Part three of a small series of posts about email lists and subscribers. You can read part one here and part two here

Email lists are very important but they are not a one-size fits all type of venture.

Blog followers are pretty savvy when it comes to all the tried and true tricks to get them to give you their email address.

They usually give a fake address or they decide to unsubscribe immediately after they subscribe. Why do they do this? Well, because they have been burned before by marketers who were pushy and obnoxious. They ruined it for every one else, as Gary Vaynerchuk says. You do not want them to believe you are that way, right?

So, how on earth does one go about getting them interested in what you have to say on your blog, and thereby get them to want to give you their addy so you can stay in touch?

Well, I am so glad you asked!

Ways to get more subscribers to the email list

1. Offer value to your reader. Give them something that they want and need. Like a free ebook or short story or some other time-tested helpful item. Like a PDF of ten ways to read faster, seven ways to clean a Kindle, or even beach reads you cannot live without. Just give them something that makes signing up for your list the best idea since chicken soup.

2. Let them know that you WON’T be spamming them. People absolutely hate giving away their email address because it seems like for weeks afterward ALL they get in their inbox is a stream of emails from some one hawking something. Let them know that IS NOT what you are about.

3. Keep everything professional and fun. I love to get informative newsletter, personally. Some of the ones I am subscribed to are the highlight of my lunch hour. I read every word. Make YOURS like that and you will never want for subscribers.

4. Keep the newsletters coming at regular intervals, but NOT TOO OFTEN! No one wants to have to delete your email and you really don’t want them to, right? So, only send when sending is something you need to do. Don’t feel like it HAS to be every month, every week, or every day; it doesn’t.

What other things do you think are important with getting and keeping email list subscribers?