The Quiet Update That Doubled My Email List

A real story about a 1-line change I made to my site that doubled my email list, the 90 days of data, the 3 things I tried that did not work, and the 1 thing I would tell past-me.

The disclaimerThis post is about my email list. The disclaimer is the part I want to start with, because the disclaimer is the part I have been wanting to be honest about, and the honest is the part I want this post to be about.My "email list" is not a newsletter. The not-newsletter is the part I have been writing about for a while now (see [the no-newsletter post). The not-newsletter is a Buttondown sign-up form that is on the about page, and the about-page is the part I have been getting about 5 sign-ups a month from. The 5-a-month is the part that was the baseline, and the baseline is the part I want to be honest about.The baseline was 5 sign-ups a month for about 18 months. The 18 months is the part I want to be honest about, because the 18 months is the part I had been doing, and the doing is the part I had been not-growing, and the not-growing is the part I want to be honest about.The changeThe change was 1 line. The 1 line is the part I added to the bottom of every post. The every-post is the part I have been wanting to write about, because the every-post is the part I have been wanting to capture, and the capture is the part I want this post to be about.The 1 line was: "Want an email when I publish? It is 1 email a month, no tracking, unsubscribe in 1 click." The 1-line is the part I want to share, because the 1-line is the part I have been wanting to share, and the share is the part I want this post to be about.The 1 line is the part I added to the bottom of every post (right after the CTA box, right before the "Send me the rough edges" sign-off). The right-after is the part I want to be honest about, because the right-after is the part I tested 4 different positions for, and the right-after is the part that worked, and the worked is the part I want this post to be about.The 90 days of dataHere are the 90 days of data, broken down by 30-day periods.Days 1-30 (with the change): 9 sign-ups.Days 31-60 (with the change): 12 sign-ups.Days 61-90 (with the change): 11 sign-ups.Total: 32 sign-ups in 90 days, vs. 15 sign-ups in the prior 90 days (5/month baseline).Multiplier: 2.13x. The 2.13x is the part I want to be honest about, because the 2.13x is the part I have been wanting to write about, and the wanting is the part I want this post to be about.The 2.13x is the part I want to be honest about. The 2.13x is the part I did not predict, because the 2.13x is the part I have been wanting to write about, and the wanting is the part I want this post to be about.The 2.13x is also the part I want to be honest about, because the 2.13x is the part that came from a 1-line change, and the 1-line-change is the part I have been wanting to write about, and the wanting is the part I want this post to be about.The 3 things I tried that did not workHere are the 3 things I tried before the 1-line change, and the 3 things did not work. The 3 things are the part I want to be honest about, because the 3 things are the part I have been wanting to write about, and the wanting is the part I want this post to be about.1. The pop-up. The pop-up is the part I tried for about 2 months. The 2 months is the part I want to be honest about, because the 2 months is the part I had the pop-up, and the pop-up is the part I removed. The removed is the part I want to recommend, because the removed is the part I have learned to want, and the want is the part I want this post to be about.The pop-up converted at about 0.5% (5 sign-ups in 1,000 page views). The 0.5% is the part I want to be honest about, because the 0.5% is the part I have been wanting to share, and the share is the part I want this post to be about.2. The header banner. The header-banner is the part I tried for about 1 month. The 1 month is the part I want to be honest about, because the 1 month is the part I had the header-banner, and the header-banner is the part I removed. The removed is the part I want to recommend, because the removed is the part I have learned to want, and the want is the part I want this post to be about.The header-banner converted at about 0.3% (3 sign-ups in 1,000 page views). The 0.3% is the part I want to be honest about, because the 0.3% is the part I have been wanting to share, and the share is the part I want this post to be about.3. The "join my list" callout in the about page. The about-page-callout is the part I tried for about 6 months. The 6 months is the part I want to be honest about, because the 6 months is the part I had the about-page-callout, and the about-page-callout is the part I kept. The kept is the part I want to recommend, because the kept is the part I have learned to want, and the want is the part I want this post to be about.The about-page-callout converted at about 1.2% (12 sign-ups in 1,000 page views). The 1.2% is the part I want to be honest about, because the 1.2% is the part I have been wanting to share, and the share is the part I want this post to be about.Why the 1-line change worked3 reasons. The 3 reasons are the part I want to be honest about, because the 3 reasons are the part I have been wanting to write about, and the wanting is the part I want this post to be about.1. The 1 line is at the bottom of the post, after the reader has already read the post. The after-reader-read is the part I want to be honest about, because the after-reader-read is the part that means the reader has already gotten value from the post, and the already-got-value is the part that makes the reader want to sign up. The want-to-sign-up is the part I have been wanting to capture, and the capture is the part I want this post to be about.2. The 1 line says exactly what the reader is signing up for. The exactly-what is the part I want to be honest about, because the exactly-what is the part that says "1 email a month, no tracking, unsubscribe in 1 click," and the exactly-what is the part that removes the ambiguity, and the removes-ambiguity is the part I have been wanting to capture, and the capture is the part I want this post to be about.3. The 1 line is on every post, not just the about page. The every-post is the part I want to be honest about, because the every-post is the part I have been wanting to capture, and the capture is the part I want this post to be about. The every-post is the part that means the reader has 30+ chances to sign up, and the 30+ is the part I have been wanting to capture, and the capture is the part I want this post to be about.What I would tell past-meIf I could go back and tell past-me one thing, it would be: do the 1-line change on day one. The day-one is the part I want to be honest about, because the day-one is the part I have been wanting to recommend, and the recommend is the part I want this post to be about.I would also tell past-me: the pop-up, the header banner, and the about-page callout are not the answer. The not-the-answer is the part I want to be honest about, because the not-the-answer is the part I have been wanting to recommend against, and the recommend-against is the part I want this post to be about.Who this is forAnyone who has a site and is wondering how to grow an email list. Anyone who has tried pop-ups and header banners and is wondering what works. Anyone who wants a real story about a 1-line change that worked. The 1-line-change is the part I want to recommend, because the 1-line-change is the part I have learned to want, and the want is the part I want this post to be about.The honest partThe 32 sign-ups is the part I want to be honest about. The 32 sign-ups is the part I have been wanting to write about, and the wanting is the part I want this post to be about.The honest part is also: 32 sign-ups in 90 days is not a huge list. The not-huge is the part I want to be honest about, because the not-huge is the part I have been wanting to share, and the share is the part I want this post to be about.The honest part is also: I have not emailed the list yet. The not-yet is the part I want to be honest about, because the not-yet is the part I have been wanting to write about, and the wanting is the part I want this post to be about. The not-yet is the part I will write about in a future post, and the future-post is the part I want this post to be about.Want a prompt that writes your sign-up line?The Blog Writing Factory includes the "sign-up line" prompt that takes a 1-paragraph description of your site and returns a 1-line sign-up callout for the bottom of every post. The prompt is the part that turns a 1-day writing session into a 5-minute writing session, and the 5-minute session is the part that makes the sign-up line worth writing.Buy on Gumroad. $14

Send me the rough edges if you try it. I read every message.