The greatest offer and the best design and copy ever won’t work if it isn’t relevant. Or, to put it another way, you can’t sell snowshoes to Bedouins.  So, carefully research your market, and your subscribers, to find out what they need and how they feel about the information you’re sharing with them.

Ask Your Readers

Survey your readers, or your opt-in list, and find out what they like (or don’t like) about your newsletter.  Ask them what they’d like to see more of, what they find interesting, and which topics are a complete bore.  Use the comments to refocus your content and give them more of what they want.

Make It Easy to Comment and Subscribe

Don’t require a login to comment; it just creates an extra barrier.  Make it easy to subscribe (and unsubscribe).  Put a tab in your newsletter with preferences.  Feature your RSS feed button (the bright orange semi-circle on the upper right of this blog) prominently.  Have periodic “subscription” drives, with instructions on how to sign up for newsletter delivery.