take a few moments to set it up. Your readers will thank you!
Offering an email notification system with your blog is a great way to build a mailing list. You dont have to sit down and write a newsletter, or come up with something really cool to say - your visitors sign up to be notified of new posts, and that's exactly what they get.
The software or service does all of the work for you. I use and highly recommend the Blog Broadcast feature through Aweber. Once you set it up, the mailings are automated and sent to your subscribers like clockwork. Perfect!
But it can get a little messy (and make you look bad!) if you dont do some deliberate planning. And if you do, you'll see a dramatic improvement...
1. Plan Your Post Titles Wisely
The title of your blog post will become the subject line of the email that is sent out to your subscribers. And if its not, you should edit your system so that it is. Headlines are what entice people to open email, click on links or read the content on a page.
If you do any kind of batching with your system - such as a daily or weekly archive of blog posts - keep in mind that the first post in that batch determines the Subject Line of your notification email.
Be strategic with this and you can control each subject line. This will increase your open rate, and help to hold your subscribers interest long term.
2. Be Deliberate With Topic Timing
This 2nd tip is directly related to the first. Time sensitive topics could end up going out up to a week late via email, so you want to make sure you plan your 'batches' deliberately.
I set up my daily notification to send out at 11:30am EST, since I usually blog in the morning hours. This will put my morning post in readers' Inbox within hours, which is ideal.
If you have a time sensitive blog post, you may want to publish it before or after another blog post, to make sure it ends up getting to your subscribers in the time frame intended. Sure it takes a bit of post scheduling, but you wouldnt want your "Saturday Only Special" to arrive on a Wednesday evening - long after the offer has passed. Schedule the timing strategically to get the best results.
3. Offer Email Frequency Options
In a recent survey, my readers voiced their preferences on email frequency. Many of them wanted immediate, or at least daily, updates so that they received timely notifications. And just as many wanted a simple weekly reminder with a batch archive of topics for the week.
How do you keep everyone happy? Offer options! To accomodate both camps, I set up a second list called ClickNewz! Daily (to opt in send a blank email to clicknewzdaily-AT-aweber.com). This email goes out daily at 11:30am, while the default email sends out a weekly archive on Monday mornings.
If you use Aweber you'll find the instructions for that here.
I learned these lessons the hard way. If you are a regular reader here at ClickNewz, you've seen that firsthand no doubt. Take these tips and use them to improve your own blog email notification system. You'll find just a little post-planning goes a long way in improving open rates, repeat visits and reader interaction.
Best,
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About Lynn Terry
hey lynn,
i've often wondered why a publisher would set-up blog notification rather than send an email with a link that drives to the blog post... especially when the email can be a bit more personal and "spiced up"
Thanks for this post Lynn. I absolutely need to set this up and this was a great reminder to do so.
Much easier than putting links to my blog in all my weekly newsletters - anything that can automate tasks is a winner!
Mark - Its much simpler than sitting down to write up an email for each blog post. With the combination of WordPress and Aweber, you can schedule your month in advance and have it all running on auto-pilot... even if you're AFK and on vacation.
Individual preferences often differ, that is why I give my subscribers the option of subscribing either through Aweber or Feedburner. Some like emails, others RSS feeds. I blogged about it at: http://arindamchakraborty.com/aweber-or-feedburner-which-one-to-use
Obviously it is old and since then Aweber has got better, but still worth a look 😉
I have been using the Aweber blog broadcaster right from the time it was launched, and through numerous tests I have found that I have better conversion rates with text emails than the HTML ones (not sure why).
Anyways, the Blog Broadcasters has only got better with time: now I can schedule posts, track clicks, use Feedburner URL, etc.
I don’t schedule posts more than a week ahead though, because it is a newsletter and stale posts don’t make a newsletter IMHO 😉
And both of us are right on time: I usually send out my newsletter and other emails in between 11:26-11:30 AM EST. 🙂
Arindam
Timing is something I'm defintely working on. I want to take advantage of trends, seasons, and the work day to drive extra traffic to my sites.
Regarding Feedburner & Aweber, see this note about recent integration: http://www.clicknewz.com/1344/feedburner-integrates-with-awebers-blog-broadcaster-for-subscriber-stats/
I updated mine today from a per post mailout to a weekly mailout of updates every Monday. Thanks for your prompt!
Fantastic advice. All important things to consider when setting up your notification. Thanks for all the great tips!
I tend to find that everyone and their dog has now got into aweber and i have read articles detremental to their service as a result.
I only use feedburner.
This is fantastic information Lynn thank you. This is what the internet is all about helping others. Our site helps teen and adults you Self harm cut themselves. We are on wordpress and the combination with Aweber will really help all our teens . Thank you!!
I think that the headline is the most important factor in regards to getting the email opened. The headline really does have to have that curiosity factor. A user really has to feel the urge to check it out and check it out right now and then the content of the actual email is how to keep the reader engaged throughout 🙂
Great post.
I think the most important thing is to make sure people like what you give them - think about "WIIFM" - what's in it for me? If you send out an email only thinking about what you are going to get from it, your focus is off. I say get that one right and the rest falls into place.
This is definitely on my to-do list, it's a lot easier than trying to come up with fresh content for the newsletter itself and it has built in accountability too lol. What if you wanted to get people to read your old blog posts though? Is there an easy way to select which blogs go in the broadcast or does it automatically choose the most recently published?