The Anatomy of a Killer "Thank You for Subscribing" Page for Your Email List

You've started an email list. You've been told over and over again that starting an email list is one of the most important things you could do when building an online business. After all, your email list is your audience, and your audience is the one thing that will help you reach your goals. But you've noticed that a lot of those new subscribers you're supposed to have aren't confirming their subscription. Since you worked so hard to get in front of your target audience's eyeballs, seeing all those unconfirmed subscribers in your dashboard is dosappointing. So how do you ensure that your new subscribers confirm their subscription? One of the best ways to do this is through a custom Thank You for Subscribing page.Custom Thank You pages also act as the perfect onboarding tool for your new subscriber. Have you ever signed up for an email list and landed on a page like this after you entered your name and email address?

That's not the most exciting welcome, is it? You probably wouldn't read this page through and take action on what it says. This is the generic Thank You page that comes with most Email Service Providers (I use Aweber). Instead of relying on this to do the job of getting more people to confirm their subscription, create your own page in WordPress to increase the likelihood they'll confirm:

1. Let Them Know They're Not Done

Most people who aren't bloggers or website owners don't know they have to confirm their subscription. So, they'll merrily go on their way and the confirmation email ends up in their junk mail and they never end up subscribing to your list because they don't' confirm. That's why you need to let them know that they're not done yet! The very title of my “Thank You” page is: “Wait – You're not done!” As soon as you land on this page, you know there's one more step to sign up. Then…

2. Let Them Know What's Next

After you've told your new friend that they aren't finished subscribing, you need to communicate what they need to do to close the loop. It can be as simple as one sentence that directs them to their email inbox to confirm their email. For now, the Thank You page on Unsettle just says “You have to confirm your email”.

3. Get in the Safe Zone

What good are your emails to somebody if they end up in their “spam” folder? Probably not very useful, and the whole reason you want your tribe to subscribe (nailed it!) is so you can provide them with information and value to help them reach a goal or keep them entertained. But what ends up in our junk mail folders is beyond our control most of the time. The big wigs at Google or Microsoft or whatever email service you are with choose what looks suspicious and what looks safe. So the Thank You page is a great place to remind your new friend to white list your email address. That way, you'll never end up in spam.

4. Remind Them What They Signed Up For

This might sound crazy… Especially since they were just on your website typing in their name and email address… But sometimes, people forget things. I often will be reading an article or signing up for a guide, and then get pulled away from my laptop after I press the “sign up” button. Then, a few hours later, I have forgotten why I entered those details in the first place. A good Thank You page reminds the person what they signed up for. Why did they enter their name and email? A simple sentence like “If you don't confirm your email, I won't be able to send you the free eBook I promised you to help you lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks” should do the trick. If you want to go into more depth to get people fired up for your emails, give them a bulleted list of all they can look forward to in the next couple of weeks. This is what I do:

5. Include Bits of Yourself

Starting an email list is all about building relationships with your audience. You can't build relationships with people if they know nothing about you. So instead of just posting instructions on your Thank You page, customize it with bits of yourself, your personality and your life. You could…

• Include a photo of yourself or your family
• Include a splash of your humor
• Add a few facts and interesting things about yourself

Don't be a stranger to the very people you're trying to build a relationship with.

Create the Perfect Thank You for Subscribing Page

These are just a few things that should be in every Thank You page, and if you include these elements you'll notice that slowly but surely, your confirmations increase. And with that increase in confirmations, you'll also be able to enjoy a deeper bond and more engagement on your website. Have fun with your Thank You page, and remember to be grateful for every person who lands on that page, because they're offering you the ability to connect with them. Peace out!