Most effective content for banner or popup on your Website?

[baldricko]

I have never used a banner or a popup on my site to attempt to capture more newsletter signups but now I'm giving it serious thought. It seems a waste to run a Website for my books and not do this.

Thoughts on what would be optimum content, layout, strategy, anyone? Any related thoughts on the subject are welcome?

[Lee]

My personal opinion, do something different. People use popups just because everyone else does. I don't think it's clever marketing. I am not the only person who instantly hits the back button as soon as one appears. Yes they will get you more sign ups but do you really need them? The more you try to capture email addresses using these tactics, the less worth you can apply to your list.

Far better to have a more responsive list than one that can just brag numbers, especially when you consider the costs involved. The more you devalue your list, the more likely you are to get unsubscribes and start hitting the junk folder.

Exit popups are probably not so bad, but still annoying to many people. We also become blind to them after a while.

In my opinion, far better to put the effort into making your landing page interesting enough that readers actually want to subscribe. The long term of this is far more valuable than any tactic that focuses on list size rather than list quality. That's not to say that you wouldn't use a popup and still give quality, but it will still alienate some of the subscribers that you really want, and attract many that you don't.

All my own opinion of course

[baldricko]

I am totally with you about the importance of a landing page, and mine is terrible. All I've been doing is shepherding any potential buyers to my book pages in the online stores. I removed all my sale buttons when the whole EU privacy issue popped up.
 
What got me thinking about a popup or probably better still a banner is that I have noticed a large uptick in the number of visitors after publishing my latest book following an extended quiet spell. I thought that since I have not had many signups recently, a popup would not hurt.

I've no idea what works and doesn't work with them so far as content goes.

Yes, I was thinking specifically of an exit popup.

[okey dokey]

I don't worry about any EU issues.
I don't live there, I don't vote there.

[Captain Cranky]

My personal opinion, do something different. People use popups just because everyone else does. I don't think it's clever marketing. I am not the only person who instantly hits the back button as soon as one appears.

This. I can't stand it when I visit a site and before I can even read the first line of an article or post I get a popup asking me to join their list. Nope.

I would place a sign up box or an offer for a free book/short story somewhere prominent though. If I'm interested in an author I don't fancy having to hunt for things, and probably won't 

I think Joanna Penn does it quite well, her website doesn't feel pushy and it's easy to navigate. Her landing page for the free book is simple and effective (at least it was for me!). She makes getting the book easy too, maybe take a look at her site if you haven't already?

https://jfpenn.com/

Anyway, just my 2 cents 

[Tom Wood]

...
I think Joanna Penn does it quite well, her website doesn't feel pushy and it's easy to navigate. Her landing page for the free book is simple and effective (at least it was for me!). She makes getting the book easy too, maybe take a look at her site if you haven't already?

https://jfpenn.com/
...

Yes, that acquisition process for her free book is smooth as silk. Can anyone point to a 'how to' that explains how to set up that double-landing page/double-email process? The very last step takes you to BookFunnel, but there are a few hoops they have to jumo through to get there. I suspect it has to do with regulatory requirements - Are you SURE you want to sign up for this?

The step that's hidden is the one where their email is stored somewhere - likely at MailChimp or similar. Is that smaller popup a MailChimp form? If so, then how does it trigger the 'Success!' page that follows?

[Anarchist]

The key is to make the ask irresistible. Do that and people will sign up, whether you're using a pop-up, lander, etc.

I use entry pops everywhere. My analytics show they're effective.

For what it's worth, my analytics also show that exit pops suck (on my sites, at least).

[Bill Hiatt]

Two things:

First, I don't see a GDPR problem with buy buttons. Typically, they don't generate any cookies other than those a person would get from dealing with that retailer in the first place. As long as you identify them in your cookie policy and have appropriate cookie consent in place, you aren't violating GDPR. GDPR doesn't say no cookies. It requires that people know what cookies are involved and have the option to say no to them. (By the way, with Amazon ones, anyway, they still function even without cookies being enabled. I've tried my own website incognito, not consented to cookies, and still been able to use things like those neat book previews.

Second, there are other ways to build mailing list subscriptions than by hitting your viewers in the face with popups. Although what Anarchist says echoes the research I've seen, I'm also tempted to conclude popups drive people away, too. I've never yet subscribed to a list from a popup. I do have a subscription form in the sidebar of my website, and I have started using BookFunnel as a way to fulfill free book offers and a way to participate in group giveaways. In the last four days (my first group giveaway on BF), I've had 205 downloads and picked up 87 new subscribers (a 42.4% conversion rate). Yes, I could have gotten more if I'd required subscriptions to download the books, but it's not clear whether doing it that way is consistent with the freely given consent required by GDPR.

Note that you need to have a good reader magnet to use that isn't in Select. Some people write a novella just for that purpose. Anyway, at least people who are drawn in that way are readers. (They may not always be buyers, but since the giveaway started, I am seeing some increase in sales.

There's nothing wrong with trying a popup, but be aware that there are other methods out there.

[OfficialEthanJ]

Pop-unders were super popular a while back. And by "popular" I mean "rage-inducing". 

[baldricko]

My personal opinion, do something different. People use popups just because everyone else does. I don't think it's clever marketing. I am not the only person who instantly hits the back button as soon as one appears.

This. I can't stand it when I visit a site and before I can even read the first line of an article or post I get a popup asking me to join their list. Nope.

I would place a sign up box or an offer for a free book/short story somewhere prominent though. If I'm interested in an author I don't fancy having to hunt for things, and probably won't 

I think Joanna Penn does it quite well, her website doesn't feel pushy and it's easy to navigate. Her landing page for the free book is simple and effective (at least it was for me!). She makes getting the book easy too, maybe take a look at her site if you haven't already?

https://jfpenn.com/

Anyway, just my 2 cents 

I visited Joanna's site. It's very well done and the popup is just the right kind of prompting.

I only have four books out at the moment so reluctant to put anything out for free as an enticement. I will do it though later this year if my writing resolution for 2019 looks to be working out.