I am a big believer in contrarian marketing and there’s one guy I’ve become interested in listening to when it comes to building up email subscribers.  His name is Ramsay Taplin and he writes over at The Blog Tyrant.

Ramsay’s niche is teaching marketers how to build such great email lists that they don’t have to rely on the vagaries of SEO to successfully market their products or services.  He makes a strong case, saying that “email subscribers are your protection from Google.”

Recently he penned a post at Copyblogger on the five writing strategies he regularly employs to get more email subscribers for his blogs and online advertising campaigns:

1.  Make it timely.  Using time-sensitive language -- “instant” “now” “limited” -- urges people to act since we are all wired to avoid losing. 

2.  Stand out.  Telling unusual or even quirky stories to illustrate your point and making it personal so people feel an instant connection will lead to more subscribers.

3.  Include social proof.  Nobody wants to be the first to try something new, which is why online reviews are so popular.  Incorporate social proof in your content -- “Joan was just one of 500 people we helped talk to their parents about estate planning this year” -- and sprinkle your site with client feedback (if your state bar allows it) to let people know you are a trusted authority.

4.  Use landing pages.  With every new product or service we launch, we create a unique landing page where people can sign up to learn more.  It doesn’t cost much and it’s a great way to highlight and promote your blog, e-newsletter or event.  Test different colors and layouts and then stick with what works for you.

5.  Write for people and Google.  If you don’t know how to write for search engines like Google, you may get a lot of wasted traffic for your site or blog.  You still need to identify and use the right keywords to attract people and Google to your site.  That said, you need to keep your content interesting and natural so people will actually want to read it and sign up for more.