Freelancing and Marketing
Here’s Why Subscribers Can Produce 50 Times Better Results Than Followers for Freelance Writers.
How I gained 100K subscribers in a decade. Twelve powerful strategies, tactics, and techniques to create a solid mailing list.
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2023 Update
Introduction
Frankly, followers don’t mean much on social media or any writing platform. There are better metrics. I explain my perspectives in this post without going into details.
While followers look like vanity metrics, subscribers can be a measurable and golden standard for content marketing strategy. Turning followers into subscribers is a critical marketing strategy. Freelance writers need to think and act like entrepreneurs.
Freelance writers can only survive with smart and powerful marketing strategies and thrive with the use of flexible tactics. In my experience, my subscribers produced more than 50% return on investment, while followers performed under 1%.
Subscribers can produce tangible and intangible outcomes. For example, recently, my subscribers helped sell over 1,000 books in a month.
In this post, I share my methodology by explaining how these 12 points made a substantial impact in increasing my subscribers.
Strategy and Tactic
A strategy can hardly change, but it can be supplemented with multiple tactics. This is a fundamental business development and marketing approach.
For example, my strategy is to substantially increase the quality of subscribers while gradually increasing the size. Size is relative and matters less than quality. However, quality content can play a minor role in financial goals without the fundamental scope of followers and regular readers.
I also have a specific writing strategy. Writing frequently, diversely, and reliably by gradually increasing the quality of our content with reader feedback has been the best strategy in my experience. I execute these strategies using multiple tactics, as I list in the subsequent sections.
The number of my subscribers is only an indication of what can be achieved using a method. I don’t intend to brag about the size of my network. My humble number is dwarfed compared to those influencers who have millions of subscribers.
Even though, naturally, I admire those influencers and desire to have so many subscribers like them, I remain realistic and stay grateful for what I gained. I don’t expect millions of subscribers at this stage. However, if one day I become a best-seller, this dream might be realized.
As my followers increased, I did not find out a noticeable increase in my views and reading times. However, when my subscribers increased, I found substantial improvement.
The quality of relationships significantly increased. We can build relationships with subscribers but cannot with followers.
Here are the 12 approaches that I used to build my mailing list.
1 — Mailing systems and Newsletters
Effective use of mailing systems and newsletters produced the best outcome in increasing my subscribers.
A mailing system has many features that make mailing and sending newsletters to subscribers. In addition, these tools allow automating tedious functions and tasks.
Creating a landing page using mailing systems and using them on multiple platforms can increase productivity. With a single link spread across various platforms, these systems can handle the entire process.
Newsletters integrated with mailing lists are an excellent method. Newsletters are shared with existing subscribers, and various platforms bring new subscribers. Therefore, the use of newsletters with a mailing system can be valuable. Newsletters can also include links to the landing page.
2 — Memberships and Private Networks
Membership in organizations is helpful in finding new subscribers. I am a member of various professional organizations. Collaboration with other members helped me gain many subscribers.
Sharing information in professional organizations can create opportunities to find subscribers. In addition, professional organizations also help to promote newsletters and other promotional materials.
Private networks, similar to professional organizations can include many members to collaborate. They are interactive and engaging. These networks include various groups and subgroups. For example, private FaceBook and LinkedIn groups are ideal for collaborating and gaining new subscribers.
3 — Book Launches and Give-Aways
Book launches and giveaways create an opportunity for authors to extend their network, attracting new subscribers.
Like many published authors, I gained many subscribers during book launches. At each launch, I give away a certain number of books. These readers are the most loyal subscribers as they receive a free book.
Since they already engage with our content, these readers turn into ambassadors.
4 — Conferences and Seminars
Conferences, symposiums, and seminars are collaboration places for writers. In addition, there are many gatherings organized by writing communities.
I participated in international conferences and symposiums as a speaker and attendee in my field.
I also joined local writing and editing groups to extend my network. In each conference and seminar, I gained new subscribers. Since I met these people face to face, the conversion rate has been very high.
5 — Website as Author Platform
Every writer needs a writing platform. A website is essential for writers to host their content, landing pages, and other resources.
Websites also allow writers to create their blogs and enable others to contribute as guest bloggers, as mentioned in the next point.
The majority of subscribers come from traffic generated on my website.
6 — Blogging and Micro-blogging
Blogging can be beneficial for writers. The more and higher quality content, the more visitors the blogs get.
Guest blogging adds extra value. Guest blog posts can bring a new audience. The more diverse and frequent content a blog has, the more traffic it generates.
Micro-blogging is small posts of around 150 words, including links to larger blog posts or articles. Twitter is an example of a micro-blogging platform.
I have been consistently blogging for several years. I aim to publish at least a blog post per day. I always add my landing pages to bring new subscribers. I also share my article links and abstracts in my blogs.
7 — Digital Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is an old concept allowing merchants and marketers to collaborate. Digital affiliate marketing makes the process much easier. There are many merchants and products in various networks, such as Clickbank.
Even though affiliate marketing does not directly bring subscribers, the process can. For example, when freelance writers create affiliate content, they can add their landing pages.
I have written a book about the importance of digital affiliate marketing for freelance writers. It is available on this platform. The Power of Digital Affiliate Marketing -Chapter 1: How Authors Can Write More And Earn Passive Income.
8 — Participation in Writing Platforms
There are several writing platforms where freelance writers can monetize their content. For example, some platforms allow writers to add their newsletter links, including their landing pages.
Some platforms, such as this one, add extra features, such as a subscriber button. I recently observed that a majority of my readers come from subscribers, as they are notified via email.
I have thousands of followers, but I get relatively lower reading times from followers. The problem with followers, some do it as an automatic activity aiming to be followed, not genuinely to read. But there are always exceptions, of course.
9 — Social Media
We need to understand the psychology of social media. Fundamentally, people want to be heard rather than to be good. This was an important realization for me.
If social media is used smartly, it can be very powerful. But if it is used based on urges, it can be a total waste of time. It does not produce desired results.
Of course, some people are interested in how-to guides, but many social media users are after being heard. They want to be known. They want to enlarge the size of their followers, which is a vanity metric, as I mentioned before.
I have substantial followers on social media on various networks. However, fewer than 1% are subscribers. However, it adds up. It brings new subscribers if social media is used creatively and productively.
One additional value of social media is using paid ads. For example, adding landing pages on Facebook or Google ads brought me many subscribers.
10 — Business Cards
Some people underestimate business cards. However, they still work to attract subscribers. I have been using business cards successfully for many years.
Both paper and digital ones can be helpful. I used paper ones in the conferences. After these meetings, I experienced a significant increase in my subscribers.
Some platforms allow digital business card sharing. Adding a digital business card to a writing platform can bring new subscribers. We need to add a short link to our landing page to attract subscribers.
11 — Volunteer Work
Communities always value philanthropic activities. When volunteering, freelance writers can increase their networks and gain new subscribers.
Reciprocity is valued in charitable organizations. For example, an organization I volunteered for a few months shared my newsletters in their vast network.
Each volunteering organization brought me many subscribers through people I met or their networking programs.
12 — Mentoring and Testimonials
Mentoring is not expected to bring subscribers.
However, my experience is different. I mentor hundreds of people. Some of these people have extensive networks, and as an act of kindness, they shared my newsletters in their networks even without my request.
I gained significant subscribers through word of mouth and testimonials. As a protege, I also share the resources of my mentors. Mentorship brings mutual benefits to mentors and proteges.
I also do beta reading for writers. As an appreciation, they share my newsletters and links to my writing profiles.
Takeaways
Freelance writers need to establish a solid audience to market and sell their products. There are various ways to increase the number of audiences.
From my experience, followers are essential for survival at a fundamental level. However, subscribers are critical for the survival and thriving of freelance writers.
I introduced 12 approaches to increase my subscribers. Some of them are easy and quick, yet some can be time-consuming. However, all add up in building a solid list.
So, the diversification strategy for growing subscribers is valuable. Also, diversity in writing is a success factor for increasing the audience.
I mentioned the importance of using and promoting mailing lists and newsletters in a story: Introduce Your Newsletters and Grow Your Mailing Lists: Let’s collaborate to enhance our networks, gain new customers, and delight them sustainably.
For the last ten years, I have been building my mailing lists consistently. I started with one subscriber, and after a decade, I gained over 100K subscribers by using these methods. They consume different types of content from my writing practice.
Writing frequently, diversely, and honestly by gradually increasing the quality of our content with reader feedback is the best strategy from my experience. The more subscribers I gain, the faster my network grows.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
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Finally, After Burning Her House, Georgia Found Enlightenment
Hilarious Tips to Prevent Brain Atrophy and Keep the Gray Matter Giggling
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