Sometimes, size does matter. And your email list is one of those cases. The more subscribers you can target with your email campaigns and automations, the more revenue you’ll generate from the same amount of effort – assuming those leads are high quality.
In other words: you need to grow your email list. Consistently. And with high-quality, high-converting leads.
But how do you actually do that?
Here are 5 proven incentives that’ll have people clicking “subscribe” faster than you can spell ROI.
Why you need a strong incentive
In 2025, “Subscribe to our newsletter to get updates” won’t cut it.
There’s too much noise, too many brands competing for attention – and your customers aren’t going to let you into their inbox without a clear reason.
A strong incentive gives potential subscribers an immediate benefit. It lowers the barrier to entry and makes the decision feel like a win for them, not just for you.
When a strong incentive is in place, signup rates jump noticeably. In some cases, we’ve seen opt-in rates skyrocket by more that 200% simply by replacing a generic popup with a strong offer.
So, what actually works? Let’s break down four proven incentives that consistently drive high-quality signups.
Purchase Incentives
One of the most common ways to grow your email list is by offering something tied to a first purchase. This could be 10% off, free shipping, or a free gift.
People like getting something of value, especially if they’re already considering buying. A purchase incentive helps nudge visitors over the edge while giving them a reason to opt in – without needing to fully commit just yet.
It is worth noting that some of your newly won subscribers would’ve bought anyway without the signup perks. But in our experience, this kind of offer almost always drives incremental revenue and profit.
Partly because it increases browser-to-buyer conversion, and partly because of the follow-up emails you’re now able to send.
In our experience, there are 4 things that you should consider when implementing this in order to maximize the amount of subscribers you collect:
1. Spend more time on copy and design
The biggest issue with the tried and true purchase incentive, is that everyone is doing it. That’s why great copy and design is crucial to maximize the amount of leads you get from this type of signup form.
Workshop angles (e.g. “Mystery Discount” vs “10% Off”), messaging and more, and make sure to test everything. Which brings us to…
2. A/B test everything
What works for one brand, doesn’t necessarily work for another. Make sure you A/B test everything from incentives (gift vs 10% off), copy and angles, design and more.
3. Introduce a step before you ask for the email
Psychologically, we tend to want to stay consistent with our previous choices. So if you show your potential leads a popup that asks a simple question such as: “Want 10% off?” or “What problem are you trying to fix? Tell us, and get 10% off” and one or multiple buttons – without requiring an email – you’ll typically get a lot more engagement on your forms than if you simply ask for the email outright. And because of the consistency principle, people will be more likely to sign up afterwards when you ask for their email. The second tactic is also great for collecting zero-party data and personalizing their welcome flow experience.
Whenever we’ve implemented or tested this, a low commitment first step has always increased total conversion rates on opt-in forms.
4. Minimize the amount of fields required for subscribing
This is more of a universal rule that’s relevant to all signup forms and types. But all studies show, that the more information you ask your potential leads and customers to hand over, the less likely they are to convert. Simply because it’s more of a hassle.
That’s why we almost never ask for more than an email address when asking for the primary opt-in. Now, if you do want to collect more data, you still can. You just have to add extra steps to your form and collect the information after you’ve secured the subscriber.
Sweepstakes and giveaways
If you’re looking for a high-impact, fast way to grow your list, few tactics beat a good giveaway.
Sweepstakes and giveaways work because they tap into one of the most powerful motivators in marketing: the chance to win something valuable for free. Whether it’s a popular product, a bundle, a gift card, or an experience, the right prize can drive massive engagement and attract thousands of new subscribers in a matter of days.
The key here is perceived value. The better the prize, the more attractive the offer becomes.
However, the biggest danger with a giveaway as an incentive, is the quality of the subscribers you’re collecting. In our experience, the purchase intent is very low, and you need to be on point with your followup strategy in order to convert sweepstakes-subscribers to customers. It is possible though, if you do it correctly.
Here’s what we recommend to get the most out of your sweepstakes or giveaway campaign:
1. Make sure the prize is relevant to your business
Don’t give away an iPhone or a €500 Amazon voucher if it’s not related to your business. In fact, you should almost never offer a prize that isn’t on your shelves – or at least related to what you’re selling.
Generic, popular prizes will often attract an audience that is in no way interested in what you have to offer – other than the chance to get something for free.
Try giving away your best-selling product, a curated bundle, or even early access to a limited drop. This way, you’re attracting people who actually want what you sell, making them far more likely to convert into paying customers.
2. Create a followup offer
The biggest strength of giveaways and sweepstakes is, that they often attract a large amount of new subscribers. However, the conversion rate from subscriber to customer can be pretty lackluster.
That’s why, whenever we run this type of incentive for our clients, we always recommend having a strong offer that we send immediately along with the confirmation of having entered.
The offer can be a time sensitive discount code, a gift, or something completely different. The important thing is, that it should give your new subscribers a reason to act now and complete a purchase. If you don’t, you’ll likely see a very low conversion rate from this type of lead.
Pro tip: you can always include a refund policy, reassuring people that they can place an order and get their money back if they win the prize – as long as the prize is one of your products. This is a great way to prevent people from delaying purchases until they know whether or not they’ve won.
3. Announce the winner with another offer
Some of your new subscribers will likely be waiting to see whether they win or not before making a purchase, especially if your giveaway involves your own products or a giftcard.
Because of that, it’s a good idea to announce the winner when the giveaway concludes, making sure that everyone knows whether they still have a chance of getting the prize or not.
Typically, this type of email gets great open rates, so this is also a perfect opportunity to include an offer that can give your subscribers another reason to act now and place an order with you.
4. Partner up with another brand
If you can find another brand that aligns with your values, shares your audience and isn’t a competitor, you have a perfect opportunity to do a joint giveaway.
There are 2 advantages and one slight disadvantage to this approach.
First of all, you can double down on the prize. When both companies chip in, the total prize becomes much more attractive. And a bigger prize, means more subscribers.
Second of all, you’ll be able to split the cost of promoting the giveaway, meaning that every dollar or euro you put into Meta, TikTok or other channels will be twice as effective, assuming that both brands commit to spending the same amount on promotion.
The only real drawback is, that you’ll also be sharing the subscribers, meaning that you’ll have less control of the followup experience, and the subscribers will be less committed to your brand alone.
Quizzes
Quizzes are one of the most underutilized – but most effective – ways to collect emails while providing real value upfront.
They tap into curiosity, offer personalized outcomes, and help users feel understood. And they also give you context. You’re learning about a subscriber’s preferences, needs, and pain points, which means you can personalize the follow-up experience in a way that feels helpful, not pushy.
They’re not for everyone though. The main point of a quiz is to help or guide your customers. And if your brand doesn’t have products that require guidance, the quiz approach is pretty redundant and likely won’t see a lot of engagement.
So how do you find out if a quiz is right for you?
Ask yourself: “If a customer came up and asked me what I would recommend they bought – would the answer depend on details about the customer?” If yes, you likely have a great lead-gen opportunity on your hands. We’ve seen quizzes do great in the beauty niche, supplements, pet food and supplies and many others.
Here’s our four step process to maximizing the ROI of your quiz:
1. Frame the quiz as a value add
This is the most important thing. When you’re using a quiz as an incentive, you need the quiz to solve a problem for your customers. If you don’t, why would anyone go through the trouble of filling it out?
Typically, the best way to do this is to guide your customer to the right solution for a specific problem they’re facing, or the right selection based on their circumstances.
In beauty, this could be “Find your shade”. In supplements, “Find your optimal supplement mix”. In pet food, “Find the perfect dog food for your dog”. You get the point.
This works because your quiz is providing the same type of value that you know from in-store sales assistants, and because you personalize the outcome, your quiz takers will be very likely to convert into paying customers from there.
2. Don’t ask questions you don’t need answered
Sounds simple enough, but this is a very common mistake. It’s easy to get carried away with questions when you’re creating a quiz, but ask yourself: is this a “nice-to-know” or a “need-to-know” for you to provide the right quiz results after completion.
The more questions you ask, the lower the completion rate. Keep it as short and sweet as possible.
3. Test “gated” vs “ungated” results
While it might seem like a no-brainer to gate quiz results behind an email opt-in, it’s not always the best move. The core goal of most quizzes isn’t just to collect subscribers. It’s to guide potential customers to the right product so they’re more likely to buy.
Gating results gives you the opportunity to follow up, nurture, and retarget. and in many cases, it works well. But requiring an email create friction and hurt the overall conversion rate.
That’s why we often recommend testing a hybrid approach: make the final quiz page focused on email collection, but still give people the option to skip and view their results. This can still generate a high volume of opt-ins, especially when the CTA copy reinforces the value of subscribing – like saving their results and sending them via email so they don’t have to take the quiz again.
Prioritize the end goal (sales), and test both approaches to see what drives the best overall performance.
4. Create a personalized quiz welcome flow
The beauty of quizzes – other than helping customers – lies in the amount of data you collect throughout the quiz, allowing you to tailor the post-quiz experience to the customer.
Acne problems? “How this customer got rid of their acne in one month”.
Dry skin? “From dry to moisturized skin: Here’s how Carla did it”.
Call out problems from the quiz, and point out solutions and show social proof from existing customers.
Early Access
Offering early access is a powerful way to grow your email list and build anticipation at the same time. Whether it’s a new product launch, a seasonal collection, an upcoming sale, or an exclusive restock, early access gives people a compelling reason to subscribe without compromising bottom line or brand value.
People love to feel like insiders. When someone gets first dibs, better deals, or access before the general public, it creates a sense of privilege and urgency that’s hard to ignore.
Here’s how we do it.
1. Make it exclusive and scarce
The power of early access lies in its exclusivity and scarce. So it needs to feel exclusive at every step.
Start with your messaging. Use language that reinforces that this is a limited opportunity reserved for subscribers only. Phrases like “Just for our inner circle,” “Private access,” or “Be the first to shop” help frame it as something special, not something mass.
This sense of exclusivity is amplified when paired with scarcity. If a product might sell out or a promo is time-limited, make that clear. Let subscribers know that being early matters, and that missing out is a real possibility.
2. Start collecting in advance
To make early access work, you need time to build the list. Don’t wait until launch day. Start collecting signups 1–2 weeks ahead of time, or even earlier for big campaigns. Promote it with a dedicated landing page, highlight it in your popups, and drive traffic from social and paid channels.
The earlier you start, the more qualified leads you’ll have when it’s time to launch.
3. Use it to gauge interest and demand
An early access list doesn’t just help you drive sales. It’s also a valuable way to measure demand. If you’re launching something new or bringing back a bestseller, pay attention to how many people sign up and what they’re interested in.
You can even use micro-surveys or segment-specific forms to get insight into what people want most, which helps you fine-tune your messaging and forecasting.
4. Follow up with intent
Once the access window opens, be ready. Send a strong launch email the moment things go live, follow up with reminders, and create urgency with clear cutoffs or low-stock messaging. These subscribers signed up because they were interested. Don’t leave them hanging.
Promote Your Signup Offer
Even the best incentive won’t move the needle if no one sees it. Once you’ve built a strong signup offer, your next job is to get it in front of as many relevant people as possible — consistently.
Think of your opt-in offer like a product launch. It deserves a proper rollout, not just a quiet spot in your website footer.
Here are a few high-impact ways to promote your signup incentive:
1. On-site popups and banners
This is the most obvious — and most effective — placement. Use well-designed popups, slide-ins, or sticky bars to capture attention without being intrusive. Trigger them based on behavior (like exit intent or time on site), and always keep mobile usability in mind.
2. Landing pages
Create a dedicated landing page for your offer, especially if it’s tied to a quiz, giveaway, or early access campaign. This gives you a focused destination to drive traffic from ads, influencers, or your organic channels.
3. Social media
Promote your signup incentive regularly on social. Both organic and paid social are great ways to attract new subscribers and leads – both through traffic to your website and landing pages and through dedicated lead ads.
4. Influencer and affiliate partners
If you’re running a giveaway, launching a quiz, or building a pre-launch list, loop in your partners. Give them a unique angle or link to share, and let them drive opt-ins for you. Make sure they’re incentivized not just to push the product, but the list-building asset itself.
The bottom line: don’t hide your offer. Promote it with the same energy you’d give a product drop, and treat it as a central piece of your marketing strategy
Wrapping up
Growing your email list isn’t just about getting more subscribers. It’s about attracting the right people with the right incentives.
The best-performing brands don’t an afterthought. They test different offers, optimize creative and copy, and focus on building a list of people who are not just subscribers, but future customers.
Want help turning your email list into one of your most valuable assets? Let’s talk – apply for a free strategy session here.