How Do I Get More Email Subscribers?

How Do I Get More Email Subscribers?

Growing your list is one of the best things you can do for your station's email results. You've got a few tools built in — a signup widget for your website, and your contest system, which is already asking listeners to create an account. Here's how to use each one, plus some radio-friendly ideas for getting the word out. SoCast Email itself lives under Promotions → Email in your dashboard.

Add a signup widget to your website

The signup widget adds a simple email capture form to any page, so visitors can subscribe directly from your site.

  1. Edit the page where you want the signup form (homepage, a dedicated "Newsletter" page, a sidebar, etc.) using the page builder.
  2. Add the Email Subscription Sign Up Form element (Email category) from the element library.
  3. Choose which Subscription Group new signups should be added to (see How Do I Manage Subscribers and Groups?).
  4. Save/publish the page.

When someone signs up this way, they're added directly to the subscription group you chose — no manual step needed on your end — and a welcome email can go out automatically if your account has one configured.

Good places to put it:

  • Homepage, above the fold
  • End of blog posts
  • A dedicated "Join Our Newsletter" page linked from your main navigation
  • Alongside contest or promotion pages, if you send winner announcements or related content by email

Turn contest entries into subscribers

Your contest system already asks entrants to create an account — that's a natural moment to grow your list too, and it works two ways:

Option A — Add a "Join an Email Newsletter" entry action to a specific contest.

  1. Edit the contest.
  2. In Entry Actions, add a new action and choose Join an Email Newsletter.
  3. Pick which Subscription Group entrants will join, and set the button text if you want something other than the default (Subscribe/Enter).
  4. Make sure the action is enabled so it appears as an entry step for that contest.

Anyone who completes this step is added straight to the subscription group you chose — it counts as one of their contest entry steps, and there's no manual follow-up needed.

Option B — Let people opt in when they create an account.

Any time someone creates an account to enter a contest, they're shown a "Yes, I wish to receive emails for…" checklist of your active subscription groups. Checking a group adds them automatically. This isn't something you configure per contest — it shows up automatically for any group you've enabled for signups (see How Do I Manage Subscribers and Groups?).

Radio-friendly ideas to grow your list

  • Tie a signup to a giveaway. "Sign up for our newsletter for a chance to win…" — pair a popular contest with the entry action above so entering also grows your list.
  • Mention it on air. A quick call to action during a show segment ("Get the [Station] Insider every Friday morning") reminds regular listeners the newsletter exists.
  • Use a QR code at remotes and live events. Point it at your signup page or a contest that includes the email opt-in step.
  • Segment by interest. Create separate subscription groups by content — contests, morning show, local news, concert alerts — so people can pick exactly what they want. Narrower asks tend to convert better than one generic "newsletter."
  • Set expectations in the welcome email. If your account has a welcome email configured, use it to tell new subscribers what they'll get and how often.

What not to do

Every one of the methods above works because the person actively chose to sign up. Growing your list any other way isn't just a bad practice — in most cases it's illegal, and it puts your station's ability to send any email at risk. Specifically:

  • Don't buy, rent, or scrape an email list. Lists sold or "found" this way are made up of people who never agreed to hear from your station. They generate high bounce and spam-complaint rates almost immediately, which is one of the fastest ways to get your sending account suspended.
  • Don't add people just because you have their email address. Business cards from a remote, a caller's contact info, a coworker's address book, an old spreadsheet from years ago — none of these count as consent, even if the person is a listener or a past contest entrant. They have to take an action (checking a box, submitting the signup form, completing a contest opt-in step) to be added.
  • Don't use pre-checked boxes or bury the opt-in in fine print. Consent has to be clear and active — the person needs to know exactly what they're signing up for.
  • Don't import a list from a previous email provider (iContact, Mailchimp, etc.) without proof it's been actively emailed recently. An old, unused list has the same problems as a purchased one — see How Do I Switch From iContact or Mailchimp to SoCast Email? for what's required.
  • Don't keep emailing someone who unsubscribed or complained. They're removed automatically for a reason — re-adding them manually is a legal risk, not just a bad look.

This isn't just a platform rule — in the US, unsolicited commercial email is regulated under CAN-SPAM, and in Canada under CASL (Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation), with similar rules in other markets. Violations carry real financial penalties for the station, separate from anything SoCast does on the technical side. If you're ever unsure whether a list or contact qualifies, ask your Account Manager before importing or emailing it — it's much easier to check first than to fix a suspended account after the fact.