Does anyone actively work to get visitors to subscribe to your blog? How well has it worked for you? Any suggestions.
If you haven’t started collecting email subscribers, what is the main thing that is keeping you from doing so?

@howwhowhen Best way to get email subscribers from your blog is to…

• Put your opt-in form in the header or sidebar, and at the end of your blog posts.  You want it to be somewhere that is always accessible (header or sidebar) and somewhere that you are likely to convert (at the end of a great blog post where visitors will want more).  
• Add a freebie to really boost opt-ins.  It can be as simple as taking some old blog posts, combining them into an eBook, and saying “free eBook.”
• Start now.  Even if you have very little traffic.  Even if you don’t know what to send in an email yet.  Just start collecting the emails.

@howwhowhen another suggestion could be using a plugin called “Comment Redirect”. It redirects people who comment on your blog for the first time to a “Thank you” page where you can setup an offer for them. 

It could be a free video download, webinar or ebook. But for them to grab it, they will have to fill in their details in the form you provide to gain access. For it to work well, you need to be driving in new traffic to your blog in order to have new people comment on them. Your activities on platforms like this and other social networks will make that happen; focus on value.

If you can guest blog for popular blogs in your area of expertise, comment on other blogs (have experts blog on your site or do some interviews), Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn your areas of interest and expertise will drive more quality traffic to your blog. As mentioned, be sure to offer that free PDF full of helpful info on all of your social profiles linking to your subscriber form and the subscriber should expect. SME is a good example: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/subscribe/ along with their pop-up reminder. Most are annoyed with repeated pop-ups, so think about that one before deciding to take that strategy.

With great content and what you can offer to others will gain subscribers, but you definitely have to let people know about you via a solid marketing strategy.

Glyn~
I like the magazine idea although I can see that some people may want more frequent small snippets of information versus a larger read every few months.  But that’s just me. 

As for getting people to sign up, I think this is really the Holy Grail of online marketing.  For my sites, I have found that offering free content is a great way to encourage sign-ups.  As for the pop up box being annoying, I would have to agree and disagree.  Yes, it may be annoying.  But it also has helped us really drive email subscriptions.  When we installed one, we noticed that our sign-ups dramatically increased.  And so I would have to say that this has been rather helpful. 

That being said, I would have to say that it really comes down to content and providing something that your readers really want.  Identify their problem and provide a solution.  When you do that, they will come and…more importantly…they will stay.

I hope that helps.

Greg
http://www.beforliving.com